Coarse Fishing Answers - October 2014 UK PDF

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CONTENTS Follow Us On Facebook
October 2014 Follow Us On Twitter
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COARSE
FISHING
Editor Steve Phillips
e: steve.phillips@dhpub.co.uk
CONTENTS
6 10 THINGS…
One image, but there’s more to a picture
46 ALAN STAGG Q&A
Top speci angler Alan Stagg
t: 01327 311999
than just inspiration. answers your big-fish questions.
Deputy Editor Steve Martin
e: stevemartin@dhpub.co.uk 8 TAMING MONSTERS 49 MUSH UP YOUR PELLETS
t: 01327 311999 Target and land big commercial carp on Make much more of your pellets and go
Creative Director Mark Grafton the pole with Jonny Watt’s advice. sloppy, as Middy’s Mark Griggs explains.
Head Designer Fiona Brett
Chief Sub Editor David Haynes 14 CATAPULT MASTERCLASS 54 BEGINNER’S GUIDE
Reprographics Manager The whats, whens, whys and hows of We all have to start somewhere —
Derek Mooney catapults, with England’s Will Raison. this month, using your nets.
Repro Assistant Adam Mason
20 BOB NUDD Q&A 60 10 STEPS TO...
The four-time world champ answers All the tips and advice you need to help
ADVERTISMENT SALES
your natural-venue queries. you catch a big perch.
Business Development Manager
Karen Biggs 23 GO LONG FOR BREAM 63 FORGET GROUNDBAIT!
e: karen@dhpub.co.uk Chris Ponsford reveals his long-range Jon Arthur shows how you can save
t: 01327 315426 feeding technique to bag more bream. cash and still bag up down the edge.
m: 07929 007852
f: 01327 311190 28 SPECIMEN RIVER PERCH 68 THINK LIKE A FISH
Production Manager Des Taylor gives up his best baits and Get inside the mind of Britain’s favourite
Paul Evans tactics for running-water stripeys. little fish, the gudgeon.
Production Supervisor Neil
Brooks
34 CFA Q&A 70 COMING SOON!
Steve Phillips and Steve Martin answer Your chance to ask your questions to
Production Controller Joel Howe
your general fishing queries. the best predator anglers in the country.
Advert Design Supervisor
Stephen Jorgensen 36 HIT THE BIG SILVERS 74 TACKLE UP TO…
Advert Designer Steph Horn Kieron Rich shows how to catch big New to the sport? Here’s some of the
silver fish from commercial swims. gear that will help.
DAVID HALL PUBLISHING LTD
Phone 01327 311999 41 WEIR-POOL MAGIC 76 DREAM TACKLE
Fax 01327 311190 Tame turbulent weirs with the great We dribble over possibly the best barbel
Publisher David Hall advice of Darren Cox. rod in the UK.
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Operations Director
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04 coarsefishinganswers.com
p_004-005_cfa_10_contents.indd 1 21/08/2014 10:29

WELCOME
October 2014
WELCOME
A
s I write this Editorial (the beginning of August) I’ve just had a very exciting
80 SUBSCRIBE TO CFA conversation. In a quick phone call with one of the best big-fish anglers in the
Delivered to your door every month,
and a great gift too! What’s not to like? country I got that thrill of hearing about monster specimens that I always get
when fish of truly epic proportions are involved.The chat revolved around a
83 BAG A BIG CARP newly discovered water, a string of massive fish having been caught, and those two words that
Alan Stagg ties up the perfect PVA
parcel to tempt specimens. really get the old heart pumping… British Record.
This very special water, discovered by a handful of top anglers, has already produced fish of a
88 WIN BIG specific species at some truly incredible weights.The big-fish angler I spoke to about the place
We’ve got over £690 worth of
commercial carp-catching kit up for was in no doubt that the record will go next spring:“It’s not a matter of if, but of how many
grabs. times it’s broken,” were his words.A hefty claim, but you don’t doubt a man of his calibre.
Given that this record has stood firm for well over a decade it’s very exciting stuff.
91 GEAR The best bit for me, though, is that in a world of social media, Google Earth, text messaging
The latest rods, reels, poles and
accessories reviewed and tested. and 24-hour news, this sport can still throw up surprises and very special fish that nobody
knew about until recently.And surely that’s what keeps us all going back – that magic where
104 TACKLE ESSENTIALS the next bite could be a new PB, your next session might be one you remember for the rest of
A closer look at gear before you buy —
this time, budget carp rods. your life, or that a trip to a new water could reveal a record fish...
Also, just a quick note. If you’re voting in this year’s Tackle
108CHUB ON LURES Awards you’ll need to know that the deadline stated in the
Gareth Goldson hits the rivers and
casts some lures for big chub. last issue was a bit off. You have until midnight of Sunday,
September 28th to vote. So make sure you have your
112 CATCH CLUB say before then.
Celebrating your angling — send in a pic
and you could win a prize.
Steve Phillips, Editor
114 PUB AMMO
Gen up and sharpen your angling mind
with our host of factoids.
Send your coarse fishing question to us at

myanglingquestion@dhpub.co.uk
OUR EXPERTS
BOB NUDD ALAN STAGG KIERON RICH
Four-time world Big-fish guru Alan A commercial
champ Bob has is among the top magician, with all
one of the finest speci anglers the the skills to show
angling brains UK has to offer. you how to catch
around. plenty more.
DARREN COX WILL RAISON GARETH
Former England A former world GOLDSON
international champ, Will’s A former Drennan
Darren is up there skills can catch Cup champ,
with the best anything that Gareth’s a top
anglers in the UK. swims. specialist angler.
DES TAYLOR JONNY WATT JON ARTHUR

