Peg guide to Hayfield Lakes
Tom Pickering is your guide to Danny’s Island Lake, venue for the 2019 Fish O’Mania final
THIS Saturday, 24 of Britain’s best anglers will do battle at Maver Dynamite Baits Hayfield Lakes for the chance of winning a life-changing £50,000 in the Fish O’Mania final.
The final will be held on Danny’s Island Lake, which is available for pleasure fishing too when it’s not booked for a match.
But what are the best approaches for this deep lake? We spoke to former World Champion Tommy Pickering for an exclusive masterclass on Danny’s Island...
AN UNUSUAL FISHERY…
“Hayfield is unique, in that it’s much deeper than most commercials, going down to around 12ft in places. As such, it requires a different mind-set to your average water.
“The fish act differently in this depth of water, and it’s crucial that you find where they are feeding.
“The problem is that they can be anywhere from hard on the deck to 5ft beneath the surface, which makes fishing ‘deepshallow’ a really effective tactic.”
“With this in mind it’s a good idea to set up a rig at 4ft-5ft depth, as this is where many of the fish will sit. Many of the locals use this tactic, and it can make a real difference.”
DEEP WATER TACTICS
“A popular tactic at Hayfield is the waggler, as this allows you to search through the water column.
“Still set up a conventional pellet waggler, as well as a longer and slimmer bodied-float set around 5ft deep.
“Floats up to 12g should cover all eventualities, and setting up a bomb and pellet to chuck over the same line is also worth doing.
“Fishing shallow on the pole can produce very well, as last year’s Fish O’ winner Pete Black showed. Just be sure to have a rig set around 4ft deep ready to try if you’re not catching. “The depth of Danny’s Island also makes the ‘top 2 + 2’ line an awesome place to catch, as you can usually find about 6ft of water here.
“Feed this line throughout the day, and be prepared to really bag up on it late on.
“The margins can also be a good place to fish, but I would only bother with them on a day with little bankside disturbance.”
PEGS 17-23
“This is the area everyone will want to draw, as these pegs are where you have the famous island to cast to.
“What this does is it gives you an extra option away from the area where everyone else is
fishing the waggler or the bomb.
“Start by chucking a Method feeder tight to the island, and feed the waggler line while you are fishing this.
“I would also be feeding the short pole line throughout the day for a flurry of fish later on.”
PEGS 46-52
“Like the pegs on the opposite side of the lake, swims 46-52 offer an island chuck, and are another popular area of the lake to target.
“Fish these in the same way as you would on the other side, chucking a Method tight to the island and priming the pellet waggler and short pole swims.”
FOLLOW THE WIND
“While the pegs around the island are an obvious feature, the wind dominates at Hayfield, and even if you’re at the complete opposite end of the lake it’s still possible to do well.
“Local expert Dave Burley proved this when he won Maver Match This a few years ago from peg 1, right up the top end of the lake. The same tactics will score in these areas as on the island pegs. However, the Method feeder may not be as effective.”
SIMPLE BAITS
“Hayfield is a pellet venue, and for a normal match I’ll bring a bag of 4mms, two bags of 6mms, a bag of 8mms and some micros for the feeder.
“Groundbait can also work well on the feeder and in the margins, so bring some of your favourite mix.”
TAKE YOUR TIME
“The carp run big in Hayfield, and if you catch 20 fish you’ll have well over 100lb, so there’s no need to rush things and force the peg.
“I use 0.16mm line and size 16 Maver CS27 hooks as my standard set-up, but I am not afraid to scale down to a size 18 and 0.14mm line if I think it will make a difference. It’s a great lake – give it a go!”