Carp Fishing tips | Surface fishing tactics for carp
Surface fishing is a tactic that every carp angler should master if they’re to make the most of the summer months, especially is the sun is high in the sky and the chances of a bite using traditional legering tactics are minimal.
However, there’s far more to it than just hooking on a dog biscuit and launching it out into the pond, more in hope than expectation. So, this week I’m going to run you through some little ‘edges’ that I’ve picked up over the past three decades or so that have made a big difference to my floater fishing success.
1) Feed off the fowl…
Too many anglers avoid surface fishing for carp altogether because of the presence of ducks, gulls, swans and various other feed-robbing birds.
The trick is to feed them off first, using cheap bread and budget dog biscuits. Once you arrive at the lake, pick a corner from which both the fish and other anglers are absent, then put in the cheap offerings. These will normally fill them up, which leaves you free to surface fish.
Gulls, in particular, can be a nightmare, and it can take an age for them to have their fill... but feeding them off really will be time well spent.
2) Get them competing...
By far the most important part of successful surface fishing is to get the carp competing for the loosefeed before you cast out. Patience is key in this respect. You must keep feeding until there are a decent number of carp in the swim, feeding confidently.
If you’re patient enough, then the fish will gradually become more aggressive as they jostle for pole position for the next free morsel.
In this state they are far easier to catch and, more importantly, you can catch a number of fish, as opposed to just the odd one.
3) Slick ’em up!
The dedicated floating hookbaits that I favour are already crammed with oils and powders that ooze attraction, but I l give them a further ‘oiling’ to create a ‘flat spot’ around the hookbait.
This helps you to see it far more easily, especially with a ripple on. You can use just about any oil but my first choice is CAP Oil, a combination of various high-grade fish oils and a pungent chilli extract.
As well as increasing the visibility of your hookbait, it also gives your offering a fiery kick, which the carp seem to love.
4) Start small…
It was way back in the 1990s that I discovered the power of small floating pellets as loosefeed. Everyone else was using bog standard Chum mixers, and everywhere me and my mates went we caught an incredible number of fish because of those small pellets.
Everyone still uses large baits in the main, yet they really are missing a trick.
I use a mixture of 3mm, 6mm and 11mm Krill Floaters, with 80 per cent of the mix being made up of the smaller two sizes. These can work the fish into a frenzy, and the bigger ones are only there to replicate the size of my hookbait, once I’m ready to introduce it.
5) Fine-tune your end tackle
Thin hooklinks and small hooks will definitely get you more bites than crude terminal tackle, but you still need to use kit that’s strong enough to land the fish you’re targeting.
If you catch a couple of fish on a size 10 hook with 0.30mm diameter hooklink and they then start wising up, it’s time to drop to a size 12 and 0.25mm line, provided the weed isn’t bad.
Also, I can’t stress enough the difference a sticky-sharp hook makes when surface fishing.
Hone your hook points and far fewer fish will be able to spit out the hook once they’ve mouthed the bait.
6) Try a bright hookbait
While there’s nothing wrong with using a hookbait that matches the colour and size profile of your freebies, sometimes that leads to problems identifying it among feeding fish, especially at range.
To solve this, try using a bright pop-up. White or yellow ones are perfect, and an added bonus is that they will stay buoyant far longer than a sodden Chum mixer. Trim it right down (don’t worry, you’ll still be able to see it at range) and hair-rig it tight to the back of the hook. Alternatively, you can side-hook it.
7) Go long, if needs be...
Sometimes the best floater sport can be at medium to long range. This is often because the further out the carp are, the more confident they become and the quicker they lose their inhibitions (as they don’t know they’re being fished for).
In this situation, spodding your freebies out alongside a big, heavy controller float can be the way to go.
I carry a few different spods with me, so that I’m covered for any situation I find myself faced with. Being able to fish effectively in areas that many other anglers wouldn’t even try to get a bait to can be a real edge.
8) Switch to braid
Braided mainline isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s unbeatable for setting the hook on the strike because of its lack of stretch. If a breeze picks up you can ‘mend’ the line far more easily than you could with mono, remaining in direct contact with the float.
One final tip, which is obvious but still something I see a lot of people doing wrong, is to always cast your float well past where you’ve got the fish feeding, before tweaking it back into the ‘hot zone’. If you cast directly on top of their heads it will ruin all your hard work and send the fish into the next county!
Carp fishing tips | Use the right corn to catch more carp
We’re at that time of year when sweetcorn really comes into its own as a commercial carp bait both for feed and on the hook.
With the carp becoming increasingly active as the water warms, corn is a bait that they will seek out readily for its food value.
But unlike in the depths of winter, when a single yellow grain of sweetcorn can be highly effective when cast around the swim, now you need to feed something too.
However, even with such a seemingly simple offering, you’ll catch more if you use the right type of corn.
Guru’s Adam Rooney is your guide to choosing the right corn…
1) Maize
Maize is a larger, tougher grain than food-grade sweetcorn. I find it is excellent as a single hookbait when casting long distances on big waters, or if the lake I am fishing has an average stamp of much bigger fish.
2) Tackle company corn
Although the most expensive of all the corns, bespoke bait company offerings do bring a number of distinct advantages.
First, the grains are bigger and uniform, as all are graded. This make them perfect of catapulting.
They are generally tougher and more robust, for a better hook hold, and they come pre-flavoured and coloured, so all the work has been done for you.
3) Supermarket
I use two different tinned corns. For hookbaits, it’s Jolly Green Giant, which is often larger than other tinned corns, although this can differ from tin to tin.
For loosefeed, I have found Heinz to be excellent, as the grains are a little smaller. This means the hookbait will stand out well over the top of it.
4) Frozen
If you are looking to prebait an area, or you wish to use a lot of corn, then frozen corn (thawed out, of course) is a cheaper alternative to tinned.
The advantage of frozen corn is that it tends to be softer. In comparative terms, it’s the expander pellet of the corn world.
5) Imitation
Rubber corn is resilient to small nuisance fish and can be cast great distances. It’s also soft, so it feels ‘right’ to the fish. I normally use the buoyant type, popped up off the bottom with a bomb or feeder.
Dai Gribble's Specimen Secrets revealed
1) Use small hooks for big roach
If you spend most of your time fishing for species such as barbel and perch then you’re likely to be using hooks of size 12 or bigger.
As a result, if you start fishing for roach with double maggot on a size 16 it looks extremely small by comparison.
However, don’t be fooled into thinking that a size 16 is tiny and that roach won’t be put off by it.
Ask any match angler and they’ll tell you that you’ll get a lot more bites the smaller you can go.
This is due to the weight of the hook and the fact that roach are delicate feeders, quite able to detect something is not quite right even with a size 16 hook.
Yes, you’ll fool the odd fish but drop down to an 18 or even a 20 and you’ll get far more bites.
Smaller hooks have thinner wire and less of it so they weigh less, which means the hookbait reacts more like the free offerings.
Take your time when playing the fish and you’ll certainly end up with more on the bank.
2) Soft cheesepaste for chub
Chub can be caught on practically any bait you can imagine, from maggots to kids’ sweets, but few are as good for catching bigger fish right now as cheesepaste.
Perhaps the biggest mistake anglers make is that they make cheesepaste that is too firm and then cover the hookpoint when mounting the bait.
One of the main reasons for this is that they make their paste in a warm kitchen. Then, once taken outside into the cold, it becomes much harder. Whenever I make cheesepaste I always put it in the fridge afterwards to check the consistency when it is cold.
If I find it’s too hard I add a little margarine, while if it’s too soft I add liquidised breadcrumbs from a fresh white loaf.
I err on the side of it being soft. Most of my chub fishing involves short casts, and I find that I can bury the hook inside soft paste and cast very gently. For longer casts use a small bait cage on a hair to help keep the bait in place.
3) Keep warm... fish longer
Catching big fish is often a game of patience – and few things are more certain to break your resolve to sit it out for the bite from possibly the fish of a lifetime than getting cold.
In the past I have found that it is generally my feet that get the coldest, but there are a couple of things you can do that make a real difference.
Unlined wellies and waders should be avoided – if you really need them, go for a pair with a neoprene lining.
