Lessons Learnt
It’s important to test a variety of hook-bait options.
the clichĂŠ cobwebs and fine-tune my cyprinid rigs, all while catching some truly hardfighting carp, I might add. My tackle and methods tend to be quite inclusive with regard to bottomfeeding species. For sure there is a time and a place for donkey chokers, such as the Thames and when I fish purely for big carp. However, the bream and certainly the tench require a finer approach, as do the chub and barbel. This means using smaller baits such as maggots and casters, corn, small boilies and other particle offerings. The Sticky Krill dumbbells have come in handy and I tip them with a tiny 8mm pop-up on a 1in hair; this matches a size 10 Target Specimen hook perfectly. I would also happily drop down to a size 12 and use either the pop-up or half the dumbbell on its own with a shorter hair to trap wary feeders. My standard fare for most boilie or plastic-corn fishing has been a size 8 Talon Tip tied to 15lb Disruption, with either a running lead or, my preferred lead arrangement, the Covert Lead Clip.
Speaking at length in spring with Alan Stagg about subtlety with regard to tench and bream rigs, then crossreferencing with some very good tench anglers on Korda Lake, I realised that I have been stuck in a halfway house between carp and tench fishing. Using 2.75lb rods and size 8 hooks was simply no good and a rapid scaledown was required. However, by the time I eventually got among them, the tench had spawned and the chance of a real monster had gone for another season. With my tail between my legs, I took on board the advice I had gleaned and looked at ways to safely fine it all down a bit in other areas of my angling. Lower Lakes and holiday time were ideal for my test bed and return to an
A lively little common proves that the inline setup is effective. Catching carp like this is a great way of honing your skills.
Killer Kit Of The Pros
Small, strong hooks were the order of the day. Countless rigs were tied and different hook baits tried. Sam is a keen tench angler and these are the hooks that he wanted to test on this prolific water.
TOTAL CARP 49
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12/09/2014 10:32