One of the best- A top commercial Commercial ace
known faces angler, Jonny’s and former UK
in angling, Des always on the Champion, Jon
has years of ball to catch catches more
experience. more fish. fish than most.
coarsefishinganswers.com 05
p_004-005_cfa_10_contents.indd 2 21/08/2014 10:29

ASK AN EXPERT
Your questions answered
10 THINGS
YOU WON’T KNOW
ABOUT THIS PHOTO
p_006-007_cfa_10_10 things.indd 1 19/08/2014 12:12

WE NEED YOU
Win a £100 voucher
1 2 3
The angler wrestling with The rod bending up Providing the backdrop,
an unseen specimen here to its limit is a Beast and the amazingly
is Shimano and Tubertini- Master BX Commercial strong carp, is Elphicks exclusive to
backed commercial ace Feeder. As you can see, it’s Fisheries’ Kettle Lake, in
Jonny Watt. This fish took
Jonny on a right chase down
the margin, requiring him to
got a bit of a through action,
with the fish on the end
of the line testing it right
Kent. Home to some big
carp and tench it’s more of a
specimen runs water, but we
GOT A
stand and lean over to get
the right angle to put the
brakes on.
through to the powerhouse
of a blank towards the butt.
wanted some big action for
the camera. QUESTION?
GET IT ANSWERED
4 5 6
Jonny’s method for To get this shot editor Just after the shot was
the day was what he
christened the ‘Traffic
Steve Phillips had
to get right into the
taken the heavens
opened and chucked BY THE BEST IN
Light Feeder’. This sees him
fish the Method, changing
water, using flash to light
Jonny up a bit as it was
it down for the rest of the
session, with some of the THE BUSINESS
the colour of his groundbait a bit of a miserable day. worst rain either Jonny or
and coupling it with Unfortunately the flash took Steve have done a feature in.
contrasting hook baits when a dunking when the fish
bites slowed. came in range and gave its
bankstick mount a clattering.
7 8
The carp attached to Jonny actually hooked
the hook here was a the fish on the
big common well into margins of an island
double figures. The brute around 30 yards straight
made its way up the margin out from his peg. Once the
into a clump of weeds, fish felt the weight of the
which is just about visible in feeder and bolted off it
the shot. blasted to our angler’s left,
quicker than he could keep
up.
9 10
The carp was part The main line
of a haul of six taking the full
heavyweight carp that force of the
weighed nearly 60lb in total. fish was 8lb Shimano
They were also joined by a Technium — it was given a
good tench and a very frilly real hammering against the
fantailed goldfish hybrid. margin reeds and detritus
but held more than firm.
Send your angling query to Coarse
Fishing Answers and not only could
you get it answered by one of the
biggest and most experienced names
in the sport, but you could also bag
yourself £100 worth of Stillwater tackle.
tion
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p of top
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So what are you waiting for?
Send your question to us at
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dhpub.co.uk
or find us on Facebook.
coarsefishinganswers.com
10
p_006-007_cfa_10_10 things.indd 2 19/08/2014 12:12

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QIacatch quite
few carp on
CFA EXPERT
Name: Jonny Watt
Sponsors: Shimano, Dynamite and Tubertini
pole tactics at Hometown: Uckfield, East Sussex
my local fishery
but I keep getting
TAMING
seen off by the
bigger fish after
struggling to
BEASTS
control them.
I’d like to know
more about the
tackle and tactics
needed to get
larger carp into Photos: Steve Phillips
the net. Can you
help? Big fish can be battled on the pole, but you need the right
Robert White
Hometown: Cambridge
gear and the right attitude to make it work for you.
Age: 47
I
Favourite species: Bream t’s no secret that the pole is an absolute must-have for
the modern angler.There are many advantages to using
one, with commercial fisheries enhancing these further
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If you’re not
A tackled up right
and not sure of what
by the very way they’re designed and constructed.
Perhaps what is not so obvious, however, is just how
deadly a tool the pole can be for big commercial carp.
to do, hooking a large It’s the accuracy that the pole gives you that makes the
carp on the pole can difference.You can place your rig tight against different
be a bit of a ‘rabbit features, including right under overhanging trees and
shrubbery – just the type of hiding places big carp
in the headlights’
get themselves into to get away from angling pressure.
moment. But don’t
Hooking them is one thing, though, getting big carp out
worry, there are ways on the pole is another – as our reader has found out.
to tame these beasts,
and rising star Jonny
Watt reveals how he
goes about getting
them on to the bank.
FISH IT
Wylands Angling
Centre.
Wyland Farm
Powdermill Lane
Near Battle
East Sussex
TN33 0SU
www. wylands.co.uk
Strong floats are a must … as are strong hooks; under

to cope with battling carp the pressure involved, weaker
and tough foliage… versions can straighten.
p_008-012_cfa_10_watt.indd 1 19/08/2014 12:13

