On big-weight venues such as the lovely Decoy Lakes, where you join me today, there are two key advantages that you can give yourself to make winning a lot easier. The first is to catch bigger fish than everyone else, and the second is to catch quicker than everyone else.
So how are these maxims best achieved? For me the perfect way is to try and catch as close to you as possible, as this approach seems to give the best of both worlds!
It’s amazing how often the biggest, wariest fish are caught right next to the bank. Whether they hug the obvious cover it brings, or naturally patrol this area looking for free offerings that have dropped off an angler’s platform I am not sure, but the fact is that margin fishing often accounts for good stamp fish.
And then there is the speed element. Obviously fish hooked on just a couple of sections of pole or less can generally be landed faster than those caught in the middle of the lake, provided you have the correct tackle for the job.
So fishing close in in this way is naturally a fairly quick process.
More importantly though, the fact that the fish can get close to the bank while still being in fairly deep water means they will often come in in numbers, and as a consequence feed more confidently when they do.
If you have very shallow water and a more gradual slope, or if the water is excessively clear, you might find that it takes the fish a lot longer to come in, and that catching in the manner that I am about to describe is impossible.
You give the fish a ‘safe area’ of the lake to back off into, and when they do decide to feed later in the day your short line is the first place that they head for.
The other key reason is cover – fish love it, and by fishing close to a steep shelf you are fishing in an area where the fish naturally feel confident, and also an area that often proves a natural holding area for food. Another factor is that the fish will often be reluctant to come shallow and intercept any bait when feeding so close to the bank, which keeps them down on the bottom where you can catch them nice and easily.
I want to give myself the option to feed in several different ways, so that I can cater for however the fish might choose to feed.
Oak Lake, where we are sat today, has a considerable head of barbel, and knowing that these love to hug a feature (and especially the margins) means I will definitely feed one of my edges with maggots.
I find a nice little flat area to my left at the bottom of the near slope, which is conveniently just a top kit away from the bank, and this is where I decide to set my trap for them.
Down my other margin there is some slightly shallower water, so I will locate a line with corn here to target carp. This will be fed mainly by hand, although I will kick-start this swim with a pot of bait at the start.
My final swim will be located straight in front of me just a top kit’s length away from the bank. This will be fed with just pellets, and will be where I spend the early part of the session while nurturing my edges into life.
my left-hand side is treated to a large helping of dead maggots, while the righthand margin receives a salvo of micro pellets, treated with a generous helping of Spotted Fin’s excellent particle and pellet syrup.
In front of me I throw in pellets, using the noise of bait hitting the water to draw fish into the swim. In terms of tackle, this is no tactic for the fainthearted. I match 0.18mm Matrix Power Micron to a size 16 Carp Bagger for my maggot rigs. Pellet rigs are the same, but with a 0.16mm hooklength and a Carp Riggers hook, to allow me to snugly accommodate a 6mm or 8mm pellet on the hook. Elastic is thick Matrix Orange, which helps me quickly subdue even the most angry Decoy carp or barbel.
This may seem an obvious point, but it is easily forgotten – be as quiet as possible getting set up and putting your nets in, and avoid unnecessary bankside disturbance. It could just make the difference between catching that extra 10lb fish that wins you the match or spooking him.
The nice thing about having a line where you feed negatively in this way is that you are able to constantly keep a gauge on how your peg has responded to bait. If, for example, I had kicked the line off with a big handful of pellets, I may well have foul hooked and lost my first couple of fish. Instead, I have the best of both worlds – a line on which I can feel my way into the day, and more positively fed swims in reserve ready for when I want to go on them.
I catch six fish nice and quickly on this negatively fed swim, before I foul hook and lose one. This could well be a coincidence, but it could also be a sign that the fish are becoming a little tetchy and unsettled, so now is the time to have my first try on a margin line, and rest the top-kit swim.
I go in on my maggot swim first with a nice bunch of vivid red maggots on the hook, and before the float feels like it has even settled the elastic is being yanked from my pole tip. I strongly suspect that this is a barbel, and after a brief tussle I am proved right as a large pair of whiskers lays looking back defiantly from the bottom of the landing net.
Another follows almost instantly, and then another, which is often the way with barbel here; they seem to come in runs before the swim dies away. The problem (and it’s a nice problem to have) though, is often deciding whether you are best off continuing to target the barbel or going for the carp, which fight a little less hard and so can be used to amass a big weight very quickly.
I try the other margin, where I hope to catch carp, and am greeted with another barbel on double corn over my initial bed of micro pellets, but then a good carp follows. With all of my fish averaging between 4 to 6lb I would be very happy if I was catching this well in a match!
In terms of keeping your lines topped up with bait, the nice thing about having three swims is that you can experiment, as you always have somewhere to go. Sometimes it is best to pot in a little bait, then go somewhere else to rest the area before dropping in on it, while on other days bait fed by hand is king.
Today, it seems that throwing in pellets on the short line is very good, while either edge is best fed with a pot mainly because there are so many hungry barbel in this area of the peg, hugging the inside shelf! After just over three hours’ fishing I have over 100lb in the net and I actually have to slip a few fish back before taking the catch shot! Proof if any was needed that a multi-swim, short-pole attack can be a winner.
So how are these maxims best achieved? For me the perfect way is to try and catch as close to you as possible, as this approach seems to give the best of both worlds!
It’s amazing how often the biggest, wariest fish are caught right next to the bank. Whether they hug the obvious cover it brings, or naturally patrol this area looking for free offerings that have dropped off an angler’s platform I am not sure, but the fact is that margin fishing often accounts for good stamp fish.
And then there is the speed element. Obviously fish hooked on just a couple of sections of pole or less can generally be landed faster than those caught in the middle of the lake, provided you have the correct tackle for the job.
