Winning tricks
You can catch from the off and carry on catching right through, says Rob Wootton
from Rob Wootton
LOOK at the lines being fished by a match angler on a typical commercial carp water.
There will always be a ‘short’ pole swim just a few metres out that’s being primed for a bit of a barn-storming final few hours as the fish come short as they head towards the margins.
Commonly called the 5m line, this swim can be relied on to produce a burst of bigger carp with a couple of hours of the match remaining.
But why leave it until those closing stages when the truth is that you can empty the lake fishing short from the word go?
That’s the philosophy of 2017 Maver Match This champion Rob Wootton, who points to several factors in favour of bagging on the short line from the word go. He cites speed, efficiency and accuracy, compared to fishing the pole at a longer distance or opting to go down the feeder route.
“Fishing with just a top kit and two pole sections straight in front has numerous advantages,” Rob said. “The water is warm and the fish are willing to feed, so you can make them come to you by feeding rather having to find them in the first place.
“Also, everything is more efficient in terms of feeding and being able to understand how the fish are behaving. Carp will gain confidence quicker on heavily-fished venues as there aren’t long lengths of pole being waved about over their heads as can happen when fishing at 13m and beyond.
“The bite-to-keepnet time is much quicker as you only need to unship a few sections, and the lakebed is generally flatter at these short distances. This helps bait presentation and offers the fish a more uniform way to feed. There’s no loosefeed being blown up and down the marginal shelf to make it hard to decide whatt depth to actually fish at,” he continued. “Floats can be dotted right down and the slighest of bites can be detected, bites that might be missed when fishing at longer ranges.”
As with any style of fishing, there will be days when the short line won’t produce until late on, but with the weather remaining warm and the fish still feeding well, it makes kicking off on the short line something worthy of serious consideration.
WHAT IS ‘SHORT’?
“The term ‘short’ can mean anything from 4m to 8m of pole depending on the contours and depth of the lake,” Rob said.
“I plumb up and look for the main depth of the lake with a flat bottom that’s a good metre away from the base of the marginal slope. This will be a clean bottom with an even depth. I’d say that on most fisheries you’ll only need a top kit and two sections to find this.”
PELLETS RULE
“Target fish at this range are carp, so I need nothing more than hard Dynamite Baits Swim Stim 6mm pellets both for feed and the hook using a band.
“This size of pellet is nice and heavy for fishing in up to 6ft of water, and will cut down on the chances of the fish coming off bottom, as can happen if you are using 4mm pellets. I also have a few 8mm pellets to change the hookbait size if there are lots of fish present but you are having trouble hooking them.”
KEEP IT TIGHT
“Don’t be tempted to spread the loosefeed, as this will only spread the fish about the peg and increase the time it takes to get a bite. By grouping the bait tightly around the float, a feed column will be created and this will result in much quicker bites.
“You can use a small pot on the pole if you wish, but I find this more time-consuming!”
STRIKE AT EVERYTHING
“Although carp are aggressive fish, they are able to give only the tiniest of bites, as they will suck in and blow out a pellet if they think something isn’t right.
“Therefore, I will lift into every indication on the float, no matter how small it may be.
“This will require a float that is dotted right down, and the bonus of fishing short means that these tiny indications can be clearly seen and struck at – something that’s not always easy to do when fishing at longer distances.
“I’ll also lift and drop the rig to induce a bite, helping the pellet to rise and fall off the lakebed,” added Rob.
TALKING RIGS
“My short line rig takes in a bulk of No9 Middy Slot Shot but can be adapted to a bulk and two spread-out droppers if I want to give the pellet a slightly slower fall. Lines are Middy Lo-Viz in 0.20mm (main) and a short 0.16mm hooklink matched to Middy’s Reactacore 20-24 elastic.
“This is soft when you lift into a fish, but it powers up quickly when the fish begins to run.
“Float is a 4x12 Malman Roob, with a wire stem to give it stability and keep the hookbait firmly on the bottom. I also use a short line between pole-tip and float to give me very a quick reaction to the bite. Fishing at short range makes the rig easy to control, so there’s no need for a long line in the first place.”
STICK WITH IT!
“Although the short line may not produce lots of fish to begin with, it is a tactic you need to persist with. There will be steady periods of catching and then quieter spells, but you need to be patient and keep feeding.
“There’s always the option to move to other areas, but that will often be to the detriment of the short line. Be confident that the fish will return!”