QUICK TIPS

I’VE gained access to a small lake that holds tench and bream but is very weedy. I plan on raking out a few swims, but how much weed should I remove?

Ricky Narbing, Coventry

YOU will need to remove enough weed to be able to fish without the rig and bait being plastered in the stuff, but it’s not a good idea to remove every scrap of weed to leave the lakebed barren.

Weed will hold natural food to attract fish into the area in the first place and also offer some sanctuary once rigs and feed start flying into the swim. A good rule of thumb is to spend a couple of afternoons or evenings raking the swim (a couple of hours at a time should be enough) to shift the bulk of the weed.

Aim to create small areas of clear bottom around the size of a coffee table. HOW many back shots should I put on the line when fishing the pole in windy weather?

Carl Wilson, Leighton Buzzard

A COUPLE are enough in all but the wildest of weather, but take into consideration the size of the shot used. In a light breeze, No8 shot will be enough but when there are white horses on the water, these may need upping to No4 or even No1 shot to provide the weight to keep the line tight to the float.

Fix these two shot spaced evenly between the float and pole-tip. DO COLOURED lines make much difference to how many fish you catch?

Ron Elsey, Eccleshall

AS A mainline, no, because this is a part of the rig that fish won’t see – although the trend these days tends to be for dark brown or clear lines.

Reds, blues and even yellows are available so the choice is yours, but for hooklengths it is vital to stick to a clear line as this is closest to the hook and so most likely to be seen by feeding fish.

Frankly, the diameter of the line is far more important in the long run than the colour.