This month... Issue 365 June 30 – July 28, 2020
Fishery Focus 8
River Trent
14
Weston Pools
Hoveringham
24
NEW SERIES!
Shropshire
Tactics 24
Andy May
30
Phil Taylor
35
Mike Lyddon
40
Glen Picton
44
Quick fix
Sizzling sport on the shallow waggler
10 tips to get your river season off to a flyer
Try the ‘T’ Method for crucians Mega mixed nets on the magic spod mix Nail your feeding routine for the pellet waggler 52
46 50 52
56 58 4 IYCF | Issue 365
Kevin Durman
Rig tweaks to beat the weed
61
Know your species
Gudgeon
Andy Pell
How to tackle big waters with just a pole
Supermarket baits
64
Speci bream feeder rig
The snowball hookbait unveiled
Fish Better with Des Shipp Top five river rigs
68
Bag up on a budget
Rig school
Martin Stokes
72
Q&A
Your questions answered
Below the surface
Do coarse species spawn at the same time?
74
94
Carp tactics 94 98 100
102
James Furness Quick hit mindset
Rig of the month River carp rig
Carp Q&A
Sticky’s experts solve your problems
Alfie Naylor
The essential guide to river carping
Tackle 74 76 78
56
Object of desire
Daiwa Cast’izm reels
New gear
The latest tackle releases
Live test:
Preston Edge Monster pole
Your IYCF 20 82 86 88 92
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64 www.greatmagazines.co.uk | IYCF 5
0... reasons t
try fishing for the first time
There’s never been a beTTer Time
Fishing is one of the biggest participation sports in the world. Advances in tackle, bait and fisheries in recent years means that anyone can get their hands on a decent fishing kit to get themselves up and running without breaking the bank. And after weeks of being stuck indoors, what better time to get out in some beautiful surroundings?
anyone can do iT
Angling is a pastime that anyone can enjoy. It doesn’t matter what gender you are or how old you are, fishing is accessible to all.
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ouTdoor benefiTs
Studies have proven that just being outside and paying attention to your surroundings, improve your ability to concentrate. Also, being close to water has a calming effect and is an excellent way to lower anxiety levels.
iT doesn’T have To be all day
Even if your time is limited, you can still enjoy a quick fishing fix. Yes, spending hours by a lake or river is a fantastic way to spend the day, but if you only have an hour or two to spare you don’t have to miss out. Take a few basic tackle items and use baits such as maggots or sweetcorn which a wide variety of species like and you can still get plenty of bites in a short period of time.
you’ll have a venue close by The majority of people in the UK will have several suitable angling spots not too far from their home. Whether it’s a park lake, farmer’s pond, reservoir, commercial venue or a stretch of canal or river, there will be somewhere nearby to catch a few fish. Always check who owns the venue you intend to fish to find out whether it’s free fishing or a day-ticket or club membership is required. A quick Google search or phone call to a local tackle shop should provide this information.
remember!
Any coarse angler over the age of 12 is required to have a rod licence, although they’re free for those aged 13-16. For more info visit: www.gov.uk/fishinglicences
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Sizzling sport on the shallow wagggler Andy May lifts the lid on his favourite tactic and shows how you can bag up on it during the heat of summer Words Tony Grigorjevs Photography Ryan Hayden
A
ndy May is like a kid in a sweetshop when he’s on the bank. Many top-flight match anglers openly admit they struggle to get motivated for a pleasure session. But not Andy. The dynamite Baits and MAP man still endures a sleepless night before a fishing trip and, like everyone, he has certain tactics that really get the adrenaline flowing. “If I had to pick my favourite style of fishing on commercials it would be the waggler shallow – I absolutely love it,” beams Andy. “It’s such a versatile approach and there is no
tactics: FLOAT species: MIXED difficulty:
24 IYCF | Issue 365
better feeling than hitting a lightning fast bite and not having a clue what is attached to the other end.”
