Ant Mileman, email
Q Finding patches of ‘silt’ is high on lots of anglers’ agendas…but is there good and bad silt, and how do you tell them apart? A This is a subject that many anglers will have differing opinions on. Fishing in silt relies on confidence and, ultimately, what we may consider as ‘not an ideal feeding ground’ might in fact be the perfect place to present a bait because aerobic silt areas can harbour loads of invertebrate life.
I found this out myself last year when I located a deep silt depression where I couldn’t even ‘get a drop’ using a 5oz lead. Coated leads came back tainted and smelling rotten and my pop-ups would turn black after 36 hours - a situation that is considered to be far from an ideal by 99.9 per cent of us. However, I caught 22 fish from that area and, prior to pulling off, I leaded the area and found that it had become 2ft deeper due to the carp feeding on it.
As long as you can present a good bait in conjunction with a super sharp hook (in the example above I used size 4 Covert Dark Chod hook), then have the confidence to fish in any form of silt. At the very least, ring the changes and don’t be afraid to do things a little bit different to everyone else, as it might just throw up a surprise capture or two.
One last thing I would recommend is the use of a Gardner weed rake to ensure your silty spots are clear of any lake debris, thereby ensuring good presentation.