GET ON A HIGH!

Simple steps to maximising your up-in-the-water catches

ZIGGING is very much the norm for many anglers when it comes to fishing for carp up in the water.

But the more active pellet waggler and Baggin’ Waggler are often not only more effective but – dare I say it? – more fun too.

Commercial carp are no mugs. They have been caught on randomly suspended pellets and bits of foam for a few years now, so getting the best from these tactics requires a bit of lateral thinking to exploit the fishing to the full.

Having filmed both tactics quite extensively using remote cameras, and tested how different baits behave, I hope I can suggest some ideas that will put more fish on the bank.

WET PELLETS SINK SLOWER

Just about every angler that uses the Baggin’ Wag feeds 6mm-8mm coarse pellets, but in a tactic where the sink rate of the freebies and hookbaits is crucial, slower sinking baits can work better.

Not all pellets sink at the same rate, and it was while experimenting with expanders, that I realised wet pellets sink slower than dry ones. In my tank comparisons a soaked fishery pellet will sink at about half the speed of a hard pellet. This is because the pellet has swelled up as it has taken on water, but decreased in density.

Try soaking some 6mm hard pellets for about six minutes and leaving them for 30 minutes. The resulting pellets will be 8mm – ideal for feeding – and sink nice and slowly.

Perhaps the only drawback with soaked pellets is that they do not make the same sound when they hit the water, but where the carp are wary of the normal sound this may be no bad thing.

You can also use a softened pellet on the hair, as an alternative to a hard pellet. A Quick Stop is the best way to attach it. Rather than use the pellets that you have soaked for feeding, prepare a handful of expander pellets, as these will be quite a bit tougher.

GO DRY ON BAGGIN’ WAG’

The wind can really scupper fishing up in the water, especially if it is blowing from the side. The trouble is that the tow from even a light breeze can very quickly drag the float out of position, making the hookbait act in a very unnatural way.

This is especially so with the Baggin’ Waggler, because the stream of bait released from the float sinks, more or less, straight down. As the float drifts it leaves the cloud of bait and is always ahead of the feed.

There isn’t a lot we can do about the wind. If you are pleasure fishing, choosing a peg with the wind off your back is the best idea as the tow will be directly away from you. It also pays to use a bait mix that is released from the float quickly, maximising the cloud that forms as it sinks.

Rather than use a wet groundbait, mix it quite dry, so it only just binds to the float.

This way it will begin to break down and release it’s fishattracting stream of particles immediately. You will need to recast more regularly – every five minutes is about right – but you will find that the carp can be worked up into much more of a frenzy with a dry mix.

A Method fishmeal groundbait is okay for the Baggin’ Wag, but I like to add a good helping of either crushed hemp or a groundbait designed for the cage feeder, that is really active. Once again, this is to ensure that the feed breaks down quickly and creates the biggest cloud possible.

GETTING IT RIGHT

The key to all up-in-the-water fishing is to keep the swim rocking by feeding regularly.

If you are fishing the pellet waggler your catapult should never leave your hand. Keep a sprinkling of pellets going in every 15 seconds and the carp will soon come calling. Similarly, if you are fishing the Baggin’ Wag you want that groundbait to break down fast, with regular recasting to keep the swim going.

Keep feeding little and often and you won’t go far wrong.