Improve Your Coarse Fishing (UK)
STICK IT ON A SIXPENCE
When it comes to feeding, a that's close enough attitude just won't do says Tommy Pickering
SPREADING bait left, right and centre is always going to hinder your results in winter, but just how tight do you need to keep things to earn every possible bite?
“A lot of anglers feel that keeping it in a ‘ rough’ area is enough but I am a firm believer in keeping every morsel you feed and your rig over a space no bigger than an A4 sheet of paper,” said Tommy.
“Start fishing outside this zone and you spread the fish and increase the chances of foul- hooking which will spook every other carp in the shoal.”
It sounds simple but keeping everything inside such a small area is trickier than you think. But as with almost everything in fishing, the best in the business have worked on tactics to make it possible and Tommy shows how to achieve this crucial skill.
A pole pot is seen as the most accurate way of getting bait into a tight spot. Tommy uses a small version to trickle in around 10 morsels of bait after each fish he lands.
But, unlike most anglers, he fixes his small pot on a separate top kit.
“Placing a pot on the end of the top kit you are fishing with adds a slightly bigger surface area for any gusts of wind to hit, which can hamper presentation.
“That could dislodge your rig briefly – even when used on a bump bar – and could be the difference between a fish that is nearby taking the bait or moving away.
“I always put my pole on to the bump bar as if I were fishing when feeding so that the bait goes over the exact spot where my rig is sitting.”
Pellets and corn are the only baits Tommy considers in winter. He uses 2mms for skimmers and F1s ( fed in balls in deep water), 4mms for F1s with the odd carp, and 6mms when big carp are the main focus.