Make sure you pair them with good wool hiking socks. These give a massive boost to your well-being, but be sure you don’t then undermine their thermal properties by wearing them over other socks that are not made of wool.
4) Travel lighter for chub
When roving for chub you don’t need lots of end tackle. In fact, I carry mine in a really small tackle box.
There is no point in taking tackle that you won’t use, so leave the feeders and large leads at home and take just the essentials – SSG shot, float stops or leger stops, a few beads and links and hooks. Just add a pair of scissors and a disgorger and you’re good to go.
By only taking the minimum of tackle you will be far more likely to walk further, and that means you will fish more swims. That in turn means you will almost certainly catch more chub.
Perch fishing tips | refine your worm approach to catch more perch
Fancy doing some perch fishing this weekend? Then check out these great perch fishing tips to help you bag more stripey’s next time you’re on the bank. from how to feed to presenting your hookbait correctly. We’ve got everything you’ll need to have a netful of perch this weekend.
Time and again perch are caught on worms from rivers, canals, lakes and drains. A tub of lobworms packed into your bag can result in a chunky specimen or two, even with a thick frost on the ground.
Shakespeare Superteam Bait-Tech skipper Darren Massey knows a thing or two about catching perch from Midlands canals. Not only can they be match winners, but they can turn a tough pleasure session into a day to remember.
It’s all in the timing
“Perch prefer clear water and cloud cover, although towards the end of the day as light levels drop, I’d always back a peg to come good regardless of conditions. They’re like any fish in that they feed best late in the day, so if I can just catch the odd fish building up to those final few hours, that will do nicely.
“Only on swims that hold a lot of fish can you expect to catch well all day, so don’t worry if nothing much is going on early in a match.”
Topping up
“If I catch then I’ll keep on going until the bites die off completely, which tells me I’ve caught all the perch which are in the area.
“I then feed again, rest the swim and return. Some more fish should have moved in by then and I repeat the process of fishing it out. This way of fishing is very instant, so if you’re waiting five minutes for a bite, don’t waste your time.
“Having that second or third line helps in this instance and I follow the same principles on this, waiting until the bites cease before resting it.
“Re-feeding is done with a pulp made up of a single lobworm and four or five dendras plus some casters – much less than that opening feed as I’d still be wary of overfeeding.”
Don’t rush the strike
“Lift too early when the float buries and you’ll miss it, because perch like to take a few seconds to fully engulf a bait.
“When the float goes, I’ll count to three in my head and then strike hard. If I miss, chances are it will have been a small perch on the other end.
When a two-pounder takes the bait, it doesn’t let go and you don’t miss, believe me!”
Find some cover – or depth!
“It may be that your swim doesn’t boast much in terms of covert that perch love. Boats, brambles, willow trees and even reeds are enough to provide perch with a place to hide in waiting to ambush small fish. If the swim is barren though, all is not lost. You just have to find a reasonable depth to fish in – after all, a lot of big perch are caught on canals by fishing the deepest water right down the middle. Plumb around and look for around 2.5ft to 3ft and you’re in business.”
Multiple lines
“If perch are your target don’t fish one spot alone. Often the fish will need to be left alone to regroup after a few have been caught, so having two or even three lines on the go will be of benefit. I’d try and fish these across at the same distance across but spaced several yards apart at angles. I can then rotate lines, nicking a few fish from each before leaving it to settle back down. Separate lines also let me feed each with more or less feed, or totally different offerings.”
Keep the feed minimal
“You don’t have to feed masses to catch perch, and I’d actually warn about getting too carried away and piling in the feed. If you think about it, you’re fishing for maybe half-a-dozen big fish and it would be very easy to fill them up with one big potful of bait.
“I begin by feeding just two lobworms and 10 dendras very finely chopped into a pulp, to which I add 20 or so casters. Finely chopping the worms won’t fill the perch up as rough chunks can.”
Light and heavy rigs
“There’s the temptation to gear up with strongarm tackle when faced with the chance of a 2lb or 3lb fish, but that’s not always needed. A heavy rig is, of course, best but there will be days, especially in clear water or when there aren’t so many perch present, when a lighter rig catches better.
“I’ll set up a heavy pole rig with 0.14mm Shakespeare Mach XT line straight through to a size 13 Kamasan B711 hook and a solid 12-16 elastic for fishing lobworms.
“However, there’s also a lighter set-up with 0.12mm XT straight to a size 16 Sensas 3405 hook and a doubled No6 solid elastic. This is for fishing casters or pieces of dendra worm when the perch aren’t going mad and need a more refined presentation.
“Both rigs are shotted with four or five No9 shot evenly spread around a foot apart. This ensures a slow fall of the bait through the water, as I’m positive that perch watch the worm fall past them and then take it. I’ll lift and drop the rig regularly when fishing to help inject this movement, and a bite often comes just as the worm hits bottom again.”
Top 7 tips for pike fishing on rivers
Pike fishing on rivers can be a little tricky, to help you tackle these very tricky venues we've put together some of the best pike fishing tips for river pike so you can catch more when out on the bank whether you’re an experienced pike angler or decided to try it for the first time, we’ll have you covered with these great pike tips.
1) Understand the river
Rivers are wild, so you need to take the time to learn the stretch you are targeting to get the most out of your pike fishing. Ideally, walk the river prior to the season, when the river is low and clear so areas of deeper and shallow water are more easily identifiable.
This reconnaissance also allows you to check out areas of weed or even snags. Take in the geographical nature of the land too. The steeper the sides of the surrounding land, the quicker the river will flood in the rains. Plus, the lower-lying rivers also tend to stay in flood for longer. All of these things will affect how the river fishes.
2) Keep mobile
Once you have sussed a length of waterway, it is always best to keep mobile. It is often best to cover a couple of miles or more in a single session. This means keeping your kit to a minimum but the more water you are able to cover, the more chances you will have of finding a feeding fish.
3) Gear up!
On rivers, particularly strong, powerful waterways like the Wharfe, Swale, or Wye, the pike have built up a great deal of muscle mass as they are used to fighting the flow. So, to ensure you are able to land everyone you hook, step up your gear up accordingly. Use either 20lb mono or ideally braid. It's also best to use 28lb wire for my trace. River fish are not as pressured as stillwater fish, so they are not put off by tackle, so why risk losing them due to too your gear being too light.
4) Early and late
Low, clear rivers can be the kiss of death regards pike fishing, as their confidence and cover are blown. This means that especially on days when the sun is bright, either early or late starts are the name of the game. The amount of decent-size pike that have been caught over the years, fishing at either dawn or dusk is incredible.
5) Pre-bait
It sounds time-consuming, but never underestimate the power of pre-baiting. Rivers such as the Wharfe and Trent are big rivers and experience has shown that the pike on this type of watercourse are very migratory.
By getting the fish used to feeding in a certain area, you can start to either hold them there or intercept them as they are travelling in search of food. No river pike, especially one of the ‘big girls’, is going to turn their nose up at a free meal!
6) Twitch your rig
Always use float rigs on a river. Floats are better are giving you early indications that a fish has possibly picked up the bait.
To help induce a bite, one of the best tactics is to give the reel a couple of turns to twitch the rigs back to the bank. This can be like a trigger to a fish that is in two minds whether to take the bait, as it thinks its dinner is getting away.
7) On the rise
Often the best time to fish a river for pike is when the water is rising. The prey fish become very active and they need to continually adjust their position in the river due to the ever changing current speeds.
This leaves them wide open to attack from a predator as they are forced to search refuge from the flood.
Conversely, once the river is in flood, the pike fishing will be next to useless due to the extra colour in the water. You will now have to wait until the flow ebbs and the colour once again drops out before the pike will feed confidently. On the plus side, if it floods for a good while, the fish will be ravenous when the waters do eventually start to go down.
PIKE FISHING NEAR ME | WHERE CAN I CATCH PIKE?
Wondering where is best to go pike fishing this weekend? Then you might want to take a look at our Fishing Near Me page. We’ve got loads of listicles for every species including pike! So if you’re stuck on where to fish then take a look as we can guarantee that you’ll find a river or lake near you, that is stacked with big pike! Click here to see more.
