Improve Your Coarse Fishing Issue 371 (PREVIEW)

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Fish better with Des Shipp

Catch close in when it's cold The England international reveals everything from the top baits to the perfect depths to fish in CE ADVI EASY H-

A FIS FOR LLED FI ER! WINT

PLUS The chub approach that's so simple it's almost cheating!

2021

RGUIIG DE

BUMPER SECTION

T H E R IGS TO T IE FOR EV E RY S P EC IES OV E R T H E N EXT YEA R ISSUE 371

BUYERS' GUIDE: BEST WINTER JACKETS

Dec 15, 2020 – Jan 12, 2021 £3.99

No reason to be miserable Trent & Mersey Canal, Staffordshire

Alex Dawson visits a prolific stretch of the Trent & Mersey Canal where you’ll have no trouble working out where big perch and bream live Words & Photography Tony Grigorjevs

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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

www.greatmagazines.co.uk | IYCF 9

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SEARCH YOUR PEG TO...

Win the game of hide and seek A shoal of F1s can suddenly disappear in winter, but Brad Parkes reckons that exploring every inch of your swim can keep you in touch all day long Words & Photography Tony Grigorjevs

I

F YOU’VE ever tried fishing for carp and F1s in winter, you’ll know what a tough nut to crack they can be.

There is no doubt that they are willing to feed and a few bites are almost guaranteed. Keeping them coming consistently, however, is another thing altogether.

It would be easy to shrug off the slow-paced action as an inevitability of winter, but Brad Parkes is adamant that biteless periods needn’t be part of the story.

“So many anglers start fishing, catch two or three fish quickly and then find that they can’t get another bite for a long time,” explained Brad.

“The assumption is that the fish have vacated the peg.

More often than not they’ve simply

24 IYCF | Issue 371

shifted a few feet and you need to move and find their new location.

“It’s a big game of hide and seek. You need to make sure you come out on top,” he added.

Searching your swim

If you take a look at a typical swim, you may see three or four areas that you initially think are worth exploring with a bait.

Once you discover the way the fish behave though, you’ll realise you actually have many more potential spots than you first thought.

“At first glance, a far-bank tree may look like one area for you to plunder.

“Yet you could target several different areas against it. If you stop getting bites, they may have only moved a few feet away to get away from any commotion.

“That means you could start fishing in front of the tree and if bites drop off, nudge your rig to the left or right of it.

“The same theory applies when fishing in open water, down your margins or against an island.

“More often than not it is a case of catching a couple of fish before bites dry up and then moving a few feet to relocate them.”

Such a busy approach could see you cover 15 or 20 spots in a day. Despite this, Brad reckons that two or three rigs are all you need to prepare.

TACTICS

TACTICS: POLE SPECIES: CARP/F1s DIFFICULTY:

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AVOID THE WINTER

BARBEL BLUES Follow our top advice for cold-water action

T

HE last couple of months have seen some impressive barbel caught from all over the country as they feed up for what could potentially be a long, cold winter.

Like all freshwater species, barbel are cold blooded. That means that their natural metabolism slows down as the water temperature decreases.

However, once the temperatures have dropped and stabilised and the barbel

have acclimatised, they will feed – if only for short periods each day.

Let’s make no bones about it, barbel fishing in winter can be hit and miss.

But there’s no need to put your barbel kit away. If you think carefully about your approach and time your sessions to coincide with likely feeding times, you can still find yourself doing battle with this hard-fighting running water species.

SET REALISTIC GOALS

Venues with a larger stock of barbel will give you a better chance of catching one.

Certain stretches of rivers such as the Trent are particularly prolific, for example, which is why you see lots of catch reports from anglers on them. If you’re after a large fish on a river with a low stock of barbel you should prepare yourself for a few blank sessions and not judge yourself by what others are catching elsewhere. Some anglers are happy to sit it out all winter for one or two fish, whereas others prefer to be in with a chance of fish every trip. Think about what you want and find a venue to suit.

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CREATE A STINK

HEMP AND CASTERS

Big barbel love casters, but they can prove costly if used in large quantities. A good way to keep the cost down is by bulking them out with cheaper baits such as hemp. Use a baitdropper to introduce a small amount of loosefeed.

Let it settle for a couple of seconds before lifting it out to give the bait time to escape close to the deck.

Although less likely to be a problem in winter, small fish can prove a nuisance when fishing with casters. A good way to avoid them is to create a more substantial hookbait by supergluing four casters on to a short hair rig.

