Improve Your Coarse Fishing Magazine - Issue 385 (PREVIEW)

20-PAGE

IY C F’ s

BUMPER SECTION

Bream on the feeder / Specimen barbel / 2lb-plus perch + loads more VENUES

Jan 11 – Feb 8, 2022 £4.20

ISSUE 385

R YOU

ATE M I ULTINTER W SSION SE RTS STA RE! HE

TOWPATH WARRIO RS

HOOK ON A WORM FOR BIG PERCH Why there's only one bait to use on canals this you need month

P LU S

Prebaiting for pike

Get the predators queuing up

Serve up a bread burger

The crazy twist on a winter classic for carp

Silvers aren't all the same!

It's time to rethink your roach and skimmer tactics

TESTED: MIDDY'S GAME-CHANGING FEEDER ROD

This month...

Issue 385 January 11 – February 8, 2022

Tactics 8

15 20 28

Brian Skoyles

Big stillwater perch on the float

Duncan Charman

Prebaiting for pike

Dan Webb

Tactics for skimmers & roach

Phil Spry

Flip your fortunes with bread burgers

34

Chris Telling

40

Winter F1s

44

Rig School

46

34

Worm your way into a bag of canal perch

10 top tips from 10 experts

Helicopter maggot feeder for roach

Fish Better with Des Shipp

Red hot winter bait tips

50

Q&A

Your questions answered

20

Tackle 78

82

Live test

Middy Quartix Commercial Feeder rod

New gear

The latest tackle releases

Carp tactics 92 96 98

4 IYCF | Issue 385

Jack Wheeler

Putting in the hard yards

Rig of the month

Fake caster cluster rig

Carp Q&A

Sticky’s experts solve your problems

78

28

I Y C F’ s

VENUES Your IYCF 26 84 86 88 90

102

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Bob Roberts’ Diary

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P58 MIXED BAG ON A FLOAT Take awaggler to Docklow Pools for huge catches of various species

P60 100LB CARP BAG Fill your net with carp at Dorset’s Todber Manor complex

P62 BREAM ON THE FEEDER

Enjoy a dream bream session on Bury Hill’s picturesque Old Lake

P64 SPECIMEN BARBEL

P68 2LB-PLUS PERCH

A session on the Aire & Calder Canal could produce a monster perch

P70 BIG TENCH

Get your tactics right at Frisby Lakes and a big tench could be your prize

P72 CHUB ON A LEGER RIG

The River Welland offers free fishing and excellent chub sport

P74 A BAG OF ROACH

Head to the River Trent for your chance of a new personal

Partridge Lake’s impressive head of roach will provide a top session

P66 20LB-PLUS CARP

P76 PIKE ON LURES

How to tackle Linear Fisheries popular Brasenose 2

Find out why the Norfolk Broads is considered the Mecca of pike fishing

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Time to and

TACTICS: VARIOUS SPECIES: SILVERFISH DIFFICULTY:

20 IYCF | Issue 385

TACTICS

rethink your roach skimmer sessions Silverfish are reliable feeders in winter but Dan Webb shows why you need to think differently about each species to make the most of your day on the bank

Words Dan Webb Photography Tony Grigorjevs

W

HEN it comes to commercial silvers, everyone talks about them as if they should be targeted in the same way. If you’ve not targeting carp or F1s, you are fishing for silvers.

Feed a few maggots and some fishy, pellet based groundbait, present a sensible float or feeder rig on top, and you have a reasonable chance of catching all manner of silverfish.

Many of these fish, though, will be caught more by accident than by design. By viewing roach and skimmers individually and analysing how they feed and their habits, you will get much more out of your session.

Today, I’ve visited the top-class Meadowlands Fishery near Coventry to display several tips and tricks that will boost your catches of both species this month.

www.greatmagazines.co.uk | IYCF 21

Worm your way in to a net of canal perch Chris Telling reveals how to get the most out of this deadly bait when targeting a new personal best on the pole this winter Words & Photography Tony Grigorjevs

TACTICS: POLE SPECIES: PERCH DIFFICULTY:

34 IYCF | Issue 385

TACTICS

B

IG perch have hugely increased in popularity in recent years and your local canal is arguably one of the best places to get a campaign for the species off to a flier.