MORE PIKE FISHING TIPS!
Not had your fix of pike fishing tips and want more? Then head over to our pike species page where we have everything from tips to tackle and venues. Everything you would want to prepare yourself for your next session is here so head over and take a look. Click here to see our species page.
Top carp fishing tips | The bread punch
Without doubt one of the most effective methods on small commercial snake lakes when it goes cold is a tactic known as ‘dobbing’ bread... and it’s working right now!
At this time of year you’ll find that carp and F1s will shoal up into sometimes quite large groups and show very little interest in moving far to feed on your baits.
However, if you can ‘dob’ a bait right in front of their noses they will often just suck it in, as it’s an easy meal they don’t have to work very hard for.
The hard part, though, is finding the fish to start but once you do, they’re generally not too difficult to catch due to the large numbers of fish there can be in a shoal.
Punch size
This depends a lot on the size of fish I’m looking to catch. If it’s all carp I might start off on a 10mm punch because I believe a slightly bigger bait is easier for the fish too see. Carp tend to have big mouths so a 10mm piece of punch isn’t that big.
If I’m looking at a mixed bag of carp and F1s then I’ll kick off on an 8mm piece of punch as a good starting middle ground. If I start to miss bites I will quite happily drop down to a 6mm punch. F1s have small mouths so dropping down a punch size can make a big difference in terms of the bite-to-fish ratio.
Once you start fishing and find a few fish the first thing you’ll need to do is work out what depth they are sitting at.
Normally, at the start, I will have a quick plumb up of the areas I want to fish prior to fishing to get an idea of the depth in front of me.
Finding the right depth
Once this is done I mark the depth on my pole and then take 4ins off the depth of the rig by sliding my float down.
This then means when the float settles I’ll be fishing 4ins off the bottom. I always prefer to start off fishing relatively deep as this way I can cover more water as the rig falls through the layers.
Today I’m at Guru Makins and I started 4ins off bottom, eventually finding the fish thanks to a few indications.
Unfortunately the first fish was foul-hooked and so I shallowed up the rig by another 4ins and went back into the same spot.
Sure enough, the next fish was hooked properly and, after a couple more fish from the same area, I felt I’d found the depth they wanted to sit at on the day – sometimes it really is that quick!
If I’d still been getting indications and no proper bites after changing the depth then I would have shallowed up further until I found the fish.
Starting your session the other way around – starting shallow and then going deeper to try to find the fish – doesn’t work, because the deeper rig is the key to helping you spot indications to start with.
The best bait – bread!
I’m often asked why bread is such a good hookbait for dobbing. I think it’s mainly down to colour. The water on most commercials tends to go very clear in the cold, so white bread is very easy for the fish to see.
I think texture is massively important as well. Once bread has been in the water a minute or so it becomes very soft, which makes it easy for a fish to slurp in with minimal effort.
When dobbing bread I get very few instant bites – say, within 10 seconds of putting a new piece of bread on – yet as soon as the bread becomes soft I get that bite.
Fresh is best
Having tried most bread on the market, if I had a choice it would always be Warburtons Extra Thick – the one in the orange bag.
I always try and get the freshest loaf possible, too, because this way it’s softer and extremely rubbery, which helps ensure it stays on the hook long enough for me to get a bite.
I used to mess around microwaving the bread to make it more rubbery, but now I just prefer to get a fresh loaf and use that.
The only time I’d consider microwaving bread would be if I couldn’t find any fresh and had to use a loaf that had dried out a bit.
Avoid the hotspot
Where you start fishing is crucial to success, and there is always a temptation to go straight to the most likely-looking spot for a fast start.
The problem with this is if this spot isn’t straight in front of you then you risk pushing the fish straight out of your swim.
Therefore, I always prefer to start off straight in front of me and then work to the left and right of my area, which I’ve found gives you more goes at the shoal.
What tends to happen is you find a pod of fish and catch a few before bites slow up because the shoal has become spooked and has moved.
It’s really all about finding them again and normally they don’t go far – one metre or two metres at most.
Top 10 barbel fishing tips & tricks to try now
Are you off barbel fishing this weekend? Then you might want to take a look at the top ten barbel fishing tips for you to try now before heading out onto the riverbank. Whether you are looking for bait ideas or just great barbel tips we’ve got you covered.
1) Match your baits to the water quality
As a general rule, use small baits such as casters and 8mm pellets for barbel in clear water and big baits such as meat and boilies in coloured water.
2) Alternative flavours
Fish-flavoured boilies work well for barbel but, if you are looking for a change, try sweet cream, coconut or tiger nut flavoured boilies.
3) Get baits down quickly
A baitdropper is an essential piece of kit for getting small baits such as hemp and maggots straight to the riverbed.
4) Beat debris with a bow
When a river is carrying a lot of debris, cast upstream and pay out plenty of line once the feeder has settled to create a bow in the line. Any debris will then gather along the bow rather than the rig.
5) Keep your boilies still
If you are fishing with boilies you can prevent them from being rolled along the riverbed by cutting them into halves or quarters. The flat sides will help anchor the baits to the deck.
6) Try a Method mix
Groundbait is very underused for barbel, but a heavy Method mix can work well when fed through an open-end feeder.
7) Give them some spice
Spicy baits work really well for barbel. Simply cut a tin of luncheon meat into cubes and place them into an airtight bag with a teaspoon of curry powder. Leave in the fridge overnight.
8) Keep your hooks sharp
Make sure your rig uses a hook with an in-turned point when fishing gravel-bottomed rivers. This will prevent it from becoming blunted.
9) Head to a weir pool
Weir pools are a favourite hangout for barbel, especially when the water is running at low or normal levels. The biggest specimens can often be found right under the sill of the weir.
10) Correct pellet choice
Not all pellets are the same. Buy halibut or elips pellets as these definitely catch more barbel than coarse pellets.
Use commercial gear to catch big canal fish
Fish a commercial with a bag of pellets and couple of tins of corn and you’ll get a bite every chuck.
But did you know that you can use these baits and the tackle that goes with them to enjoy some great canal action too?
Preston Innovations angler Graham West knows only too well the effectiveness of a commercial approach and this week he shares his secret so that you, too, can get the most from your local ‘cut’.
Swim choice
“Swims that are home to lots of cover are the places to head for at this time of year as the shoals try to seek cover from boat traffic.
“The fish will rarely venture from under these areas so you need to get your tactics right if
you want to draw them to the edge of the snags where they can be caught.
“I will feed two swims of equal depth. One pot of corn and pellets with a handful of fishmeal groundbait on top over each area will be enough to get things going.
“When it comes to topping up, you can either add a small quantity after every fish or a big pot every now and then to reinvigorate things. Try both.
“Banded hard pellets, expanders and corn are all effective hookbaits, with pellets the better option if small fish are proving to be a nuisance.”
Take no prisoners
“Extracting fish from their snaggy home can pose a challenge, but there is a technique to it. The biggest error that people make is striking when they get a bite.
“This creates all sorts of problems, the first being that if you miss the bite your rig all too often gets caught up in the branches.
“Applying pressure with a harsh strike will also cause a big fish to bolt immediately, and you can guess in which direction that fish will head.
“As soon as I get a bite I ship my pole back quickly, without striking. If you are using the right tackle this will lead to the fish being out of the snag before it realises what’s happening, and that significantly increases your chances of landing it.”
Heavy gear
“It’s all well and good getting the bite, but you need to make sure that the fish ends up in the net, and that means fishing really heavy.
“The first thing to do is make sure your pole is up to taking the pressure of heavy elastics, lines and hooks. Elastic is hollow, and rated around No17 or even No19, depending on how snaggy it is. The rig is made up of 0.21mm mainline to a 0.19mm hooklength and a strong size 14 or 16 hook.”
10 great tips for barbel fishing after dark
Take a look at Dai Gribble's best tips for catching barbel after dark...
Most of my summer barbel fishing consists of short evening sessions, fishing into dark.
For me this is the perfect time as it coincides with feeding time for the fish, and in summer you can get a bit of fishing in even if you’ve spent the day in the office.
