Improve Your Coarse Fishing (UK)
Combat the wind with diamonds – Chris Telling
The right pole float will hold position and retain perfect bait presentation, says Chris Telling
THERE’S perhaps half a dozen key elements to successful pole fishing and rig stability is arguably top of the list. If your float is frantically bouncing around in the face of a brisk side wind then your hookbait will be doing the same. This drastically reduces how natural it looks on the bottom. Stepping up to a heavier float that can withstand the breeze and underwater tow is often seen as the perfect way of solving the problem but that can lead to other issues. A heavier float requires more shot on the line which causes the hookbait to fall to the deck at a faster pace. Yet again the hookbait looks unnatural and it appears you’re on to a loser no matter what you do. But Mosella and Spotted Fin’s Chris Telling says there is a way to get the rig to stay in place while retaining a slow fall of the hookbait that is often vital for picking off bigger carp. “It is all about the type of float you use. If you carefully consider the tip, body shape and stem then you can still use a very light float in conditions when others are reaching for something much heavier,” explained Chris.
Mighty diamonds
Setting your rig to fish at full depth is usually the sensible thing to do. However, it’s an absolute certainty that there will be a few fish lingering off the deck. Use a heavy float with lots of shot and the hookbait will fly past their noses, giving them no chance of inhaling it. “A lot of the waters I fish are anywhere between 8ft and 12ft deep and even if it is breezy I have no qualms about using a 0.1g or 0.2g float in that depth,” he said. “That might sound extremely light but the diamond shape that I use is key to stability. It has a really thick tip and a long glassfibre stem. This helps the bottom of the float get well out of any surface tow, increasing your ability to hold the rig where you want it.” A Jon Walker Diamond is Chris’ favourite pattern and how the fish are feeding will dictate which size he opts for. “If there are a lot of fish off the deck then I use a 0.1g so bait falls painfully slowly. This gives me every chance of picking off fish before the hookbait gets to the deck.
“When I am just getting the odd bite off bottom I switch to a 0.2g that gets it down a little quicker but still at a reasonably slow pace.” The float will take a short time to settle due to this slow descent. Don’t be surprised if your elastic rips out before it has even sat up straight! A 0.1g is shotted with three No.11s spread down the rig while the 0.2g has four No.9s spread 8in apart starting from the hooklength.
The bait trickle
Fish that sit off the deck are often semidormant due to the cold water temperatures and although there is a chance they may snap at the bait instinctively, the way you feed could enhance your chances even more. “I’m sure that a steady trickle of pellets going into the water can get fish that weren’t bothered about feeding well and truly interested. “The constant rain of bait going past their face and the noise they make entering the water help elicit that response but you need to be cautious with how much you feed or it could have a negative impact. “I feed around eight pellets every five minutes. It’s a busy way of fishing but in reality you will only go through around a quarter of a pint of 4mm pellets only introducing around 500 pellets in five hours.”
Hookbait tricks
Regularly lifting and dropping and laying the rig back in so it falls among any loosefeed will help attract additional bites. An expander pellet hookbait is likely to come off really quickly due to the constant movement so Chris fixes his hookbait in a lasso. Rather than use a 6mm hard pellet straight from the bag, he briefly soaks a handful in water and then uses these as hookbait once they have absorbed the moisture. “These pellets look like they’ve been in the water for an age so the fish think they are safe to eat. It may only be a little trick but when you are after carp that have been caught dozens of times before it can make a massive difference.” Relying on light floats in deep water and windy conditions goes against everything anglers are told to do, but dare to give it a bash and the bagging season is sure to start early for you.