“Big isn’t always best”
Sometimes it pays to think small – even if the fish of a lifetime is in your crosshairs
IREALLY enjoyed meeting anglers at the recent Big One show at Stoneleigh, and one of the questions I was asked most was “do you have to use a big bait to catch a big fish”?
Well, that’s not an easy question to answer. Large baits can be selective and produce specimen fish, but at times small baits can catch even bigger fish!
For example, I have caught lots of massive pike using the biggest herrings or mackerel I can find, but I’ve also taken lots of big pike on nothing more than the humble little sprat.
I fished Chew Reservoir last year and I was struggling to get a take on my herrings and big smelt baits, so I changed things up on one rod and reached for the smallest smelt I had in my bag. It may have only been barely 5ins long, but 10
CHIFFCHAFFS These are among the first migrant birds to arrive back in the UK after winter, and I always keep my eye out for this cheeky little warbler.
minutes later that little bait had been taken by a 30lb-plus pike.
The same goes for barbel. I have taken double-figure barbel on large pieces of meat the size of a matchbox, but I have also caught big barbel on 10mm boilies.
This all shows that it’s not always big baits that produce the biggest fish. My PB list is overrun by fish that were caught on the smallest of baits. My biggest carp, dace, chub, golden orfe and roach, for example, all fell to maggots.
Some anglers will fish a bed of small free offerings, but then fish a bigger hookbait in the middle of it. I do this too, but my bigger hookbait will be two pieces of the loosefeed. For example, I put a bed of 12mm boilies out then fish two of these on the hair instead of one. I also spray flavours on my hookbaits to give them extra attraction so they stand out.
So what’s the solution to fishing big baits or small baits for specimen fish? Why not try them both?