Rather than rove the banks after dark I prefer to select a swim, bait it up, then stay there until the end of the session. Not only is this much the safest way to fish, but I’ve found it to be more productive than a mobile approach.
However, by choosing this single swim approach, it’s vital that you choose a swim where you think barbel will be close enough to be drawn to your bed of bait.
That means you’ve got to find a swim which offers a number of fish-holding features, both above and below the surface.
Swims to look for include areas with tree cover, creases where faster water passes by slow water at the side of the river, and any area where the depth increases, creating a place for barbel to hold up in.
Success with most big fish is rarely instant, so you need to be prepared to put some time and effort in to locate the areas that big barbel are likely to inhabit. Then it is a case of fishing these areas in turn.
You’ll find that time spent walking the river prior to a fishing trip is never wasted.
Gradually you will build up a picture of where the barbel are likely to be, but bear in mind that in different conditions, especially higher flows, they may move considerable distances.
If you’ve never fished into dark, there are a few tips that can make life much easier... here are mine.
1) Bait up and wait
I like to leave my baited area for at least half-an-hour before casting in to allow any barbel time to move on to the bait and start feeding – although on many venues I have found bites rarely occur before the light levels begin to drop.
The longer you leave it before casting, the less likely you are to spook any fish that have moved over the baited area. Spooked fish may leave the swim altogether, so it pays to be cautious.
2) Be organised
This is vital. Make sure you know where everything you are likely to need is, and that it’s set up so you can easily grab it when you need to. This includes baiting needles, hair stops, baits, and any rig accessories, plus your unhooking gear – you don’t want to be scrambling around for things in the dark, as it’s a recipe for disaster.
3) Check the skyline
Be aware of features on the far bank or horizon which you will be able to pick out on even the darkest nights – this will help you when it comes to recasting your rig after dark. These can be something obvious like the chimney stack in the pic or a taller tree or gap in the trees.
4) Bag up beforehand
Making PVA mesh bags of bait can be fiddly enough in the light, so it pays to make up lots of bags in advance. Store them in a watertight bucket or bait box and keep them close to your hookbaits.
5) Save your vision
Wear your headtorch all the time – don’t wait until you need it to start looking for it in the dark! Only use the headtorch when necessary. It is surprising how much you can see once your eyes have adjusted to the dark.
If your headtorch has a red light option then try using it, as it will help protect your night vision.
6) Watch the tip
I always use an isotope on my rod top in the dark to help see what is going on. Most barbel bites are unmistakable but an isotope will help you see any small knocks and rattles.
It will also help you to see how much the rod is bending, which is a good way of telling if drifting weed is building up on your line.
Obviously, a large raft of weed will necessitate a recast, but often lots of smaller strands build up gradually. Being able to see the rod tops helps you assess just how much weed there is on the line.
7) Always use alarms
Bite alarms will alert you to bites if you are distracted, for example, when you’re busy baiting up another rod or watching the water. Out of courtesy to others, always set the volume as low as possible when night fishing.
8) Plan for fish
It’s vital to ensure that you and any fish you catch remain safe in the dark, so make sure you set up your swim to include a safe area where you can land fish. The last thing you want is to slip down the bank into the water at night.
Ensure your landing net is readily grabbable and that you know your route to the unhooking mat and tools.
9) Don’t weigh everything!
Weighing and photographing fish is more difficult in the dark, so use a landing net with a deep mesh that allows you to rest fish in the water while you get prepared.
I will only weigh and photograph exceptional fish. Does it matter if a fish weighs 8lb 8oz or 9lb if you have previously caught lots bigger than that?
10) Keep bait sealed
This might sound simple, but over the years I’ve learned the hard way just how important it is to keep your bait in sealed containers.
PVA bags will quickly ruin if you get a bit of rain, and you can’t believe how many slugs can appear seemingly from nowhere at the first sign of a bit of moisture and the smell of a boilie!
Using sealed tubs also means that if you do knock over a bait tub or bucket you won’t lose all your bait for the session ahead!
Why a waggler is the float for all waters with Ivan Marks
The waggler is one of those floats – and there aren’t very many of them – that can genuinely be claimed to be versatile.
It can be fished on many stillwaters, and is equally at home on smooth-flowing rivers of average-to-medium depth…but the circumstances need to be exactly right for it to work.
There are basically six types of waggler and they are all exactly the same length – eight inches. The variation is in the length of the balsa body – it is this that helps take the shot loading range of the floats from 3BB to 5AAA. The body of each is of uniform thickness.
Modern wagglers have relatively buoyant stems. Sarkandas reed is the most commonly used material. This holds up to the surface better than cane and enables the float to overcome a degree of wind and tide resistance.
Sarkandas reed isn’t exactly thin either, which means that floats in which it is used can be seen at long range – whether that long range is way out across a stillwater, or when long trotting on a flowing river.
This week I’m going to take you through a session on the River Severn on the right bank downstream of the bridge at Stourport.
The river here is a little pacey, but the flow is even, there’s no turbulence and no danger of the float creating problems.
The wind is what I call ‘upgate’ – upstream – which makes either all-balsa or stick floats dicey prospects. They are too prone to tangles stemming from the wind.
The waggler, on the other hand, being a longish float, is well sunk.This means that the pressure on the flow forces the float downriver despite the retarding influence of the upstream wind on the tip. Clearly, a shorter float with a thicker top would be impossible.
The swim offers a number of choices. My main one has to be fishing what might be called the second shelf. That is where I expect to pick up the bulk of, if not all, the roach and chub catches.
This is a swim I have fished three times in matches. I’ve had 13lb, 17lb and 9lb, and each time it has put me into the money.
It isn’t a winning peg. There are better ones, certainly in the summer when the barbel are active.
There may not be so many barbel at Stourport as in some other areas of the Severn, but there are enough to ensure that the swims without them are unlikely to win their users much match money.
Chub to 1lb are the main chance, along with roach to 12oz, but this is a peg where you take anything that swims. Dace can be numerous…and bleak a nuisance.
I fish rather differently to some others, I suspect. People have expressed surprise that I should have as much as an inch of waggler top showing above the surface – but that’s for a special reason.
If you want to slow the bait down through the swim, there’s no way that’s possible if the float is shotted to within a fraction of an inch of the surface.
The slightest tension on the float top and down it goes.
On the other hand, you can lean on an inch of waggler top quite a lot, and that effectively slows the rate of trot.
I am assuming the Severn is in reasonable nick. If it is out of sorts there’s no way that a 5AAA waggler could fish this swim, and the next step has to be to leger if conditions get any worse.
On the other hand, if the river is sluggish there’s a chance that you could fish a stick float on the first shelf – where the water is 5ft deep. Better, though, to use the waggler and cover both possibilities with one float.
Bear in mind that a waggler is first and foremost a small bait float. It can quite competently support maggots or casters, but it isn’t really man enough for meat, bunches of wasp grubs or paste.
There are two possible shotting patterns for the waggler in this Severn swim. In the first – the normal pattern for trotting through and going for the mixed species – the float is locked on with two swan shot, with a BB, three No6s, a No6 and a No10 down the line.
If bleak are a nuisance it is time to lock the float on with an SSG and an AAA and space 2BB (equivalent to an extra AAA shot) above the original BB, which has been slid down closer to the three No6s to achieve a faster sink rate of the hookbait.
I look to fish this swim with casters, adding some hemp to the feed, but there are times when bronze maggots could also do a good job – although not as good as the casters when the fish are going on them.
Find out why depth can be better than distance
It’s a horrible feeling when you slip the plummet on, lower the rig in and it keeps going and going… and going.
It gets to a point where your rig isn’t long enough to cope with the substantial depth in front of you, and panic kicks in.
Fear not, though. Up-and-coming star Kristian Jones believes deep waters are much easier to fish than many think.
“I’ve fished lots of commercials where you have over 8ft of water on the pole line, and I’ve even experienced some extremes where you have over 30ft,” explained Kristian.
“But these swims are still full of fish and you can still catch them on the rigs you have worked hard to prepare.”
Keep it short
“Many anglers instantly ship out to anywhere between 11m and 14m and start the day fishing there, regardless of the depth.
“But it is important to fish in an appropriate depth, no matter where you find it in your peg.
