Steve Ringer’s tips to make the margins work for you this autumn.
Steve reveals why the edge can be a match-winner right now
THE great thing about margin fishing is that it can help you go from zero to hero in a short space of time… and in matches that can be essential to success. The margins are traditionally thought of as summer-only spots to target, but that’s a big mistake if you ask me.
Now, even with the temperatures starting to drop, you’ll find carp will still come into the edge to feed. The bonus is that margin carp tend to be bigger than average and, better still, you can at times catch them quite quickly.
I’m not going to fib here – margin carp can be harder to catch as it gets colder but that just means you have to think a little bit more about your approach and get your feeding and tactics right.
Gone are the days of piling in big pots of bait– instead it’s all about fishing for one fish at a time and, most importantly when you get that bite, making it count.
WHERE DO I NEED TO FISH?
In the summer I would look to try and find 12ins-18ins of water as
tight to the bank as I could get.
Now, though, it’s a little bit different. As far as a margin swim goes there are two things I like to look for – the first is depth and the second is cover.
So, instead of looking for shallow water I’m now plumbing up to try and find around 3ft.
If this is close to the bank then that’s perfect, but if not I’ll plumb away from the edge until I find a flattish spot with the required depth.
Along with depth I also look, if possible, for cover. In clear water carp love getting under cover, as that’s where they feel safest.
Today’s swim is actually a perfect example of the perfect edge, as I have a fallen tree to provide the cover and I don’t have to come too far away from the bank to find the right depth.
PELLETS AND SWEETCORN
In the summer, most of my edge fishing is done using groundbait and dead maggots. At this time of year, though, I find groundbait tends to lose its effectiveness and when feeding small amounts of bait maggots are a no-no. With these it’s hard to judge what’s been eaten owing to the fact small fish love them too.
So, with this in mind, it’s now all about feeding 2mm coarse micro pellets and sweetcorn.
The amount is vastly reduced from the summer months, and a
pint of wetted-down pellets and two tins of corn is all you’ll need for the average five-hour match!
WHEN TO GO FOR IT
Feeding the edge at this time of year is all about timing.
Unless I’m on a noted ‘all-day’ margin peg, I don’t see any point in feeding it until I’m thinking about fishing it.
Normally I will look to feed the edge with around two hours to go, and this will only be with around a quarter of a 250ml pot of micros and corn.
I like to leave this to settle for at least 15 minutes before having a quick look over the top.
When I do so I will fish with a medium-sized Guru polemounted pot and put in 8-10 grains of corn and a good pinch of micro pellets.
A little tip here to prevent any spillage when shipping in and out is to put the corn into the pot first and then use the wetted-down