Maggots are the key to F1s in the cold
Search them out rather than remain in one spot, says Mosella’s Matt Hale
OF ALL the fish to target in commercials, the F1 has to be the most frustrating of all.
They’re ridiculously easy to catch in summer when they feed aggressively, but it’s a very different story once the cold weather kicks in.
The fish are still catchable, but become much, much harder to keep putting in the net on a consistent match-winning basis.
Many things change from those heady July and August days including location, rigs, feeding and the baits you take with you in the bag. Scaling down is widely recognised as a must, but when it comes to bait, the angler is largely faced with a couple of choices – pellets or maggots.
F1s love them both but, on a given day, one will outscore the other by a country mile and on a snake lake where there’s not a lot of water to play with, maggots tend to be the better bet.
They catch all fish that swim, will winkle one out even when the water is at its coldest, and seem to keep bites coming for longer, so you’re always putting something in the net.
Lancashire fishery the Cunneries, near Chorley, is a typical snake lake venue and the S-Canal proves a popular draw for anglers in this fishing hotbed of an area.
Between 12m to 14m wide, it’s your typical snake with F1s ranging from 8oz up to 3lb plus bonus carp to go for. There are also skimmers, small barbel, tench and ide to go at, which makes maggots the most sensible all-round choice.
Mosella-backed teenager Matt Hale lives just minutes from the lakes and has enjoyed a very successful summer on the venue, so who better to demonstrate not only what the fishery has to offer, but also how to catch those wily F1s from a narrow snake when the water is beginning to clear – armed only with a few pints of maggots!
PICK YOUR LINES
“The S-Canal is typically around 13m wide, with reeds and a mudline on the far bank, but there’s no point in fishing tight to the bank as the water is too shallow to catch consistently here,” he explained.
“Instead, I’ll look to find around 3ft of water, and that’s normally around a pole section off the bank in front of those reeds. This is just down the marginal slope, and it gives me the option to move up the shelf if the fishing is really good or to go down it into deeper water if things are tough.
“I’ll also have two separate lines here at angles of 10 o’clock and two o’clock, as I always find that one will fish better than the other,” Matt continued.
“Fish just the one line and you run the risk of struggling if the fish aren’t there.
“Another swim goes in at around 5m down the middle of the peg in the deepest water and this comes into play in the final few hours of a match when the lines across have faded.”
ROTATION IS KEY
“Trying to fish just the one line all day is not the thing to do, and even if I’m catching, I try not to pressurise this spot too much – I’ll always look to rotate my lines,” Matt revealed. “When to do this is a matter of judgement on the day and depends on how many bites I am getting, what’s being caught around me and how well the lake is fishing.
“For example, if I was catching steadily it would be worth staying here until the bites faded and then moving to the other line. But if I have two or three drop-ins and nothing happens I won’t waste time” he said.
“I move on to the other line and repeat the process. Eventually you will get an indication from one swim and you can then
spend more time fishing here as there are obviously a few fish about. It’s also worth moving the rig just 1ft or so away from where you’ve been fishing. The F1s may be there but proving reluctant to move to the spot that I’ve fed.
“You’re starting another swim doing this and searching out the fish, rather than setting a trap and letting the fish come to you.”