“I will never fish on the bottom in 8ft of water or over in summer, and if that is what I find on my long pole line I will only fish up in the water here.
“Anywhere between 3ft and 6ft is ideal, and whether that’s 5m or 10m from the bank, you should make it your main line of attack.
“Tight in the margins is also usually shallow and this is an area to feed and attack later in the day.”
Heavy baits
“If you fed light baits such as micro pellets and maggots in water 6ft deep, a lot of it would be engulfed on the way down by smaller fish and those on the bottom wouldn’t be getting fed.
“So I find it best to use much bigger baits that will sink quickly. Corn and 6mm pellets are ideal.
“Groundbait works well in the margins because of the shallow water. It creates a dinner plate for the fish to feed over and I use an equal blend of Bag’em Matchbaits Krill Seeker and Commercial Carp.
“This is quite heavy so it holds the bottom well and makes sure there is always some bait in the peg for any fish that turn up.”
Versatile rigs
“When fishing for carp and F1s you have to use rigs that guarantee you’ll land everything you hook.
“I use three rigs in deep water and I go with a Jigga float on my shallow line, a Tim Moores Pellet float at 6m and a 0.3g rugby ball-shaped pattern down the edge.
“Mainline is 0.17mm to an 0.13mm or 0.15mm hooklength and a size 16 or 18 Guru SLWG.
“White Daiwa Hydrolastic is spot on in open water, when you have no chance of getting snagged, but I step up to Preston Innovations 13H in the margins to stop big fish charging into cover.”
Switch to a pellet feeder and catch more carp
When the feeder comes into play on summer commercials it is almost certain that the Method will be your weapon of choice.
But Browns Angling and Preston Innovations-backed Graham West reckons there are times when switching to a pellet feeder would pay dividends.
“The pellet feeder is underrated by many anglers but I have used it in warm conditions and caught stacks of carp and F1s,” he said.
Perfect scenarios
“One scenario where the pellet feeder comes into its own is when you have to cast a decent distance.
“If you are chucking more than 50 yards you are going to need to put a bit of effort into it. If your pellets aren’t on a Method feeder perfectly they will either come off on the cast or as it hits the water.
“With a pellet feeder you can pack them in tightly, which will keep them in until it hits the deck.
“It doesn’t matter how much you force them in, the water will flood the feeder once on the bottom and the pellets will slowly come out and create a small carpet of bait.”
Stand-out hookbait
“The water on most lakes is highly coloured at this time of year, so something bright is likely to stand out and be the first thing fish eat when they get their heads down.
“There are exceptions, though, and on waters that are heavily pressured a darker bait that blends in with your dampened 2mm pellets in the feeder can be better
“This is because fish sometimes associate bright baits with danger because they have been hooked on them several times before.
“I like to use wafters, but boilies and pellets can also be effective.”
Tough tackle
“Big carp are going to be your primary target on most venues when using this approach, so strong tackle is important if you want to land everything you hook.
“I use an 11ft Preston Innovations Monster Feeder rod teamed up with a Centris 420 reel loaded with 6lb mainline.
“This set-up will help you hit your target on most fisheries and has more than enough power to play and land any carp you hook.
“I ‘m currently using a 30g Preston ICS in-line pellet feeder and the rig is completed by a ready tied Size 14 KKM-B hook to a 4ins, 0.17mm or 0.19mm hooklength.
“Give the pellet feeder a go this week and watch your results rocket in an instant.”
Fish a waggler on clear rivers and catch more
It’s a sad fact that so many opening weeks of the river season coincide with low and clear water.
Thoughts of bream-filled keepnets evaporate and the day often ends up to be a case of scratching around for a few bites. The tactics and feeding you had in mind before getting to the bank go out of the window.
You could carry on, hoping that things change, but this rarely works. The obvious answer is to set up something totally different.
In most situations, this means abandoning the pole and changing over to running line float tactics to get further out into the swim and offer a very different presentation of the bait.
England international Cameron Hughes is your guide to fishing the waggler on a slow, clear river.
Why the waggler rules
“On a summer river that’s in need of rain, the fish will always be in the flow, not out of it where the pace is sluggish.
“This flow tends to be well away from the bank, where activity can spook the fish, and when deciding where to feed and fish the waggler I always ensure there’s a great enough distance away from any other line I may have on the go so that I’m not running the risk of splitting up the fish in the peg. I really want two dedicated areas that won’t get in each others’ way.
“The waggler also allows me to cover so much water by running the float well down the peg, which you can’t do with the pole.
“Also, there’s not the shadow of the pole being cast across the swim, which in shallow water can be the kiss of death.”
Fish and feed downstream
“Don’t be tempted to cast and feed directly in front of you.
“There are two reasons for this. First, the bulk of the fish will be naturally downstream of where you’re sitting and second, casting slightly down the river means you can get all the line behind the float and let it run smoothly.
“I may be looking at running the float around 40 yards down the river – any further than this will be a waste of time. There won’t be many fish there, owing to the loosefeed hitting bottom in a rough area on the trot.
“Past this there will be little feed carried downstream and therefore no fish.
“I’ll feed a pouchful of maggots on each run through, fishing double white or red maggot on
the hook.”
Light tackle is a must
Although there’s the chance of big fish you can’t fish too heavy on the waggler or you won’t get bites.
Typically I fish 2.5lb Maxima mainline to a hooklink of 0.12mm Daiwa TDR Rig Line and a size 18 Kamasan B520 hook. This gets me more bites but means there’s less chance of landing big fish, whereas going all out with a size 16 and 0.14mm line will mean next to no bites. It’s amazing what difference these small changes makes.
The float is a 2.5g loaded Drennan Insert waggler that has just a few No8 shot spread down the line and I fish this 18ins overdepth to really slow the bait down and drag it through the swim.
I also ensure that the shot nearest the hook is off bottom, otherwise this would lead to the float being dragged under if it was resting on the riverbed.
Big fish time
When small fish bites cease this normally means that a big fish is about – usually a perch or a chub on a low, clear river such as the Trent. Although I fish relatively strong gear, getting a big fish in is no done deal, especially where a peg has lots of weed close in.
Using a long rod will help you no end and I fish a 15ft Daiwa Tournament which not only lets me control the float better when running it down the river but also permits a hooked big fish to pop up further out into the swim, away from the weed, ready for netting.
The trick is to get the rod above the fish and pull them up. Stand up to do this and try to net them first time.
bag up on the speci waggler
The first few weeks of a new river season will always see me taking in a few chub and barbel sessions on shallow stretches with plenty of pace and oxygenated water.
Most anglers who fish such swims tend to go for static baits in conjunction with a swimfeeder or straight lead. This is fine if the river is carrying colour, but when it’s running clear there’s a much better way to catch a big weight.
I developed Speci Wagglers 18 years ago and three different float patterns have equally important parts to play over the course of a river season. The key factor to float selection is depth and pace, so this week we’re looking at how you should use them.
No1 SPECI WAGGLER
This float is available in sizes from 2AAA up to 6AAA. It’s constructed from carefully graded balsa a bit thicker than the thickest peacock quill. It’s more buoyant than peacock and perfect for swiftly flowing, smooth water swims where you might want to trip your hookbait along the riverbed as well as off bottom.
I normally use 4lb or 5lb Pro Float mainlines and 0.12mm (4.2lb) or 0.14mm (5.3lb) Pro Rig hooklengths tied to size 18, 16 or 14 medium wire hooks. Most of the shot capacity is used to lock the float on to the line, then I position a No8 shot down the line for every 2ft of depth. A typical 6ft-deep swim would therefore only require three No8s, with the bottom one around 1ft up from the hook.
No2 SPECI WAGGLER
This pattern is available in sizes from 2AAA to 5SSG and, as you can see from the picture, it’s the next step up from the No1 model in terms of thickness. It comes into its own in faster water where you want more buoyancy.
For this one, I use 5lb or 6lb Pro Float mainlines and 0.14mm (5.3lb) or 0.16mm (6.4lb) Pro Rig hooklengths tied to strong size 16 or 14 hooks.
