Improve Your Coarse Fishing Magazine - Issue 389

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Essential set-ups that every angler needs in their armoury!

PART 3 FLOAT RIGS: CARP SHALLOW / RUNNING WATER / BIG PERCH / MIXED BAGS

12 T O C O L L E C T

BAITE IfeD U 2 G eds for 202 e best new

Th

ys... a s y a M y d n A

Master the margins!

The one thing you MUST do for better results when fishing close in

May 3 – June 7, 2022 £4.50

ISSUE 389

Silverfish on a budget Fill your net for pennies

Meaty pole action Double your catches now

Des Shipp’s feeding tips Get the fish queuing up

NEW SERIES

!

Hour by hour how breakdown of cal pi ty a le to tack im stillwater sw

TESTED SHAKESPEARE’S FLOAT & POLE KITS

This month...

Issue 389 May 3 – June 7, 2022

Fishery Focus

30

8

Grand Union Canal

14

Baden Hall

Loughborough Staffordshire

14

Tactics 24

30

34

40

George Parker

The Masterplan: Commercials with an island

Andy May

Control your portion sizes when fishing in the margins

Chris Ponsford

First class silverfish sport on a budget

Jordan Hall

New ways with groundbait

NEW SERIES

24

47 52

58 60

4 IYCF | Issue 3XX

Gareth Gibbons

One tin of corn is all you need

62

Deadly feeding tips

Adam Rumble

Get fast and furious with the Method feeder

Fish Better with Des Shipp

66

Q&A

Your questions answered

Rig School

Driftbeater float

Tom Edwards

Pole fishing’s simplest style using meat on the pole close

52

Your IYCF 20

88

92 96 98

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The Coopers

Adventures of a fishing family

Support Local

Tackle shop guide

Your letters

IYCF BAIT GUIDE 2022

Have your say

Daiwa Mission

100 Your catch shots

Puzzle break

104 Win a Korum EVA Groundbait & riddle set

Bob Roberts’ diary

116 Find out what our top all rounder has been up to

Tackle 82

88

P72-73 BAIT-TECH

92

P74-75 FJUKA

Live test

Shakespeare Challenge XT Float and Pole kits

New gear

P76 STICKY

The latest tackle releases

Carp tactics 106

110 112

Ricky McGee

Everything you need to know when using PVA bags

112

P77 DYNAMITE

Rig of the month The multi rig

Carp Q&A

Sticky’s experts solve your problems

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FISHERY FOCUS An in-depth guide to the best stillwaters, rivers, and canals that you can fish for the price of a day ticket

8 IYCF | Issue 389

Grand Union Canal, Loughborough

Beating down critics of the cut

Tom Boyce takes the IYCF cameras to a prolific stretch of canal that is dispelling negative myths about the quality on offer at similar venues

C

Words & Photography Tony Grigorjevs

ANALS often find themselves on the receiving end of a barrage of criticism by anglers.

Walks from the car to the best swims are supposedly long, the fish stocks are apparently dwindling, and some say you’ll be lucky to keep your tackle in one piece as pedestrians fly up and down the narrow towpath.

Considering there are dozens of such venues spread the length and breadth of the land, this seems like a massive over-generalisation.

Speak to regular visitors to the Grand Union Canal in Loughborough and they’ll laugh off such negativity – the waterway is simply not guilty of any of those charges.

Mixed bags of quality fish are on the cards, it’s a short stroll to the bank from many points, and there are areas where a grassy verge is separate from the towpath, giving

ample space to ship a pole back and forth and spread your tackle around.

Renowned canal expert Tom Boyce is among the skilled stars who have run the rule over the fishery, putting together several impressive hauls.

“The Grand Union is arguably the most famous canal in the country but, because of its sheer size, there are a lot of stretches that don’t get the credit they deserve,” explained enthusiastic Tom. “Loughborough is definitely one of them. I’ve been amazed at just how many quality fish live in the area.

“I’ve had perch approaching 3lb, big roach and skimmers and even the odd rogue chub.

