This month... Issue 366 July 28 – August 25, 2020
Fishery Focus 8
Coventry Canal
14
River Soar
34
Coventry
Leicestershire
Tactics 24
30
34
Sam Collett
Work up a sweat with the pellet waggler
Rob Perkins
How to target neglected river stretches
Craig Goldstraw
10 steps for first-time success
44 39
Nate Green
44
Alex Dawson Fill it in to attract big carp
42
Quick fix
48
Dave Owen The two cast rule for chub
52
Know your species Wels catfish
Master the lift method
Keeping paste on the hook
54
48
58
Mark Malin Rig and bait tweaks to keep bream bites coming all day Rig school River waggler rig
76 74
Tackle 74 78
76 78
Carp tactics 96
100
102 104
Fish Better with Des Shipp Ultimate guide to whip fishing
68 72
Q&A
Your questions answered
Below the surface
Why do some coarse fish fight harder than others?
Daiwa Power Carp X pole
Carp Q&A
Sticky’s experts solve your problems
Rig of the month Slip D spinner rig
Ten tips
Your IYCF
For zig fishing action
82
94
64
Live test:
82
88
A top kit is all you need
The latest tackle releases
The basic complicated rig explained
86
Steve Bellion
New gear
Steve Renyard
100
60
Object of desire
Maver Signature D36 box
IYCF chats to...
... Craig Smith
Your letters Have your say
Daiwa Mission Your catch shots
Angling puzzle break
Win a Korum Lure Bag
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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
8 IYCF | Issue 366
Coventry Canal
Canal fishing’s best kept secret Natural waters have never been more popular. Darren Massey visits a local venue he reckons is up there with the best Words & Photography Tony Grigorjevs
C
ANAL fishing has acquired many new followers in recent years yet it always seems to be the same venues that receive praise for this resurgence. The likes of the Grand Union and Stainforth & Keadby canals are regularly heralded for their ever-growing fish stocks, providing anglers of numerous disciplines with a fresh challenge. But the waterways that frequently have their name up in lights aren’t the only canals that have become more attractive to anglers. The Coventry Canal is a fine example of an often overlooked fishery that has the potential for simply stunning silverfish action.
In fact, it’s so good that those in the know reckon it is up there with the best in the land. Bait-Tech and Cadence Superteam star Darren Massey is one of the nation’s leading canal fishing experts and has explored the length and breadth of the UK in his quest for new waters to fish. Despite being so well travelled, his favourite venue is much closer to his Staffordshire home. “I’ve fished dozens of different venues, but the Coventry Canal is now up there with the very best,” said Darren. “It’s not the sort of fishery that is dominated by one species and there’s the chance of quality roach, perch, bream, tench and even pike.”
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EPS S I M P L E ST
For first time success
T
HE first time you go fishing is the most important session of your life. If the experience goes badly and you fail to catch there’s a strong chance you’ll turn your back on the sport. But if you get off to a flier and catch plenty of fish then the flames of a lifelong passion will be ignited. So no pressure then if you’re thinking of introducing a newcomer to the sport! Thankfully, a bit of prior planning and taking a few factors in consideration will help you achieve that dream session. Top match angler Craig Goldstraw knows what it takes to get it right. He decided to introduce his
eight-year-old son Cooper to fishing last year and he has well and truly got into his stride. “I’d always wanted to take Cooper fishing but knew I had to get it right if I wanted him to have a serious long term interest in the sport,” said Craig. “He’s come a long way since his first session and is now desperate to go fishing at every opportunity. I think it’s fair to say he’s hooked!” With more people than ever keen to give fishing a go for the first time following the UK’s Covid-19 lockdown, who better than Craig and Cooper to detail the key steps to ensuring your attempt at drawing new blood into fishing is a success. Words & Photography Tony Grigorjevs
TACTICS
KEEP IT SHORT “The pole is a brilliant way to start off a newcomer. Rod and reel tactics are more prone to tangles and such problems can lead to frustration. It is also important to start them just fishing at short range. I gave Cooper a top kit with just one section added to start with. Once he felt comfortable with that I added another. “Pick a peg with a nice margin or one that is renowned for producing well to the short pole and they should get bites galore.”