No3 SPECI WAGGLER
This is the thickest of the Speci Waggler family and is available in sizes from 2SSG to 6SSG. I use this one in very fast, boily water and it’s not uncommon to run it between 20 and 40 yards down the river.
Main lines for this float are 7lb or 8lb Pro Float, used in conjunction with 0.18mm (7.0lb) or 0.20mm (8.4lb) Pro Rig hooklengths tied to strong size 12 or 10 hooks.
CASTING AND CONTROL
Always cast downstream before running the float through the swim. If you’re face on to the river, imagine a clockface and cast to the two o’clock position. This will ensure that the line is at the right angle to start with and easy to mend, to stop any drag pulling the float which affects presentation. I can’t stress enough how important a naturally floating line is for this.
BAIT AND FEEDING
My bait bag for these early-season swims would contain two or three pints of casters, the same of hemp and the same of maggots.
I would also have a selection of 4mm and 6mm Bait-Tech Carp Pellets. Over a five-hour competition I would normally feed all baits, little and often to start with, increasing the amount if fish were responding well.
Try different feed routines. A good starting routine would be to feed first then cast, feed again halfway down the run and then again at the end of the run.
Experiment with measures until you’re getting bites on a regular basis, but be prepared to wait a while until the fish find and switch on to the bait trail.
Hookbait is two to five maggots or a banded 8mm carp pellet.
50 Amazing river fishing tips
I don’t know about you, but for me the closed season has really dragged on this time and I can’t wait to get back on running water again!
We’ve had a decent amount of rain over the past few weeks and this has put some much-needed colour and pace back in the rivers. They’re looking good for the start.
Over the course of the season ahead I’ll be visiting loads of different waters.
Some I already know, but I always enjoy going to new places too and we’ve got some great venues lined up for features.
I hope you enjoy readingthem as much as I’m looking forward to doing them.
To get the new series started here are 50 ideas, tips and tactics that you might like to try once the season gets underway.
Over the next few weeks we’ll be looking in depth at how to put bigger catches together using a variety of different approaches.
HOLD ON TIGHT!
Barbel are probably the most exciting river fish to catch. Most people just use a static bait with a feeder or leger rig but it’s more exciting to catch them on float gear, especially in fast water!
DON’T IGNORE MAGGOTS
Maggots are not fashionable with a lot of anglers these days but fish still love them! I never leave home without some.
get comfortable
River banks are seldom as level or manicured as those on commercials. So make sure your box platform is level and that everything is easily to hand before you start fishing.
DOT IT DOWN
Roach and dace require delicate presentation. Shotting your float so that just the merest dimple is showing is often necessary to hit shy bites.
FEED TO RESPONSE
On venues where small fish aren’t so plentiful, always feed to response. If you’re not getting many bites, ease up.
TARGET STRIPEYS!
Loads of venues hold big perch now. Pole fished worms will sort out the big boys!
GO LONG
Pole fishing keeps everything tight and precise. You’re always back in the same spot, and careful feeding can bring big rewards in terms of regular bites!
FISH LIGHT!
To catch roach, you often need to fish ultra-light with 0.08mm hooklengths.
It can mean the difference between catching and not.
ASK QUESTIONS
If other anglers are catching more than you are, don’t be afraid to ask for advice. Most people will be happy to help you.
WATCH A MATCH
This can be a fast track to learn about a venue. You’ll quickly learn about approaches and tactics by watching good anglers doing their stuff.
FISH A MATCH
If you’ve often fancied it but never done it, make this season the one to fish your first match. Your first pick-up will feel fantastic!
BUY A FRIDGE
Maggots can be expensive, especially when you need a lot, so don’t waste them. Invest in an old fridge (or two, like me) and always ensure your bait is chilled right down.
TURN OLD MAGGOTS
Old maggots kept in damp sawdust will turn into casters within a few days in the summer months. You’ll need a couple of good riddles to keep running the bait through.
PLAN AHEAD
I’d be lost without my wall planner. I use it more than a diary now and it really helps me to plan my season ahead. Well worth investing in a new one every year!
FEED PLENTY!
Many of our rivers now have loads of small fish in them and you often need to feed a lot of bait in order to attract bigger fish in. Bulk your bait out with 4mm carp pellets if it’s a problem for you.
Buy A BARROW
I’d be lost without my platform barrow. I use it on all sort of venues and often carry far too much gear with me, just because I can!
TRY NEW VENUES
Make the coming season a more interesting one by trying different venues out. New places offer new challenges!
Tail eXPERIMENT
On certain days a 5ft tail can catch you fish when a 3ft one won’t. Always experiment!
PUT A LOBBY ON!
Lobworms are brilliant for all fish when the water is coloured. Use them whole or in segments.
TRY MEAT
Fish such as barbel and chub love smelly luncheon meat. It’s a bait that too many anglers now ignore.
FISH STRONG!
Where big fish are the quarry, make sure your lines are up to the job. There’s no point hooking big fish if you’re going to lose them!
TRY A SPECI WAGG
If you fish venues where there is fast, shallow water, you will catch more fish on a Speci Waggler than any other rig!
GO SHALLOW
Too many anglers ignore the upper layers when waggler fishing in deep water – a big mistake if the fish are coming up to intercept the feed.
REDFIN HEAVEN!
Roach are my favourite species of all time. I’ll be heading to some favourite early season stretches with hemp and tares as my main bait choices.
TRY CARP PELLETS
I’ve had loads of success with these. I feed 4mm and 6mm and use an 8mm pellet on the hook.
SPLADOOSH!
Swimfeeders can account for some huge bags of fish in the summer, so don’t ignore this tactic if your river of choice is carrying colour.
HAPPY DACE!
Find some fast, shallow water and there’s a very good chance you’ll find a lot of dace as well. There has been an explosion of these fish in recent seasons on big rivers like the Severn.
BOMBS AWAY!
There are times when a straight leger rig with a bomb can outscore a feeder, especially when there are a lot of bream in front of you.
Use A TRUNCHEON
Like Speci Wagglers, Truncheons are very buoyant and work best in fast water where you need a longer float.
LAY A TRAP
Always give yourself somewhere to go if your main line of attack slows down. This might mean feeding big baits somewhere different.
SMALL BLOCKS OF TIME
Split your sessions into 10- and 15-minute intervals. Try different things in these periods until you discover how the fish want the bait presented.
TRY KRILL PELLETS
This is great bait for river barbel when the water is coloured. Use 4mm offerings in
a feeder with an 8mm pellet on the hook.
KEEP IT ON TOP!
For good presentation with float gear you must use a floating line. I use Pro Float in breaking strains from 3lb to 8lb.
GET IT SUNK
For swimfeeder and sunken line floatfishing on slow rivers I use Pro Feeder line in 3lb to 14lb breaking strains.
Hooklength choice
For hooklengths I always use Pro Rig in diameters from 0.08mm to 0.26mm.
IN-LINE OLIVETTES
For big-fish rigs I use
lines from 0.16mm to 0.22mm and In-Line Olivettes from 1g to 10g.
STOCK UP ON SHOT
Too many anglers go fishing with insufficient shot. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen this happen. No excuses, you just need to stock up!
JOIN A CLUB
Club fishing can be a great way to learn, as well as forging new friendships. Your local tackle shop should be able to put you in the right direction in terms of who to contact.
TRY WORMS
All fish love worms, so make sure you carry at least half-a-kilo of dendrobaenas with you to every river session.
ON-LINE OLIVETTES
For fine mainlines of 0.12mm and 0.14mm I always use On-Line Olivettes from 0.60g to 6g. These are locked on to the line with silicone rubber and are easy to move without line damage.
USE A CATTY!
If you need to get your feed out a long way, always make sure you have a few catapults and spare elastics with you.
GO FOR CHUB!
Like barbel, chub love pacey water in the summer months. You can catch them on all sorts of baits, but float tactics work best for big weights.
TRY AN AVON
A great float for pacey rivers with good depth close in. Use with an In-Line Olivette and 5lb to 6lb mainlines.
BABY BOLO!
There was a time when Bolo fishing was all about big floats, but not any more. They now go down to just 1g for swims 5ft to 6ft deep.
BALL IT in!
Several big balls of groundbait at the start of a session can draw a lot of fish into your swim quickly!
