Improve Your Coarse Fishing (UK)
Spring into action with a ton – Will Reynolds
There’s no need to wait for the summer feeding frenzy to bag 100lb. Guru’s Will Reynolds reckons fish are already on a serious munch at a commercial venue near you
March is widely seen as the month when the nation finally brushes aside the full force of winter. Temperatures creep up, trees begin to blossom and anglers get a sudden shot of enthusiasm. rather than hoping that a few bites will eventually register on the float or quiver tip, there’s now a certain level of expectancy as the fish wake from their slumber. That said, we don’t want to get too carried away. It is still only early spring after all. Simply banking a few fish is seen as a positive result, with the huge hauls associated with summer remaininig a step too far for the time being. But more fisheries than you think have already slotted into top gear, producing net-bulging 100lb-plus catches on a frequent basis. We are not talking from just a tiny proportion of pegs where the fish are tightly grouped either, with a large percentage of swims capable of such delights as the fish start to spread out again. More and more anglers are registering what is possible and Will reynolds is certainly among those with high expectations. “There is a perception that the fish haven’t started to feed aggressively but at some venues they are ravenous and ready for a proper feast,” said the Guru-backed angler who already has a few 100lb-plus nets to his name this year. “If I was to advise people where to achieve that right now then one fishery instantly springs to mind - which is why we are here today!”
The waiting game
We had arranged to meet Will at one of the country’s most popular commercial fishery complexes. “Tylers common in Essex is a brilliant venue and the fish always seem to switch on to the feed a lot earlier than other places. “Once the frosts disappear and the low temperatures are forgotten about you can start to think about putting together a really big haul of carp.” Four lakes provide more than 150 pegs and Willow is arguably the most prolific spring bagging water. With ton-up nets on the cards, surely the aim
of the game is to get stuck into the carp from the first cast of the day? Think again! “It’s completely false to think that you need to get a bite every chuck to accumulate such a weight. The carp in here average 3lb and you are bound to get a few bonus bigger fish. This means in five hours sport you need to be catching six or seven fish an hour. “Assuming that the last couple of hours will produce more bites than the rest and you can afford to catch fewer in the early stages and still end up with more than 100lb.”
Swim rotation
When Will arrived for his session with the IYCF cameras, several anglers were already dotted around the lake enjoying pleasant conditions. To give himself a solid chance of achieving his goal, Will headed to the vacant far bank, selecting a swim with a large tree that cascaded into the water. “Piling in lots of bait from the off could be the kiss of death ,” he cautioned. “I want to build the swim as the session progresses. I’ll start on the bomb with a poppedup bread hookbait to see if any fish are sat in the middle of the lake and then feed two pole lines with maggots.” One at 13m was fed sparingly by a cup while his short line at 7m received grub top-ups via a catapult. A few early fish often fall to the bomb before the commotion spooks them for a period but as is often the way, things didn’t go to plan. “I’ve had one carp in an hour – I haven’t seen anything move around either. This isn’t looking as good as I’d hoped…”
“You can afford to catch fewer in the early stages and still end with 100lb”
Building up a sweat
Despite regularly casting around, Will was unable to locate a shoal and after another small carp, he discarded that line and opted for the pole. Baiting up with two red maggots, he shipped out to 13m and deposited a pinch of freebies before laying the rig over the top. There was no instant dip of the float but within 10 minutes a healthy length of grade 8-10 hollow elastic was being stretched and a 3lb common was soon in the net. Several others fell in quick succession before another lull in sport. With around 20lb in the net and half of the allotted five hours already gone, a triple-figure conclusion was looking unlikely. But Will had faith that the latter stages would produce and maintained a positive outlook. “This isn’t unusual for this time of year. More often than not you hit a golden period in the last few hours where you can’t get the rig in quick enough. Let’s hope that’s the case today.” Slowly but surely, the number of fish on the 13m line increased. As he plundered that steadily, he continued to feed the short line, fully aware that building it up and leaving it be for a long period would put him in good stead late on. With 90 minutes remaining he finally placed a rig at 7m off the end of the bush and the response was immediate. “The float hasn’t been in for 30 seconds and I’m already in action,” said Will, who moments later banked a 5lb specimen. Trickling in maggots kept the fish coming, with the rig barely spending a minute in the water before the next culprit was fooled. At the end of the session Will had achieved what seemed almost impossible at the halfway point, with about 110lb in the two keepnets. “I was a little worried early on but patience is key when trying to bag a big weight and this ending was always a possibility. “Don’t wait until you need the sun cream to think about big weights – pick the right venue and a 100lb net is on the cards on your next session.”