BUYERS GUIDE
ALL-ROUND REELS FOR RIVER FISHING
EASY TACTICS TO TRY!
ISSU E 347
February 12 – March 12, 2019 £3.80
G RI LE PO .1 NO E TH OW LL A SH CH A RO S METHOD EDGE WHY IT'S ALL YOU NEED HOW TO LAND MORE SILVERS
CAST LESS & CATCH MORE
KEY SKILLS ALWAYS PICK THE RIGHT ELASTIC
INSIDE Issue 347 February 12 – March 12, 2019
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24
Discover how hot and spicy prawns can transform your perch catches
Great british fishinG 8
14
Marina Magic – Andrew Cranston Roach fishing down the Bain – Phil Taylor
tactics
24 Big perch on spicy prawns – Nate Green 30 Cast less and catch more – Tommy Pickering 35 Slow-sinking rigs for canal success – Pemb Wrighting 38 Bait types: Naturals 40 One rig is all you need – Rob Wootton 44 Red paste – Martin Barnatt 48 Quickfire tips for bream 51 Whip fishing – Robbie Griffiths 54 Put predators into a spin – Dan Brackley 58 Rig school: Running line pole float 60 Shallow up for winter redfins – Ben Fisk 64 Fish better with Des Shipp: Pole elastic selection
40
Rob Wootton lifts the lid on the only pole rig you need right now to catch carp, F1s and silvers
44
Martin Barnatt has been rejoicing in his chub catches ever since he took to fishing with red cheesepaste
30
Former World Champ Tommy Pickering explains how casting less will catch you more fish!
64
Des Shipp takes the angst out of pole fishing by showing how to select the correct elastic for the job
80
Mark Sawyer finds that Korum’s Ambition quiver rod sets the bar very high and is a pleasure to use
104
carp tactics
96 Winter zig rig edges – Wayne Izsatt 100 Rig of the month: PVA stick rig 102 Carp Q&A 104 Beating the cold
tackle
74 Homemade floats 78 New gear 80 Live test: Korum Ambition 11ft Feeder 84 Buyers’ guide: reels for river fishing
your iycf
20 Subscribe for just £3.25 a month 92 Your letters 94 Mission: your catch shots 108 Crossword: Win a Korum Lure Bag 110 Bob Roberts’ diary
Tom Maker reveals the secrets to his impressive record of catching big carp in the cold
IYCF February 12 – March 12, 2019 • 5
Roach fishing down the Bain Specimen hunter Phil Taylor has tracked down a horde of hidden silvers in a little known Lincolnshire river Words & photography Tony Grigorjevs
14 • IYCF Issue 347
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IYCF February 12 – March 12, 2019 • 15
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Exotic supermarket seasonings are the key to boosting your baits and attracting more perch, says top specimen hunter Nate Green Words & Photography Tony Grigorjevs
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ACKLE shop shelves are lined with products designed to give your bait an extra punch. Liquids, flavourings and glugs have all become big sellers as anglers try to gain an edge over those set up around them. Nate Green is a skilled specimen angler who has faith in tampering with his baits but prefers to source his secret ingredients from the local supermarket. The Kent-based rod has
caught numerous big perch this winter and puts his run of success down to adding a little spice to his approach. “If you haven’t fed exactly where the fish are sitting then you need to have faith that your loosefeed is packing enough attraction to entice the perch in to your swim from elsewhere,” explained Nate. “The spice section of my local supermarket is the first place I head to when planning a trip because these cheap additives definitely have plenty of pulling power.” It’s easy to see why specimen perch are a popular winter target
tactics
tactics: leger species: perch difficulty: IYCF February 12 – March 12, 2019 • 25
Cast less and catch more! Former World Champion Tommy Pickering shows how fewer casts can lead to big catches in the cold Words Tony Grigorjevs Photography Lloyd Rogers
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NTEREST in commercial feeder fishing has rocketed in recent years. With minimal tackle and preparation required, it’s hardly surprising. But if there’s one thing that’s become apparent, the specific tactics used are a far cry from the old school days. Chucking a cage packed with groundbait, worms and casters into a vast reservoir packed with bream used to be the way to go, but the modern version is all about pellets, Method feeders and short hooklengths. Another change that many anglers have subscribed to is a difference in how long the feeder stays in the water. Tommy Pickering, however, has a completely different approach. “Casting out, putting the rod on the rest and leaving it in place for a long period used to be the done thing when bream fishing. That all changed when carp waters took over,” says Tommy. “Nowadays it’s all about reeling in and recasting every few minutes, but I’m convinced that doing this leads to fewer fish going in the net during winter.”