DISH THE DIRT
Soil is a great addition to groundbait when you need to get it down quickly. I always have some with me for river sessions.
Fish a waggler and catch more island carp
Before the advent of super-long poles and Method feeders, the only way to catch carp when faced with an island in front of you was with the waggler. But even though this float has gone out of fashion a bit in recent years, it’s still hard to beat.
Versatility remains the waggler’s greatest virtue, allowing you to fish at any depth and distance close to or away from the island.
You can also cast around the island, following the fish if they move or trying to land the bait on the nose of any fish you can see.
None of this can be done with a feeder, and if you’ve ever wrestled with 16m or more of pole across to an island, you’ll know what a back-breaking job it is!
Say ‘waggler’, though, and you may think ‘pellet waggler’, short dumpy floats that look like mini pike bungs. Instead, I prefer classic streamlined crystal wagglers with a loading at the base to fish on the bottom with banded pellets.
Why fish the waggler?
F1s can be caught at all sorts of distances, from open water to right across to an island or far bank, but where carp are concerned, my experiences suggest that with an island on offer they won’t tend to stray too far from this feature.
This means that to catch them you need to land the bait inches from the bank. You can’t do this when the island is out of long pole range – with the waggler you can! In fact, the tighter you can get to the island, the more carp you will catch. Land the float a metre away and you will still get bites, but these will normally be from F1s.
Casting around
I don’t clip up, even when fishing up to an island. This allows me to try different areas along the far bank as opposed to casting to the same spot as often. I can then cast to fish I see moving about for an instant bite.
More importantly, though, if a hooked fish charges off I cannot get broken on the line clip!
I aim to get the waggler to land just short of the island with the hookbait plopping beyond it, as tight to the bank as possible.
Perseverance is essential, so I rarely leave the float in the water for more than 20 seconds before reeling in and recasting.
The right float
I like a float that will cast well without making too much of a splash. Drennan’s loaded Pellet Wagglers are ideal as they fly perfectly and don’t submerge too much when they land. In terms of size, it all depends on how far away the island is so this could be a 4g float or as much as a 10g model!
Occasionally the float might dive a little too much, which can scare the fish, so I’ll slip on a plastic ‘dive disc’ which works like a brake.
My only other waggler of choice for hot days when the fish may be sitting just inches deep is a shorter, chunkier hand-made design. These floats don’t look pretty but they work well.
What depth?
It’s rare to find more than a few feet of depth around an island, so fishing shallow gives me no advantage. Instead, I try and set the waggler so that the hookbait just touches the bottom, with no shot down the line on the rig for a natural fall of the bait.
That way, most of my bites happen within seconds of the float hitting the water. Only on windy days will I set the waggler slightly deeper to deal with any tow created. Flicking the
rod-tip sharply to sink the line also helps on windy days.
Feeding
If you are not casting then you need to be feeding at all times. I’ll kick off the swim with several pouches of 6mm or 8mm hard pellets to create a target area to fish over. I then regularly fire in more pellets as often as possible, normally before I cast out, once the float has landed and while I am unhooking a fish in the landing net.
The amounts can be just four or five pellets at a time on hard days or a much bigger pouchful on really good days. Always carry a variety of pellet sizes so that you can tailor them to the day.
For example, if the wind gets up, a 6mm pellet won’t reach so I’ll change to an 8mm.
Steve Ringer's 10 steps for sucess on snake lakes
Find the hidden hotspots
When I arrive at my peg, the first thing I do is plumb the whole swim extensively, just to try and get an accurate picture of what exactly is in front of me.
This doesn’t mean just plumbing the areas I like the look of, it really does mean plumbing all over.
Quite often you will find there are features below the surface that hold fish, but if you don’t plumb the swim properly you’d never be any the wiser they were there.
When I say ‘fish-holding features’ I’m talking about depth variations such as small drops-offs or even holes in the bottom which fish like barbel have scoured out.
Quite often, a barbel hole will be no bigger than 18ins across, yet it will hold lots of fish.
It’s also important to get a picture of whether the bottom is made up of soft silt or gravel, and this is why I use a really heavy plummet.
I always prefer to fish on an area of hard bottom rather than soft, as it makes presenting your bait much easier.
Open new swims
If you do start to catch, then bites dry up, never be afraid to start a new swim in the same depth of water. This way I then have two lines I can rotate in order to keep bites coming.
Once I have two lines, I will look to catch two or three fish off each before moving and repeating the process, therefore keeping my catch rate ticking over that bit longer.
As a guide, a new swim doesn’t have to be miles away – normally 2m is far enough away so that the two swims don’t impact on each other.
Swapping between swims is also a lot easier if both spots are exactly the same depth, as the same rig can then be used!
Start short
Without doubt the most common approach on snake lakes is to start tight across to the far bank – after all it always looks more appealing over there.
By doing this, though, you are potentially missing out on a couple of early fish.
Normally, if you are quiet when tackling up, you can catch a couple of quick fish on a top kit plus one straight in front of you, almost between your nets.
You see, if it’s quiet the fish like to be close to the bank, hence you can often catch a couple straight away before they realise what’s happening and push out to the far bank.
This is only a line I will fish for 15 minutes at the start, but more often than not it will produce a fish within seconds to get your session off to a flyer.
Fish at an angle
Once I’ve exhausted my close-in swim I will work my way out towards the far bank, starting by fishing down the track.
I always like to try and put any other lines at angles of either 10 o’clock or two o’clock, if you imagine the swim as a clock face.
This means when I hook a fish I can steer it away from the baited area and play it straight in front of me without ruining my swim.
There’s nothing worse than hooking a carp and playing it on top of where you are fishing. By setting my swims at angles I can avoid this happening.
Use a longer pole rig
When fishing tight over then more often than not you will only be fishing in inches of water.
In this situation carp can be very spooky, especially if a pole is waving about over their heads.
For this reason I like to fish a longer than usual length of line between pole float and pole-tip.
Instead of fishing with 12ins of line, I will fish with between 24ins and 30ins to help me keep the pole tip high above the water so there is less chance of the fish spooking away from it.
Using a long line can often mean you get a slack line and this can lead to missed bites if you’re not careful.
To combat this I keep a tight line between float and pole-tip by using a string of No9 back shot.
The bottom shot is placed 4ins above the float and the rest are then spaced at 4ins intervals above this.
I miss very few bites when I’m back shotting like this.
Start short
Without doubt the most common approach on snake lakes is to start tight across to the far bank – after all it always looks more appealing over there.
By doing this, though, you are potentially missing out on a couple of early fish.
Normally, if you are quiet when tackling up, you can catch a couple of quick fish on a top kit plus one straight in front of you, almost between your nets.
You see, if it’s quiet the fish like to be close to the bank, hence you can often catch a couple straight away before they realise what’s happening and push out to the far bank.
This is only a line I will fish for 15 minutes at the start, but more often than not it will produce a fish within seconds to get your session off to a flyer.
Give yourself bait options
No matter how well you think you know a venue it’s always important to give yourself a couple of bait options.
Even if you think it’s going to be all about pellets, make sure you have a back-up of something like maggots, which tend to be a safe option on snake lakes.
Venues change from one day to the next, and by having two options instead of one you are giving yourself the ability to switch should the need arise.
Go long and find a gap
When deciding where to fish across I will always look for gaps in the rushes that allow me to get as tight to the far bank as possible.
Carp like to hug the bank provided there is enough depth for them to do so, therefore the tighter I can get to the bank the better, as this makes it easier to catch them.
There’s nothing worse than a far bank full of rushes but nowhere to get in between them. If I have to fish in front of them it’s usually too deep to do so properly, and line bites and foul hookers then become a nightmare.
Use the right floats
In general snake lakes are quite shallow, so light floats are the order of the day. As a guide, I like KC Carpa Ape floats for fishing across and in the edges and Mick Wilkinson Steadies for down the track in the deeper water.
Sizes are depth-dependant, but if it’s 4ft-5ft in the track I will look at either a 4x10 or 4x12. For across and down the edges Apes in 0.2g are the norm.
Feed carefully
If I’m in doubt about how to feed a swim I’ll always opt for a little and often approach – you can put bait in but you can’t take it out again!
