Improve Your Coarse Fishing (UK)
Andy Bennett
Fish O’ champ’s top 10 pole tips
WHETHER or not you’re into match fishing, you can’t help but have heard all about this year’s stunning Fish O’Mania final.
Beamed out live to millions on Sky Sports, numerous anglers took the lead at various points during the contest but come the end it was Andy Bennett that got his hands on the coveted trophy. It was the culmination of years of hard work, winning countless
opens and festivals along the way.
“Whether you are match or pleasure fishing, over- complicating is a recipe for disaster,” explains the Guru- backed star.
“I try to make a plan of how I want to catch right from the start and apply my basic principles to make that happen.”
This month Andy exclusively reveals his top 10 tips to help you catch more when pole fishing on commercials.
1 SET UP SEVERAL SHALLOW RIGS
“It’s no secret that fish love to cruise around in the upper layers in summer and on many days it is pointless fishing on the bottom.
“Many anglers set up a shallow rig but you need more than just one. Fish can change where they sit by just a few inches and if your hookbait isn’t right in front of them, they will just take the loosefeed instead.
“Set up rigs to fish 6in, 12in and 18in, and rotate. No bites? Go deeper. Missing bites? Shallow up. Have 4in of line between pole tip and float when fishing for F1s.”
2 HAVE A SHOT UNDER THE FLOAT
“I use carbon- stemmed floats when fishing shallow because they are so sensitive, which is important for F1s.
“But in order to make them cock quickly, I place one shot directly under the stem. This enables me to see any instant bites that I would miss if the float took a moment to settle properly.”
3 RELY ON TWO DEADLY HOOK PATTERNS
“The most versatile hook available is without doubt a Guru Super LWG. It is a medium wire hook and is a lot stronger than it looks. I use it for pellets, casters and maggots for both carp and F1s and a size 16 is my favourite. If I am catching really big carp down the edge then I will switch to a Guru XS Spade in a size 14 or 16.”
4 PICK A FAR BANK MARKER
“Regardless of whether you are fishing shallow or on the deck, you need an area to concentrate your feed. In order to do this I always pick a far bank marker that I line up with when pinging the catapult.
“Fishing over your feed is usually the way to get more bites in warm conditions but it can be worth having the occasional drop on the edge of the main zone as bigger fish sometimes sit slightly away from the action.”
5 DON’T BE SHY WITH THE FEED
“I see anglers successfully draw fish into their peg by feeding positively but the shoal then suddenly disappears.
“This is often down to the fact that they have reduced the amount they are feeding and the fish have gone elsewhere.
“At this time of year the fish are hungry and it is important to keep the bait going in at a decent rate to keep them grounded. The only time it is advisable to cut back is if you have too many fish in your swim and missed bites or foul- hooking becomes a problem.”
6 THINK ABOUT YOUR PELLET CHOICE
“Many anglers have a lucky dip when deciding which size of pellet to use but how the fish are feeding dictates this decision for me. If the fish are actively looking for bait then I will regularly ping 4mms into the swim. On days when carp and F1s are proving elusive I will switch to 6mm or 8mm but introduce fewer. They make more noise upon entering the water and that added ‘ plop’ can trick fish into feeding.”
7 THREE ELASTICS ARE ALL YOU NEED
“Keeping it really simple and not having too many choices is the way forward when it comes to elastic choice.
“I use Daiwa Hydrolastic for all my commercial work and White is brilliant when F1s are dominant with the occasional carp.
“If I am catching quite a few carp along with the F1s then I will step up to Grey and when it is an all- out bigcarp session it is time to use the Black version.”
8 TRY A STANDOUT HOOKBAIT
“It’s not unusual to have slow periods when the fish disappear. When this happens it pays to try a different hookbait and, when pellets are your choice, switching to a different colour can work a treat. I have tried several alternatives but dark red is without doubt the best, especially in sunny conditions, because I think it is seen as a silhouette by any fish looking up at the bait.”
9 DON’T GO TOO LIGHT
“Scaling down may earn you more bites but in the long run it can have a detrimental effect on the final result.
“Your tackle needs to be strong enough to make sure you dictate what happens in every fight as opposed to the fish running you ragged!
“As a general rule of thumb, when fishing in snagfree swims at this time of year I use Guru N- Gauge 0.19mm mainline to a 0.15mm hooklength for carp and 0.17mm to 0.13mm for F1s.”
10 BULK IT UP FOR F1s
“F1s can take in a bait and eject it in a split second and missed bites can be a problem if you set your shallow rigs incorrectly.
“I use a 3in hooklength and then have almost all my shot tight against the loop. This helps keep the line tight at all times and results in more fish hooking themselves.”