Here’s how to do it…

Thread a 10mm length of 1mm rig tube on to your hair rig

SMALL HOOKS

Picking a bait with lots of smell and flavour that will leak into the river is guaranteed to increase your chances of catching a winter barbel. The aroma travelling downstream in the flow will draw fish upstream towards your hookbait. Of course, you have to remember that at this time of year the fish have a drastically reduced appetite and a big bed of bait could easily put them off. Ideally, you want to create maximum attraction with minimum feed. This can be achieved by using strong smelling pastes or glugging your baits in pungent liquids that release masses of flavour but no actual food content.

Barbel are outstanding fighters but don’t let this fool you into thinking you must use big hooks. In daylight, they can be finicky feeders so scaling down the hook size can make a big difference. The are many small hooks that are strong enough in size 14 and 12 to cope with specimen barbel. They are ideal when using small baits such as 8mm pellets, mini boilies and single grains of corn.

A TWO ROD ATTACK

Dry a pinch of casters to remove any moisture

When barbel fishing in winter, it can pay to use two rods. Cast one slightly downstream with a leger set-up and just a PVA bag of feed. The other should be cast almost directly in front of you with a cage feeder. This has several benefits. Firstly, it gets more bait into the swim. Some of this will remain in the area and some will be sent downstream towards where the leger rig is waiting. Secondly, it helps to catch fish that are a little more cautious. These specimens may sit away from the main bulk of feed and pick up morsels on the edge of the zone. If you use a 2ft 6in hooklength, your hookbait will be the bit of bait sat away that they will take. Using a mix of crushed boilies, pellets and maggots in the feeder provides a fish attracting combination of flavour and movement. Aim to feed five feeders at the beginning to get a bed down and then recast a couple of times an hour to keep it topped up.

Add a blob of superglue to the tubing

Carefully glue the casters to the base and top of the tube

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The simplest rig you’ll ever tie There are lots of complicated set-ups in existence, but Dave Owen shows how a basic leger tactic can put you in the driving seat for big chub Words & Photography Tony Grigorjevs

MAINLINE no lb mo Use an 8 u land to help yo en the fish in ev pegs snaggiest

BAIT sepaste chee d n a ings Bread only offer n o are theeed to rely you n 44 IYCF | Issue 371

TACTICS

I

T’S easy to shy away from trying something new when you hear about rigs you’ve never previously encountered.

They can look difficult to tie, some of the components may be alien and that can lead to people sticking to what they know.

Sadly, that means you could be missing out on an exciting opportunity to try something new and potentially slipping the net under a species you’ve never banked before.

But if chub fishing is something that has

caught your eye, we’ve got some very good news for you.

Leicestershire-based big-fish enthusiast Dave Owen has targeted the species for several years and reckons his most impressive catches have been taken on the simplest rig in existence.

“There’s no need for any scary-looking setups when it comes to winter chub fishing. An easy-to-tie link leger is absolutely deadly and you can put it together in minutes!” he said.

HELI KIT le stab This adju ry accesso ou to enables y in g set the ri ays w different

LINK LE Make s GER use eno ure you u to pin gh shot t to the he rig bo in the ttom flow

TACTICS: LEGER SPECIES: CHUB 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: CARP FROM THE MARGINS IN WINTER

S

TAND in your peg before fishing at this time of year and you’ll soon work out where you think the fish will be located.

Islands and open water are likely to come into the equation, but do you ever give the margins a second thought?

If you don’t then you should definitely change your thinking!

While the margins are unlikely to be productive for a whole session, fish will still come and investigate these zones, especially late in the day.

However, the approach you used in the summer will need altering and this month I reveal five top tips for bagging big fish down the edge during the cold.

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HOW TO :

ADAPT CATCH TO CLOSEIN

LOOK FOR COVER Overhanging trees or big clumps of reeds will offer shelter and make the water close to them a fraction warmer. As a result, fish will happily feed close by. Ignore bare banks or areas with no features

1

2

3 TOP BAITS It is important to keep the loosefeed to a minimum to prevent overfilling fish. At this time of year a couple of mouthfuls may be enough to fill them up and you want your hookbait to be one those! Tap in small quantities of corn and micro pellets to trigger a response. Do this half an hour before you start and also when you place a rig over the top

TIME IT RIGHT Fishing the margins for the whole duration of a session in winter will lead to long periods of inactivity. The best time to attack them is as the light starts to go, often in the last hour or two of your session. The only exception to this is corner pegs where large groups of fish may congregate for the duration of winter because they are more protected from the elements

4

5 ADD SOME FLAVOUR Groundbait is a deadly margin bait in the summer and it can also work in winter – but it needs to be fed differently. A small nugget the size of a 50p coin adds flavour and also colours the clear water, giving fish confidence to feed. My favourite for this style of baiting is Sonubaits Supercrush Expander