“Get on the right pegs and you could easily enjoy the best day you’ve ever had on the cut.”

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Commercial lakes with an island George Parker’s three rig attack keeps bites coming from start to finish when carp are the main target on this style of fishery Words & photography Tony Grigorjevs

I

F YOU’VE got a commercial fishery close to home, there’s every chance one or more of the venue’s lakes has an island.

It provides an obvious target zone to attack, with fish taking advantage of the cover it provides by lingering close for a proportion of the day.

Commercial expert George Parker has encountered these venues on more occasions than he can remember and, although it’s a

24 IYCF | Issue 389

tempting target, he believes it’s essential not to become too focused on the island.

“Most anglers will want to place their rig close to the feature but there are other areas of your peg that can throw up bites too.

“Today, I’ve set my stall out on Road Lake at Essex’s Puddledock Farm. Follow my five-hour plan for fishing this style of water and it’ll be action-packed from start to finish”

“At the start of the day the vast majority of feeding fish are going to be pinned close to the island. That makes the Method feeder an obvious tactic to start with. I load this with dampened 2mm micro pellets and use a 6mm hard pellet hookbait.

“The fish are active now that the warmer weather is here, and they’ll respond to noise.

This means that recasting every two minutes is essential. It’ll also build up a bed of bait that’ll hold fish once they arrive.

“Make sure your feeder gets really tight to the island otherwise you could struggle for bites. This is for two reasons. Firstly, you want to get into the shallowest water possible and, secondly, most islands are undercut, and the fish will actually be tucked under the bank.

“I’d expect the Method feeder to tick over in the first hour, producing a fish every few casts.

They’re likely to be of a smallish stamp to start with, but they’ll keep the tip going round.

“While fishing this, it’s important to prime your long pole line. Catapult half a dozen 6mm pellets over it every five minutes. Do this twice on the bounce to enhance the noise and draw fish in.”

A Method feeder loaded with dampened micro pellets is George’s opening gambit

Make sure it lands within inches of the island so that the rig is resting in shallow water

Use a 3in hooklength on the Method and every fish will be firmly nailed

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Control your portion sizes in the margins Commercial fishery superstar Andy May shows why it’s best to resist the urge to lash in lots of bait when going down the edge Words & Photography Tony Grigorjevs

PS TOP-rUtop-ups

e Smalld to shorter a will le s for a bite t wai

30 IYCF | Issue 389

TACTICS

I

F THERE is one area of our peg that we feel compelled to feed heavily then it is the margins.

With the fish unlikely to sit down the edge from the off, the onus appears to be on us to draw them in for that surge of action late in the day.

Adding plenty of bait certainly won’t deter the carp from coming close in the final stages of your session, but is it necessary to pile it in? Andy May reckons it can actually do more harm than good…

Among the best in the business on the commercial scene, his attention to detail has helped him win some of the biggest events the sport has to offer including the prestigious Fish O’Mania title.

Some anglers bemoan the fact that the margins can be hit and miss but Andy never fails to catch consistently from this productive zone.

“A lot of anglers think that big fish only come into the margins if they sense food is there, but they are conditioned to patrol them at certain times of the day regardless of whether any bait has actually gone in,” explained Andy.

“This is because they are so used to bait being dumped in this part of the lake from mid to late afternoon.

“With that in mind, feeding a lot isn’t necessary and a small tub of pellets and a tin of corn is all you need to ‘oosh’ out a few big wobbly ones.”

INIT Feed IAL LO whe this m AD

prim n you fiuch e the margrst ins

TACTICS: POLE SPECIES: CARP DIFFICULTY:

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First class silverfish sport on a budget Top all-rounder Chris Ponsford proves that you don’t need to break the bank or haul a mountain of tackle for a memorable day out Words Chris Ponsford Photography Tony Grigorjevs

A

FFORDABLE fishing is a subject dear to my heart. Especially affordable fishing without mountains of gear! As I have got older I’ve found I no longer have the strength, inclination or desire to lug massive amounts of fishing tackle to the bank.

