Improve Your Coarse Fishing Magazine - Issue 390

ECTION

SPECIAL S

FEEDER TIPS!

EXPERT ADVICE FROM DAIWA'S SUPERSTARS Will Raison | Pemb Wrighting | Adam Wakelin | Hadrian Whittle | Cameron Hughes

BES YOUR SEST-EVE R S STA ION RT HER S E!

The adventures of a fishing family

ic... g a m r e m Sum

Catch your best tench!

We show you how to target this classic warm-weather species

TACK LE RE VIE WS

ü Shakespeare feeder kits ü Okuma's new waggler rod

ü Seven river groundbaits to try

FOOLPROOF TACTICS FOR MORE BITES THE BLOB

Trick wary fish with this simple float set-up

FEEDER vs POLE Two methods go head-to-head for stillwater roach

BREAM EDGES

Where to cast on big waters for bumper slabs £4.50

ISSUE 390

RIG SCHOOL TIE A MARGIN POLE SET-UP FOR CARP

June 7 - July 5, 2022

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The quest for a BIG tench!

Determined to up his personal best for a tinca, our editor is finally making time to target a spring specimen. Here’s how you can too...

E

Words James Furness Photography Tom Scarr

VERY year I tell myself that I’m going to put some proper effort into targeting tench. They’re one of my favourite species, and if an angling genie could grant me three wishes, one of them would most definitely be to make tench a species that could be fished for all year round!

In reality, they’re synonymous with warmer weather and can provide great sport from midspring through to summer. And this is where my problem lies. I have all these great intentions

TACTICS: FEEDER SPECIES: TENCH DIFFICULTY:

24 IYCF | Issue 390

of catching a new personal best, but before I know it, what with a busy work and family life, the tench have spawned and I’ve missed my opportunity for another year!

Not this year, though. I recently got a club book which controls a stunning gravel pit that supposedly holds a good head of tench, plenty of which would beat my existing biggest for the species of around 7lb. I gave myself a mental kick up the backside and made sure I had my tench kit ready to go at the start of spring.

TACTICS A fresh start

For me, venue choice is something that’s almost as important as the species I’m targeting. If I’m going to spend time somewhere, it needs to be a place that I enjoy fishing.

The pit I had in mind ticked all my boxes and I had a real buzz about fishing it. I’d had a quick look at the end of last summer, but other than liking the look of it and knowing it held some tench, I didn’t know masses about it.

From searching online I learned that it gets very weedy during the summer, but that was about it. In a way, I quite liked not knowing. As beneficial as it can be to find out lots about a venue, I think it can also pay to approach a new lake with a fresh mind. I could do my own thing in terms of tactics and wouldn’t be getting bogged down with information from others who’d fished there.

Towards the end of April we had a few days of really warm weather, so I got my first session planned in. As is always the way, in the run-up to my trip the temperatures dropped again and we even had a frost overnight. That wasn’t ideal! I headed to the lake anyway and figured it would be a good opportunity to have a lead around and get some bait in if nothing else.

The pit’s around 15 acres in size and I decided

to focus on one particular area to begin with.

As I had no clue of depths or lakebed type I spent an hour casting around the swim with a marker float. While this was by no means an extensive exploratory session, it allowed me to gain a rough picture of what was going on in front of me. My initial plan had been to rake a margin spot and fish over this, but as it felt fairly cool I couldn’t envisage the tench being up the shelf yet. Instead, I opted to fish in a slightly deeper and clear gulley that ran between two banks of weed.

TOP TIP To ensure I hit the same spot, I cast out to where I’m fishing and then clip my line up on the reel’s spool. Keeping it tight, I then take a piece of electrical tape and fold it around the line close to the eye on the butt section. When I need to recast, I ensure the tape is in the correct position before putting my line back under the clip. www.greatmagazines.co.uk | IYCF 25

58 IYCF | Issue 390

TACTICS

Unleash the magic of wag and mag It’s a tactic that’s been left in the past by many, but Tom Downing shows why it should still be a key player in your armoury Words & photography Tony Grigorjevs

T

HE era when a huge number of anglers wanted to see a carp hit the net at the end of each battle has passed.

