Make the switch to soft pellets – Lee Kerry reveals why!
England international Lee Kerry says it’s time to make the seasonal switch
“My first consideration at this time of year is my choice of baits”
AS YOU read this you may be looking outside and seeing the summer days long behind us. Cool mornings with leaves on the ground signal that autumn is truly here. Just like this change in the seasons, anglers also have to react and change if we want to keep putting fish in the net.
My first consideration at this time of year is my choice of baits, and how I can adapt them to suit what the fish are eating. When it comes to commercial fisheries, I won’t even consider a session without some soft pellets being on my side tray.
In summer, harder pellets used straight from the bag are a winning choice because fish are active, and these harder baits certainly pick out the better ones. But all species seem to prefer a softer bait as water temperatures cool. When the fish begin to feed differently, we need to be thinking about using soft baits.
It’s not just on the bait front where changes are made. Everything is altered to suit this approach, including rigs and feeding. Let’s devote some time to looking at feeding and the two very different approaches I have, based on the type of water I’m fishing.
First up is a more cautious, little-and-often regime. Take F1s, for example – in the cooler months, you’re trying to catch these fish from where they want to be. That could be in open water, up the slope, against an island or in the margins! It’s impossible to know until you start fishing, so there’s no need to feed huge amounts of bait. As little as 10 soaked 2mm pellets can be enough to draw a fish to your feeding spot.
If you are going to feed like
this, then accuracy has to be the main goal. Pole-mounted pots give you that, but it’s amazing how often we lose sight of exactly where we feed and how tight we have to keep our hookbait to the free offerings. Make sure you pick a very specific far-bank marker, and don’t let the float drift from it.
Just because you’re feeding small amounts, don’t feel you have to only feed now and then. If anything, your feed needs to be even more regular because of the small amounts going in.
I like to base my feed around the reaction I get. If there are any signs at all, I take that as a signal that my bait has been disturbed. If a bite isn’t forthcoming very soon after, I’ll happily come back and set the trap again with another pinch of feed.
This bait is easy to eat and easy to get lost on the bottom, so after any disturbance there is probably nothing left where you are fishing.
My second feeding approach is far more aggressive. This is a tactic I use when I’m not fishing where the fish naturally want to be, such as on a big lake. You may decide to fish at 11m, but the likelihood of the fish being naturally stacked up there is slim, so you must be more aggressive with feed in order to attract them there.
Skimmers are a great example. They can come into your swim in huge numbers, looking for more and much bigger baits. I’ll often regularly feed much larger quantities of pellets, something that’ll hold them in the swim for longer, knowing the fish will easily get through them.
Managing these bait amounts is the key to success, so don’t be scared to experiment to find out what works best on the day.