The modern trend of travelling singly in a van

TACTICS: WAGGLER SPECIES: SILVERFISH DIFFICULTY:

34 IYCF | Issue 389

or estate car full to the brim with kit takes away the pleasure of the banter and anticipation of driving to your venue, talking about tactics for the day, the bait and previous catches.

Match and carp anglers take a frightening amount of gear when, in reality, a fraction will suffice to catch a few fish, big or small. The

pleasure for me is to go fishing with gear I can easily carry down to the bank, catch my fish then go home for a nice dinner and relax with my long suffering wife, before retiring to bed, tired but still thinking of another glorious day on the bank doing what I love, absorbed in the moment, enjoying nature’s treats.

TACTICS

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TACTICS: POLE SPECIES: F1s/CARP DIFFICULTY:

Pole fishing’s simplest style Tom Edwards shows why using meat just a few metres from the bank is up there with easiest tactics in existence Words Tony Grigorjevs Photography Ryan Hayden

58 IYCF | Issue 389

TACTICS

T

HERE’s something almost magical about meat when it is used on commercials.

Feed pellets or corn and the fish are likely to get over-excited, leading to a glut of line bites and foul-hookers.

Switch to meat though and it seems to have a bizarre calming effect, with the float only dipping when they’ve eaten the hookbait.

It’s something of a mystery as to why its use settles a shoal and if you turn to it right now, there’s every chance you’re going to be in for a busy day on the bank.

A high food content bait, it is a proven winner for F1s, and the best part is that a couple of tins are all you need to get impressive results.

Up and coming starlet Tom Edwards heavily relies on meat at this time of year and reckons it is an approach you must master to make the most of the weeks ahead.

“Meat comes into its own at this time of year and it has the potential to catch you double what any other bait can,” stated Tom. “The fish seem to graze over it rather than flying around your peg excitedly and this increases the number of clean bites that you get.”

“I’ll cup in six cubes of meat each time I ship out and, whenever I get a bite, I throw in the same amount a few seconds after striking.

“This helps occupy the fish that are still in the area and also draws in a few more.

“Once I’ve landed the fish, I can ship back out and feel confident there are fish directly over my target zone and that I won’t have to wait long for my next bite.”

Tom uses a meat cutter with the blades that create 6mm cubes. This is the ideal size when fishing F1s. They are small enough for them to easily engulf them yet big enough to deter small silverfish.

Cubes that are 6mm in size are best when F1s are your prime target

Feeding tricks

Top anglers have completely overhauled the way they feed their swims. Gone are the days of piling in a boatload of freebies at the beginning, with a negative mindset now proving much more effective.

“The fish just don’t settle over big beds of food like they used to. It’s as if they realise that it’s a trap and act skittish whenever they come across them. It’s much better to trickle in bait and that is why you can get away with just two tins of meat.

Cup in a few cubes each time you ship out and the fish will soon settle in your peg

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Fish better with...

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

THIS MONTH: DEADLY FEEDING TIPS

Y

OU can have the best tackle that money can buy, but if you don’t know how to feed your swim correctly then you’ll never hit your angling goals.

Feeding is without doubt the most important element in fishing and, if you fail to introduce or prepare your freebies in the right manner, you’re setting yourself up for trouble.

Regardless of what type of venue you usually visit, the fish are going to react differently every time you get on the bank. That requires you to be versatile and have a series of tricks in your back pocket to roll out when you are trying to gain the reaction you’re looking for.

Here are five top feeding tips that have never let me down.