USE THE RIGHT TACKLE Scaling down is often key in winter but I don’t use particularly light rigs down the edge. This is because big fish are likely to show up and there is no point hooking something that you will inevitably lose! I use a Preston Innovations grade 13 Dura Slip elastic and 0.17mm mainline to a 0.15mm hooklength and a size 16 GPM-B hook

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MARCH

SPECIES: Mixed

MAGGOT RIGS FOR SILVERS

Strung out shot pole rig

R

FLOAT

Use a carbonstemmed pattern to gain the sensitivity required. Pick a pattern with a slimline body and use a 4x12 in good conditions

SHOTTING

LINE

A thick mainline can help keep a tight line between float and tip, leading to more bites being hit.

Use a 0.15mm mainline, a 0.11mm hooklength and a fine wire size 18 hook

String out small shot down the line to enable fish at all depths a chance to take the hookbait. When using a 4x12, spread No.10 shot at regular intervals to three quarters of the way up

TOP TIP

BAIT

Maggots are a great bait for silverfish, but if nuisance tiddlers are getting in on the action, switch to casters. Feed a dozen every few minutes to get the shoal competing

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oach and bream can be very fickle feeders, so it is essential that you turn to a pole rig that offers plenty of finesse.

The slightest hint of a fish picking up the hookbait should be registered, giving it little chance to escape once it has fallen for the trap. Silvers are renowned for sitting at different depths, so pinning your hookbait to the bottom is likely to have a detrimental effect on your results.

Your shotting pattern is key to giving fish at all depths the chance to nibble the hookbait. If you use a bulk of shot close to the hooklength, the hookbait will bomb through at pace, giving anything off bottom little chance of snapping it up.

To alleviate this problem, turn to a strung pattern. This relies on having your shot dotted down the rig at regular intervals. This makes the hookbait fall at a similar pace to the loosefeed, making it impossible for the fish to work out which has the hook in it.

When it comes to feeding, don’t shy away from putting in a little bit of bait.

Keeping something going through the water column is important and introducing a dozen maggots or casters every few minutes will soon get a lethargic shoal feeding aggressively.

PERFECT FOR

SPOTTING TENTATIVE BITES

Feed a dozen maggots a split second after hooking a fish. This distracts the rest of the shoal and prevents them being spooked by the commotion. It will also make the wait for a bite on the next drop shorter because fish will be ready and waiting for more food

PERFECT FOR

FISHING BEYOND POLE/WAGGLER RANGE

FREE-RUNNING The maggot feeder runs freely on the mainline so feeding fish won’t feel any resistance

HOOKLENGTH

The hooklength should be a minimum of 18in to prevent fish spooking off the feeder

HOOKBAIT

White maggots are a classic roach bait and fish of all sizes will feed on them

Running maggot feeder

W

HEN it comes to catching a mixed bag of silvers, the maggot feeder is hard to beat. All species love maggots and this style of feeder enables you to release a slow trickle of loosefeed close to your hookbait.

The tactic also enables you to target areas that are out of waggler or pole range and to fish accurately in windy conditions when float presentation becomes difficult.

You can even moderate how quickly the maggots escape from the feeder.

Increasing the size of the holes with a pair of scissors creates a faster release time for when fish are feeding well. If the action is slow and you want maggots to crawl out at a slower rate, cover a couple of holes with electrical tape.

A long hooklength is an important feature of this rig because it will enable

you to catch fish that are sitting off the bottom. More often than not this will also be the bigger stamp of fish. Once the feeder hits the deck the hooklength will continue to flutter down slowly and could take another 10 seconds to get down. You’ll be amazed at how many bites you get from big roach and skimmers during this time.

The depth of water you’re fishing in can be used to provide a guideline as to how long your hooklength should be. A good rule of thumb is to have it half the depth of the water you are fishing in. For example, if you have 6ft of water in front of you, the hooklength should be 3ft.

When it comes to terminal tackle, a 6lb mainline to a 3lb-4lb hooklength and a medium wire size 18 hook will give you a chance of catching all silverfish species.

THREE WAYS TO HOOK MAGGOTS

Just nicking the maggot through the fat end causes it to wriggle enticingly

Reduce hooklink spin when fishing double maggots by hooking them top and tail

TOP TIP Take your rod off the rest and pull it six inches towards the bank to dislodge the feeder. Wind in slack line and put the rod on the rest.