30 • IYCF Issue 347
TACTICS
TACTICS: FEEDER SPECIES: CARP / F1s DIFFICULTY:
IYCF February 12 – March 12, 2019 • 31
bait booSt
Supercharged cheesepaste Simply changing the colour of his homemade bait is the edge that’s given Martin Barnatt huge success with quality chub Words & Photography Tony Grigorjevs
44 • IYCF Issue 347
TACTICS
W
E ALL strive to improve our skills, and more often than not it is the subtle changes that enhance your chances of banking a beast. Trying to think of a radical new rig or bait is likely to end in disaster. The most successful anglers often take an approach that is used by the masses before making a few tweaks that puts them among the bigger fish. This is precisely what Martin Barnatt has done, and his results prove that he is certainly on to something successful. The Lincolnshire angler has banked hundreds of big chub over the years, and a good proportion of them have been taken on a bait that loads of anglers rely on – cheesepaste. Yet few of them are as successful as Martin. So, exactly what is his secret? “Cheesepaste is a fantastic winter bait for chub as it is packed with flavour, making it easy for the fish to locate,” explains Martin. “That said, I am always thinking about how I can make my baits more appealing. When it came to cheesepaste, it was changing its colour that delivered the edge I was looking for.”
Loosefeed a few samples of red hookbait cheesepaste into several swims before fishing
TACTICS: LEGER SPECIES: CHUB DIFFICULTY: You can to use fairly big, strong hooks with chunks of cheesepaste for greedy chub IYCF February 12 – March 12, 2019 • 45
tactics: FLOAT species: cArp difficulty:
60 • IYCF Issue 347
tactics
Shallow up for winter redfins
Matrix’s Ben Fisk demonstrates how quality roach can be caught just inches below the surface with some clever loosefeeding tactics Words Ben Fisk Photography Lloyd Rogers
P
ole fishing up-in-the-water is a method reserved for those boiling hot days of summer, right? For carp and F1s I’d say yes. But there’s one species that is happy to feed in the upper layers of a lake regardless of the season – roach. I’ve had some brilliant days with silver species by fishing just a couple of feet deep in December, January and February, even when fisheries have been frozen in the morning! It’s possible to get quality fish competing in as little as 18in deep with a little thought put into rig construction and feeding. Roach respond to loosefeeding livebaits by catapult so that’s all I set out to do. I won’t put in any groundbait because I don’t intend to fish on the bottom. If I was fishing for skimmers which prefer to feed on the deck in winter, then it would be a different story.
likewise, I won’t cup in any bait either. loosefeeding is so effective because it draws in fish from a wide area and the spread bait enables more of them to feed, as opposed to keeping everything tight with a small pole cup. I simply start as I mean to go on, and that’s by picking up the catapult from the off. There are only two baits to consider for this game and those are maggots and casters. Maggots guarantee bites but casters will pick out the bigger fish. When it’s really cold, however, or the fishing is harder, casters don’t always work but it’s always worth taking a few pints. I tend to buy white maggots nowadays but I usually always fish with reds on the hook, especially up-in-the-water. I think they act as more of a target hookbait, especially when the only other maggots going into the peg are light coloured.
Use a soft elastic to avoid bumping fish off the hook IYCF February 12 – March 12, 2019 • 61
! S E I R E S W E N
Fish better with...
DES SHIPP Brush up on key angling skills with England International Des, to put more fish on the bank
THIS MONTH: POLE ELASTICS
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T’S all well and good getting bites on the pole but if you aren’t using the correct elastic, there is every chance your prized specimen is going to win the battle. There are a wide range of elastics on the market and working out what size of fish you are likely to encounter and of what species should dictate which one you decide to put through your top kit. This month I reveal my top four pole elastic choices for when I am fishing commercials.
TOP TIP
I use hollow elastics combined with a Pulla Kit on most commercials. Once I’ve shipped back and taken off the top kit, I can then strip elastic to add more tension. This enables me to use lighter elastics that are vital for setting the hook and not bumping fish. 64 • IYCF Issue 347
HOW TO:
BIG SILVERS AND F1s 8 DURA HOLLO A lot of anglers will happily catch everything that swims in winter and with most fisheries now holding a wide range of species, you need an elastic that is capable of landing silvers as well as bonus fish. When I am expecting to catch a mixture of quality roach, skimmers, tench and F1s my number one choice is a grade 8 Preston Innovations Dura Hollo. This is extremely soft which prevents bumping silvers on the strike but also powers up once it starts to stretch to help beat the occasional bonus fish.