E VIC AD

FORS D FEUECCES S 62 IYCF | Issue 389

1

SPREAD YOUR BAIT If the fish are used to the food being cupped into exactly the same spot every time, they’ll soon swim off if they come to find there is nothing waiting for them. Using a catapult spreads the bait over a larger area and encourages them to grub around for longer. They find a morsel, move on and find another, and this convincesww more food must be nearby. It also creates noise as bait rattles in, and fish associate this commotion with food. Fire in half a dozen pellets every two minutes and you’ll always have fish in your swim

2

3

OIL YOUR PELLETS Most fisheries demand that you use their own pellets, and the fish get used to seeing them. In order to make yours stand out a little, coat them in a flavoured pellet oil. This will seep off and act as an attractant. It also prevents any pellets from floating on the surface, making them sink to the bottom in an instant

4

FEED SMALL, FISH BIG Fish are well and truly on the move and, when they come into your peg, they are there to feed.

A stand-out hookbait is likely to catch their eye immediately and increase your chances of it being the first thing they swallow. A big bunch of dead maggots or a whole worm over the top of some micro pellets is unlikely to be ignored

5 FEED SHORT

START NEGATIVELY Just because the warmer months are here doesn’t mean you need to lash in lots of bait from the off. I see so many anglers put in large quantities before they’ve even started fishing, but this is an error. Loosefeed is introduced to draw fish in and if there are already plenty in front of you, you’ll make it easier for them to ignore the hookbait. Cup or fire in five morsels of whatever bait you are using to start with and step it up slowly if you don’t get an early response

The float acts as an obvious marker when loosefeeding, but I often try and drop my bait short of this. The bigger fish tend to sit off the main bed of food because they’re more in tune to the danger. If your hookbait is sat beyond the rest of the carpet, it’s likely to look like a ‘safe’ option, and a lump will soon be on its way to the net

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IYCF BAIT GUIDE 2022 Absolute Liquid Flavours RRP: £3.49

These new high-quality liquid flavours are perfect for enhancing your feed and hookbaits, including when mixing groundbait and preparing pellets as well as boosting hookbaits such as expanders and wafters.

The liquids don’t have any added colours so you can rest assured that they’ll offer absolute flavour without changing any other attributes of your bait. Supplied in a convenient bottle with a click cap squirty lid for mess-free use.

Flavours available l l l l l l l l

Banoffee Chocolate Orange Washed Out F1 Krill & Squid Monster Crab Pineapple & Coconut Power Scopex

GOOD FOR

MAKING YOUR BAIT STAND OUT

Clear Pellet Oils GOOD FOR

ADDING TO A VARIETY OF BAITS

Absolute Fish Oil RRP: £3.49

If you want to give your bait a strong and potent fishy flavour hit, then look no further!

This traditional, high-quality pure fish oil is ideal for soaking pellets to increase attraction and ensure an even and consistent breakdown and sink rate, but can also be added to other offerings such as meat, paste or groundbait.

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RRP: £4.99 Unlike other oils, Clear Pellet Oils have the unique characteristic of being a heavy, sinking oil that can be used to boost the appeal of otherwise bland fishery pellets, while ensuring they sink properly without having to be fully soaked in water. It’s also an incredibly stable oil so it can be used in extremely warm or even sub-zero temperatures without any change to its characteristics.

Supplied in a convenient bottle with a click cap squirty lid for mess free use.

Flavours available l l l l l

F1 Chocolate Orange Banoffee Power Scopex Krill & Squid

GOOD FOR

BOOSTING SINKING PELLETS

Barbel & Carp Hemp Oils

RRP: £4.99

Made using the highest quality hemp oil with the addition of three classic big-fish flavours – Halibut, Cheesy Garlic and Spicy Sausage.

Whether you’re targeting stillwater specimen carp or hard-fighting barbel in running water, these oils will add a potent attraction to your mix. Perfect for adding to feeder mixes, boilies, pellets or groundbait, they are also PVA-friendly.

www.sonubaits.com

Match Method Marine RRP: £7.99

This new addition to Sonu’s best-selling Match Method Mix range is packed with the highest quality marine halibut, ground pellets and fishmeal.

When mixed, it falls between the Original and Dark in terms of colour while the overall properties remain similar, just with the extra fishy appeal of marine halibut.

It’s a perfect all-round mix for species such as F1s, carp and skimmers and can be used with both float and feeder tactics.