ASK AN EXPERT
10
p_008-012_cfa_10_watt.indd 2 19/08/2014 12:13

ASK AN EXPERT
As commercial carp get bigger and bigger, here is that most of the affordable poles on the STRONG RIGS
there are more and more tackle and tactics market that are fishable at up to 13 or 14 metres On to the fishing, and to start with Jonny
devised to get ‘lumps’ into your landing net.To are indeed very strong,” Jonny tells us.“My plumbs up four different rigs – two for against
put them into practice, today we’re at Wylands pole for the job today is the superb Shimano the lilies and two to fish against the weed bed. In
Angling Centre, in East Sussex, to show how the Beast Master Commercial AX 16m package.As both swims he intends to fish paste on the hook,
pole is a fantastic and exciting way to target and the name suggests, this is a serious beast tamer a method with an uncanny habit of luring the
snare these big wary fish and how it’s not the designed for this kind of work and for what you bigger fish.
recipe for expensive breakages that many think get in the package it represents great value.The You’ll need to think about your quarry
it is. main thing is that if you suffer a breakage you carefully, where they live and how you will
Jonny is set up on Wylands’ stunning Rosie’s won’t need a remortgage to replace the section. extract them when deciding on your rigs, as they
Lake. It’s very much a mixed-species water, with If you’re doing a lot of this kind of fishing I are going to take some punishment.With this in
plenty of double-figure carp among the lily pads would recommend investing in a dedicated pole mind Jonny is using rigs constructed from 12lb
and weed beds that big carp love.The weather, for it.” Shimano Aspire Silk Shock line running straight
although lovely (it’s predicted to be the hottest through to a strong, eyed Tubertini 861 hook
day of the summer so far), is perhaps the only pattern in a size 12 or even 10.
negative about today’s mission. It’s worth noting You’ll find that most commercial carp are not
just how key atmospheric conditions are to fish that tackle shy, especially in the coloured water at
behaviour and feeding patterns, and, perhaps this time of year, so go with what will get them
more to the point, their willingness to feed at out, not what you think will get you a bite – it’s
all. Fish, particularly carp, are very sensitive to no good hooking a fish if you’ve no chance of
change and pressure and this can often be the landing it.
defining influence to catching well.
Jonny’s chosen a great-looking swim with a ELASTIC
large raft of lily pads to his left at 13 metres and a Like your rigs and pole, getting your elastic right
sprawling bed of Canadian pondweed the same is a must.Again, think about what you’re fishing
distance to his right, leaving a nice open-water for and match the strength to the size of fish
channel between the two to try and guide any you’re liable to catch.
Different strengths of elastic
hooked fish through. Jonny covers a range of elastics in his top kits,
will allow you to target big
“Tacklewise you’ll need a manageable pole carp in different swim types. using Nick Gilbert two-core in purple which is
that’s fit for the purpose, and the good news rated 16-20, as well as red, rated 14-16, and the
p_008-012_cfa_10_watt.indd 3 19/08/2014 12:13

ASK AN EXPERT
And relax… getting a big

carp to the net can take
time, but with the right
tackle you’ll do it.
mighty orange at 18-20.

“It’s all about balance,” says Jonny.“I choose
the right elastic that I know will give me the best
chance of getting big fish out of snags.Although
I fish heavy line straight through I’m confident it
will break before the elastic and certainly before
the pole. Most likely, and key to the fish’s welfare,
the hook will pull before any of the above. In
any case, with the correct technique all of this is
a very rare occurrence.”
To finish off his setup Jonny uses puller bungs
on all his top kits (incidentally, he prefers to fish
match kits with the No1 removed rather than
the often overly powerful and heavy ‘power’
kits).“Puller bungs are an essential aid to taming
bigger fish and will give you loads more control,
especially under your feet where big carp can be
tricky.
“I prefer puller bungs as opposed to side
pullers as they keep me directly in contact with
the fish and I seldom if ever need to be able to
play them with the No4 still attached, as this is
likely to lead to breakages.”
STRATEGY
As already mentioned, paste is Jonny’s hook bait
of choice with his feeding designed to mimic the
long-stay anglers and their particle approach.
“I’m going to use a version of a ‘spod mix’
for the bulk of my feed and then I have made a
p_008-012_cfa_10_watt.indd 4 19/08/2014 12:13

