Winning tricks
But feed carefully, says Ian Chadburn
from Ian Chadburn
THE recent cold blast reminds us that winter is not that far away, and that means a rethink when it comes to your fishing.
That’s not just taking into account feeding and rigs, but also the fish that you’re after on a well-stocked mixed commercial fishery. Carp and F1s are obviously the main target, but thanks to the varied stocking on many waters there are other fish that can play just as important a part in a match plan. The ide is certainly one of those.
These fish, natives of Scandinavia, are now to be found in hundreds of venues, and their willingness to feed in cold water, coupled with a good average size, makes them a good choice if you’re not drawn on a carp peg or if skimmers and F1s aren’t playing ball.
However, the ide is an unusual fish in its habits compared to roach, rudd and more common silver fish species. At times they’re very aggressive, almost predatory, while at others they can be cuter than a crucian and just as frustrating to catch.
Much boils down to water clarity and temperature, but whatever the weather, you should be able to pick off a few of these chunky fish to keep your weight ticking over.
After a typically hard autumn frost, Rive/Future Fishing man Ian Chadburn paid West Yorkshire’s Tom’s Ponds a visit to have a go at the big ide that are a regular feature of match weights at the Otley water.
Armed with just a few pints of maggots, he was hopeful of the fish coming on to the feed after a slow start caused by those ‘whiteover’ conditions.
HOW IDE FEED
“The first thing to suss is how ide react to feed. I believe that in clearish water they see a hookbait or loosefeed and follow it down, making sure that it seems totally safe before taking the maggots,” said Ian.
“For this reason, feeding small amounts and playing the waiting game can be best, giving the fish time to get comfortable with the feed and to take it confidently.
“Changing swims regularly and picking off a few fish at a time is important too, so I’d always have three or four spots on the go throughout the day. As the
day wears on, though, and things warm up, the ide can become a little more aggressive and lifting and dropping the hookbait only be a few inches can induce a take as they see the bait falling past them and settling again.
“The most important thing to understand is that you need to give the fish that short spell of time to take the bait. Don’t be in too much of a hurry to make something happen.”
DEPTH IS KEY
“In my experience, ide like open water or some cover equally well, so if I had an aerator, a small island or some reeds to fish to, I’d have a line here coupled with open water – I’d not discount the margins either.
“Wherever I fish, there’s one common feature that I’m after, and that’s depth. No less than 3ft
is what you’re after, especially if the water continues to clear as we go through November. Any shallower and I don’t think ide will settle properly. I’d also want a flat bottom to fish on so that when I feed, the bait stays where fish can find it, not rolling away down a slope or into a gully.”
MAGGOTS ARE KING
“I’ve played about using casters in autumn and winter but nothing beats maggots. I go for whites and only take two pints as I’m not going to be ladling in the feed. For the hook, a single bait will catch in all conditions but I’m happy to try a double to pick off the better quality fish.”
WATCHING THE BAIT
“As I’ve mentioned, ide will watch the bait fall in clear water and so the way you put your pole rig in can help no end with improving your catch rate.
“If I were using a pot then I’d simply lower the rig right on top of the feed slowly to keep things tight and accurate, but if I’m throwing maggots in, I lay the rig in to one side. Keeping a tight line to the float, I can see every shot register and see any indications. This way also lets the bait fall in a slow arc and gives the ide ample time to pick the maggot out and follow it down. I plan to let the rig settle, wait a minute, lift it and let it drop a few inches and wait another minute. If nothing happens I feed and lay the rig in.”
THE KILLER RIG
“A rig with a bulk is no good, as it just doesn’t let the bait fall slow enough. Instead, my ide rigs are all made up using a shotting pattern that gives a gentle fall.
This means using a 0.4g Drennan AS3 float with No10 shot spaced 2ins-3ins apart, starting 1ft below the float and finishing above the hooklink.
“I find a big float necessary on venues with aerators as you can get a lot of tow, and at Tom’s Ponds that’s certainly the case! Lines are 0.16mm Sensas Feeling as main with an 0.10mm hooklink of the same material and size 18 Guru F1 Pellet hook, finished off with No 9 Preston Innovations Dura Hollo elastic.”
FEED AGGRESSIVELY
“It’ll still be possible to catch a few in the margins, provided there’s that 3ft of water to go at, but I’d feed this differently.
“Aggression is the key, with 50 maggots dump-potted via a large cup. Ide won’t be watching the bait fall here so you can use a float with a bulk pattern to get the bait down.
“I feed more bait because, when hooked, ide flap about. This can unsettle the swim and waft any bait left in the peg all over the place. I’d leave the edge for a good few hours but still feed it from the word go.”