BIG F1s 10 DURA HOLLO F1s are heavily stocked in commercials and in many venues these fish are packing on the pounds. These fish don’t have the power of mirror and common carp but they will make an initial surge once hooked so some resistance is needed. A grade 10 Preston Innovations Dura Hollo has enough power to give you the upper hand but isn’t so strong that it will lead to the hook pulling from their soft mouths.
CHOO ELAS SE TIC
BIG CARP AND MARGINS 14 DURA HOLLO SMALL CARP 12 DURA HOLLO Although carp of all sizes will fight hard, you still need to keep your elastic as soft as possible so that you can better set the hook on the strike. If I am fishing for carp up to 4lb I will use a grade 12 Preston Innovations Dura Hollo. I also use this in winter in open water for bigger carp because they have less energy when the water temperatures are low.
Carp love to hug tackle-busting snags and when you are fishing near them you need an elastic that will enable you to power them away a split second after you have hooked them. But you also need an elastic that will have plenty of stretch once the fish realises what has happened and tears off into open water. A grade 14 Preston Innovations Dura Hollo perfectly fits the bill.
IYCF February 12 – March 12, 2019 • 65
REVIEWS Y
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IYCF’s tackle editor Mark Sawyer has been reviewing e fishing gear for mor to s re ca he an tb s year remember
CAN TRUS OU
LIVE TEST
Ambition achieved!
If you enjoy fishing for chub on small rivers, you’ll love Korum’s new quivertip rod, says IYCF’s Mark Sawyer Korum Ambition Quiver 11ft RRP: £54.99
TACKLE
IYCF February 16 12 – March 15, 12, 2019 2016 • 81
GUIDE TO...
RIVER REELS
TOP TACKLE ADVICE TO ENSURE YOU BUY THE RIGHT GEAR
A reel that handles both float and feeder tactics is essential for mobile anglers. Here’s our pick...
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RAVELLING light and roving along a river is an incredibly effective way of targeting species such as chub, perch and barbel in running water. Baiting several spots and only spending a short amount of time in a swim before moving on enables you to cover more water and increases your chances of locating where the fish are held up. Targeting these species will often require switching between float and feeder tactics
but when travelling light you don’t want to weigh yourself down with two separate rod and reel set-ups. Having a reel that will fish both tactics is therefore a must. Weight is also a consideration if you’re going to be walking a fair distance over the course of the day. This month we look at some of the best reels over a range of budgets that will fit the bill...
RRP: £119.99
SHIMANO ULTEGRA FB 25000
The unique trigger system on the MX7 enables you to quickly increase or decrease the drag pressure without having to turn the drag knob. Other features include 4+1 stainless steel bearings, a hybrid carbon drag system, oversized rotor and spool design and an extremely light carbon body and rotor technology. www.mitchellfishing.co.uk
RRP: £124.99
An eye-catching reel which is engineered to provide years of reliable service. This is thanks to the use of Shimano’s HAGANE gear to withstand the toughest of conditions, Coreprotect which provides excellent water resistance and G Free Body technology which has been developed to shift the reel’s centre of gravity closer to the rod. This helps to reduce fatigue and enhances casting comfort. For the money an aluminium line clip would have been nice, but as it is rarely used when chub and perch fishing it isn’t really a problem. www.fish.shimano-eu.com
84 • IYCF Issue 347
MITCHELL FULL CONTROL MX7 4000
WEIGHT: 295g LINE CAPACITY: 0.20mm/120m GEAR RATIO: 5.8:1 WEIGHT: 240g LINE CAPACITY: 0.25mm/160m GEAR RATIO: 5:1
PRESTON INNOVATIONS INERTIA 420
TACKLE
RRP: £49.99
The 420 is the mid-sized reel in Preston’s new Inertia range and will cope with a wide variety of river fishing scenarios from float fishing for perch to chucking out feeders for chub. In fact, it would even cope with hard-fighting barbel. Features include an impact-resistant body, smooth, reliable gearing and a micro adjustable front drag. www.prestoninnovations.com
WEIGHT: 368g LINE CAPACITY: 0.26mm/150m GEAR RATIO: 5:1
LEEDA CONCEPT GT40FD RRP: £29.99
If you’re looking to kit yourself for a spot of river fishing on a budget Leeda’s entry-level Concept GT reel is well worth a look. The 40FD size will handle both float and feeder work and for the price you won’t be disappointed with its performance. It is supplied with a spare graphite spool. If you’ve got large fingers you may find the front drag system a little fiddly to use, but other than that it’s a cracking little wallet-friendly reel. www.leeda.co.uk
WEIGHT: NA LINE CAPACITY: 0.30mm/190m GEAR RATIO: 5.2:1 IYCF February 12 – March 12, 2019 • 85
Meet all your angling heroes at The Big One
DEAN MACEY
ALI HAMIDI
TERRY HEARN
JEREMY WADE
ADAM PENNING BOB NUDD WILL MILLARD
COUNTDOWN TO THE BIG ONE SHOW FARNBOROUGH!
