Mark Pollard explains how to refine your maggot fishing
THIS WEEK: Catch everything that swims with maggots!
THANKS to a terrible winter on the rivers, the angler who is after a few bites at the weekend is only left with commercial fisheries to get stuck into – and waiting for a take from a carp in the cold is not everyone’s cup of tea!
But there’s a lot more to these carp waters than meets the eye. They’re actually packed with big silverfish and F1s that can be caught on the same tackle and baits that you’d use on the river. Only a few minor adjustments to your kit are needed to take into account the good average size of the fish.
By a country mile the best way to catch all day is to use maggots at short range on the pole, an approach that will pick up roach, skimmers, perch, F1s, barbel and even the odd big carp. It all adds up to a great day for a relatively cheap bait bill and minimal tackle.
WHY MAG WORKS
Why do maggots work so well? Fish are not that interested in bigger baits like pellets or even corn, but pop a maggot in front of them and it’s a different story.
You don’t need to go mad with amounts – two pints at most.
THE RIGHT DISTANCE
It’s rare in winter for the fish to be in shallow water so I’d aim to have my mainline in the deepest part of the lake but at a relatively short distance.
I’ve fished lots of commercial fisheries and would say that around 6m or 7m is the perfect distance. You don’t need the longest and lightest pole in the world, and nor will it be hard work to control if the wind is blowing.
MY TOP HOOKBAIT
An easy one this – double red maggot every time! However, I hook one grub through the flat end and the other through the pointed end, as this leaves more of the hookpoint showing.
It also stops the chance of the maggots doubling back over the hook, which can lead to a bumped fish on the strike.