There’s no doubt that they still remain a massively popular species, but there’s now a greater emphasis on variety – the mystery of what will turn up next can be a major source of excitement. Fisheries have reacted to this noticeable change by turning to a more mixed stocking policy, and if there’s one tactic that was tailor-made to exploit this it just has to be the waggler and maggot.

Use the approach in the correct way and you’ll have quality fish of all shapes and sizes showing an interest.

Everything, from your rig right through to your feeding, needs to be perfect to make the most of your day on the bank, and Tom Downing has shared his top tips with us to help you do just that.

The Bait-Tech-backed angler fondly remembers using wag and mag during his early adventures and, unlike many, he’s made sure it continues to play its part.

“It’s a brilliant tactic that guarantees plenty of action from pretty much anything that swims,” stated Tom. “Getting a few bites is rarely tricky, but you need to get the seemingly minor elements spot-on if you want to keep the float going under all day long.”

then string three No8 droppers below.

“This bombs the hookbait down to half-depth quickly and then it drastically slows up to mimic the pace that the freebies sink at.

“I get it through the top layer quickly because there are often a lot of tiny fish here that will snatch at a maggot.

“If you’ve made the effort to cast and feed accurately, the last thing you want to latch into each time is a half-ounce rudd!”

Mainline is 3lb through to a 0.11mm hooklength and a size 18 hook.

A semi-loaded float enables him to use some shot down the line to get the hookbait quickly down to where he wants it. That partial loading requires no big locking shot that could damage the mainline. Instead, several No8s are pinched around the base of the float to hold it in place.

Simple set-up TACTICS: WAGGLER SPECIES: MIXED DIFFICULTY:

One of the many beauties of using the waggler is its ability to cover the whole depth of your swim.

Roach, rudd and ide often sit in the upper layers, with bream, tench and perch preferring to feed on the deck.

Set your rig appropriately and all these species will have ample chance to suck up your hookbait.

“The key is to make the hookbait fall slowly in the layers where the quality fish are sat.

“I place a bulk of shot halfway down my rig and

Above: A quick-change attachment is locked in place by small No8 shot Right: Slimline wagglers are ideal when trying to catch mixed bags

TACTICS: POLE SPECIES: CARP DIFFICULTY:

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TACTICS

STEP IT UP TO...

Avoid double trouble Many fisheries are now home to 10lb-plus carp.

Luke Bamford reveals the tactics required to bank these tackle testing specimens Words & Photography Tony Grigorjevs

C

OMING into contact with a double-figure carp used to scare the life out of many, but that has had to change in recent years.

Once seen as fish that would snap your pole clean in half, anglers have had to adapt simply because a huge proportion of the nation’s commercials now contain a healthy head of these absolute lumps.

It’s got to the point where you now have to tackle up in expectation that one will turn up. If you don’t, sooner or later you’ll be pulling your hair out while regaling your mates with the tale

of the one that got away.

Commercial fishery expert Luke Bamford has banked more than his fair share of 10lb-plus fish over the years, and believes there is no point in taking chances in the present situation.

“If you are fishing a lake where a sizeable fish is likely to show up, why gamble with the kit you are using?” asks Luke.

“We have it drummed into us that scaling down is they way forward, but when it comes to bagging double-figure carp, you need to do the complete opposite.”

Double-figure carp are now common in many fisheries

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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: POLE FISHING WITH PASTE

M

OST anglers possess enough confidence in their ability to have a crack at an approach that was previously alien to them, but paste on the pole is one that many swerve away from.

It’s viewed as a complicated way of fishing, with the rumour mill suggesting that the rigs, hookbait and feeding patterns are significantly different to anything you’ve ever tried.

But I’ve got news for you – it’s nowhere near as difficult to master as you may think, and you can get to grips with it in no time at all.

It’s all about concentrating on the basics. Once you get your head around those, you’ll be working with a tactic that has some serious big-carp potential at this time of year.

Here are five golden rules to remember that will get your pastefishing off to a strong start.

HOW TO

CATC H BIGG E CAR R P CUP IT IN Paste is a very soft bait that’s likely to come off the hook while shipping it out. Place a small, tall cup on the end of your top kit and put the hookbait in it.

