Improve Your Coarse Fishing (UK)
Winter’s No.1 silvers tactic – Andy May
Former Fish O’Mania champ, Andy May, explains why he won’t target silverfish without a maggot feeder at this time of year
MOST anglers can easily be convinced to switch their attentions to silvers at this time of year, and floatfishing tactics instantly spring to mind. Dotting down a delicate pole float or crystal waggler to a pimple and spraying a generous helping of maggots over the top seems like the obvious thing to do when roach, perch and skimmers are the target. There’s no doubt that such tactics play an important part in winter silverfish sport, but there are plenty of occasions when a feeder will lead to even more success. Whether the lake you are fishing is shallow close to the bank and forces the fish to push out for sanctuary, or the wind is howling and making float presentation impossible, there are times when the feeder should be the first tactic you have a dabble with. With a wide range of feeders now on the market, picking which one to go for could cause a bit of a headache, but for Dynamite Baits and MAP-backed Andy May it’s an easy choice. “The maggot feeder used to be such a popular tactic but in recent years it seems to have gone out of fashion,” said Andy. “I don’t understand why. It is still a deadly tool and when you want to catch a mixed bag of silvers on the feeder it is the only type I will use.”
Active tactic
The feeder is often seen as a ‘chuck it and chance it’ manner of fishing that has a large element of luck associated with it. That viewpoint is nothing short of total nonsense. An angler who keeps busy and ‘works’ the rig will outscore a lazy rival every time. “We are used to keeping our rig moving when fishing the pole by lifting and dropping the float to keep the hookbait active, and a similar thing needs to be done on the maggot feeder,” explained Andy. “I pick the rod off the rest, pull it 6in towards the bank to dislodge the feeder and then wind down to pick up the slack and put it back on the rod rest. “This is done every 30 seconds and once I have done it 10 times I will recast.” Moving the feeder has two benefits. The first is that it provides a quick burst of movement for the hookbait which often provokes a fish into taking it. Also, it releases a few more maggots to create a line of bait that the fish graze on, holding them in the swim for long periods.
Catch on the drop
Stick a heavy weight on the line, cast it out and it’s easy to see why people would assume that every single fish you catch is on the bottom. However, the way Andy constructs his rig means he can catch fish lingering off the deck. More often than not, these are the bigger stamp. “A long hooklength is a very important part of the rig and it helps you catch fish that are sitting off the bottom,” he said. “Once the feeder hits the deck, the hooklength will continue to flutter down slowly and could take another 10 seconds to get down. “It is amazing how many bites you get from big roach, perch and skimmers during that time.” The depth of water dictates how long your hooklength should be. Andy’s rule of thumb is to have it half the depth of the water you are fishing in. For example, if you have 6ft in front of you, your hooklength should be 3ft. When it comes to terminal tackle, 6lb mainline to an 0.12mm MAP Power Optex hooklength and a medium wire size 18 will give you a chance of catching all silver species.
Docklow silvers
Andy has had loads of success with maggot feeders over the years. One venue that has been particularly kind to him is Docklow Pools. The stunning Herefordshire complex prides itself on the mixed sport on offer and no matter which lake you go on, it is almost impossible to guess what the next bite will be from. Setting up on Moby Dick Lake, Andy intended to chuck close to an island of reeds in the middle – a spot that was well out of pole range and difficult to attack and feed with the waggler. “There’s bound to be fish held up close to that cover and I’m certain that the maggot feeder is the best approach to help me put together a big mixed net of silvers,” he said. A small handful of maggots were loaded into the feeder and, just as Andy was about to chuck it out, it dipped into the water. At first it looked like he’d made a mistake, but Andy quickly put me straight. “Always dip it into the lake just before chucking out. This wets the maggots slightly and makes sure they cling to the feeder. This stops them crawling out too quickly.” Within 30 seconds of making the cast he was twitching the bait, repeating the process several times before winding in and recasting. Although he had no indications in the first 20 minutes, he continued to plug away, building up the amount of bait in the swim while keeping his hookbait active. His ploy soon worked. Small roach and perch were the first to respond but he soon attracted a much better stamp of silvers with quality redfins, skimmers and even a rogue tench. As the hours passed by the gentle breeze increased in strength, but Andy’s presentation and results were unaffected. “If we were fishing a float our catch rate would plummet as you wouldn’t be able to present the rig properly. There’d still be loads of fish to be caught and you’d be missing out, but the maggot feeder makes sure you keep on bagging,” he concluded.