TIPS & TACTICS
Establishing ‘out-of-the-way’ margin spots and keeping them topped up is a sure-fire winner in the summer months, says NICK HELLEUR...
Nick Helleur’s margin masterclass, plus Terry Hearn and Gary Bayes on how to fish with nuts...
MARGIN or ‘edge’ fishing is largely a summer pursuit, and for a very good reason.
Every year, on every venue in the land, once the water warms up the fish begin to visit the fringes of the lake in search of new sources of food. A lot of the time, these areas will be on the end of warm, southerly or south-westerly winds, which the fish really start to move about on at this time of year.
Such areas should be your first port of call when you begin looking for potential spots to concentrate your efforts on. By using the compass on your smartphone to find where these prevailing winds hit the banks, and then finding a few ‘out-of-the-way’ or ‘in-between’ spots to trickle bait on to, you’re halfway to establishing productive marginal swims, and ones that you should have to yourself… if you keep a low profile!
‘In-between’ swims
Not all margin spots are the same, and a huge tactical edge I’ve discovered when targeting close-in spots down the years is to fish off to the side or in-between ‘designated’ or well-established swims. The fish soon wise up to areas that are targeted regularly by anglers, and will avoid them.
The spot I’m fishing for the purposes of this feature isn’t actually a swim – more of a gap in the reeds that is just big enough to accommodate two rods, and to land fish safely from.
To my mind, it’s the perfect margin spot because the fish don’t associate it with danger, and it’s highly unlikely to be noticed by other anglers. It’s no coincidence that the spot is on the end of a prevailing south-westerly, either.
Like most of the lakes I fish it’s a gravel pit, so by its very nature it’s a ‘clear water’ venue. This is another bonus when margin fishing, because it means that I can often see if the fish are feeding close-in, or if they have been doing so in my absence. There’s no substitute for first-hand evidence like this, and it all helps to build a picture.
Priming your spots
If you are turning up to fish a lake for the first time then it pays to have a plumb around first to find a cleanish marginal area to present a bait upon.
A few underarm lobs with a bare lead to gauge the nature of the bottom are all that’s required. It doesn’t need to be sparkling clean and rock-hard, just clear enough of rubbish and weed to make presenting a bait viable.
Some people worry about how they are going to bait their spots once they’ve found them or, indeed, what they are going to bait them with.
However, on lakes like Junction 12 (Reading DAA) that I am fishing today, the fish are quite naïve, and so there is no real need for fancy rigs or tactics.
Remember, the carp won’t be used to being targeted from the ‘in-between’ areas, so they will be far less on edge than if you were fishing for them from hammered swims.
So, keep your baiting approach simple. My advice is to stick to boilies, supplemented by a few smelly pellets, as the fish on most venues will be ravenous after spawning.
This is the best time of the year to give your boilies a good dose of liquids to ramp up their attraction. I coat my Krill boilies with Tuna Hydrolysate liquid. This is very fishy and contains a high level of salt – exactly what the carp will be craving at this time of year. Also, if you have a spot ‘rocking’ and it’s clean, I would advise using a bottom bait presentation rather than a pop-up. The takes and hookholds will be far better.
The spot I am fishing for this feature is one that I have been dropping bait on
to for a while. I have caught a number of fish from it and after every bite, or when I leave, I give it a hit of boilies. Then, when the weather is prime and I can get back down, I know that the fish will have eaten the bait and become used to picking it up off that spot.
Times to target
A lot of people think that fishing in the edge is opportunistic and is only really done for a few hours during the day.
However, especially in summer, I’ve found the best times to be first light and/or in darkness. This is when the fish seem to have the most confidence to come really close in. The wind doesn’t have to be pumping into the area either – it may be flat calm, but you will still get those margin patrollers.
Remember, particularly on busy day-ticket waters, the fish are always being moved around by angling pressure. This can work in your favour, because at some point a group of fish – perhaps one that has become displaced by anglers up the bank – will come over your spot. If the trap is set and is in an area that isn’t heavily fished, you will get a bite. It’s almost guaranteed!
Tactical tweaks
As I keep reiterating, margin fishing is a really simple way of fishing and there’s no need to over-complicate things. I’m a huge fan of helicopter rigs, and for the majority of my margin fishing that’s all I use – a standard set-up, with a boilie hookbait and a sharp hook.
With this rig, I know the presentation is always going to be spot on, whatever the make-up of the lakebed.
One tweak I do make to my rig, however, is to use a drop-off system to eject the lead on the take. To my mind, you’ll land more carp by doing so. It’s all about tilting the odds in your favour.
The drop-off system that Thinking Anglers is releasing is perfect. Small and neat, it will only drop the lead if it comes into contact with heavy weed, or if the rig is subjected to particularly violent head shakes from a carp.
Another thing I’ve learned from my margin fishing down the years is to let the fish run a little bit before you start to play it properly. If you imagine the angle the hook will be sat at if you are over the top of the fish, there is a higher chance of it falling out.
If the fish is a few yards out in the lake, that angle is much better and you will have a better chance of landing your prize, in my opinion.
Everybody seems to be obsessed by long casting rods these days, regardless of the venues they are fishing. However, 12ft or even 13ft rods in the 3.25lb to 3.5lb test curve range are not ideal for fishing close in – far from it, in fact.
If you are like me and tend to do a lot of ‘edge’ work throughout the summer, to make it more fun and easier to do I would advise getting some smaller, slightly softer rods.
Not only are these great fun to play and land fish on, but they will allow you to fish overgrown swims much more easily than with a longer rod.
Margin fishing isn’t rocket science, quite the contrary in fact. It’s carp angling at its simplest, and in summer there are few better tactics to employ, whatever time of the day it is, on whatever venue.
Don’t be a slave to ‘fishing long’ behind a battery of rods this season. Come in close and enjoy the fabulous sport that can be found right under your feet!
“On busy day-ticket waters, the fish are always being moved around by pressure. This can work in your favour”
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