ASK AN EXPERT TOP Always err on the side of caution rigwise and
go overgunned for big carp. It’s no good being
Your questions answered TIP able to hook a fish and not land it. When you
strike you need to be sure you’re in control.
paste from Dynamite’s The Crave base mix and common carp is hooked. It’s a good fish and
The Source groundbait,” explains Jonny.“This very strong, so Jonny holds the pole tip low to
has a wonderful orangey-red colour and just the water and lifts the other sections high up in
shouts fish.” the air behind him to get leverage. Just as the
To create the paste he mixes equal parts Crave bright-red elastic looks like it might bottom out
and Source and adds water to create a nice soft he’s able to turn the fish and gain control.
paste before adding some Frenzied Hemp. For “This is vital with big, powerful fish,” says
the spod feed mix Jonny uses a large container Jonny.“You don’t need to pull their heads off as
and empties the following into it: a jar of they’ll only pull back harder, but you must be in
Frenzied mixed particles, three tins of Frenzied control of the fish – not the other way round.”
Corn and a few handfuls of 3mm Halibut and Jonny steadily applies pressure by lowering the
4mm Source feed pellets. On top of this goes a tip into the water but at the same time keeping
liberal glug of CSL as well as some Crave liquid. an eye on where the fish is heading so he is able
After adding some lake water to soak the mix to react quickly.
further it’s ready to go. Should a hooked fish head for thick weed (as
this one does) quite often the best tip is to point
THE SESSION the pole tip skywards and gently but firmly apply
The weather is against us from the start and it pressure up and then back towards you.As long
becomes very apparent early on that the quality as you can feel the vibration through the elastic
Some of Jonny’s carp from
fish in Rosie’s Lake are not playing ball.After your fish is still on. the roasting-hot session.
discussions the decision is taken to move to By keeping it high and steadily drawing back
the adjacent match water, the Old Snake Lake. with the pole, using the elastic,
Despite its match-water tag this lake has the fish usually come free is the reward.
plenty of feisty double-figure fish under up on the surface and By working all four areas of his peg Jonny
its surface and after quickly setting up just you can then draw back was able to land several quality common and
over the bridge on Peg 40 Jonny feeds quickly and unship to mirror carp and in just a couple of hours there
four different spots, predominantly against get the top two in your were easily 10 fish for 70lb in the net. It was a
far-bank snags.A good 250ml potful of hands. demonstration that more than proved the pole is
the spod mix, along with a few chunks Jonny demonstrates a devastating big-fish tool on commercials.
of paste, is fed on all these lines and this perfectly and To tackle them you’ll need to think about
we’re fishing again. now he’s able to your approach and how to apply it, think where
First drop-in over against the sedges subdue the fish with the big fish are likely to be resident in your local
at 13 metres and Jonny’s Nick Gilbert the aid of the puller commercial and how to master your fish-playing
Margin Paste float shoots under, the bung and a near- technique. Be positive, and remember that in the
water erupts and a very annoyed 10lb common carp warm months they’ll take plenty of feed.
A Wylands’ bruiser
that fell for
Jonny’s approach
tight against far-
bank reeds.
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.......................................................... Send your coarse fishing question to us at ...............................................................
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.......................................................... myanglingquestion@dhpub.co.uk ...............................................................
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GREYS TXL ROD A4.pdf 1 19/09/2013 19:09
CM
MY
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CMY
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QWhy are there

so many types
CFA EXPERT
Name: Will Raison
Sponsors: Daiwa, Old Ghost
of catapult? It’s Hometown: Aldershot
a minefield out
there, so can
CATAPULT
someone please
advise me on the
right choice?
Michael Williams
Hometown: Cambridge
Age: 14
Favourite species: Carp
CONUNDRUMS Photos: Steve Martin
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Feeding is key
A to international
success, so we’ve
England ace Will Raison takes the
asked former world confusion out of catapults.
champion Will Raison
to step in with the
answers.
Practice makes
perfect when
feeding with
a catapult.
p_014-017_cfa_10_Will.indd 1 21/08/2014 10:30

Check your elastic
TOP for wear before your
ASK AN EXPERT
TIP trip. If in doubt — Your questions answered
replace it.
T
he massive range of catapults to reach for a catapult – not the ideal scenario. fishes’ attention. So if you can, I would always
available can be quite confusing, The advantage of being able to feed by hand is recommend that you practise feeding by hand
but if you take a step back and look you don’t have to take your eyes off the float – when fishing short.
again there are probably only a few you could miss a bite if you are looking for the If I have to use a catapult, then I will pick
that really fit the bill when it comes pouch or down at your side tray – and you have the one that is right for the feed.Accuracy is
to feeding for fishing commercial venues. better control of your pole. It’s not difficult to important, as I want to concentrate my feed
Before looking at my choices I think it’s feed while holding a pole but, if you’re not used around the float and not spray it all over the
important to talk a little about feeding in general, to it, a small movement while you are trying to place, so I prefer a catapult with a solid pouch,
as it’s often the case that anglers will readily grab grab the pouch could pull the float off line. not a soft-mesh type.
the catty when they could just as easily feed by Another downside of trying to feed short Elastic strength is also important, as you need
hand. It’s easy to feed pellets, corn, meat, casters with a catapult is that it is difficult to hold a pole to use the right one depending on the particles
and maggots by hand over a top-four line, and and feed other lines, like the margins.Again it you are feeding. I like to use a catty with a light/
with a little practice you should be able to loose is easier to lob in the loose feed by hand. One soft elastic for small baits with little weight, such
feed over a top six if the conditions allow. other thing, which is often mentioned by many as casters and hemp – if the elastic were too
However, if you were fishing the pole and anglers, is that by feeding this way the feed makes severe, it’s likely you would overshoot the float.
faced with a headwind then you would have plenty of noise as it hits the water, which gets the That said, when it comes to maggots,
It pays to carry
more than one of
each size, and store
them out of the
heat and direct
sunlight.
p_014-017_cfa_10_Will.indd 2 21/08/2014 10:30

ASK AN EXPERT Why do you A mesh pouch collapses and
Your questions answered prefer a solid
pouch?
QA & does concentrate the feed
when you release it.
Leave the catapult