1
USE DURABLE BAITS
USE A LONG LINE
“Everything needs to be geared towards keeping the rig in the water as much as possible and using the right kind of bait will do that. “Missed bites are inevitable but by having a bait that will stay on the hook it means that they can plonk the rig straight back in. “Avoid expanders and casters which will need to be replaced and instead use tougher options such as sweetcorn or hard pellets.”
“The pole may be less prone to tangles but there are still scenarios where you can make a real mess of your rig with a mishap. “When a newcomer misses a bite there is a chance that the rig will wrap around the top kit.
“In order to prevent this, make sure there is a long length of line between the pole tip and float. I would usually have around 6in to a foot but, if I was setting up a rig for a newcomer, I would make it 18in to 2ft. “With this length of line, the chances of it wrapping round the pole tip after an overzealous strike are minimised.”
3
2ft OF LINE
2
RIG & BAIT TWEAKS
Keep bream bites coming all day Mark Malin shows why rig and bait alterations are the key to catching big nets of reservoir slabs on the feeder Words & Photography Tony Grigorjevs
I
F YOU catch one bream you can be confident that more will soon follow. The species is renowned for patrolling their watery home in giant shoals, grazing over beds of bait as they mooch along. Although they have a big appetite, their mood can change quickly. One moment they’ll be scoffing down a
54 IYCF | Issue 366
bed of groundbait, the next they seemingly become tired of the process and move on elsewhere. Bait-Tech and MAP angler Mark Malin has witnessed countless anglers catch a few bream on the feeder before their session peters out shortly afterwards. “Bream can be extremely fussy, and you can
quickly go from getting a bite every chuck to catching absolutely nothing,” said Mark. “A lot of anglers think this is just part and parcel of this style of sport but, if you keep busy, you can make sure the bites never dry up. “It’s all about rotating the tackle and baits you use to keep fooling the fish into a false sense of security.”
TACTICS
TACTICS: FEEDER SPECIES: BREAM DIFFICULTY:
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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: ULTIMATE GUIDE TO WHIP FISHING
W
E ALL love enjoying the great outdoors during the heat of summer and there is no better time to introduce a newcomer to fishing. That first session needs to go very smoothly, with lots of bites and few complications along the way. Picking a tactic that guarantees both aspects should be high on your list of priorities and there is one approach that is a sure-fire winner with novices. The whip is a great tool for bagging lots of small silvers and, when used properly, it is even capable of landing those bonus fish that will inevitably turn up.
Pack loosefeed into groundbait nuggets
Feed them by hand over the top of the float
SIMPLE FEEDING You’ll be fishing close to the bank so all feeding can be done accurately by hand. Put a few casters and dead maggots into your groundbait and form tiny balls that are firmly squeezed together. This will get all of your loosefeed to the deck, concentrating the shoal at the same time.
HOW TO:
h Catch a fis n o every time the whip
64 IYCF | Issue 366
1
2
3
PERFECT RIG LENGTH Your rig needs to be around 18in shorter than the whip or pole you are using. This will ensure the fish swings straight to your hand when the elastic is stretched and doesn’t dangle down by your legs!
RELY ON HEAVY FLOATS Using a heavy float will make sure you can swing the rig into place with minimal fuss. Use a float that is at least a 4x18, shotting it with a bulk 18in from the hook with two smaller dropper shot below. Floats with carbon stems are also less likely to tangle.
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5
TRY A SHORT HOOKLENGTH A short hooklength helps you spot every bite. I use a 6in version and even the shyest indications show on the float. If it was longer, the fish would have more chance to snatch the hookbait before it registered.
USE THE POLE There are lots of whips on the market but a pole does the job just as well. Use a top kit and one section to start with. A margin pole is ideal as it is strong and can be used for traditional pole fishing once your angling skills progress.
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Why do some coarse fish fight harder than others? Size, shape, muscle type and the surrounding environment all play a crucial role in how fish react when we hook them
W
E’VE all enjoyed an epic battle where you’re are certain that you are attached to the fish of a lifetime – only to be deflated when it turns out to be a creature only half the size you anticipated. Why is it, though, that some species or individuals fight harder than others? Is there a scientific explanation for it? A great deal of research has been carried out on the behaviour of many species. From studies looking at the ability of young fish to withstand being washed away in floods to the burst speed of tuna, scientists have long had a fascination with how fish are able to swim.
