How to sink your line in a winter blast
There’s nothing worse in winter than a nasty wind skimming across the surface of a lake. Not only can it freeze you to the bone, but it can play havoc with rig presentation into the bargain.
That’s why sinking the line correctly is so important. What many people don’t realise is that this applies to feeder or bomb fishing just as much as it does to the waggler. Getting the line under the surface without moving the rig too much is an essential skill to learn, improving your presentation and leading to you hitting more bites. Here’s how to do it…
Bomb and feeder
After casting out, the best way to sink the line is to ease the rod down in front of you and hold a few feet of the tip under the surface.
Take up the position shown in the picture above, holding the line gently between your reel and the first rod ring with your spare hand. What will then happen is that two ‘Vs’ will form, one at the rod-tip and the second out in the lake where the feeder is.
As more line sinks, these two ‘Vs’ will get closer together until they meet and the line is fully sunk.
Take your time while doing this and don’t be tempted to pull the rod to help the line sink, as this will only run the risk of moving the feeder and spreading bait around!
Waggler
Start by overcasting the rig by about five yards. Then wind the float back to your fishing spot with a foot or so of the rod-tip under water at all times – this will begin to sink some of the line, but not all of it.
Now flick the rod sharply upwards in a controlled manner – this will be enough to sink any remaining line on the surface. You usually only have to do this once to get it all under the surface.