24 amazing anglers… 32 incredible demos & talks... one brilliant weekend!
HE countdown is on to the biggest fishing event of 2019! More than 20,000 anglers are predicted to attend the massive tackle spectacular on Saturday and Sunday March 23 and 24 with the biggest names in fishing signed up to reveal new gear for the season ahead. In addition to more stands, this year’s show will see the introduction of new entertainment areas including a Lure Live area, the John Wilson Legends Theatre and the Angling Times Social Theatre hosted by Keith Arthur where the stars of the sport will be on hand to share their secrets. Britain’s best anglers, TV stars, and fishing personalities will form an unprecedented lineup of exclusive entertainment at the Big One Show Farnborough. On the John Wilson Legends Theatre, hosted
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90 • IYCF Issue 347
by Rob Hughes, there will be live demonstrations from top anglers including Steve Ringer, Tommy Pickering and Des Shipp. The live demos will cover everything from pole fishing basics to advanced feeder fishing tips, with the opportunity to get up close and ask advice too. This is also the place to hear exclusive talks from carp legend Terry Hearn and an exclusive Q&A session with River Monsters and Mighty Rivers star Jeremy Wade, fresh from filming his new series. The stage will also see sneak previews of the latest fishing shows about to hit the TV, including behind the scenes talks from Monster Carp crew Ali Hamidi, Tom Dove, and Neil Spooner, plus Fishing Allstars’ Dean Macey, Matt Godfrey, and Adam Rooney. Making his first appearance at a fishing show
will be BBC presenter and award-winning author Will Millard – star of A Year with the Tribe – who’ll give audiences a look into his new BBC TV fishing series due to air this Spring. “There has never been a line-up of stars as big as this at The Big One,” said Event Director Vince Davies. “The demos and talks planned for the three arenas are simply unmissable and it’s worth planning your day so you have the opportunity to get to them and hear great stories and tips direct form the experts. “We’ve got talks for all styles of angler so there’s no way you won’t learn something new for your type of fishing.” For those looking for relaxed chats, advice, and up-close Q&A with stars then the Angling Times social theatre – hosted by the legendary Keith Arthur – is a must-visit.
STEVE RINGER
PA R K IN G
SO RT E D !
TOMMY PICKERING Over the weekend there will be special guest appearances from Bob Nudd MBE, Adam Penning, Lee Kerry, Andy May, Ian Russell, Julian Cundiff and more. Meanwhile, the Big One’s new Lure Live Arena is sure to be a packed-out area all weekend and you need to head here to get the best advice on this fast-growing side of our sport. Hosted by lure expert and IYCF regular Paul Garner there will be a whole programme of demos on the big lure tank from worldrenowned experts including Luc Coppens, Adam Kirby, Julian Chidgey, River Severn guide Gary Palmer, plus TV presenter and adventurer Thom Hunt. This year’s Big One shows will also give visitors the opportunity to try their hand at something different to their normal fishing, and win some amazing tech prizes. Organisers are delighted to welcome Dovetail Games to both Farnborough and Stoneleigh events, giving you the opportunity to catch fish beyond your wildest dreams from the comfort of the show. Creators of the world’s leading fishing games – Eurofishing Simulator and the new Fishing Sim World – the lads at Dovetail will be giving all visitors the chance to experience the thrill of fishing on the big screen, and staging a huge competition for avid gamers and anglers over the whole weekend.
THE Big One Show organisers have confirmed that the parking problems of last year’s Farnborough event – the first to be held in the new, purpose-built exhibition centre – have been overcome. This year there are an additional 2,100 spaces, including room for more than 1,000 vehicles on the grassed area by the entrance to the show. Importantly, the car park used last year, which involved a 35-minute walk for some visitors, will not be used. Instead, organisers have secured spaces at all car parks closest to the halls, the furthest just an 11-minute stroll away. To make the trip from car to show even easier, the number of buggies and minibuses to transport visitors and their purchases has been doubled. A new ‘Shop & Drop’ facility inside the show will also be in operation this year, so anyone who buys bigger or heavier items of tackle will be able to leave them safely and continue their look around the show. “The grass parking served us well for the last nine years,” said show director Vince Davies. “Last year was very unfortunate because the weather was so wet in the runup to the show that we were unable to use it, which led to the problems we encountered. “We’re doing everything in our power to make sure this a smooth event for all visitors, and the extra parking we’ve secured and facilities we’re providing will help massively.”