Muscle types
Fish have two main muscle types that power their swimming ability – red and white. These names really describe the amount of blood that flows through them, with the red cells that carry oxygen being much more prevalent in red muscle tissue. With its high blood flow, red muscle is used for sustained swimming, such as holding position against a current or moving around to feed. In fish that are constantly on the move, such as salmon, tuna and other pelagic sea fish, red muscle tissue is packed in giving the fish great endurance and enabling them to maintain a high cruising speed for hours at a time. Fish with a higher amount of red muscle tend to fight incredibly hard and are able to go on long runs without becoming excessively tired. At the other end of the spectrum, fish that ambush their prey have a higher ratio of white muscle to red muscle. White muscle gives a much shorter burst of all-out speed, enabling a predator to make a rapid dash of only a few metres to outpace their prey. White muscle quickly runs out of steam because it doesn’t contain such a rich supply of blood vessels. It’s for this reason that pike, which have more white muscle, give short, explosive fights. Most coarse fish come somewhere in the middle
between the super-endurance of Environment some sea fish and the Just as in humans who work explosive power of some out at the gym, fish that live predators. Their lives mean in extreme environments that they need to be on can become conditioned the move almost to having a greater Top carp angler Damien constantly, but only need muscle mass. A fish that Clarke once played an 88lb a small amount of white lives its whole life in a muscle to help them fast-flowing river is likely near world record common evade predators. River fish to fight a little harder than for two hours! tend to be much better one of the same species endurance athletes than that lives in a slower flowing stillwater species, while those environment. We must also take that lead a more sedentary lifestyle, into account that fish in rivers will such as bream, require less muscle tissue often use the current to their advantage and than their more active counterparts. this can also make it seem that they are fighting harder when in fact we are battling the current, plus the fish, as it is washed Water temperature downstream. Because fish are cold-blooded, the water So, pound for pound, which species of temperature also greatly influences how hard coarse fish is the hardest fighter? Barbel and long they will fight. As a general rule, the have a good case for being crowned kings of endurance. Their sleek shape, ability to hug the riverbed and make good use of the flow, plus their extensive white muscle gives them the perfect attributes to fight hard. Some would argue that it’s a close call between carp and barbel, and indeed this is another species lower the temperature the less fish will fight, with great endurance strength. The broader because their muscles work less effectively shape of a carp also gives them a slight in the cold. However, cold-water species such advantage, enabling them to hold an even as grayling are able to maintain their speed balance more effectively than many species. and endurance even when the water At the bottom of the league table temperature is very low, thanks to their languishes the common bream. With a high metabolic rate being better suited to these back that enables them to be put off-balance cooler conditions. easily and less muscle tissue for their size Interestingly, most coarse fish do not tend than other species, they are never going to be to fight any less hard at night, even though the hardest of fighters. Can we explain those we might imagine that they would slow down individual fish that fight so much harder than to avoid bumping into things! This is most their shoalmates? We can only guess that likely because their senses are more highly they are slightly fitter, or perhaps have the attuned to low-light conditions than ours. demeanor that makes them fight hard. Using a combination of their eyesight and Whatever the cause, they’ll give us a battle to lateral line they are able to sense their be remembered long into the surroundings in near-darkness and navigate future. without collision.
DID YOU KNOW?
“White muscle gives a much shorter burst of all-out speed, enabling a predator to make a rapid dash of only a few metres to outpace their prey”
72 IYCF | Issue 366
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Start pole fishing in style! LIVE TEST
Tony Grigorjevs shows why Daiwa’s new Power Carp X poles are the ideal tool for newcomers to this branch of the sport Words Tony Grigorjevs Photography Thom Airs
78 IYCF | Issue 366
TACKLE DAIWA POWER CARP X POLE RRP: From £180
W
HILE most of the economy is suffering from the devastation of the pandemic, fishing is thriving. Rod licence sales have increased significantly year on year as people look for new ways to spend their leisure time during this uncertain period. As a result, tackle shops have reported a surge in trade among newcomers kitting themselves out. There was a time when a rod and line set-up would be the default choice for a novice but times have changed and the pole has become the weapon of choice for many. Many of the top manufacturers have clicked on to this trend and Daiwa’s latest assortment of poles certainly proves they have these anglers firmly in mind. The Power Carp X series comprises four poles that appear to be geared perfectly to newcomers. But would they tick all the boxes? There was only one way to find out…
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TIPS
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104 IYCF | Issue 366
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7
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8
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6
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10
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9
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