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Match fishing hints and tips
Pole floats....so many patterns....what do I go for?
For the last couple of years I have been using hand made pole floats, shop bought floats are ok but after a couple of sessions you will find that the balsa bodies start to take on water which makes the float sink. This can be a right pain as you have to keep removing shots which damages the monofilament but more importantly wastes time getting the float sitting nicely. I did varnish my float which makes the body much tougher and does partially stop them sinking, but it is a lot of hassle especially when you have over 100 different floats like the majority of match fishermen.
Recently I have been using Hillbilly handmade floats....these are awesome! The person behind it all is called Neil, he's a really nice guy and can give you all information required. All of Neil's patterns are made out of a special type of foam which is designed to not absorb water. His floats cover nearly all of my pole fishing all through the year. The main floats I use are......
Chumps- Fishing on the deck in deep water (deeper lakes and slow flowing rivers)
Frosties - For commercial silvers/F1s and nearly all of my winter carping.
Rat Catchers 1 and 2- Up in the water fishing and big baits down the edge
Billy Bobs- All summer carping including a lot of my across fishing and down the edge with smaller baits.
I have full confidence in these floats and highly recommend you giving them a try.
Summer.....feeding patterns for
Carp on the pole
During the summer months Carp can be very active, they will feed at
all depths and are not fussy feeders. When fishing for carp in a match
situation, 90% of the time I will feed 1 pot full of pellet. The pellets I
use for feeding on my pole line are Bait-Tech Premium feed pellet. The 2 main sizes I
use for cupping in are 2mm and 4mm.
You may notice that some of the pellets
float especially in the smaller sizes, to prevent this I put a splash of water
on them and leave them 10 seconds, then I drain the water off. By doing
this the pellets absorb a small amount of water which makes them heavier....you
will find that all the pellets sink.
When I feed my first pot full, I go straight over the feed with either a
Bait-Tech 4mm Xpand Expander pellet or a piece of corn. If I get positive bites
and not many small indications....I will gradually begin to catapult 5... 4mm
pellets around my float all the time or feed a small toss pot full of pellet
every time I ship out. If the float is jumping all over the place, you
know you have put to much feed in and you have got lots of fish in your swim.
This is a bad thing as you won't get to many positive bites, you will also risk foul hooking fish.
If you can see swirls near your float...this means you have encouraged the fish
to feed shallow. The fish have probably been bought of the bottom by the sound of the
pellets plopping on the water. If this happens, I will either have another
top-kit with a dibber float and a hair rigged 6mm pellet or just shallow the
other rig up.
If your sure the fish are shallow, keep feeding non stop, they will get more and
more confident and start competing for bait hopefully you will catch
lots more fish.
If you see mud were you have fed, this means you have fish grubbing around on
the bottom. When you have this, you will notice the fish seem uncatchable and
you'll think the fish aren't interested in your hook bait. This isn't the case.
You will find that fishing over depth by about 6 inches can very often get you those fish
that you didn't think wanted your bait.
This is my guide to create a perfect bread loose feed
1. Buy some white bread, for liquidising, it doesn't need to be good quality. I
get the cheapest bread in the shops. 1 loaf will usually do for 1 or 2 sessions.
2.Cut the crusts off the bread slices.
3.Shove it in the liquidiser, bit by bit is best so it doesn't overflow.
4. When it is as fine as you think you can get it, take it out and put it in a
tub or back in the bread bag.
5. Then, put it in the freezer and leave it 1 day.
6. Take it out of the freezer and liquidise it again.
7. You will then notice that the bread it very fine, much finer than it was the
first time you liquidised it.
8. Then run it through a fine sieve and your liccy bread is complete.
Daiwa Hydroelastic
Team Daiwa Hydroelastic is my favourite pole elastic, I used
to only use Preston and Garbolino laccy , I gave hydro a try and was just
amazed. I found it very smooth and no sign of what I call 'Swing tips on the pole' which is when
the pole connector and a small bit of elastic hangs out the end of the pole
causing horrible tangles. Hydroelatic is the most expensive elastic on the
market at a shocking 15 pounds! I think the price is a bit over the top which is a
shame...I guess you pay for performance, if you are willing to pay the
money it may help put some more fish on the bank.
Hook a big fish and Hydrolastic will increase to a higher rating as
it is loaded with more 'give' than standard heavy elastics. Unlike other types
Hydrolastic has a hollow construction, which is filled with a secret high
performance fluid, The elastic stretches first, then, when compressed, the
internal walls close in and are held apart by the fluid.
