Improve Your Coarse Fishing (UK)
Attack with bomb & pellet
It’s the tactic that goes from boring to ballistic in no time at all as spring warmth fires fish to go on the munch. Richard Chapman reveals his tips
THE bomb is the only tactic that magically flips from leisurely inactivity to frantic fish-catching action in a matter of weeks. When the water temperatures dip it is an approach where you launch the rig into a random spot, cross your fingers and hope it lands close to a fish. But now that spring is in full flow the tactic will have you working up a sweat. Regular casting and feeding is essential, and simply chucking it out before sticking the rod on the rests is unlikely to bring you a bite. It’s no longer a realistic option. Like almost every angler, MAP-backed Richard Chapman was growing sick and tired of the recent never-ending winter, but he’s now making the most of the turnaround in conditions with a warm-weather bomb and pellet attack. “It’s a really exciting way of fishing at this time of year but you need to stay constantly active if you want to keep the rod tip hammering round,” explained Richard.
Target zone
If you select a peg with an island in front there are usually a couple of obvious places to fish. The first is tight up to the feature, while the other is on the pole anywhere from the bank out to around 14m. “Anglers concentrate on these areas much of the time and they completely ignore the area of water between where the pole is fished and the island. This is exactly where the bomb can be fished, because carp and F1s often see this as a ‘safe zone’ as they are rarely caught while occupying it,” said Richard. Casting into an area that you can feed easily with a catapult is important, and Richard will often aim to fish a spot between 20m and 30m from the bank. Start the session by casting every 10 minutes but look for patterns in your bites. If you find every bite comes within eight minutes of setting the trap then don’t allow the rig to stay in for any longer than this or you will be wasting time.
Pinging pellets
If you forget your catapult there’s no doubt you are in big trouble! A constant rain of pellets is an essential part of the approach, although it is important to get into a rhythm. “Before I cast out I will fire six pellets and then do the same straight afterwards. I will then aim to cast into where these pellets have landed. You don’t need to be extremely accurate with a tight group because spreading them over a metrelong zone will give you a bigger area to aim for on the cast. “It will also keep any fish in the swim for long periods as they continue to find the occasional pellet while grazing along the bottom.” When the wind permits, Richard will fire in 6mm pellets, only stepping up to 8mm versions when it is windy and he needs something heavier to cut through the breeze. His pellets are also coated in Bait-Tech Liquid Pellet. A few squirts ensure that every pellet sinks instantly instead of floating and drifting out of the target zone. “Oiled pellets also reveal when fish are in the swim. If you aren’t catching and then suddenly the area where you have fed seems to go calm in a breeze then that is pellets being disturbed by feeding fish, and the oil is rising to create a slick. “At this point it’s time to hold on to the rod because you can expect a bite any second.”
Rig adjustments
Richard often bypasses conventional bombs in favour of a popular pole fishing accessory. “If the wind permits I will use an inline olivette that slides up and down the line instead of a conventional bomb. I am convinced that big
carp and F1s can spook when a big lead lands over their heads but an olivette goes in with a ‘plop’ similar to a pellet and you can regularly cast over fish and not scare them off.” On flat calm days Richard feels confident of chucking a 4g olivette 20m with his trusty 9ft MAP Bomb Parabolix Black Edition rod. This will be stepped up to 6g, 8g or 10g to cope with varying wind strengths, only switching to a conventional bomb when he is unable to tighten up to such a light weight when high winds make presentation difficult. “Most anglers use a short hooklength but I always use at least 18in. When the bomb hits the bottom the hooklength is still falling slowly through the lower layers of water. I’ve lost count of the number of times I have had quick bites before the hookbait has settled.”
Hookbait rotation
A banded pellet hookbait is the first choice of many anglers but Richard is always tinkering with his offering to keep the bites coming. Bait-Tech ‘The Juice’ wafters in an 8mm size are his favourites, and he is constantly reaching for different colours. “You might get a run of bites on one colour of bait before bites dry up. Simply switching over to another colour can get you a bite on the very next chuck. It’s best to rotate between a bait that is bright and stands out over the loosefeed and one that will blend in and fool wary fish.” If you’re still stuck in a ‘negative’ winter mode then it’s time to snap out of it and bag up on the bomb and pellet.