Mixing Instructions:

Empty the 2kg bag of groundbait into a round mixing bucket, fill a two-pint maggot tub with water, pour this onto the groundbait and mix thoroughly, then allow it to rest for 30 minutes.

During this time the water will be absorbed into the groundbait. Next, for best results, remove lumps and create an even consistency by passing the groundbait through a riddle. Then, it’s ready to use.

GET A FREE PRESTON METHOD FEEDER

Pro Paste RRP: £4.99

GOOD FOR

USER-FRIENDLY

PASTE MIX FOR Pro Paste has been developed BIG FISH alongside Sonu’s team of expert consultants, including keen paste anglers Andy Findlay, Joe Carass and Adam Rumble to offer a top-level paste mix designed for the serious paste angler.

Fine in texture with fantastic binding qualities that allow it to be fished anywhere from firm to sloppy while maintaining a breakdown speed that allows it to remain a paste and be always fished in its most effective form. Available in three popular colour options each mix contains high a high fishmeal content.

Micro Band’Um Wafters RRP: £4.99

Method feeder fishing is constantly evolving, and these small and discreet baits will keep you one step ahead of the game.

Designed to replicate ‘accidentally consumed’ baits, these new hookbaits work together with the weight of your hook to achieve the ultimate in fish hooking potential. Micro Wafters have been developed for those situations when you’re looking for a fish to come into your peg and consume the entire pile of bait presented to it, feed and hookbait inclusive.

Sonubaits anglers including Des Shipp and Jamie Hughes are both of the mindset that a small inconspicuous hookbait can help you hook more fish on the Method. Each tub contains three different coloured baits.

LIVE TEST

The hasslefree way to get hooked on angling Tony Grigorjevs runs the rule over two of Shakespeare’s Challenge XT starter kits designed to give beginners a leg-up into fishing POLE KIT RRP: £69.99 MATCH / FLOAT KIT RRP: £99.99

A

LTHOUGH my introduction to fishing was more than 25 years ago, I can still remember it like it was yesterday.

Perched on a steel toolbox for the session on Oldham’s Alexandra Park Lake, I clumsily handled a fragile telescopic rod and reel rigged up with an inappropriate float and a hook several sizes too big. My dad had cobbled the tackle together having gleaned what information he could and, in hindsight, we needed a giant slice of lady luck for it to produce a bite. Thankfully, I got the break and an 8oz golden orfe and a micro perch came my way.

We certainly weren’t alone in being bogged down by what was needed, with the staggering number of items on display in every tackle shop enough to cause any newcomer a headache.

Had I not got lucky on my first outing, there’s every chance I’d have become instantly disillusioned and given up on fishing before I’d even started. What we needed was to be able to go and buy a kit from a reputable brand with pretty much everything that we required to make those first steps. Speaking to my dad, it doesn’t seem they were readily available back then.

Thankfully, there’s been progress made in that area. Shakespeare are the latest brand to launch a series of starter kits. Under their Challenge XT banner they look certain to remove the hassle attached with starting out.

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Starting the journey

Floatfishing was what we’d seen others do when I first started so trying to replicate the tactic seemed like the obvious move.

I’d still advocate that any newcomer should try floatfishing first because of its simple nature.

The Challenge XT Match/Float kit is priced at £99.99. Within the box you’ll find a three-piece, 12ft rod and a reel that is already loaded with line. It was instantly noticeable that both were a lot better than what I first got my hands on!

Accessories are just as important as the bigger items and you also get a shot dispenser, two clear wagglers, a packet of hooks to nylon and a plummet. Just add bait and a landing net and you simply don’t need anything else to get underway.

It’s all well and good having everything packaged together but if it can’t do a job, it’s useless. I arranged a session on Willows at Cambridgeshire’s Decoy Lakes to take a closer look.

I wanted the test to be conducted on a commercial as this is the typical setting that a newcomer would look to visit. The fish run to much bigger sizes than I’d encountered on my debut so it would need to have a little steel to reduce the chances of demoralising breakages.