Gently ship out and then hold it just above the surface before cupping it into your target zone

TOP TIP Strong elastic will help you land big carp in no time at all. Go with a Preston Innovations Hollo 17 when carp in the 6-15lb bracket are expected. Run this through a power kit with a side puller, so that you can pull back firmly to prevent a prolonged battle

66 IYCF | Issue 390

1

2

3 LONG-TIPPED FLOATS It’s important to read what’s going on under the water and a longtipped float will help you do that. Paste will only stay on the hook for a few minutes at most before disintegrating and you need to know when it’s time to start again. The hookbait provides most of the weight to cock the float, with a few small Stotz down the line to add tension. Whenever the hookbait has come off, the float will rise and indicate it’s time to ship in. The best float is for this is a Preston Innovations Paste 2

4

MOULD IT ROUND The point of the hook goes into the side of most hookbaits, but paste needs to be secured in a different manner. Take a nugget of paste and flatten it. Place your hook in the centre of it and then gently mould your paste around it. Don’t worry about the hookpoint being concealed – paste is so soft that it’ll pull through with ease whenever you get a bite

5

STEP YOUR GEAR UP Big fish are inevitable when using paste and that means your terminal tackle must be able to deal with them. I think nothing of using 0.21mm mainline to a size 10 Preston Innovations XSH-B, which is pre-tied to 6ins of 0.17mm line

LOOSEFEED OPTIONS The big carp you’re targeting are bound to be hungry and you need to give them reason to stick around. A small quantity of 2mm micro pellets and corn go into the pot with the hookbait each time I ship out. This makes sure everything is delivered in a neat pile, reducing the time it takes fish to find my hookbait

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YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED BY EXPERTS...

What’s the best way to catch fish that are cruising in the upper layers of the water and out of pole range?

FLOAT

Use a fully loaded waggler and lock it in place with two rubber stops either side. This removes the need to use shot which could damage the mainline. A float of 3g-6g is ideal for most commercial work

ROY HEARN, EMAIL

A

The pellet waggler is the most effective rig by far for catching shallow when fish are sat beyond pole range.

It’s important to build up a rhythm with regard to your feeding and casting.

Keeping busy is the name of the game, with some level of action required every 30 seconds as the bare minimum.

Start the session around 3ft deep, but be prepared to tweak that by a few inches either way to try and find the best depth.

HOOK

Bites can be vicious, so strong end tackle is essential.

Use a 0.20mm hooklength to a size 12 or 14 hook

ASK US A QUESTION...

Email: IYCF@bauermedia.co.uk Write to: IYCF Magazine, Bauer Media, Media House, Lynchwood, Peterborough, PE2 6EA www.facebook.com/iycfmag @iycfmagazine

MAINLINE

LOOSEFEED

Aim to feed four 8mm pellets a split-second before each cast. Remember, the hookbait will look suspicious once it is suspended in midwater, so recast at least every 30 seconds

Reasonably thin mainline will run through the rings with ease and aid accurate casting.

Go with 4lb mono and you’ll land even the biggest carp

Q

Q

What type of feeder should I use when I need to feed a large quantity of dead maggots and chopped worms for bream?

I recently moved house and plan to fish the river that runs nearby once the season starts. Am I allowed to prebait before June 16 and, if so, what baits would you recommend for barbel?

MICHAEL HUGHES, EMAIL

A

There are a growing number of venues where the fish tend to feed more confidently over loose offerings while shying away from groundbait.

If you’re faced with this scenario, a window feeder is head and shoulders above everything else because it protects the loosefeed.

The small number of holes gives the feed less opportunity to seep out as the rig sinks, with the clear opening becoming the main exit point. Pack the feeder with loose offerings and use groundbait to cover the hole. This will soon disintegrate on the deck and make the freebies visible to nearby fish.

CLIVE RILEY, HANTS

A

There are no national laws to prevent prebaiting before June 16, although it’s advisable to check if the controlling club permits such activities. Whatever you do, don’t fish any river before this date or you’ll be breaking the law.

When it comes to baits, it’s best to wean fish on to whatever you intend to use once you’re allowed to present a baited hook.

This is your opportunity to give them a flavour of whatever you fancy and get them used to searching for it.

With this in mind, it makes sense to keep it as cheap as possible and meat, corn and pellets are good options for barbel.

Find spots that are easily accessible and where the fish are likely to feel comfortable. Prime those spots every couple of days.