Hit every bite
If you are a regular pole angler then you’ll find it impossible to miss the masses of fish basking just below the surface beyond where you can reach. It therefore makes sense to try and fool these fish with a waggler set-up. Getting bites is often fairly easy but hitting them is a completely different ball game. “If your rig isn’t set correctly then you’ll miss
almost every bite,” warns Andy. “They can be lightning fast and, by the time you’ve reacted, the fish is likely to have sussed what is going on and spat out the bait.” A long rod is an essential starting point and Andy relies on his trusty 13ft MAP Parabolix Medium Waggler. If you are used to fishing feeders on commercials then it’s likely you rely on a much shorter version, but doing so when you switch to waggler tactics would be an error. “you need to pick up the line really quickly on the strike and a long rod is the biggest part of achieving that,” he explains.
tactics
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FISHERY FOCUS An in-depth guide to the best stillwaters, rivers, and canals that you can fish for the price of a day ticket
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River Trent, Hoveringham
Big balls = big rewards on the Trent
England Youth International Jordan Holloway reveals his aggressive groundbait attack for big, running-water weights Words Jordan Holloway Photography Tom Scholey
R
IvEr fishing is so diverse. I find it fascinating and that’s why I love it so much! Now, I am a Bewdley lad and have grown up fishing the river Severn around that town on methods such as the stick float, Bolo and waggler for hard-fighting barbel and chub. Proper heart-in-the-mouth stuff. But today, I have come to the river Trent near Hoveringham to spend a day fishing the pole after smaller fish such as dace and roach for, hopefully, a more hectic day’s sport. Now, I must admit this is not somewhere I’ve been to before so I’ve done my homework to find out as
much as I can about the venue. Facebook is a great tool as it’s home to a wide range of people with a little more experience on the river and I discovered some important details. The first thing I found out was about the host species. Mainly roach and dace, with a chance of a bonus bream, chub and barbel. Secondly, that it’s tap water clear so fishing light will be essential. And finally, the pace is steady so pole fishing will be ideal. I am not a ‘faffy’ angler and I love to attack the peg. I have therefore decided to start the session by balling in groundbait.
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Mega Mixed nets on the
magic spod mix You need more than a bag of pellets to keep the bites coming and Glen Picton’s bait concoction is guaranteed to deliver Words & Photography Tony Grigorjevs
ommercials have become incredibly diverse in the last decade or so. When these fisheries first started to dominate the scene, each lake was specifically aimed at one type of angler. But venues have drastically changed as time has ticked by. The match-style pools that were once home to huge shoals of 2lb carp are now packed with doublefigure specimens resulting in anglers of all disciplines fishing side by side. relying on the same feeding regime that was all so effective several years ago will now see you fall flat on your face. Glen Picton reckons a change is essential
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to maintain your success levels. “a couple of pints of pellets was all you needed when commercials first opened because that’s what the fish regarded as natural food. But all that has changed,” explains Glen. “specimen-carp anglers are now targeting the same waters because the fish are a lot bigger and they tend to use a much broader range of baits. “Fish have been weaned on to these and as such i now put my faith in a deadly bait mix concocted to keep the bites coming. “it works for all species and there’s no doubt it is more effective than using pellets on their own.”
tactics: Feeder species: mixed difficulty:
tactics
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How to: Nail your pellet waggler routiNe
Start Here
Step 1
feeD 10 pelletS Ping out 10, 8mm pellets into a zone that you feel confident of reaching on the cast.
Follow our five steps for some fast and furious carp action this month
T
quick
L
EA
Li N G S ANG Ki L SY
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SKiLLS i
fix
iNG
EA Si
G
Step 5
E iLLS i ASY A K S N
GL
SY ANGL iN
he pellet waggler can be a deadly way of taking apart your local commercial in the summer. Big carp swarm to the plop of the float hitting the water and split seconds later your rod is bent double! But this is an approach that requires persistence and hard work. If you cast out the float and just leave the rod on the rest, bites are highly unlikely to come your way. An active routine of feeding and casting is vital and sticking to it will be the difference between failure and success. This month, we reveal the key steps to keeping the float going under.
repeat tHe proCeSS If the float remains still, it’s time to reel in and repeat the entire process. It should take less than 40 seconds from start to finish.
Step 2
CaSt tHe rig Quickly cast the rig into the middle of the pellets. This ensures your hookbait falls at a similar pace to the loosefeed, making it difficult for the fish to spot the pellet with the hook attached!