Their distinctive dorsal fin, black beady eye and dark green stripes combine to create a stunning specimen that leaves anglers mesmerised when one is sat in the bottom of the landing net.

No matter where you live in the country, you can feel confident that there is a venue that has a solid head of big perch to put you in pole position of tasting success.

Locating them is one thing but that will go to waste if you get it wrong on the tactical front.

As with most styles of fishing, keeping it

simple is the key to catching big perch. Chris Telling reckons anyone can master his approach outlined in this feature in no time at all.

The skilled all-rounder has had his fair share of quality fish over the years and the vast majority have fallen to pole-fished worms.

“It’s an easy way of fishing but there is definitely a knack to it. A whole series of tiny tactical edges need to come together to make sure you catch the fish of your dreams,” explained Chris.

“The cold and clear water creates conditions that perch thrive in and no matter how challenging the weather may seem, they’ll still be a viable target.”

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. .. h t i w s e n u t r o f r u o y Flip

Phil Spry reveals all about a new bait that will make winter fishing with your loaf a doddle Words & Photography Tony Grigorjevs

TACTICS

Phil’s bread burgers have transformed the way he attacks commercials in winter

B

READ is a phenomenal bait for carp in winter but its fiddly nature leaves many anglers looking for alternatives.

Getting it on to the hook and then forcing it to stay on for long periods can prove tricky, with the discs sometimes coming off before they’ve even reached their intended target.

Wouldn’t it be brilliant if someone came up with a method that made your loaf a little more bulletproof? Thankfully, they now have!

Commercial fishery expert Phil Spry was determined to come up with a way of making himself more efficient, with the need to change his hookbait every time he reeled him in slowing him down dramatically.

Numerous failed experiments occurred in the kitchen before he finally struck gold and created what he calls ‘bread burgers’.

“I often fish the waggler in winter and you need to cast around to find the fish. Bread in its normal form would simply come off each time I wound in,” explained Phil.

“So, I worked on creating bread discs that would stay on for several casts and be just as effective. It has worked an absolute treat for me and there’s no doubt it has transformed my winter carp fishing.”

TACTICS: WAGGLER SPECIES: CARP DIFFICULTY:

A little effort with bread can produce results like this

Fish better with...

DES SHIPP

Brush up on key angling skills with England International Des, to put more fish on the bank

THIS MONTH: RED HOT WINTER BAIT TIPS

P

RESENT a bait that the fish don’t quite fancy in the middle of summer and there’s a good chance it’ll still get snaffled up.

When the temperatures are high, they must compete more aggressively for bait to maintain their energy levels.

That gives us anglers a decent margin for error.

It’s all change in winter though, with the fish able to be much more

selective about what they eat as enter a near dormant state.

Make a slightly iffy bait or feeding choice and you’ll pay the price with fewer bites coming your way.

It’s important, therefore, to consider which offerings will fair best and then decide how they should be utilised.

This month I reveal five deadly bait tips to keep you catching when the weather takes a turn for the worse.

TRY MINI PELLETS Fish that live in commercials associate pellets with their primary food source. For that reason they should play a part throughout the season.

Smaller pellets are best in winter because they offer barely any food content and 1mm versions are perfect. Just like 2mm pellets, they can be dampened and, once softened, they can be introduced in small nuggets.

HOW TO

GE BITESTIN WINTER 46 IYCF | Issue 385

1

2

3 CUP IT IN LOOSE

SWITCH MAGGOT COLOURS It’s no secret that maggots are a winter winner, but most anglers are convinced that red is by far the best colour. I find that white can be even more effective for all species. This is because it stands out better in clear water and this increases the likelihood of a fish sucking it up soon after arriving in your swim. A double hookbait further increases your chances of instant bites.