Q

A

I’ve tried using the bomb with PVA bags, but the bag flies off on most casts. I’m putting quite a bit of force through the cast as I’m trying to hit a mark at around 70 yards.

How can I keep the bag on?

PVA bags help create a tight pile of bait without a feeder. They’re ideal for venues where big carp have wised up to taking food off the top of a feeder.

Nicking the hook through the bag is fine for short-range work, but the wire will cut through the mesh when fishing further out.

Thankfully, there’s a style of attaching the PVA bag that prevents this from happening, so see the picture sequence below and repeat it next time you’re on the bank.

ALAN ROBERTSON, EMAIL

HOW TO TIE A PVA BAG

1

Fill up a small pole cup with pellets and tip the contents into the top of a Guru PVA Speedmesh funnel

2

Place the plunger inside the funnel to force the pellets into the bottom of the mesh

3

4

5

Pull off about 20cm of mesh and crimp your fingers around the pellets to create a tight bag

Twizzle the PVA close to the bag and tie a tight knot. Make sure the contents are tightly packed or casting may be impaired

Tie another knot just above the bag in preparation for the next one. Trim between both knots and the bag is ready

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LIVE TEST

New float rod is a blast from the past Tony Grigorjevs gets to grips with a rod that is equally at home latching into small silvers as it is duelling with bonus carp 13FT OKUMA CUSTOM BLACK MATCH RRP: £69.99

74 IYCF | Issue 390

TACKLE

A

LMOST every float rod that hits the market nowadays is dedicated to the pellet waggler.

There’s no doubting the tactic’s deadly nature, with a hectic casting and feeding regime helping to attract a raft of big carp and F1s into the upper layers of your swim.

Most pellet waggler rods are 10ft or 11ft long and built with an action that enables you to accurately whip a chunky float out to the desired spot time and time again.

Despite tackle shops being flooded with this

style of rod, there are a few old-school gems that are geared towards the type of approach that actually got many of us into fishing in the first place.

Think back to your early sessions and there’s every chance you were flicking a light, peacock waggler out and baiting the hook with maggots in a bid to catch pretty much anything that swims.

You may be among the tens of thousands that have kept their faith in this traditional style, but in order to execute it effectively,

a rod that is significantly different to those built for the pellet waggler is needed.

Thankfully, there are still a few products available that fit the bill, and Okuma has moved to add another option with its brand new Custom Black Match rod.

Coming in at just under 13ft, this threepiece number is designed to allow you to employ a little finesse with the waggler, and I decided to run the rule over it during a session on Warren Pool at Coventry’s Meadowlands Fishery.

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TIPS, TACTICS & RIGS TO CATCH MORE

98 IYCF | Issue 390

CARP

GO WITH PELLETS

FOR EARLY SUMMER SUCCESS

Rather than following the masses and just fishing with boilies, Aron John shows that putting your faith in pellets can produce some fantastic results…

Words Aron John Photography Lloyd Rogers

E

ARLY summer is a great time to be on the bank, but often the carp fishing can prove difficult, particularly after a cool spring like we’ve had this year. With the banks getting busier again, the fishing can also be hard, yet by doing something a little different to everyone else you can really boost your results. That’s where a pellet approach comes into its own. While many anglers are feeding boilies, offering something a little different can pay dividends. Here’s my pellet-only feed approach…

Give them some variety

I have two approaches to fishing pellets. One is spodding them straight from the bag, the second mixing them in with a few boilie chops and lots of the Complex-T rehydration liquid. I add boilie chops to the mix just to vary the way that the carp have to suck up any freebies. This also helps my pop-up to not stand out as much.

Onto the pellets I like to use three different sizes – 3mm, 4mm and 6mm. This alters the aggression in the way the carp feed and really gets them grubbing around.

A cracking common which loved Aron’s pellet tactics

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I

T’S been a challenging month for yours truly thanks to a dose of Covid followed by a spell in hospital, but by the end of it I was back on the bank and enjoying my fishing as much as I ever have.

The newspaper headlines talk of pollution, plastics, nitrates and failing to meet European-wide directives, while angling forums bang on about cormorants and otters, yet despite this the sport we have on offer today is absolutely phenomenal. As good as it’s ever been in my lifetime. Yes, things could be better, but don’t let the doom and gloom merchants put you off the brilliant fishing on our doorsteps.