alone when fishing
short lines on the pole.
which are a bit lighter, then a medium-strength I use when fishing the pellet waggler and/or so make sure you store your catapults well out
elastic is better to fire them over the float. Like bomb. I’m aiming to feed at least 25 yards with of the heat and sunlight when you are not using
everything else, the more you practise, the better this, so it needs to have extra-strong elastic and a them.
you will get and the more confidence you will bigger pouch than the others. The amount you feed with a catty is also
gain. I really don’t see the need for more than the important, because if you overfill the pouch you
three sizes of catapult – otherwise it starts to could end up feeding a massive area rather than
“If you overfill the pouch become confusing – so I suggest that you stick a tight patch, which could, and most probably
with these and get comfortable with them, and would, pull the fish away from the line you
you could end up feeding a with time your accuracy will improve. are fishing. Depending on the size of the feed,
massive area rather than a There are a couple of top tips when it comes
to catapults. Firstly, the elastic will wear with
I suggest that you feed a pinch of food, and
certainly no more than half a pouchful. In fact,
tight patch.” constant use and it pays to carry one or two the bigger the particle, then the less you load.
spares of each size, so that you are not left unable Why not give it a go and see the difference it
When feeding an open-water line I like to feed. Spare elastic is readily available, so I makes with different baits and sizes of catapult?
to fire the feed at my float, especially when would recommend that you check your catapults I’ve concentrated on the three catapults I
fishing shallow, as it creates plenty of noise and the day before fishing for any signs of any wear would use when fishing a commercial venue,
disturbance as it hits the water. However, if I’m and replace it rather than take any chances on and they will also do the job on a canal – the
fishing up against a feature/island, then I find it’s the day. Secondly, I find that if you cut an inch soft and medium – and the medium one on the
better to ‘lob’ the feed by firing it up in the air off the elastic when you first get your catapult river. However, there is another type of catapult
a little more, so that it lands a little softer on the it is less likely to twist up, and there’s no loss of that I use for feeding groundbait when fishing
water, close to the bank. power after losing such a small amount.Also, the a slider on international duty and could use if I
The last of my catapult choices is the one hot weather can affect the elastic and perish it, were fishing a big stillwater for bream.
Groundbait catapults come with different sizes
PICK THE RIGHT ’PULT and types of pouches and strengths of elastic. I
like the Drennan models, as these grip the feed
balls before you release the pouch, which helps
with the accuracy when you fire the balls out.
Also the elastic is not overly strong, so you’re less
likely to overshoot the target.
If you do like to feed groundbait with a
catapult, the key is not to make the feed balls too
big. Make the feed slightly overwet, and try and
make the balls with one hand. It will mean that
you might have to feed a few more balls at the ....
1 Soft elastic is spot-on
for casters and hemp. 2 Stronger if you want to
punch out maggots. 3 Get tough for long-
distance pellet action.
start, but, with practice, you will become more
accurate.
....
..
p_014-017_cfa_10_Will.indd 3 21/08/2014 10:30

ASK AN EXPERT
.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................
ANTI-TWIST CATAPULT
TROUBLESHOOTER
Q How often do I feed when

fishing the pellet waggler?
A You want the fish competing

for food at the depth you
are fishing, so to maximise the
chances of catching a fish every
cast you should cast just beyond
the feed area, place the rod in the
rest and fire out six to 10 pellets.
1 Trimming an inch off

each length of elastic
helps reduce twisting.
2 Don’t push the elastic
right up to the frame,
as this helps too.
Almost immediately, twitch the
float back with two turns of the
reel, then if you don’t get a bite,
feed again, wind in and recast. It’s
a busy tactic, and it’s important to
check the elastic regularly.
Q How far out should I fish

when loose feeding with a
catapult?
A The distance you can feed

often depends on the wind
conditions, but don’t get carried
away thinking you can gain the
extra distance with the wind off
your back, as a sudden change
of direction might result in
a headwind, and the feeding
distance drastically reduced. It is
much better to restrict yourself
and have a little in reserve if you
are faced with an awkward wind.
Q How big should I make my

balls of groundbait?
A People often make the

mistake of forming big ‘Jaffa-
sized’ balls and then wonder why
they cannot fire them out very
far, as they are too heavy for the
catapult. It’s far better to make
smaller balls and spend the extra
time firing more of them out
to the right spot. You can also
use a slightly softer elastic, so
that there is less chance of the
groundbait balls breaking up in
flight — a problem that can occur
with the extreme elastics you
often find on some groundbait
catapults
Master the catapult, and

with accurate feeding
comes the rewards.
.......................................................
....................................................... Send your coarse fishing question to us at ...............................................................
...............................................................
.......................................................
....................................................... ...............................................................
....................................................... myanglingquestion@dhpub.co.uk ...............................................................
...............................................................
p_014-017_cfa_10_Will.indd 4 21/08/2014 10:30

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p018-19_CFA_10_NWAC.indd 2 21/08/2014 10:59

QA &
Your questions answered by...
BOB NUDD FOUR-TIME WORLD CHAMPION
A massive name in the sport, Bob is one of the
most decorated English international anglers
ever. He fished 20 world championships for his
country, winning four individual gold medals.
Here he answers your coarse fishing questions.
NATURAL VENUES
.............
.............
............. Send your coarse fishing question to Bob Nudd at ..................................................................................................
..................................................................................................
..................................................................................................
.............
............. myanglingquestion@dhpub.co.uk ..................................................................................................
..................................................................................................
Q
Would you ever
add micro pellets
to groundbait when
targeting river
bream?
Pete Reynolds, via e-mail
Bob says: I don’t, although

they do work really well in
commercial fisheries where
bream see carp pellets all
the time and love them so
much that they often turn up
in your swim before the carp.
However, they seem to have
the complete opposite effect
when fished in natural waters.
It seems to have something
to do with the fishmeal
content. I have experimented
with fishmeal groundbaits
and pellets in Ireland when
targeting the big shoals there,
but with no success.
p_020-021_cfa_10_Q&A BN.indd 1 21/08/2014 10:31