4

Something that offers bags of attraction and minimal food content is always going to produce bites. Groundbait cupped in loosely fits the bill perfectly. It clouds the water as it falls to the bottom which draws fish in from other parts of the lake. I pack it into a big cup and once it drops out, a soft ball floats on the surface. It then slowly disperses and works a treat. My favourite winter blend for mixed bags is Sonubaits Pro Thatchers and F1 Dark.

5

KEEP LOOSEFEEDING

BAG UP LATE ON MEAT

I see so many anglers rely solely on a pot to introduce a few morsels of bait in winter, but the catapult still plays a major part in my fishing. If you are unable to get a few bites early in the session it is time to make something happen and a trickle of bait running through the water column can draw a reaction. If carp or F1s are your target, it is worth firing in half a dozen pellets every 10 minutes to provide the stimulus.

Luncheon meat is widely regarded as a bait for the warmer months. However, I always carry a couple of tins in winter. I dedicate a ‘dead’ area of my swim to it and feed three cubes every 10 minutes from the start. This is part of my peg that I wouldn’t usually fish so it doesn’t interfere with any other lines. When I go on it in the final hour, I cup in 10 cubes and fish over the top. I’ve lost count of the number of times this has caught me big fish late on freezing cold days.

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I Y C F’ s

VENUES

BRASENOSE 2, Day-ticket carping for specimen fish doesn’t get PEG 16

T

HE newest of the day-ticket waters on the famous Oxfordshire complex, Brasenose 2, or B2, as it is often referred to, has nevertheless been open for more than a decade now and has seen its young stock of fish grow to more than 40lb.

There are almost 2,000 carp present, a high percentage of which are more than 20lb, so sport can be very good in the right conditions.

Like all the well-stocked Linear lakes, this one responds well to regular baiting when the fish are hungry.

The lake has numerous gravel bars and is snaggier than many of the other lakes on the fishery, so the use of leaders is recommended to prevent cut-offs.

PEG 19

PEG 20

PEG 16

When the wind pushes up towards this end of the lake during the warmer months, the fish will follow. Find a clear spot in the weed and bait accurately with a spod or Spomb for multiple catches

PEG 20

These swims command a lot of water and are excellent for intercepting carp as they move from one end of the lake to the other PEG 12

“On day-ticket waters too many anglers just select the nearest swim to the car park and rush to get their kit sorted. Unsurprisingly, they often end up struggling to catch. Don’t be in too much of a hurry. It is better to spend two hours in the right place, than two days in the wrong one. B2 sees a lot of bait, so I like to keep my mix simple – hemp, corn and boilies – at a ratio of 6kg hemp, 4kg boilies (two of chops and two whole) and 2kg of corn for a 48-hour session.

I kick off with 10 spods, with three rods over the top. Every 30 minutes or so, I’ll top up with another two or three. Just like a match angler, I like to keep the food going in, little and often.

While fishing over big beds of bait works well, zigs should also be part of your armoury on B2 – especially in spring.

Try one just under half depth and one just over to start with.

PEG 10

This stunning mirror was part of a 49-fish haul

Although not renowned for it’s short-range captures, the margins should never be ignored.

They may not produce the big hits of fish taken over beds of bait in open water, but the odd big fish can often be found patrolling the edges. Look for swims with thick reedbeds and try trickling in a bit of bait to keep an eye on during the session.

66 IYCF | Issue 385

P

LINEAR FISHERIES much more prolific than this feature-packed venue

PEG 22

Location: Linear Fisheries, off the B4449, near Hardwick village, Witney, Oxfordshire, OX29 7QF Contact: www.linear-fisheries.co.uk Prices: £25 for two rods for 24 hours. Under 16s are free as long as they are accompanied by a paying adult Rules: Maggots can only be used on the hook or in PVA bags or feeders. Spombs must have the float attachment. No boats/bait boats. Cars must be parked in designated areas. Floating retention slings can be used for a max of 30 minutes Facilities: Shower block, tackle shop.