If I start by feeding little and often I can always up my feeding if the need arises. However, if I start by dump potting lots of bait and it isn’t right there is no way back.
The other plus with little and often feeding is that it’s a great way of pulling fish, as both the noise of bait hitting the surface and falling through the water will attract fish into the swim.
Finish down the edge
As I’ve mentioned, I always like to start my session by fishing short and then moving out as the day progresses,
Then, late on in the day, I work my way back again to finish in the edges.
The reason for this is that I start short to catch quickly, then move across as the fish get pushed out by angling pressure.
Once the fish get used to what’s going on and start to move back in I will simply follow them.
The margins are very much the place to be in the last hour of any session.
How to catch commercial carp shallow
Summer is all but here, and that means shallow fishing becomes a key part of every angler’s armoury.
Even on the narrowest of snake lakes, catching up in the water proves itself to be a winner time and time again.
Wirral fishery owner Steve Openshaw has a record as good as any when it comes to this style of fishing, mainly at Partridge Lakes for F1s.
The Lingmere boss, who recently qualified for the Fish O’Mania Final, does a few things different to the norm when it comes to bagging up shallow on casters…
Multiple rigs
“Several top kits are set up to search the depths and these fall into two categories – positive and negative.
“I’ll begin fishing shallow down the middle and try to identify what depth the fish are feeding at. This could be 3ft, 2ft or even a foot deep, but using one rig and sliding the float about wastes time, in my opinion.
“By having a top kit ready to go at a certain depth I simply pick it up and I’m ready to go. To kick off the session I use the negative rig, which features strung-out
No11 shot for a slow fall of the bait. This way I can see where I am getting bites or indications and make changes accordingly.
“When the fish arrive in numbers and I’m getting bites quickly, I swap over to the positive rig that has a bulk of shot as opposed to strung.
“Hookbait is a single caster nicked on to the hook – I’ve not got the patience to fiddle around with bait bands!”
Search the depths
“I won’t begin a session fishing shallow. It takes a good 45 minutes to an hour for fish to find the feed and come shallow. Rarely do you see them swirl, and you could be forgiven for thinking there wasn’t a carp or an F1 in the peg when the truth is they’re most likely to be sat a foot under the surface.
“I begin fishing at 2ft deep and look for indications and bites. If nothing happens it’s likely to be too early to catch here, so I’ll go back to fishing elsewhere in the peg. Knocks on the float or bites mean there are some fish to play with – my job is to find them.
“The first change I make is to go shallower at a foot deep. If this draws a blank I’ll change to the 3ft rig, as the fish may be deeper.
“Basically, if I’m getting indications but not hooking fish I need to change to a different depth until I do hook them!”
Distance to fish
“Most snake lakes are around 14m wide with 5ft to 7ft of water down the middle, so it makes sense to fish this deeper area as there’s more water to draw fish up from.
“This should be around five or six joints of pole out, which not only makes catching quicker but also the feeding. You can fire casters with a good degree of accuracy to this range.
“I’d also have this shallow line set off at an angle down the peg, depending on what the wind is doing. I like to have the swim downwind as this improves presentation and accuracy of feeding.”
Tackle to use
“The negative rig uses an RW F1 Slim float in 4x8 or 4x10 sizes with 0.14mm mainline, a 0.12mm hooklink and a size 18 Guru LWG hook. For the bagging rig lines and hooks are the same, but the float is a 4x8 MAP SF2. I use Orange F1 Hydro for both.
“I slip a piece of float silicone on to the bristle of the bagging rig float. This stops the float eye pulling out when I’m catching well, and prevents tangles.
“I use a very short line between the float and pole so I can hit more bites.”
Tweak your Method feeder and catch more carp
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The Method feeder has seen many tweaks over the years, but one problem has always been the way it presents a buoyant hookbait.
A buoyant bait presents itself off the end of the feeder, rather than in the centre of the pile of groundbait or pellets.
Now, though, a group of top matchmen have come up with the perfect solution – a clip that holds the pop-up bait right on top of the feed around the feeder. And for such a small, insignificant-looking bit of kit it makes a massive difference to your presentation.
Guru’s Adam Rooney is one of the team who came up with the clip, and he explained: “It snaps on to a Guru Method feeder and grips the hooklink in a way that allows you to control how far the pop-up sits or, if using a bottom bait, create a good bolt effect.
“Once the hookbait is taken, the line will spring out of the clip’s jaws, leaving the feeder to work conventionally while you are playing the fish.”
The great thing about the clip is that on the many waters where fixed elasticated feeders are banned, it’s difficult to achieve a bolt effect with an inline running feeder.
But a combination of the new clip and Guru’s X-Safe system, which makes elasticated feeders 100 per cent safe, has revolutionised the tactic.
How to catch big carp in the margins
Anglers spend a lot of time mapping out lakes to find the hotspots in their swim. But how many take advantage of the best feature of all – the margins?
With temperature on the rise, the margins are usually the first areas of the lake to warm up, and that means that fish are already moving back into the edge in search of food.
A lot of food ends up here, be it insects or berries that may have fallen in from overhanging trees and bushes or discarded bait that gets thrown into the edge as anglers pack up and head home.
Carp know this, and will always move in and hoover up the leftovers. That’s when I like to take advantage of this natural hotspot.
One of my favourite methods is floatfishing for carp, laying on style. It’s handy for stalking in the edge, as you can lower a rig in and remain undetected by the carp as they feed right under your feet.
I have managed to catch carp to 30lb using this tactic, and there’s no reason why you can’t catch even bigger fish!
Short rod set-up
I like to set up for this tactic by using a 10ft, 2.75lb test curve rod. The reason I prefer a short rod is that the tip doesn’t overhang the margins above the carp’s head. You may also need to squeeze into tight swims, and a 10ft rod makes life so much easier.
In keeping with my traditional fishing roots I opt for a centrepin reel. Fixed-spools will do fine but I find using centrepins much more enjoyable and, depending on how snaggy the swim is, I will load mine with either 12lb or 15lb line.
Setting up for bites
To the link I will attach anything from a few shot to a 1oz carp bomb. The trick is to fish a weight that will just about sink the float, then fish the float overdepth by 6ins-12ins.
The idea is that the float will lay flat on the surface and cock up and slide away to indicate a bite.
The benefits of this way of fishing is that because of the lack of resistance from the float, carp won’t suspect anything is wrong.
Fishing the rig overdepth with the float set flat also means you don’t strike at line bites.
Big fish they will make a commotion as they feed in the shallower water and regularly brush the line. This can look like bites if you are floatfishing in the conventional way.
Best baits to use
I usually start off with a handful or two of hemp and pellets (4mm or 6mm) as a carpet feed, as this will keep them in the swim grubbing about looking for food.
On top of that I will sprinkle a few boilies to match the hookbaits I’m using – when they’re feeding confidently they’ll take these larger items with gusto.
Boilies are usually 15mm, and I’ll cut a few down to help the attractors leak out. Sometimes I will put a small PVA bag on the hook with a few crushed boilies and some pellets so there’s a concentrated parcel of bait right next to the hookbait.
I don’t usually glug my hookbaits as I like them to look and smell the same as my free offerings. Carp can be sensitive to blatant bait smells that are completely different to the free offerings.Fish tend to be easier to spook in the margins, too, so I don’t want my baits to look too unnatural.
Be prepared to move
One of the best ways of fishing this tactic is to stay mobile. By travelling light you can fish several likely-looking areas in the course of a session.
Look out for any fish activity such as bubbling and swirls, as these are a dead giveaway to feeding fish. Failing that, areas of cover such as overhanging bushes and trees, reeds, lilies and man-made structures such as wooden peg platforms are a good starting point.
If you’ve got a few swims to play with it can pay to think ahead and trickle some bait into a spot you plan on moving into later on.
This can result in a quick bite because when you return the carp are already at their dinner table!
One thing I will say about this tactic is always to keep your hand on your rod – the takes can be savage!
It can be incredibly exciting fishing watching the float twitch and shake, but when it rises and goes under and you strike to the sound of a screaming centrepin and an eruption of water, the buzz is like no other – give it a go!