WITH F1s SUCCESS LIES IN THE FINE DETAILS!

Match superstar Jamie Hughes tells us where we go right – as well as wrong – when we target these tricky fish on snake lakes in cold weather

1 TRY TO CATCH ON PELLETS

In mild weather I’ll want to catch on pellets, which avoid nuisance fish and are a positive, simple way to fish. Even here, there’s a choice to make between hard pellets or expanders for the hook, and expanders will always win. Being super-soft, I think F1s prefer them in colder water. We’re talking 2mm and 4mms alongside dampened down micro pellets for feed.

2 FIND THE ‘MAGIC’ DEPTH

Finding F1s is all down to the depth. Around 3ft seems to be this magic number, so I’d plumb about and find this near the far bank to act as my main line. Other options would be a line down the middle in the deepest water, one close to the far bank (given a minimum of 2ft there) and a margin swim, ideally up to the next-door pallet, again aiming for 2ft of water.

3 KEEP RIGS SIMPLE

The beauty of pellet fishing is its simplicity, particularly the rigs. Float is a slender-bodied F1 Slim-type model, the size relevant to the depth and also any tow on the water from the wind. For pellets, heavy is definitely better, allowing me to present a stable bait accurately over tiny amounts of feed, using a 4x16 in over 4ft or a 4x14 at under that depth.

4 GO EASY ON THE FEED

I don’t reckon the fish come to lots of feed in the cold. I’ll feed 10-15 balls of dampened micros to keep any fish firmly on the deck, only feeding again once I’ve caught one or two. This is kind of setting a trap, always thinking just one fish ahead. You’re never building a peg for a big weight, as the chances of that happening at this time of year are pretty slim!

DON’T FORCE THE PEG

Even if you’re catching steadily, don’t pile more bait in. Keep the limited feeding plan going and keep picking the fish off. The only change would be in the final few hours on my line down the middle, where fish can become a little bolder and feed better. Throw bait in by hand, rather than potting it in, but be prepared to change back to a pot if throwing doesn’t work.

LAST-RESORT TACTICS

Should the peg die on you, there’s one last thing to try. F1s are famed for moving into the space between anglers, where they are out of danger, so I’d go to the full length of pole and fish as far down my peg as rules allow, sometimes at 17m or 18m! You may just find the fish again and catch a little burst which, when the whole lake has shut down, is a handy little boost.