Reproducing how a beginner would fish was important so the waggler would be flicked off the end of the rod tip with a few grains of corn acting as bait.

TACKLE

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92 IYCF | Issue 389

THE ADVENTURES OF A FISHING FAMILY

Winners of last year’s Shakespeare Search For A Star competition, the Cooper family kick off their brand new IYCF series...

Cosmo with a fine example of a roach from the Trump

MEET THE FAMILY: The Cooper family consists of dad Stu, mum Meg and their two sons Cosmo (14) and Milo (9). And they are all fishing mad!

Stu has been fishing for 36 years and goes for as many species as possible, size doesn’t matter!

Meg was taken fishing as a kid by her dad, and now having kids of her own takes them fishing and just loves being outdoors.

Cosmo has been fishing for nine years and has become a real specimen hunter with a passion for carp and catfish.

Milo has been fishing since just after his third birthday and loves catching fish, the more the better! He currently holds the family’s 30-minute record with an impressive 73 fish!

They all love fishing short sessions and enjoying mixing things up to fish as many techniques as possible, targeting different species, to learn and develop their angling skills.

As well as their new IYCF diary column, readers can keep up to date with their fishing adventures on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok by following @fishingfamilyuk!

T

HE early part of the year is always a difficult time for us to make time for fishing due to lots of family events.

As such we have to make the most of short sessions and tend to target Fisherwick’s Trump pool (christened the Trump by Cosmo & Milo as it was formed from the Triangle and Pump pools) in search of some of the coarse specimens it holds.

At this time of the year perch tend to be a healthy weight and for the last few years we’ve been trying to break the 2lb mark, having had several close to this milestone but always falling an ounce or two short.

We’ve recently had a few sessions, however one particular one comes to mind. As we arrived we bumped into Steve Holland, one of the many friends we’ve made at Fisherwick, who was fishing on the adjacent runs water. As we headed down to the Trump, Steve said: “Give me a shout if you get one of those perch”…

Our approach has always been simply to have fun and catch some fish and as always the competitive element emerges, as anyone who follows our Insta stories will know!

As is the norm on this pool we settled for most species and best specimen. Nothing like a bit of friendly rivalry to get the kids keen to beat me (as they usually do!).

We mixed some Hinders Supercharged Black groundbait laced with chopped worm, as well as a few casters and maggots.

We introduced a few balls off the shelf and the kids were quickly in action on the Shakespeare poles that were part of the prize from the competition we won last year in IYCF. It wasn’t long before they were catching rudd and roach which slowly increased in size over the course of our session.

The pool holds a large variety of species so you never know what you’ll catch next – let’s be honest that’s the excitement of fishing.

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TIPS, TACTICS & RIGS TO CATCH MORE

CONFIDENCE IN A BAG! PVA comes in many shapes and forms, but are you using it correctly? Ricky McGee travels to East Delph Lakes to show you how to get the most out of this versatile product…

Words Ricky McGee Photography Mark Parker

P

VA, or Polyvinyl alcohol to give it its proper name, is used in all disciplines of angling, although it is most popular among the specimen carp angling fraternity.

Available in a number of different forms, the two most popular are mesh stocking on a tube and solid PVA bags. It's also available as tape, foam nuggets and string.

The advantage of PVA is that it is watersoluble. This allows anglers to load their chosen type of bag with bait. Then, once the rig is cast in, within a few seconds or minutes – depending upon the water temperature – the PVA will melt. This leaves an enticing pile of free feed around your hookbait.

Other benefits are the anti-tangle properties it adds to the rig. By hooking/threading on a PVA stick or bag to the hooklink, or loading the entire lead and rig into a solid bag, there is no way that the rig can tangle on the cast. This means you can be 100 per cent confident that your rig is fishing effectively.

This is a vital part of my fishing, as many of the waters I target are very weedy. By having the loosefeed and hookbait presented together, I know that as soon as I cast in, I’m fishing and that my presentation is spot-on.

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CARP

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