So fishing close in in this way is naturally a fairly quick process.
When Will It Work?
Before I go into the very positive tactics that I am going to employ today, let me first give a word of warning. This sort of aggressive attack isn’t something that will work everywhere. The contours of the peg that I am on today are ideal for it in many respects, with a nice steep nearside shelf, so that I can get into several depths of water without venturing too far from the bank.More importantly though, the fact that the fish can get close to the bank while still being in fairly deep water means they will often come in in numbers, and as a consequence feed more confidently when they do.
If you have very shallow water and a more gradual slope, or if the water is excessively clear, you might find that it takes the fish a lot longer to come in, and that catching in the manner that I am about to describe is impossible.
Why Does It Work?
Other than the two obvious advantages that I have already outlined, there are other reasons why my approach is so effective. How many times do you see fish congregate at the only point in the lake where there are no other anglers? And all too often these fish move to the angler closest to them late in the day when they decide to feed. By leaving some untouched water in front of you and fishing very close to where you are sitting, you create a very similar effect.You give the fish a ‘safe area’ of the lake to back off into, and when they do decide to feed later in the day your short line is the first place that they head for.
The other key reason is cover – fish love it, and by fishing close to a steep shelf you are fishing in an area where the fish naturally feel confident, and also an area that often proves a natural holding area for food. Another factor is that the fish will often be reluctant to come shallow and intercept any bait when feeding so close to the bank, which keeps them down on the bottom where you can catch them nice and easily.
Cover Your Options…
You may think that fishing short in the style that I have described is a bit of a boom or bust tactic, but I am actually a big believer in covering my options even though I am only planning on adding one section to my top kit!I want to give myself the option to feed in several different ways, so that I can cater for however the fish might choose to feed.
Oak Lake, where we are sat today, has a considerable head of barbel, and knowing that these love to hug a feature (and especially the margins) means I will definitely feed one of my edges with maggots.
I find a nice little flat area to my left at the bottom of the near slope, which is conveniently just a top kit away from the bank, and this is where I decide to set my trap for them.
Down my other margin there is some slightly shallower water, so I will locate a line with corn here to target carp. This will be fed mainly by hand, although I will kick-start this swim with a pot of bait at the start.
My final swim will be located straight in front of me just a top kit’s length away from the bank. This will be fed with just pellets, and will be where I spend the early part of the session while nurturing my edges into life.
Bait For A Weight
I’ve never been one for holding back when it comes to feeding down the edge, and both of my edge lines are kicked off with a full pole pot of bait. The line tomy left-hand side is treated to a large helping of dead maggots, while the righthand margin receives a salvo of micro pellets, treated with a generous helping of Spotted Fin’s excellent particle and pellet syrup.
In front of me I throw in pellets, using the noise of bait hitting the water to draw fish into the swim. In terms of tackle, this is no tactic for the fainthearted. I match 0.18mm Matrix Power Micron to a size 16 Carp Bagger for my maggot rigs. Pellet rigs are the same, but with a 0.16mm hooklength and a Carp Riggers hook, to allow me to snugly accommodate a 6mm or 8mm pellet on the hook. Elastic is thick Matrix Orange, which helps me quickly subdue even the most angry Decoy carp or barbel.
This may seem an obvious point, but it is easily forgotten – be as quiet as possible getting set up and putting your nets in, and avoid unnecessary bankside disturbance. It could just make the difference between catching that extra 10lb fish that wins you the match or spooking him.
A Good Day
Today has been a real red-letter day, and after starting on my top-kit swim, feeding half a dozen pellets, I hooked a good sized fish very quickly. My gear did its job, and I soon had an 8lb beauty nestling in the mesh. I went in again, feeding the same amount of bait, and a smaller common carp soon followed his brother into the keepnet.The nice thing about having a line where you feed negatively in this way is that you are able to constantly keep a gauge on how your peg has responded to bait. If, for example, I had kicked the line off with a big handful of pellets, I may well have foul hooked and lost my first couple of fish. Instead, I have the best of both worlds – a line on which I can feel my way into the day, and more positively fed swims in reserve ready for when I want to go on them.
I catch six fish nice and quickly on this negatively fed swim, before I foul hook and lose one. This could well be a coincidence, but it could also be a sign that the fish are becoming a little tetchy and unsettled, so now is the time to have my first try on a margin line, and rest the top-kit swim.
I go in on my maggot swim first with a nice bunch of vivid red maggots on the hook, and before the float feels like it has even settled the elastic is being yanked from my pole tip. I strongly suspect that this is a barbel, and after a brief tussle I am proved right as a large pair of whiskers lays looking back defiantly from the bottom of the landing net.
Another follows almost instantly, and then another, which is often the way with barbel here; they seem to come in runs before the swim dies away. The problem (and it’s a nice problem to have) though, is often deciding whether you are best off continuing to target the barbel or going for the carp, which fight a little less hard and so can be used to amass a big weight very quickly.
I try the other margin, where I hope to catch carp, and am greeted with another barbel on double corn over my initial bed of micro pellets, but then a good carp follows. With all of my fish averaging between 4 to 6lb I would be very happy if I was catching this well in a match!
In terms of keeping your lines topped up with bait, the nice thing about having three swims is that you can experiment, as you always have somewhere to go. Sometimes it is best to pot in a little bait, then go somewhere else to rest the area before dropping in on it, while on other days bait fed by hand is king.
Today, it seems that throwing in pellets on the short line is very good, while either edge is best fed with a pot mainly because there are so many hungry barbel in this area of the peg, hugging the inside shelf! After just over three hours’ fishing I have over 100lb in the net and I actually have to slip a few fish back before taking the catch shot! Proof if any was needed that a multi-swim, short-pole attack can be a winner.
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