Improve Your Coarse Fishing (UK)
The only rig you’ll need – Jordan Hall
You can spend more time fishing and less time setting up by using just one rig on snake lakes, says Jordan Hall
ANYONE who loves pole fishing will know that preparation can drag on a little. Whether you are at home making a new stash of rigs, or on the bank setting up multiple top kits for an anticipated catching session, it is time when you could be bagging! Imagine if you could make just one rig and have a single top kit that would cover all your options. Well, Middy’s Jordan Hall has turned that dream into reality. The commercial fishery expert believes that by carefully selecting the components of the rig, it can be used to cover your whole swim when attacking snake lakes. “So many anglers have half a dozen top kits set up, and while each rig will serve a certain purpose, all your options can be covered with just the one,” explained Jordan. “There are three key areas to fish on these waters at this time of year, and you can spend more time catching fish than setting up if you use the style I have adopted.”
Lines of attack
To make the most of a snake lake session you need to feed and rotate between three areas – the far bank, the margins and down the middle. All these require a short rig, hence the option to use just one set-up.” Jordan’s winning approach incorporates 0.16mm Middy Lo-Viz mainline to an 0.12mm hooklength of the same material and an eyed size 18 Middy KM-2 hook which has a hair rig with a band. Hookbait is either a 4mm or 6mm hard pellet. Float is a 4x10 Middy Styrex and elastic is a grade 8-12 Reacta-Core. The whole set-up is geared towards F1s but it will deal with rogue carp too. If carp are your main quarry, step up your lines by a diameter. When plumbing up across and down the edge, Jordan sets his rig to 10in deep and works around until he finds that depth. “If you plumb carefully you will usually find that depth but I always keep 2ft of line from float to pole tip so I am able to change that slightly. “I always aim to fish at the same depth on all lines so that I don’t get confused and need to slide the float up and down all the time.”
Methodical approach
Exactly where to start fishing at the beginning of the session can be a tricky decision to make, but at this time of year there is only one place Jordan considers. “High water temperature mean the fish will be sat high in the water and cruising around. They will only seek cover once a bit of commotion kicks in, and with that in mind I always start shallow down the middle, feeding 4mm pellets over the top and lifting and dropping the rig every 10 seconds. At the same time I will be priming my margins.” Rather than fish his margin rig close to where he is sat, he will ship away towards a noticeable feature. The extra space means the shoals have less chance of spooking when you are playing fish caught on other lines. If you are able to access where you want to fish at the start it can be a good idea to reach in with your arm to remove any underwater debris and create a flat patch for the fish to feed over. It also lessens the chances of fish charging through hidden snags. “I always feed with a catapult down the edge so that I can keep a trickle going in and build up the peg.” Rotating between these lines in the early stages often works a treat but later in the day it’s time to explore the far bank and feed in a different way. “Big pots of bait close to the far bank late get the bigger fish to settle. Once the temperatures start to dip very slightly they will
get their heads down more aggressively and you need plenty of bait to hold them, as they can hoover a big bed up in no time at all.” Large quantities of micro pellets are Jordan’s choice so there is always an element of food in the swim to keep the shoals grubbing around.
One-rig masterclass
Leicestershire’s Lakeview Fishery near Melton Mowbray was the venue chosen by Jordan for a demonstration, and he immediately set about catching shallow while pinging pellets around 12m down his right-hand margin. By regularly feeding and lifting and dropping the rig in his open water swim he eventually got the shoals competing aggressively and within 10 minutes the first F1 had yanked the elastic. Several others came shallow before the fish seemed to wise up and bites ceased. Rather than keep pointlessly hammering the zone he dropped in down the margins that he had been priming. The fish were waiting and it took less than a minute for the float to bury. That rotation set the pattern for the day, and in the final hour big-potting close to the far bank did the trick, bringing several bonus carp into the equation. “It took me about 20 minutes to get everything set up today but if I had more rigs to deal with I would have been busy preparing stuff for well over an hour. “Use the one-rig approach and you’ll save time and end up with more fish in the net,” concluded Jordan.