Fish are often provoked into taking the hookbait by this sudden movement. Do this every 30 seconds or so and recast once you’ve done it 10 times

When fish are just nipping at the tail of the maggot, try burying the hook inside like this

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OCTOBER SHOCKLEADER

FEEDER FISHING AT RANGE

When using braided mainline it’s essential to use a mono shockleader to act as a shock absorber

TWIZZLED LOOP Twizzling six inches of the shockleader creates a stiff boom section to help push out the hooklink

FEEDERLINK These handy items which run on the mainline prevent the feeder from tangling around your line when casting

HOOKLINK

Big bream to 8lb are a realistic possibility on many venues now so don’t go too light. A 6lb mono hooklink should do the job nicely

FEEDER

Long casts are often required on reservoirs.

Feeders with a weightforward design make it easier to cast accurately at range and are less affected by crosswinds

HOOK

For hair-rigging large baits such as worm, corn or pellets, use a size 14 hook. Speed stops make attaching worms and corn quick and easy

SPECIES: Bream Rig: Groundbait feeder

W

HEN it comes to fishing for bream, a groundbait feeder approach has been the go-to tactic for many years. The increase in popularity of feeder fishing on natural venues in recent years has seen numerous changes made to the tactic, with anglers and tackle companies devising new products and rig tweaks.

Gone are the light lines, tiny hooks and target boards used to spot bites that were

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commonly used a couple of decades ago.

Nowadays, the top feeder anglers tend to put their faith in large hair-rigged baits, braided mainlines and weight-forward feeders that can be cast long distances with relative ease.

Fishmeal groundbaits are now the norm as opposed to sweet groundbaits which used to be the most popular. Baits such as micro pellets, casters, chopped worm and corn are also excellent items to include in the feeder.

It is best to add a pinch of these to your groundbait mix prior to filling the feeder rather than putting in a load at the start.

That way you can be more flexible with the

quantities of different loosefeeds you are introducing during the session.

Another key component of the rig shown here is the short, stiff length of line that the feeder is attached to. This is called a feederlink. Not only does this help to create a much neater overall presentation, it greatly reduces tangles.

The length of the feederlink will determine how close the feeder sits to the hookbait. On days when the fish are feeding confidently, a short link of 2in-3in will produce quicker bites. On days when the fish seem more cautious you may need to use a longer link to attract bites.

HOW TO ATTACH A MONO SHOCKLEADER TO BRAID MAINLINE

Tie a 1.5in-2in loop in the end of the braid mainline with a figure of eight loop knot

TOP TIP For optimum casting performance ensure you have the correct drop.

This is the distance between the feeder and rod tip before you cast. Around 5ft is ideal as this enables you to really compress the rod

HOW TO MAKE A TWIZZLED LOOP BOOM SECTION Take a length of line and twist in a different direction with each hand Continue twisting until you have a twizzled boom of six inches Tie a figure of eight knot at the base of the boom section and trim the tag end Tie a small figure of eight loop at the other end to attach the hooklength to

Thread the mono shockleader through the loop. Use enough mono to have four turns on your reel when you’re ready to cast

Tie the leader on to the braid using a double tucked blood knot

Trim the tag ends on both knots to enable the line to pass smoothly through the rod rings

HOW TO FISH WORMS WITH SPEED STOPS

Speed Stops make it much easier to hair-rig worms.

They also hold them in place on the cast and prevent them masking the hook

Use a Speed Stop needle to pierce the worm through the top. Using a third of a worm will make it resemble the chopped worm loosefeed

Pierce and thread into place a second worm section. Fold the stop over so that it sits flat against the worm’s body and securely holds the bait

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11

OF THE BEST...

WINTER JACKETS

IYCF editor James Furness picks out a selection of great jackets that will both keep you warm on the bank and look great for daily use

T

HERE’S an old cliché in angling clothing reviews – ‘perfect for use on the bank or wearing down the pub with your mates.’ I’ve used the phrase many times over the years and I’ve seen it in pretty much every other fishing magazine I’ve read. The term was basically used to describe any jacket other than the thickest of thermal coats that would cook you alive if worn indoors!

In recent years, though, the angling clothing market has expanded massively. It wasn’t that long ago that clothing only

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occupied a small area of any tackle shop.

Now it is arguably one of the biggest sections, and some brands have clothing ranges so extensive they could most likely fill a shop with clothing alone.

This growth means there are now more stylish and fashionable items then ever before and the phrase I used at the start of this piece has never been more accurate. So, this month I’ve picked out some of the best looking jackets that will not only perform on the bank but won’t leave you looking out of place when wearing it out and about.

TACKLE Prologic Bank Bound Insulated Jacket RRP: £89.99

Combining both camouflage patterning and plain olive green, this jacket retains body heat without restricting movement. There’s an adjustable hood and two zipped front pockets with a warm lining as well as one zipped inner pocket.

