Steve Ringer answers more of your searching questions
As the weather continues to cool, Steve answers your questions on everything from hook size to groundbait choice, pole lines, shotting, clipping up and much more besides
QInformation on hooks is confusing! When should I use a wide-gape hook over a normal one? Does wire thickness make a difference? Should a hook for fishing maggots for carp differ from one used for corn and pellets? Geoff Carlson, Worksop
WHILE there are good reasons for different shapes and wire thicknesses, some patterns are very versatile and can be used for a variety of different baits. The Guru F1 Pellet, for instance, is a fairly fine wire wide-gape hook that I use for corn, maggots, casters and worms. However, due to the wire thickness it isn’t a big-carp hook, and best for fish from 1lb to 6lb on a balanced set-up.
Going back to your specific question, the original idea was that wide-gape hooks were suited to bigger baits (corn, pellets and meat) whereas a standard gape hook worked better for more natural baits such as maggots and casters, or even a worm head.
Wire thickness depends on the size of fish you are targeting and, to a degree, the type of set-up. For example, if I’m fishing in the margins with heavy elastic for big carp I need a strong hook such as a Guru XS Spade, which packs a very thick wire.
On the flipside, for smaller fish or on lighter elastics I’m happy to use a thinner wire pattern such as the F1 Pellet – a size 16 being ideal for carp from 4lb to 6lb as long you’re using the right elastic such as White Hydro.
If I were fishing a heavy elastic – say, Black Hydro – the F1 Pellet would be far too light due to the elastic being too powerful.
QWhen should I use a double bulk set-up on the pole for skimmers? Christopher Mould, via email
DOUBLE bulking was designed for catching skimmers on deep reservoirs, but it’s also very effective on commercial fisheries.
It’s best suited to maggots and worms – pellets require a more delicate presentation. It would be hard to fish a double-bulk rig properly in less than 3ft of water.
For those that don’t know what double bulking is, it basically involves fishing with two bulks of shot down the line.
The first bulk is the bigger of the two and is set in the normal position, while the second is smaller but is set to sit just off bottom.
When a skimmer sucks in the
hookbait and moves off bottom it lifts the bottom bulk and you get an unmissable lift bite. It’s a very effective way of fishing when you have a lot of fish in your swim and you are struggling to read the bites with a normal shotting pattern.
QIs there a place for using popped-up baits for carp in winter, or am I better off sticking to wafters? Peter Tallen, Reigate
THERE is definitely a place for popped-up baits in winter, especially in deep water, where carp can spend a lot of their time sat off bottom.
Then, one of the only ways to catch them can be on a bomb with a long hooklength and a popped-up bait.
With regard to which pop-up bait to use, there are lots out there but I keep my options to just two – bread and mini pop-up boilies. If I had to pick just one it would be bread.
First of all it is white, and stands out brilliantly in clear water. Then, once it’s in the water, bread swells up and becomes lovely and soft, so a carp can slurp it in with minimal effort.
If bread isn’t an option, however, mini pop-up boilies come a close second. Colour choice varies from venue to venue, but an 8mm fluoro pink or fluoro yellow takes some beating.
Finally, how far to pop the bait up is all about experimenting. I have caught carp popping up as little as 2ins off bottom or as much as 6ft off, so as you can see that it’s all about finding the level the fish are sat at.
That can vary a lot, depending on the venue you are fishing.
QIs there an easy way to make PVA mesh bags of consistently uniform size? The ones I make vary too much and this does not help when I’m trying to cast accurately.
I tend to use pellets in the bags and on the hook – should I use the same sizes and colours, or vary the pellets I am using on the hook to make them stand out? The places I fish do not allow boilies. Steven, email
The easiest way to make uniformly-sized PVA bags is to make sure you fill them with the same amount of pellets each time. I actually use a set of Guru pole pots to measure the pellets out. This way, once I find a bag size, I can then match it to the relevant pot and make the bag accordingly.
As for what to put in the bag, once it goes cold I tend to use a mixture of micro pellets and 4mms as opposed to bigger pellets. If boilies and wafters are allowed, I’d look to use 8mm hard pellets if carp are the target. A standard type pellet can be good, but I’d also have a few different types such as F1 Sweet and Robin Red to vary things. That said, when it gets really cold and the water starts to clear I’d try corn on the hair, either a single grain or a stack.