Step 3
feeD agaiN For every foot of depth you are fishing, allow the rig to remain stationary for 10 seconds. For example, if you are fishing 2ft, keep it still for 20 seconds. This will allow the hookbait to sink to its full depth. Once you have done this, feed another 10 pellets over the top.
Step 4
twitCH tHe rig Once you have fed, wait a few seconds and twitch the rig. The aim is to move hookbait at the same time that the loosefeed falls past – the shallower you are fishing, the quicker you should twitch it.
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Rig tweaks to beat the weed Specimen hunter Kevin Durman recounts how making a series of alterations to his set-up resulted in his biggest ever tench! Words & Photography Kevin Durman
W
eed. Some anglers love it, some hate it. either way, if you fish for tench, chances are you’ll have to contend with it at some point. Some of the big pits I fish contain only sparse patches of silkweed, whereas others can have Canadian pondweed growing from the lakebed to the surface in 20ft of water. In recent years, one particular water I fish has suffered an explosion of weed making angling particularly difficult. This is an account of my most recent campaign and how I managed to combat the weed‌
tactics: Feeder species: tenCh difficulty:
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tactics A weedy situation
EVER! THATS CL of foam
piece Adding a ncy to the rig ya adds buo s the hook sits e r and ensu w-lying weed above lo
Arriving at the lake one evening after work I had a quick walk round. All the swims I fancied were free so it was just a case of picking the one that felt right. I’d not seen any activity, which wasn’t surprising as the prime time to spot tench is at dawn when you often see them rolling. Relying on my previous knowledge of the venue, I jumped in a swim on the end of a light breeze. I’d fished the swim before and knew there was a lovely gravel hump which was 4ft deep on top and surrounded by 10ft water. The first thing to do was remind myself exactly where the hump was. After a few casts with my marker rod, I got my distances right and lined up farbank markers. But I knew this wasn’t going to be easy fishing. I could feel the bottom with the marker lead but I was struggling to get the float to pop up. I used distance sticks and had a few casts with a feeder. Sure enough, I was picking up a lot of weed, far too much to present a bait effectively. I am a dinner-plate angler wanting to bait and fish over a tight area, particularly when it comes to tench. Two rods on a spot is the norm, often with my hookbaits just a metre apart. Incidentally, it’s amazing how even when fishing with rigs so close together, it’s often one rod that produces the majority of the bites. It’s like a spot within a spot!
Spot clearing
It was going to take some work to make the gravel hump fishable. Thankfully, I carry a tool for just such occasions – a Gardner castable weed rake. I attached it to my spod rod and reel loaded with 50lb braid and set about casting and retrieving it. It’s laborious work. After an hour, I recast a feeder to the area and felt it hit the bottom. It was a definite improvement but there was still too much weed. Another hour of casting and retrieving the weed rake turned the tide in my favour as my small area began to clear and I was reeling in very little weed. This time when I cast out my feeder it landed with a firm thump and I could pull it back a yard without it locking up in weed. Perfect! I swapped the rake for a medium Spomb and cast it eight times, fully loaded with my favourite tench mix. This consists of various 2mm pellets – Krill, S Pellet and F1 – and hemp in a 50:50 ratio. Having lots of tiny food particles keeps the tench in the area grubbing about for longer. Over the top of this mix, I fish a maggot feeder.
A mix of various 2mm pellets and plenty of hemp will keep tench grubbing around and returning to the spot
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Fish better with...
Des shIpp
Brush up on key angling skills with England International Des, to put more fish on the bank
this month: my top five river rigs
I
f YOU are new to river fishing, there is every chance you feel a little daunted by the challenge that lies ahead. flowing water creates the impression that rigs need to be more complicated to gain the correct presentation.