Week one...

I cut my angling teeth in an era when my local river, the Don, was an open sewer, one of the most polluted rivers in Europe.

As the canal network is fed by it they, too, were in a sorry state. Is it any wonder I knew nothing of canal fishing in my youth?

I’ve just trawled through some old diaries to discover the very first time I ever fished a canal, the New Junction at Barnby Dun. It was two weeks before my 35th birthday and I caught the grand total of five roach yet, it was something of a revelation and created an itch that had to be scratched.

Back then I didn’t own a pole, but it wasn’t long before I did. The Junky, the Stainy and the Aire and Calder were mere shadows of what they’ve become today.

It was tough going in the early days, but a love of the canals grew in me and I’m equally as happy to fish a canal today as to travel to the Trent. It’s simply a different tactical mindset.

My trips to the canals are mostly restricted to the spring months, when bream tend to shoal up prior to spawning.

Drop on a shoal and a cracking day can be had, but the downside is, these mobile shoals can be elusive. By their very nature, bream move a lot. Whole areas of the canal

“Don’t let the doom and gloom merchants put you off the brilliant fishing on our doorsteps”

I was 35 b canal – n efore I fished a ow I love t hem!

108 IYCF | Issue 390

end up deserted, yet the barren spot today could be a hotspot tomorrow.

That’s the frustrating bit.

I can’t explain why, but I’m drawn to the wide area above Sykehouse Lock.

When the bream, hybrids and big roach show up, the fishing can be phenomenal for a few days, but the only way to find out if they’ve turned up is to fish it blind.

Today, as I was to discover, the fish had yet to arrive.

Never mind, the rain held off, I had a favourable wind over my shoulder and it was good to be waving 12 metres of carbon around again during a short afternoon session. Variety is what makes angling so special. Fish a stick float for roach, a waggler for chub, a feeder for barbel... surface fish for carp or, in this case, tackle a canal for bream and it’s tantamount to the difference between football, rugby and cricket. Not just different skills, we’re talking totally different challenges.

Feeding casters, presenting a fluoro maggot on a fine wire hook and balancing the pole on a spreader bar allowed me to relax, avoid any strain and present my hookbait perfectly. Manipulating 12 metres is hard going in a blustery wind, but it’s so easy to let a spreader bar take the strain. I do wish they’d been available back in the late 1980s. What a difference they’d have made back when poles were a damn sight heavier.

Bites came from the off. Small roach and skimmers at first, with an occasional better one mixed in. Then I lifted into what seemed at first to be a huge roach that fought like fury. I saw it flashing in the coloured water as it neared the net and I was thinking it could be one of the canal’s rare two-pounders, but no, it turned out to be a hybrid. No complaints, though, it gave me a few moments of genuine excitement.

I rounded off the session in a battle royal with a rogue pike that snatched a fish I was about to swing. It was a monster, and my 0.09mm hooklink and size 20 hook were no match for something that would probably be in the mid-teens and quite possibly bigger.

Oh well, you can’t win them all!

, wanted I m a e br Not the t lots of fun bu

Week two...

As the second week approached I woke up with a headache. That’s rare for me, so I did a Covid test and thankfully tested negative. Twenty-four hours later the headache was replaced by a nasty chest cough. This time I tested positive, and any immediate plans to go fishing went out of the window.

After registering the result online I called the dialysis clinic to make arrangements to isolate myself from the other patients, and this was followed up by a call from a doctor at the hospital offering me an infusion. Basically a treatment delivered via intravenous drip to help ward off the effects of Covid.

As it’s in its infancy, it’s currently only offered to volunteers who are deemed to

be vulnerable and suitable.

I jumped at the opportunity as, if things went well, I’d be back on the bank several days sooner and things were starting to pick up. A mate had already messaged to say he’d had nine tench in five hours during the middle of the day. I needed some of that – the best medicine in the world – but things went awry in the following days as I ended up in hospital with a bloodstream infection and a diagnosis of Long Covid.

‘Stuffed’ does not begin to describe my predicament, and then things got worse when a high fever hospitalised me, but five days later I was on the mend and desperate to go fishing.

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