PEG 24

Norton Disney, Lincolnshire

Embryo’s Norton Disney complex has quickly become one of the country’s top dayticket fisheries. Many of lakes have good heads of 20lb-plus fish ton provide all-year action.

Tel: 01268 285987

Farlows Lake, Hampshire

PEG 26

On large gravel pits, the wind can swing quickly. Always check what it is going to do over the next 48 to 72 hours. It is pointless baiting up at 100 yards, only for the wind to swing 24 hours later and you find you can no longer reach your spots. It’s better to start shorter, safe in the knowledge you can fish the exact same area for the entire session.

PEG 31

The historic 25-acre Lake 1 at Farlows is home to an estimated 1,200 carp, many topping 20lb. Fishing over a spread of boilies works well.

Tel: 01753 630302

Manor Farm Leisure, Bedfordshire

Try fishing zig rigs or solid PVA bags on the 28-peg Carp Lake for an excellent chance of a 20lb-plus carp. Don’t hesitate to move on to any signs of carp activity. Floater fishing is productive during summer.

Tel: 01767 317835

Monk Lakes, Kent

CAST 104YDS

CAST 96YDS

PEG 9

PEG 32

PEG 34

50 yds PEG 3

40 yds

PEG 1

The Bowl end of the lake produces many of the big hits of fish. Although a lot of anglers like to fish at range, the pegs near the corners produce with chucks of 40yds-50yds.

The 10-acre Puma Lake is for pleasure specimen anglers only and holds a good head of carp to over 30lb with lots of twenties. Three islands and a central gravel bar. Fish shallow margins in warmer weather.

Tel: 01622 833332

Majestic Pool, East Yorkshire

Book in advance to fish for 100 carp in three acres (80 of them over 20lb). A maximum of six allowed on at a time so it’s well worth a visit if you want to get away from busy day-ticket complexes. Boilies, pellets and hemp all work well and look for the hard areas in the silkweed.

Tel: 07904 079647

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I Y C F’ s

VENUES

AIRE & CALDER

The 34-mile waterway has plenty of stretches where

A

DEEP, wide canal may look a daunting prospect at first glance but you need to bite the bullet and wet a line on the Aire & Calder if a big perch is high on your agenda.

The West Yorkshire venue has bags of predator potential, with 2lb fish plentiful, 3lb giants a genuine possibility and an outside chance of a jaw-dropping 4lb-plus specimen.

Dozens of stretches, including Castleford Junction Lock, Heck Bridge and Pollington, have solid form for the species and it is up to you how you target them.

Pole or fishing the feeder with worms has produced plenty of memorable moments, with lures proving equally appealing to the resident stripeys.

Whether you are faced with the bitter elements of winter or the warmer days of spring, the Aire & Calder Canal has the potential to send a personal best or two your way in the coming months.

Andy Loble relies on light lures to catch quality perch from the canal

Pollington

Produced lots of fish in the 2lb-3lb bracket in recent months. Small lures presented close to boats or the nearside wall will work.

Tel: 01482 668823

Fleet Bridge

Controlled by Allerton Bywater Victoria AC, this area responds well to pole fished lobworms. Regularly lift and drop the rig to get bites.

Tel: 01977 550465

Woodlesford Lock

Allow your lure to explore the depths as the biggest perch can often be found sat well off the bottom.

Tel: 0113 248 2373

“No matter which stretch you have a crack on, there is a chance of a very big fish coming your way”

“This isn’t the sort of canal that is home to isolated pockets of big perch. No matter which stretch you have a crack on, there is a chance of a big fish coming your way. When you consider it is up to 20ft deep and around 30m wide in most places, you begin to realise there is a huge volume of water that the fish could be hiding in. Plonking a bait on the bottom may fluke an occasional fish but I find that a light lure that enables you to search the depths is much more effective. I use a short, light lure rod which provides incredible sensitivity, enabling me to spot every little pluck on the lure. The perch may be big but there are plenty of occasions where the bites they give are extremely timid.