Q&A
NATURAL VENUES
Do you feed groundbait

Q or just loose feed when
better. The big roach that
you can catch on tares will
Q I keep missing bites when fishing
casters on the hook. Can you help?
fishing hemp or tares for take the bait on the drop as Billy Edwards, via e-mail
roach? it falls through the water, so
Sean Bickerton, via e-mail groundbait deters the fish Bob says: The strike needs to be
from feeding in this way, and quite hard when fishing with casters,
Bob says: I would never use is far less effective. particularly if the hook is completely
groundbait when catching buried, which is sometimes
roach with tares. Loose necessary when fishing for big
feeding is always much roach or perch in clear water.
I prefer to half bury the
hook, going in at the fat
end of the caster and
bringing the hook out
about halfway down.
You will hook a lot
more fish this way.
.... Q I want to set up my

pole to fish my local
No3, 4, and 5 elastics are fine
through one section and the
.... canal. What elastics do you No6 through the top two.
.. recommend, and do I put it in
one or two sections?
Gary Buttler, via e-mail
Bob says: Elastics between

sizes 3 and 6 should cover
Q Does brown bread catch

fish on the canal?
most situations. Use sizes 5
and 6 when targeting bream
Tony Williams, via e-mail or big perch with chopped
worms on the far bank, and
Bob says: Yes, you can catch the lighter elastics for smaller
fish on brown bread. Brown fish. If you have long top
crumb is only dried bread sections then the lighter
crust, so the taste will be the
same — it’s just the colour that
is different. I would still use
white punched bread on the
Q When would you fish a flat float over a standard pole float on
the river?
hook, though. Brown bread Graham Rodgers, via-email
itself does not have the same
ingredients as white, and is Bob says: A flat float is used when you need to stop, or allow
not as effective on the hook. your hook bait to move very slowly through your swim on a
fast-flowing river — the design of the float is such that it offers
the least resistance to flowing water. The size of float that you
Q How can I prevent my maggots turning into casters so
quickly?
need to use is always difficult to determine. A simple rule is
that if the float leans forward when held in the flow, then it’s
Jason Wild, via-email
too heavy. If it leans back, then it’s too light. It’s perfect when it
sits upright.
Bob says: Sometimes tackle shops can be blamed for this by
selling maggots that are not fresh. Maggots, which have a large
black feed spot in them, should last three days at least before
they start to turn. If kept in a fridge then they will last up to
three weeks.
You can buy maggot boxes that are completely airtight and
these will slow down the turning process, but need to be kept
as cool as possible, and opened every day for two hours to allow
the maggots to come round before resealing.
p_020-021_cfa_10_Q&A BN.indd 2 21/08/2014 10:31

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QIofcan’t think
anything
CFA EXPERT
Name: Chris Ponsford
Sponsors: Korum and Sonubaits
ASK AN EXPERT
better than Hometown: Worcester
catching bream
and skimmers on
BOMBS
the quivertip on
one of my local
lakes.
The problem
I have is that
I like to ball in
AWAY
groundbait, but
the range I need
to fish at is
beyond the limits
of any catapult
I’ve been able to
find. What I can do
to get my feed in?
Nicholas Pope
Hometown: Grantham
Age: 56
.....................................................
.....................................................
.....................................................
.....................................................
Accurate feeding
A at range can make
a huge difference to
your catch Nicholas,
and you’re right, it’s not
always the easiest
of tasks. To find out
about a tactic you
can use to help you
achieve your aims
we spoke to Korum’s
Chris Ponsford — and
we were impressed by
what we learnt.
Having trouble feeding
W
hoooosh! As the line of “I’ve been using this technique to feed for
his carp rod snaps into bream at range for years,” smiles Chris, as he
your bream swim a tensioned arc Chris
Ponsford releases another
reveals his secret weapon to us.“It’s quick, it’s
pretty easy after you get a bit of practice in and it
at range? Korum’s ball of groundbait to his
swim some 70 yards into the middle of Larford
will get balls of groundbait to swims you would
never have a hope of hitting with even the
Chris Ponsford has Lakes’ Specimen Lake, our home for the day.
Whoooosh! There goes the next one and within
biggest of whopper-dropper-type catapults.”
The technique Chris is using to feed his
a brilliantly effective minutes a total of 15 balls of groundbait have
touched down in relatively close proximity – and
long-range swim is a sling. Basically, it’s a similar
pouch to that which you’d find on a catapult, but
answer. there hasn’t been a catapult in sight… instead of the elastic it has two lengths of cord
10
p_023-026_cfa_10_korum.indd 1 19/08/2014 12:25

ASK AN EXPERT
that come together on a swivel.This swivel ties

to the end of your main line and, using a strong
rod and main line, you effectively slingshot your
groundbait out.
“It’s like making a cast, but once the ball of
groundbait gets ahead of the sling its momentum
Using balanced
tackle will help you takes over and the sling falls away. It’s similar to
with casting to the one of those medieval trebuchet weapons but on
range you need to hit. a smaller scale,” explains Chris.“It takes a bit of
Remember to use your time to get used to it, but because you’re casting
reel clip to make sure
you don’t cast past
you can put loads of power in and get some
your swim. great range and accuracy on the delivery.”
It’s impressive stuff, with the experience of
Chris making it look easy, but there are some
fundamentals to get down first.The first and
most important thing is the groundbait.“This
needs to be mixed properly and needs to bind
well as any weaknesses will see it break up in the
air or as soon as it hits the water,” he says.“Mix
it damp and claggy enough so that it can survive
intact right to the bottom of the lake before it
breaks down.”
For his mix Chris is using a combination of
Sonubaits Supercrush Green and Supercrush
Krill. Both are great attractors for bream, but
whatever base you’re using, check out the
mixing sequence to make sure you get the
consistency right.
Chris makes his balls of consistent size and
p_023-026_cfa_10_korum.indd 2 19/08/2014 12:25