But that couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, almost all of my river rigs are based on slight adaptations of those I use on stillwaters. As with all styles of fishing, keeping it simple is the key to getting decent results so limit the number of set-ups you rely on. Whether you have barbel, chub, bream or silverfish in mind, these five rigs will make sure your river season gets off to a flier. Rivers give you access to all our coarse species
hooklenGth Start with 30in of 0.15mm line and shorten this if you are getting line bites. Use a size 14 Preston Innovations N-30 hook baited with three dead red maggots
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1 Bream feeder
top tip
If you want to catch a huge weight from a river then bream should be your sole target. They move around in giant shoals and once you catch a fish, you can guarantee plenty more will soon follow! The feeder is the best attack because it enables you to put down a bed of groundbait that the bream will happily graze over. Start the session by introducing a dozen feeders of groundbait packed with loosefeed and then switch to a smaller feeder for the actual fishing. If the bites dry up, top up again with several big feeders to entice them back
Mix all of your groundbait in a bucket and then add small batches to a bait box as you go along. You can then run a trial and error process of including different quantites and types of loosefeed to see which combination works best
FeeDer
GrounDbaIt
MaInlIne
Use a 50/50 blend of Sonubaits Dark f1 and Super feeder on stretches where specimen anglers rarely visit. If the area regularly attracts barbel and carp anglers – who feed a lot of fishmeal baits – go with f1 Dark and Thatchers
Lobbing out a heavy feeder can take its toll on your tackle, but 6lb mainline is durable enough to deal with the rigours. Create a 4in twizzled boom at the bottom of the mainline to help prevent tangles
Use the lightest feeder you can get away with while making sure it always holds bottom
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live test
Master more than just the margins Designed for bagging big carp at close quarters, the Preston Innovations Edge Monster shows it is also a dab hand in several other scenarios preston edge Monster pole RRP: ÂŁ199.99
M
argin pole design has come on in leaps and bounds in recent years. When they first became a musthave item for commercial fishery fans, they were all about immense muscle power and little else. Hook a lump close to the snags and you could pile on the pressure, safe in the knowledge that none of your prized sections would explode during the battle. But they were often heavy, with minimal spares and served only a single purpose. Fast-forward to the present day and you get an awful lot more for your money than just a glorified scaffolding pole, and the new Preston innovations Edge Monster is the perfect example.
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Generous package
The original version of this pole was released a couple of years ago at 8.5m, but the updated package comes in at 10m. Despite the added length, it is still wellbalanced for a sub-£200 pole. Hit a big carp down the edge and it has the expected strength to make sure you come out on top. Use it with lighter elastics for silverfish, however, and it will still perform admirably. it is supplied with two top kits, both of which have a roller Pulla Bush in the side, and it’s prebushed ready to take the heaviest elastics on the market. There is also a mini extension that pushes it to the full 10m. Owners of the 8.5m version will
tackle
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tips, tactics & Rigs to catch moRe
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carp
adopt a quick hit mindset IYCF editor James Furness explains why there’s no need to spend days on end targeting quality carp. In fact, a few hours is often more than enough Words James furness Photography Lloyd Rogers
T
HERE’S a common misconception that you need to spend at least 24 hours, preferably 48 or even longer, for a carp session to be worthwhile. If you’re fishing a low-stock venue or one that’s a long drive from your home, then yes, a lengthier stay is clearly beneficial. But I’d hazard a guess that most of us don’t regularly fish lakes which only hold a handful of carp or require half a day in the car to get there. I used to love fishing midweek overnighters and the occasional weekend session, but, as I’m sure many others can relate to, work and family commitments dictated time on the bank became increasingly limited and my carp kit was left to gather dust in the corner of the garage. I had foolishly convinced myself that if I only had a few hours to fish, it wasn’t worth the effort of going at all. Of course, this was nonsense! After chatting to Rich Wilby earlier last year and listening to how well he was doing on quick sessions first thing in the morning and squeezing trips in between the school run, I decided to stop making excuses and rebooted my entire approach!
Limited time doesn’t have to mean you can’t go carping!
The short session mindset
The first thing was to change my expectations. At one point, I was only really interested in catching big carp and would need to know that there’d be a good chance of banking a specimen wherever I chose to fish. I now know that I’d much rather be catching a few smaller fish than none at all. I also accept that there’s no chance of breaking my pb on the lakes I currently fish, but that’s not the aim. I can simply enjoy getting a bend in the rod and putting a few fish on the bank.
Find a suitable venue
The key factors to look for in a suitable shortsession venue are one that’s close to home and has a decent stock of carp. Although mainly frequented by match anglers, many commercial carp fisheries will have one lake which is home to some slightly bigger examples which can be targeted using ‘speci’ tactics. And there are now so many of these complexes across the country that many anglers will have one close to home. As an added bonus, many offer half-day tickets so you won’t