Braided mainline adds to that finesse, with a 10lb breaking strain going through to a 5lb fluorocarbon hooklength and a miniature lure with a 1.5g-4g jig head attached.”

68 IYCF | Issue 385

CANAL, W YORKS specimen perch are more likely than not to grace your net

Grand Union Canal, Leighton Buzzard, Buckinghamshire If you go down the worm, maggot or caster route, give your baits an edge by adding a dash of liquid. Van Den Eynde Predator Plus rarely fails, with the bright red additive seeping off your loosefeed to create an irresistible scent trail

The stretch by the Globe Inn has form for big fish, with the far bank cover the best place to find them.

Tel: 01582 728114

Kennet & Avon Canal, Great Bedwyn, Wilts

Feed a mixture of chopped worms, live maggots and casters close to moored boats to get a response.

Tel: 01793 496004

Basingstoke Canal, Fleet, Hants The picturesque stretch at Crookham Village is only shallow but pole fishing close to far bank snags could catch you a big perch.

Tel: 07748 527919

Birmingham Mainline Canal, West Midlands

Most anglers swear by having a few casts in each swim and then moving on, but it can be even better if you are constantly walking. It is deep straight off the rod tip and this enables you to drop the lure in and walk along while towing it. Vary how deep you let the lure sink to enable you to explore every layer of water.

Head for the centre of Birmingham by the Sea Life Centre and explore the various arms with lures.

Tel: 0121 344 3333

Trent & Mersey Canal, Stone, Staffordshire

The pound off Newcastle Road is a real hotspot for big perch, with the swims closest to the bridges a good bet.

Tel: 01785 227452

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I Y C F’ s

VENUES

HOLBAR LAKE,

A big net of pristine roach is equally rewarding as just PEG 35

T

HERE’S no finer sight than a glistening bag of roach. Holbar Lake at Cheshire’s Partridge Lakes is arguably the best venue in the land to experience such a delight.

The 47-peg water is best known for its ability to produce hard-fighting carp to over 20lb, but it is the secret head of silvers that has come to the fore in recent months.

Huge shoals of fish to over 1lb are lurking beneath the surface and fishing the float with either the pole or waggler is the best way to rack up a double-figure net of them.

While a series of islands are dotted around the unusually-shaped lake, these are best avoided, with the redfins preferring to linger in open water well away from where the mirrors and commons tend to reside.

5ft

6ft

PEG 30

PEG 39

2ft 6ft PEG 44

PEG 47

There are no pegs to your right due to the design of the lake and this gives you a mountain of space to fish into. Try and attack the water directly in front of you to start but don’t be afraid to push well to the right if your session doesn’t immediately go as you envisaged

Pegs 30-35 and 44-47 are brilliant roach spots, especially during the winter. This is because they offer plenty of open water and fishing a waggler halfway to the island or the pole at 11m is a sure-fire way of getting bites. Make good use of your catapult, firing in 10-15 maggots or casters every couple of minutes to get the shoal competing.

“I first fished the venue while doing a little filming last year and I was amazed at the quality of the roach sport that I experienced. “There were stacks of fish in the 8oz-1lb bracket and there’s little doubt in my mind that there’ll be a few bigger lumps mixed in among the shoals. Casters are always a top bait for roach and regularly loosefeeding will get them competing in no time. A couple of balls of groundbait will concentrate the fish in a tight area at the start of a session and you’ll struggle to beat the pulling power of Sonubaits So Natural Black Roach. Start your session on the deck but be prepared to come shallow. A light 4x12 Preston Innovations Chianti pole float combined with a strung out shotting pattern will enable you to get bites at all depths on days when the shoal are spread throughout the water column.

74 IYCF | Issue 385

PARTIDGE LAKES about any other angling mission you set out to achieve The deepest water on the lake is located in the bay to the right of peg 15 and it can be unbeatable in freezing conditions. Don’t be tempted to fish close to any cover though, as this is where the carp are likely to be sat and the roach won’t feel comfortable mingling with these lumps. Fish down the middle and it can be a bite-a -chuck from quality silvers.