What rod should A carp rod at the heavier ASK AN EXPERT
I use for sling
feeding?
QA & end of the scale, 2.75lb tc
plus, will be perfect.
all in one go so that he can get into a sling-

chucking rhythm of loading and casting, which
will help with accuracy. But that’s not the only
thing needed to make sure he’s hitting the same
spot every time.
Chris has already been busy working out
his range with his trusted marker rod.This is a
Korum 2.5lb Korum Carp rod combined with
a large-capacity reel holding 20lb mono, which
fires out a large, highly buoyant and highly
visible float and 3oz lead.The idea here is to
cast it where you want your swim to be.The
lead sits on the bottom and line is paid out until
the marker pops up on the surface.At this point
Chris lays the rod down on the bank, keeping
the line taut so the marker can’t drift out of
position, and he then has a visual marker to aim
at with his groundbait. the groundbait ball and your sling will fall short 12ft feeder. Matched with a Korum KMR3000
Getting your balls out there, though, requires into the water. reel loaded with 6lb Korum Xpert line this setup
the right kit, and for this he again turns to Feeding the swim is the first thing that he has more than enough backbone to launch a 60g
Korum’s Carp rod range.This time it’s the 3lb- does, so that while he’s busy tackling up his feeder where he wants it to go.
test-curve model, which is needed to get some feeder gear the attraction is working and the fish While creating his sling mix Chris also
power into the sling cast in order to reach the are moving in on his swim. knocked up a separate batch of groundbait for
range needed.Again heavy line is needed so that To reach the range of his swim Chris needs his feeder.“I want my feeder mix to be fluffier
it doesn’t break on the cast, with Chris going the right rod, but more importantly he needs and lighter so that it comes out of the feeder
for 20lb mono.The casting action for the sling is balanced tackle – it’s no good trying to cast a more easily,” he explains.“As it’s in the feeder
just like that for feeder fishing. Line yourself up 60g feeder with a light wand-type tip rod, or it’s protected on the cast and on impact with
with the marker and cast as if you were aiming casting a ½oz lead with a 13ft powerhouse of a the water, so the sling mix would have been
to hit it with a lead. Instead you’ll just fire out feeder rod. For the job he picks up a Korum CS too heavy and would not have come out of the
Chris found the

bream at around 70
yards on Larford’s
Specimen Lake,
requiring a slingshot
feeding approach
using a carp rod and
reel for launching.
The use of a
marker float is
essential to give
you a visual point of
contact with your
swim. Get your eye in
and practise and your
feeding can get very
accurate.
p_023-026_cfa_10_korum.indd 3 19/08/2014 12:25

ASK AN EXPERT TOP To help keep your groundbait balls in one piece
during flight try lightly wetting them on the
Your questions answered TIP outside once formed. This will create a harder
skin, helping to keep the ball together,
MAKING SLING BALLS
1 Add your groundbait to a

dry bowl — a round bowl will
make it easier to mix.
2 Now mix the two
groundbaits together dry,
by hand.
3 Once mixed, create a dent
in the middle and add lake
water a little at a time.
4 Continue to mix, making
sure all of the groundbait
gets water through it.
5 If you feel any lumps in the

mix rub them between your
hands to break them up.
6 Once the mix starts to
bind, form a ball. It should
feel compact and solid.
7 To create even-sized balls
use a can to get the same
amount of mix each time.
8 Each ball should fit easily
in the sling. Go for balls
around the size of an apple.
feeder properly.”
To his feeder mix he also adds food items, A fine bag of bream
from range for Chris.
in this case dead maggots and chopped worms.
He didn’t with the sling mix as he only wanted
to attract the bream in and not feed them, but
the scent and attraction from these extras in his
feeder will create a hotspot for the bream to
move in on and so hopefully find his hook bait.
Before any ‘fishing’ casts are made into his
swim, though, Chris casts his rig out to the
marker. First cast it lands within six feet of the
orange float and as soon as it hits the water he
keeps the bail arm open and allows the line to
slip off the spool, as the feeder makes a perfectly
vertical fall – if you close the bail arm the feeder
will arc inwards on the tension of the line and
your hook bait would move away from your
feed area. Once the feeder has touched down
he clips up. He now has his casting range and
removes the marker float from the swim.
Using a basic paternoster rig, Chris is fishing
a 2ft hooklength with a Preston Innovations
PR 21 size 14 hook.This is loaded with dead
maggots, a worm section or a cocktail of both.
A far-bank tree gives him his direction to
cast and he punches the feeder out.The clip is
reached, the feeder falls to the deck and we’re
fishing.
Almost immediately the tip jags round and
a skimmer is cranked in. It’s a pattern that
continues for the next few hours with only a
few quiet spells – this is with just a medium-
sized feeder topping up the bait. It shows just
how important a good initial feed is to a good
bream session, even at range, so give it a go.
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....................................................... Send your coarse fishing question to us at ...............................................................
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p_023-026_cfa_10_korum.indd 4 19/08/2014 12:25

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QIforlove fishing
perch in
CFA EXPERT
Name: Des Taylor
Sponsor: None
winter and have PB perch: 4lb 12oz
decided to have a
go for them in the
summer months
too. I know Des
Taylor is a great
perch angler, can
he help me with
regard to bait
and tactics for
catching them on
the river?
Thomas Hunter
Hometown: Ipswich
Age: 42
Favourite species: Perch
...............................
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...............................
Des has caught

