Improve Your Coarse Fishing (UK)
Keep a hot peg on the boil – Scott Puddy
Precise loosefeeding is the key to winter success, says Scott Puddy
IT’S NO secret that fish shoal up tightly at this time of year. Determined to seek shelter from the elements, stocks in your favourite commercial will bunch up in a select few pegs, leaving the rest of the lake barren. If you’re lucky enough to land on a hotspot, there’s a big opportunity to put together one of your biggest-ever catches. Hundreds of fish could be milling beneath the surface and it would be fair to assume that bites would be easy to come by. But a potential red-letter day could turn into a disaster in no time at all. Scott Puddy believes that your tactics need to be spot-on to prevent your masterplan unravelling. The Frenzee and Marukyu-backed angler has been fortunate enough to fish from pegs teeming with carp, and has the skills in his armoury to keep bites coming. “I’ve targeted lakes where I’m catching a fish every chuck and then someone with the same level of ability just a couple of pegs away can’t get a bite – that’s how tightly they group in winter,” explained Scott. “But then, a day later, I have seen another angler on the same spot where I caught well and they struggle because they’re approaching it all wrong.” So how should you attack a flyer peg in the depths of winter?
Feeding strategy
Many anglers who are confident that they have a large shoal in front of them take this as their cue to reach for the catapult. They believe that piling in the freebies is essential to trigger a feeding response. Unfortunately, such an aggressive routine is going to see you ending up biteless. “Loosefeed is required to draw fish into the swim, but when they are already there waiting why give them much at all?” questioned Scott. “If you fire in a lot of bait it will have an adverse effect for a few reasons. The mass commotion of bait going in at a time of year when fish are easily spooked will force them to move elsewhere. “What’s more, even though the fish are there, they won’t be in the mood for a big meal and will only eat the odd morsel. If you feed a lot of bait you’ll drastically reduce the chances of that bit of food being your hookbait.” When fishing the bomb or waggler, Scott will fire in three pellets or pieces of meat each cast. This meagre offering gives the fish something to home in on. A similar amount is dropped in when fishing the pole. “If I have to wait for a bite on the pole then I might fire out another three pieces, but I always lift the rig out of the water by a couple of feet before I do this and hold it out for 10 seconds. “I have found that you get a lot of foul-hooked fish straight after loosefeed has gone in. This is because the fish react to it, briefly getting into a frenzy and brushing up against the line, giving false indications on the float.”
Shoal location
A specific peg might be known to house a huge shoal, but it is unlikely the whole area of that particular swim will produce bites. More often than not the fish will sit in pockets. This means that locating the correct zone is essential. “Today I have come to Viaduct Fishery in Somerset and have picked a highly regarded corner peg on Campbell Lake,” stated Scott. “A lot of matches are won from this swim, but you have to present your bait in the correct areas because the fish won’t move. “Fishing towards any cover is always a winner, and today I am using the long pole down into the corner close to reeds and brambles. This spot will offer cover, and the water here will be slightly warmer than elsewhere. “My other line is in the middle of the lake. If they aren’t lurking close to cover, the fish will push out as far as they can into open water to try to get away from any commotion. “When fishing areas like this, rotate between the feeder, bomb and waggler to give different types of presentation,” he added.
Scaling down
The final vital element of Scott’s approach is his choice of rigs. Although the carp he often catches at Viaduct will be nudging double figures, he is fully confident in using light terminal tackle. “Big fish don’t fight anywhere near as much during the cold months as they do at the height of summer, because they haven’t eaten enough to gain the energy levels to charge around,” he explained. “Fishing heavy mainlines and big hooks will hamper your results, as there is no doubt that the carp can sense the danger. After all, they have been caught so many times and have seen every trick in the book. “When fishing the pole I generally use an 8-12 Frenzee Stretch hollow elastic to 5lb 6oz Frenzee Loaded Mono mainline. The hooklength is 3lb 4oz of the same material to a size 16 medium wire hook. “My set-up is still light when using rod and line, and 4lb mainline to a 4lb 5oz hooklength and a size 16 Frenzee 1420 hook will be ample for fish of all sizes.”