PA R K IN G AT T H E FA R N B O R O U G H S H OW S AT & S U N M A R C H 2 3 & 24
BO OK YO UR TI CK ET S NO W Check out the latest ticket offers and exclusive VIP packages available for both the Farnborough and Stoneleigh events online at www.thebigoneshow.co.uk
The Big One Farnborough Parking Spaces/Walking Times Car Park 1
600 spaces 1 minute walk
Car Park 2
Spaces TBC 1 minute walk
Car Park 1 Grass Car Park 3 1,000 spaces 1 minute walk
600 spaces 3 minute walk
Car Park 4
850 spaces 4 minute walk
Car Park 8
70 spaces 4 minute walk
Car Park 5 Grass Hall 5 West Car Park 1,100 spaces 11 minute walk Hall 5 North Car Park 50 spaces 11 minute walk
230 spaces 11 minute walk
Chalet Row A
(Saturday only) 90 spaces 11 minute walk
NEW STON ELEIG H SHOW SAT & SUN APRI L 13 & 14 Taking over the two giant halls at the easily-accessed Warwickshire location, it’s all systems go for The Big One Stoneleigh in April. Sat Nav: CV8 2LG) Date: Sat & Sun April 13/14, 2019 Location: NAEC, Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, CV8 2LG. Follow signs for
National Agricultural Centre or NAC Stoneleigh Park from the A46 and pick up the yellow signs directing you to Stoneleigh Park Main Entrance on the B4113. Opening times: Advance ticket holders can enter the event at 9am on both days. Tickets on the door are sold from 9.30am. The event closes at 5pm Saturday, 4.30pm Sunday. IYCF February 12 – March 12, 2019 • 91
TIPS, TACTICS & RIGS MORE RE TO CATCH MO
WINTER ZIG RIG EDGES Zigs are very effective for getting bites in the cold. Dynamite Baits’ Wayne Iszatt reveals his top tips for catching carp up in the water Words Wayne Iszatt Photography Mark Parker
A
S WE all know, winter can be a tough time to put carp on the bank. Carp can be localised and grouped into shoals, often reluctant to move far for days, or even weeks, at a time. This means that getting your location spot-on is imperative to cold-water carping success. Location doesn’t only refer to which part of the lake they are holding in, but also what depth they are sitting at. Fish can be reluctant to drop down to feed if they are holding up in a warmer layer of water known as a thermocline. Thermocline’s are created by air temperature change, after a warmer spell of weather during the colder months before turning cooler again. This produces a warmer layer of water at a particular depth or certain area of the lake. It is in situations like this where zig rigs come into play.
Search for weed
Until recently, it was pretty much a guessing game and a case of trial and error when it came to finding at what depth the carp were sitting. Castable sonars such as Deeper, however, have made this task much easier to calculate. Until last winter, my bite alarms were the most technologically advanced items of tackle I owned. I have never considered using a bait boat as I feel casting is a big part of angling. But as these devices have been designed as castable, I persuaded myself to give it a go. And I have to admit it is a huge edge in the colder months. Carp activity can become virtually nonexistent in the winter and even if you keep your eyes glued to the water there’s every chance they won’t give you a single clue as to their whereabouts. Life is too short to spend 16
hours a day in dark, cold and damp conditions only to be nowhere near any fish, especially if, like me, you generally only have the time to fish one night a week. As the saying goes – it is better to spend nine hours looking and one hour in the right location than 10 hours in the wrong location. So, with the help of the Deeper, you stand a good chance of getting both the location and the zig depth right. Weed is a magnet for carp in cold water and providing it isn’t too high or dense, it is an ideal feature for zig fishing for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the lead system and last few yards of line will be concealed within the weed and secondly the zig won’t look as suspicious to a wise old carp if the depth of the zig has been set to present itself just above the weed. This will resemble a fly hatch or spod mix that has settled on the top stems. I personally look for weed rather than clear spots when leading around or using the Deeper when zig fishing.
TOP TIP
A Deeper enables you to quickly determine what depth the carp are sitting it so you can tie your rigs to suit. IYCF February 12 – March 12, 2019 • 97
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