Roach have soft mouths, and a heavy elastic will pull out the hook a split second after you’ve struck. To cushion the strike, use a solid grade four or five elastic. This will set the hook the moment you lift and ensure it stays in place until the fish goes into the net

PEG 5 PEG 25 PEG 7

Lakeside Fishery, Ingoldmells, Lincs

Located within a stone’s throw of the North Sea, the Boating Lake is packed with roach to more than 2lb that respond to maggots, worms and casters.

Tel: 01754 872631

Pipehill Fisheries, Lichfield, Staffs

PEG 1 PEG 10

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Maggots and casters presented both shallow and on the deck will account for 30lbplus roach nets on Alders Pool.

Tel: 07976 528979

Sumners Ponds, Horsham, W Sussex

12ft

Set your stall out on the Match Lake with short pole and casters tactics to keep fish to 1lb coming throughout the session.

Tel: 01403 732539

PEG 15

Meadowlands Fishery, Coventry

NO FISHING Both pole and rod and line tactics work well for roach

Location: Partridge Lakes, Glaziers Lane, Culcheth, Warrington, Cheshire, WA3 4AQ Contact: Call 079500 57613 or visit www.partridgelakes.co.uk Prices: Adults £10, concessions £8, juniors £6 Rules: Barbless hooks to a maximum of size 14, no fixed rigs, maximum of 2kg of groundbait Facilities: Parking, disabled access, toilets, tackle shop, café

The swims known as ‘The Deeps’ on Lambsdown Lake are renowned roach spots, with a regular trickle of casters the best way to trigger a response.

Tel: 07805 038645

Pool Bridge Farm, York, N Yorks

Combine a light pole rig with a maggot or caster hookbait over a bed of groundbait to fool lots of fish to 12oz.

Tel: 07928 359420

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LIVE TEST

The tool to stop big carp in their tracks Features editor Tony Grigorjevs heads to a commercial fishery packed with hard-fighting fish to put Middy’s latest creation through it’s paces 78 IYCF | Issue 385

TACKLE

11ft MIDDY QUARTIX ZERO LIMITS COMMERCIAL FEEDER RRP £249.99

T

HE carp in commercials are getting bigger by the year. This is something manufacturers must take into consideration when designing new tackle items geared towards the species.

With literally thousands of pints of baits piled into these fisheries, it’s no surprise that the greedy mirrors and commons are packing on the pounds at an electrifying rate.

Fish that once took a little persuasion to come towards the waiting landing net are now threatening to dictate the pace of a battle, with anglers needing tougher and more durable kit to give them the upper hand over their quarry.

When it comes to rods, they need to have plenty of steel while also still being a pleasure to use. Building a rod that is packed with strength is easy. Making sure it is also a joy when casting, waiting for bites and playing fish is another job all together.

Middy recently got in touch with IYCF to give us the lowdown on the brand new Quartix Zero Limits 11ft Commercial Feeder, with the press release waxing lyrical about its impressive build.

On paper, it appeared to be a dream, but we needed to give a whirl in the real world and a session was soon pencilled in at Birmingham’s Alvechurch Fisheries.

This near doublefigure common was no match for Middy’s new feeder rod

TIPS, TACTICS & RIGS TO CATCH MORE

PUTTING IN THE HARD YARDS When fish push out towards the centre of the lake, being able to cast further can make all the difference. As well as a good casting technique, there are a few other things you can do to eek out those extra few yards. Jack Wheeler reveals all…

Words & Photography Jack Wheeler

92 IYCF | Issue 385

CARP

I

N THE past, the majority of my fishing has been on small intimate waters using 10ft rods to flick out rigs to a maximum of 40-50 yards.

Over the last year, however, I decided on the complete opposite and spent more time fishing a local reservoir where much bigger casts were required to reach the carp.

Fishing at range is a whole different kettle of fish where fine margins can really make a difference between catching or not. In this article I want to share some of the key points which have aided my success on the reservoir and will hopefully give you the confidence to tackle some long-range venues too.

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