SMALL FISH CAN ADD UP TO BIG WEIGHTS WHEN CARP GO OFF THE FEED

Speed fishing for tiny rudd can save the day

OT every commercial produces massive weights every week. to give him a competitive final weight. However, the tactic used to catch the little ‘uns needs refinement to see you catching at the right pace, otherwise you’ll not compete.

“Fishing this way is almost like bleak fishing on rivers. You need to be fast, organised, feed correctly and not allow anything to break your concentration or rhythm,” Stu said.

“You also need to catch as close to the bank as you can. Even fishing a metre further out than you should be can dramatically slow down the catch rate.”

BAIT-SNATCHING RUDD

Stu took Angling Times to the Match Lake at Lovell’s Lakes near Market Deeping, a classic commercial home to lots of carp but a colossal head of small rudd that often snatch any bait put in the water, regardless of the size.

“Around 2m is out is as far as I will go. Any further and you struggle to catch fast,” Stu explained. “I’ll set up four whips, so should I get a tangle on the one I’m using, I can throw it away, pick up an identical one and keep on catching. Wasting five minutes untangling a rig will mean up to 50 fewer fish in the net – that’s how quickly you will be getting them.”

Rig length is set so that Stu can swing in a fish to hand without stretching or leaning, letting him unhook and drop it into the net. At the same time, the rig will be flicked back out – often, as the ripple in the keepnet subsides, another rudd will come to hand!

“I count up to 100 fish and then drop a disgorger or a piece of reed into a bait tub of water so I can keep tabs on how many I’ve caught,” he continued. “The rudd are small, so I work out that 1,000 fish will give me around 20lb. That means 500 an hour or roughly 10 fish a minute.

“It sounds hard to do, but it’s relatively easy once you get the hang of things.”

TANGLE-FREE RIG

The rig is simple to avoid tangles, holding a small thin 4x10 or 4x12 Sensas float designed for bleak fishing, with the shot below it.

Lines are thick – 0.12mm Sensas Classic Power to reduce the chances of a tangle, finished with a size 16 4590 Sensas hook. A big hook allows for clean hooking of fish and fast removal. Stu sets the float to fish just 6ins deep.

He flicks the rod into the water