Pole Fishing Tips | Six tips to get through the tiddlers - Stu Redman

August 14, 2020 Guest User

GETTING through the tiddlers to the quality fish you know are in the swim can be a nightmare!

There’s nothing wrong with a netful of little fish, but coming off the bank having caught 50lb of prime, fat roach, rudd and tench is a lot more satisfying.

Fat roach, rudd and tench are far more satisfying

Here are six tips to get through to the better stamp…

USE Big pole floats

I use a 2.5g Ian Everett float with a rugby ball-shaped body and a highly visible bristle, and group the olivette and dropper shot above the hooklength to bomb the bait down quickly.

A big float with a heavy bulk shot will help get the bait down through the smaller fish

Double up your corn

Rudd and tench love corn, so that’s the only hookbait to use – two grains on a size 14 hook. That way, if one is nicked off the hook, I’m still left with the second piece to fish with.

Two grains can withstand the attentions of small fish

Create a cloudy mix

A very wet mix that clouds the swim is deadly but groundbait alone won’t do this. To my mix I add a big squirt of Sensas IM2 Green One Shot Spray, that helps give me that long-lasting cloud up in the water.

Clouds can keep the small fish distracted

Liquidise some corn

To the groundbait I add liquidised corn blasted for 30 seconds in a blender. Before adding it to the mix I wring the corn out to remove as much water as I can to help stop the groundbait becoming too wet.

Use a light plummet

Over-heavy plummets will spook fish, so I carry two sizes. The 30g version finds the depth to begin with, but when I need to recheck, I slip on a tiny 10g plummet that creates far less disturbance.

Smaller plummets create less disturbance

Dunk your balls

Before I feed a ball of groundbait, I wet it. Now it will stick to the lakebed and not roll away. Dunk the ball for just a few seconds and this extra water will also help it to break up that bit quicker.

Dunked balls of groundbait will stick to the lakebed and not roll away

Specimen Fishing Tips | Clear spot or low-lying weed for tench? - Ryan Hayden

July 6, 2020 Guest User

I always prefer to fish over clear areas and, as such, raking is something that plays a big part in my tench fishing.

Raking a spot not only allows you to remove weed and debris to allow better presentation, but it also disturbs the bottom and stirs up lots of natural food.

No matter how good you are at chucking a rake, you are only going to achieve a certain distance.

When fishing further out, I’ll always use a feature-finding lead (in my case usually a taped-up sea fishing lead with the prongs cut short) to get an idea of the bottom.

If there is low-lying weed present, I will cast a dozen or so times with the lead to try and clear the area off a bit.

Knowing that some weed may still be present, I’ll then opt for a Method feeder to ensure good presentation.

A cracking near double caught over a clear spot

Specimen Fishing | Wind direction for tench and bream - Gary Knowles

July 3, 2020 Guest User

Fish will always follow a warm wind, particularly a south-westerly, so I would look to fish into the face of it. This is particularly true on shallow and uniform lakes, where the wind will quickly push rapidly warming water into the bank.

After a few days of blowing in the same direction the undertow will take the warmer water to the opposite side of the lake, so follow a new wind, but do check the forecast.

On gravel pits with a lot of lakebed contours it’s hard to predict the effects of the wind. But unless fish are showing I’d still always start in a swim where I’m looking into the wind.

Fish spawning - what to look out for

May 21, 2020 Guest User

It is that time of year when the warm temperatures will be causing our most popular coarse species to start spawning. This will result in many fisheries closing to let the fish get this stressful process out of the way in peace.

Fishing for spawning fish is not only frowned upon, it is actually not that productive, as the last thing the fish will have on their mind during this period is food.

If you are thinking fish are beginning to spawn on your lake, the best thing to do, is move away from the area entirely, change your target species and let the lake owner know - so they can make plans to protect their stock.

Here are a few signs the fish may soon be spawning…

Carp, bream and tench

Currently the species likely to be getting close to spawning are carp, bream and tench. The time they do this will vary from water to water, as it is entirely dependent on water temperature.

Some may have spawned already, others will be a long way off. So, it really is just about judging the situation from the behaviour of your target fish.

Grouping together

Many species are naturally shoaled together throughout the year. But in the coming months, look out for groups of fish following each other quickly through weedbeds, close to marginal reeds or in shallow areas of the lake.

What you will initially start to see, is smaller male fish following the female and nudging at her to release her eggs. They will then frantically be looking to get in line to fertilise these once she has released.

For this reason, you will find male fish are far more active early on. These will usually be smaller fish, with a different shape and profile to the females. Males will be longer and leaner than the females, and particularly with carp, will have massive fins. With tench this is also true, but a male tench can also be spotted by a protruding muscle on its flank.

Males at this time of year will fight like crazy, so bare this in mind when you are fishing. Look out for signs of other fish following the one you are attached to, this is a clear sign spawning is on their minds.

Spawning nodules

Another good indicator that carp and bream are close to spawning, is spawning nodules. These are small lumps or spots on the fish, which will make the fish very rough to touch. These nodules will cover the head and pectoral fins but do not worry they aren’t causing the fish any harm.

Thrashing

When the fish start spawning you will have no doubt about it. It is quite a spectacle to behold, particularly with carp. The fish will be thrashing through the weed and reeds at some pace, often obliterating everything in their path.

If you have lines in the water, you will get constant false runs, which may seem like screaming takes, until you strike into nothing.

The water will be churned to a mud bath pretty quickly too in some lakes. Take note of these trashed areas as it may not be caused by feeding fish like you first may think.

Carp will thrash through the weed when spawning

Let them rest

The vigorous spawning process can cause some damage to the fish as they thrash through the lakeside vegetation. Some unfortunately won’t even survive the process. It is therefore important to let the fish recover for a week or two once spawning is out the way.

If carp cannot release their eggs they can become spawn bound and die

They may spawn more than once

You may find that groups of fish on lakes around the country attempt the spawning process more that once. During these next few months, be prepared for them to start at any time and leave them to it when they do.

Get fish spotting

For carp anglers in particular, this is a great time of year to have a good look at the stock in your lake. Noted target fish will be easily visible in this period and you will get a good look at some of the less known characters too.

So, instead of an afternoon with the rods out, why not spend an afternoon watching the fish and let nature do its work?