from Andy Dyson
When carp aren’t having it, other species will, says Andy Dyson
DESPITE summer having officially started, there will still be days on many commercial fisheries when the carp aren’t in the mood to feed.
The good news is that if your fishery holds a mix of species and they’re present at a decent stamp, there’s a tactic that can get you out of jail and provide enough bites for a chance of winning a few quid – caster fished shallow.
Too many anglers dismiss this approach when roach and rudd are present, reasoning that only pellets will provide fish big enough for them to do well. After all, a 30lb net of roach is all well and good but it rarely wins anything, does it?
The truth is that all fish love casters, and with more and more fisheries holding decent ide, skimmers, chub and even bottom-feeding species such as barbel, it’s not impossible to weigh in close to 100lb of these species, mixed in with the handful of carp and F1s that do decide to feed.
To demonstrate the effectiveness of caster shallow in summer, current Angling Trust Winter League individual champion and Maver Midlands man Andy Dyson paid Cheshire’s Old Hough Fishery a visit.
Boulders Pool was the ideal water, full of carp and F1s but with lots of ide, tench, skimmers, barbel and even crucians that are happy to feed shallow.
“Although carp and F1s normally win on this lake, they can follow the wind and move about a lot. That means a fair few pegs where you’ll struggle if you adopt a carp-only approach,” Andy explained.
“I’ll always have a caster shallow line on the go, regardless of how the fish might be feeding. On some days it can be as good as fishing pellet to the far bank for carp, while on others it’s a valuable extra option to keep building a weight.”
FISH TWO LINES
“On Boulders Lake I know from experience that the carp are always found across towards the far bank, so I’ll have a shallow line roughly where the top of the far shelf is and a second on the go down the middle.
“I’d expect to catch carp across and ide, skimmers and so on
down the track at around 6m, where the water is deeper. Try and catch everything off one line alone and it never quite works.”
FLOAT CHOICE
“I’m not a fan of dibbers for shallow fishing. I prefer to be able to read a bite, so I go for a Warren Peaty Shallow handmade pattern in the 3x11 size.
“This takes two No9 shot that I put just above the hooklink if I am catching well down in the water, although they’ll be spread if I am getting bites very shallow or on the drop.”
THE RIGHT DEPTH
“There’s no limit to how shallow you can fish at Old Hough, but unless I can see the fish swirling and boiling on the surface, I’ll begin at 18ins deep and try to stay there.
“This is still shallow enough, but puts the hookbait sufficiently well down to catch the better fish, which I find are rarely just under the surface. I’ll move the float about on this rig but have a second rig set up at 8ins or so deep for catching when the fish are very obviously right up in the water. If I see swirls I’ll use the shallowest rig, otherwise I’ll keep on the 18ins set-up.
“Of course, a lot depends on where in the swim I am getting bites. If it’s on the drop I will come shallower but if it is just after the rig has settled, the deeper rig wins every time.”
SMALL FISH TROUBLE
“To begin with I would expect roach to arrive. So many anglers sack the shallow line off when this happens, just because there aren’t any carp there.
“With casters this will happen but you need to keep plugging away, putting up with the roach in the belief that the bigger fish will arrive. This takes a little while, but when they do turn up you wouldn’t think there was a roach in the peg. Have a bit of patience and keep the feed going in – the quality fish will turn up!”
THE SESSION
Andy begins at around 11m shallow, just off the far bank, and after catching several roach he clonks into the first chunky ide of the day.
A few more follow before, of all the species imaginable, crucians show up – every bite is from one of these battling little fish! From then on it’s a case of keeping the feed going in and adding crucians and ide to the net, although he is concerned at the lack of carp.
“I’d have expected a few carp by now but they don’t seem to be having it. This, in a way, is good as it shows why caster works better than pellet in this instance,” Andy said.
A couple of hours in and a big
swirl appears on his 6m line that’s been fed by hand from the start. Andy needs no further prompting and switches to this ‘track’ line, latching into a carp on the first drop.
It’s not a loner, either, and several more follow alongside plenty of ide and those pesky crucians to see him motor towards his 70lb target in no time at all.
“If I’d fished pellet then I think it would have been a waiting game for those carp and I might not have caught that many at all,” he said.
“Caster shallow is a busy method as you’re always getting bites, putting something in the net. You’ll get a day’s fishing at the very least, even if you don’t end up in the frame.”