ASK RINGER
HOW DO WAFTERS HOOKBAITS WORK?
Q I’m a little confused about wafters and how they differ from other boilie hookbaits – how do they work? Christian Davies, Godmanchester
Steve says: A wafter is a critically balanced boilie hookbait midway between a bottom bait and a popup, ideal for fishing with bomb rigs, Hybrid or Method feeders, or even the pellet waggler.
A normal hair-rigged bottom bait sinks like a stone but a wafter will sink very slowly and almost flutters through the water.
Wafters sit on the bottom due to the weight of the hook they are attached to, and when a fish goes to suck in the bait it flies up inside its mouth, making it very hard for the carp to eject.
The other benefit is that when bomb or waggler fishing, a slow sinking hookbait will spend more time in the ‘catching zone’.
You need to match a wafter to the right weight of hook, which will vary according to the brand. I use Ringers 10mm wafters, which were created to sink under the weight of a size 12QM1 hook.
If you use a bayonet on the hair to attach the wafter, you need to consider that extra weight and use a smaller, size 14 instead.
I keep a tub of water on my side tray to test if rigged-up wafters are sinking slowly enough, and not floating or sinking too quickly.
Q What’s the best way to feed when F1s are the target? Paul Dyke, Bristol
Steve says: The key to feeding for F1s is definitely about little and often, making sure you keep some bait falling through the water even at times when you might not be getting bites.
Even if it’s just a couple of maggots or half-a-dozen micro pellets tapped into your swim, this regular feeding is what attracts fish to the area.
As a guide, if nothing is happening I will feed every two to three minutes just to try to make something happen, as F1s aren’t a fish where you can just sit and wait for them. Q What’s the best bait to use for stillwater roach? H Hodges, Leicester
Steve says: Without doubt, casters! Roach love them and they attract a good stamp of fish. Feeding is all about little and often, and if I can I’ll feed by hand. That means I’m fishing close in and catching faster – obviously a ‘win win’ in a match.
On the hook you can’t beat single caster – after all, that’s what I’m feeding so it makes sense to fish the same on the hook.
However, if the swim goes quiet it can pay to try double caster as that’s often a sign that a bigger fish or two has moved into the swim. This bigger bait will be more attractive to the roach.