Hydroelastic is primarily a carp elastic but many people use it for
all round pole fishing.
There are 6 types of hydro elastic and they all have
different uses. Blue Hydro-Great for skimmer work and fish around the 1lb mark,
White hydro-Carp and Tench around 2-3lb, Grey hydro- Carp and Tech from
3-6lb, Black hydro- Good sized carp around 7lb, Purple hydro-Great for shallow
fishing for carp around double figures, Red hydro-The heaviest you would ever
need, 10lb+ carp and good for down the edge at places like Rolfs Lake and
finally Brown hydro-Animal tamer/ bungee strap, I wouldn't recommend ever going
that heavy on the pole.
It is important to tie a not in your Hydroelastic before cutting to keep all of
the fluid inside the elastic for the best results.
I strongly recommend spending that bit more money on your elastic to help up
your game!!!
Fishing at Rolfs Lake is a must
Rolfs is my favourite lake, it is home to a variety of different
species-Chub to 8lb+,Carp to 28lb,Perch to 4lb, Roach to 2lb+ and many
more fine specimens. The lake is very secluded, the people at Rolfs are all
friendly and will answer any questions that you are willing to ask. In the
winter, matches are won on 20lb-150lb+ with a fair few carp creeping over the
15lb mark. To win in summer matches you are usually looking for weight around
200lb right up to 400lb, they are usually won on the pole but you should catch
on whatever method you try. The lake owner, John Bennett, is one of nicest guys
you are likely to meet and he knows everything about how his fish feed and how
to catch them. The fish are all in stunning condition as the rules are strict,
this shows how much John cares about his fish.
There are 40 pegs on the lake and they all produce fish, the swims are wooden
platform which are extremely safe. At Rolfs there is a small shelter which is a
great place to warm your hands up in the Winter or make some hot dogs up after a
hard day. Even on a dull day....a trip to Rolfs will brighten it up again!!
Chopped worm....deadliest bait in the winter.
I personally think chopped worm is one of the best all round baits
for fishing in the winter, any fish that swims will take it providing it is
presented correctly. Chopped worm is usually irresistible to fish because it
leaks amino acid which will attract them into your peg. Worm is the best bait
for perch but every coarse fish will take it, even Pike! Usually at the
beginning of a match I like to introduce a mixture of chop and water mix using a
pole cup, the fish will soon sniff out that acid, the 'chop' is also a great
holding bait.
To get the best results using chopped worm I use special chopping scissors which
are 3 scissors in 1. After chopping the worm into lots fine pieces I add a small
touch of water, just enough to cover them, I think this helps keep all the acid
into the chopped mess! Then I would add my favourite silver fish ground bait....
Bait-Techs special 'G' gold and maybe even a few casters (don't add water to the
ground bait!). In the pot I always use some of the water as that is packed full
of the amino acid...... That's how to get the best out of chopped worm!!!
How to
catch more fish on the float
I see a lot of beginners/juniors fishing with their floats 4
inches above the surface. People around the lake are catching and getting bites
but they are not. But why are they not catching? They are not catching because
the float indication is bad. If you have the float 4 inches above the surface
you decrease the chance of catching a nice crucian or hybrid. They are delicate
biters and sometimes only pull the float under 4cm.Theese are nice fish and so
important while match fishing. At the top is a picture showing how much you need
to dot down your float. This may win you a match!
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How to choose a good river swim/peg
For all you beginners or juniors out there, I have got an
important tip for you. It is essential to know what a good swim is and to find
out were the fish will be. So these are good things to look out for in a
swim.........
●Does it have any features? e.g. over hanging
tree ,island, reeds, lilly pads or a big snag that pops out of the water.
●Is there any slack water or eddies? Does it also have a undercut?
●Is it weedy or snaggy? Fish love it in the weeds for cover and for camouflage.
They also feed on tiny organisms on these snags such as dead bits of
weed, mussel, small worms/grubs and chub even eat crayfish!!!
●Is it a public place? If so, go in the swim were people feed ducks. Fish will
finish left overs at night, they also feel confident there to because fishermen
get annoyed with people throwing bread in so nobody fishes there!
●It is great if you can find a swim with a bend (like in the picture). If it has
a slow current and some eddies that is the best swim to have. The bend will
produce slacker water so fish will be there to have a rest from the fast
current. A swim like this will usually be found on backwaters or thin rivers
like the river Thame and some stretches on the Kennet.
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