Sizes: M – XXL www.prologicfishing.com

Preston Innovations Celcius Puffer Jacket RRP: £59.99

This new addition to Preston’s clothing range is constructed with multi-layer insulation and a showerproof outer fabric. All black except for blue detailing on the chest, arm logo and zips, the jacket features an elasticated waist and cuffs as well as an adjustable hood. All the pockets are zippable and there’s a handy chest pocket which can be used to store your phone.

Sizes: M – XXXL www.prestoninnovations.com

Guru Halkon Hunt Soft Shell Jacket RRP: £208

It may not be cheap, but these jackets are made to order by bespoke clothing manufacturer, Halkon Hunt, in a UK factory.

Halkon Hunt is also one of the few companies in the world approved to use GORE-TEX for the manufacture of angling clothing. It’s made from a smooth-knit face fabric, which is abrasion-resistant and has a finish to resist drizzle. Features include three outer zipped pockets, soft fur-lined inner, reinforced elbow patches, high collar and adjustable hood.

Sizes: S – XXL www.tackleguru.com

Maver Thermal Quilted Jacket RRP: £79.99

This stylish jacket provides excellent protection from the elements along with superior comfort. And on those rare winter days when it isn’t too cold, you can detach the sleeves to turn it into a gilet. The jacket features a full length zip with chin guard, two external zipped pockets and one internal pocket so there is ample storage for your personal belongings. It’s finished off with the Maver logo on the left chest and an eye-catching green trim on the zips and inner lining.

Sizes: S – XXXL www.mavermatch.co.uk

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CARP Q&A

IN ASSOCIATION WITH STICKY

We ask top 5 anglers...

WHAT WOULD BE YOUR NUMBER ONE PIECE OF ADVICE TO KEEP GETTING BITES IN WINTER?

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

Tom Maker Choose a lake/venue which is going to give you a good chance of a bite. If you’re fishing a water which has terrible form during the colder months… guess what? You’re probably not going to do very well! Venues such as Linear or Farlows which have a formidable reputation in colder weather are always somewhere I’ll visit for a session.

The carp will be held up in numbers, and it’s simply a case of finding them and fishing with tactics I’ve used for years now. It works, so I’ve no reason to change it!

Venue choice is critical if you want to catch in winter

Myles Gibson Don’t fall into the trap of taking comfort over dropping your effort levels. Move if you have to, react to the signs that you see and, ultimately, raise your game that extra gear.

Once the colder weather arrives, I switch to Manilla as an ultra-digestible bait and look to introduce it in the areas I believe the carp are holding as it’ll no doubt give them a reason to stay in the vicinity. It’s all about solubility at this time of the year, so think about your bait choice wisely. Use liquids such as Cloudy Manilla which are cold-water winners, and put all your emphasis on locating those carp. Then, simply fish for them with proven winners like the above.

An easily-digested bait is a key factor in getting a bite in cold weather

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YOUR CARP QUESTIONS ANSWERED

BY STICKY’S EXPERT ANGLERS Adam Penning Try and think about being less predictable and aim for a bite, not 10 fish in a session.

At this time of year my fishing is similar to spring, in that I adopt a less is more approach when it comes to baiting. I have found that fishing a small amount of bait gives me a better chance of getting a bite. My own angling is geared towards focusing on getting just a single bite.

It goes without saying that you will have to find the fish, but once you do and locate a spot within the area that they are showing, that is when your decision making needs to be spot on.

Oz Holness

A huge winter common, part of a mad flurry of bites while filming for Sticky’s Reflections last winter

Watching out for signs of fish is in winter and move accordingly

Keep your eye on the bobbins looking for line bites

Apart from the obvious such as looking for shows and activity, I like to use as many different watercraft techniques as I can to help me locate carp, even if I can’t see them. If you haven’t quite located the carp visually, another really good way of trying to find their whereabouts is to fish for liners. For example, spread your rods over an area of a swim for a few hours, tighten the lines up and just have a little drop on the bobbins and let that line sag out through the swim on to the spots. Look for the signs and search out for those little bleeps/subtle liners that you might get as the carp move around the swim.

Sometimes they can be the one and only location aid that you might have for that period of time and quite often they don’t always go that far. That little bit of information could set you up for the rest of your winter campaign so it’s a very important thing to do.

Scott Lloyd Keep your eyes on the pond at all times! One sign can change the game in the winter because fish won’t move as much and tend to be in an area for a reason. Comfort outweighs safety so they could literally be in the strangest of places. Keep your eyes peeled and move on the signs that you see. Oh, and obviously pack your Krill Active for when the time comes! Be lucky.

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