A more big perch
than most, Thomas,
and the river is his
second home, so we’re
sure he’s got loads to
say on the subject and
get you catching.
RIVER
PERCHING
Words and photos: Steve Phillips
Summer perching can be massive fun, with fighting-fit fish in

the sunshine – but you need to get your tactics right...
p_028-032_cfa_10_Des.indd 1 19/08/2014 12:26

ASK AN EXPERT
10
p_028-032_cfa_10_Des.indd 2 19/08/2014 12:26

ASK AN EXPERT When should I Once the float goes under give it a
Your questions answered hit a bite on a
livebait?
QA & few seconds to ensure the bait’s in
the fish’s mouth and then lift into it.
“T
hese are my secret weapons”
whispers an excited Des Taylor WORM RIG
as we creep into position on
A simple water knot
the misty banks of the middle ties the link to the Use a barbed hook
River Severn. Peeling back main line. to keep the worm in
place.
the lid of a bait box he reveals a mass of damp
newspaper strips, which house some of the Keep it simple and robust;
biggest lobworms you ever did see. fish your main line right
“My mate collects them from the local playing through to the hook.
field and they’re real snakes,” smiles Des,“and the
perch absolutely love ’em!” A simple link-leger approach
allows you to present your
Today we’re on the river after a few bites from worm in snaggy swims.
big stripeys and these snake-like lobbies are at
the forefront of the plan. Our star’s brief was to
give our reader the tips he needs to catch a big
perch on the baits and tactics recommended, and
Mr Taylor has chosen two for the day. LIVEBAIT RIG
“If we’re talking baits for big perch there
are two that stand head and shoulders over the
others,” Des tells us.“The first is the worm,
which is pretty much unbeatable for the species. A large loafer float
Attach the float with will keep the bait at
The second is the livebait. On its day and on the rubbers so you can the right depth but
right water these can be deadly effective.” change the depth show up perch bites.
Each of these baits is fished very differently, quickly.
with the worm being Des’ first port of call.To
kick-start things, before doing anything else he
chops up a handful of dendrabaenas and feeds
them into the swim.“You need to maximise
Lip hook the livebait
your time when fishing, so feed first and your to allow it to swim
bait will be working to pull fish in while you’re A couple of SSGs freely.
setting up and getting ready,” explains Des, sagely. will stop the bait
With the worm pieces in the swim they start swimming upwards.
giving off loads of attractive scent that will pull
in both perch and baitfish from downstream, but
to make sure that he builds a proper perch swim
he also feeds a couple of handfuls of hemp.“It’s if I hook a good fish.” For his worm bait Des of worm baits on the hook – one of those juicy
just as important to get the smaller fish that the wants a static presentation, going for a simple lobs he showed us earlier. He doesn’t just hook
perch prey on involved as they’ll really attract the link-leger setup. and chuck it, though, he has a specific way to
big perch, and hemp is brilliant for doing just “You literally tie the hook (a size 8 Drennan make the most of the bait.
that,” says Des. Super Specialist in the case) on the main line “You get a better hold on the worm by
and tie a four-turn water knot on the line to hooking it in the saddle (the wider band
WORM give you a link to put your SSG weights on section around two-thirds of the way up the
With the swim in full swing Des first sets up his to,” explains Des.“The great thing about this worm towards the head end),” he tells us.“The
worm rod.This consists of a Drennan 1.25lb- rig, other than its simplicity, is that should the important thing, though, is to get the perch to
test-curve Specialist Avon Quiver matched with weights get snagged up they will just pull along take the bait at the hook end as worms are a
a 3000 Drennan FD reel loaded with 8lb line the line until they drop off, and other than the pretty long bait and if they grab the other end
straight through.“As with all my fishing the rig knot on the hook, there’s nothing else to go you can miss bites.The way to do this is to pull
is minimal fuss,” explains Des.“The fewer knots, wrong with it.” the worm’s head off and hook it next to the
components and general fuss there are, the less Having fed the swim with dendrabaena body.This way the juices from that separation
chance there is of something letting me down worms first thing, Des opts for the Rolls-Royce are right on the hook and, based on that, this is
usually where the perch will be attracted and
where they will pick the bait up.”
Hook bait in place the first cast is made. Des
underarms the link leger out around 20 feet and
holds the rod up until the bait sinks and moves
around in the steady flow to sit around 10 feet
out from the undercut inside bank.“I’ve chosen
this swim because it’s the deepest in the stretch,
around 10 feet near enough under my feet.With
the bright sun at this time of year and the heat
this is where the perch will want to be.”
Trotting a livebait and watching it As well as worms add hemp to Des’ feeding of the swim has paid off and
go is massively exciting. your swim to bring in the baitfish. there are twitches and bangs on the quivertip
almost straightaway.The species is what we’re
p_028-032_cfa_10_Des.indd 3 19/08/2014 12:26

ASK AN EXPERT
HOOK YOUR WORM
1 Take your worm and locate the section

known as the saddle. This is the
smooth, slightly wider section of the body
towards the head end of the worm.
2 Hook the worm through the saddle,

putting the hook in from the head
end; this will give a good hook-hold on the
bait and allow the worm to wiggle.
3 Now grab the worm just above the

saddle and pinch off its head; this
allows the amino acids to seep out next
to the hook, creating a strike point.
4 Don’t chuck the head away, hook it

next to the body to add even more
attraction to the hook area.
‘The bigger the better’ is

the rule when it comes
5 The finished article has loads of
attraction in the form of both flavour
and movement, creating a killer bait for
to lobs for perch. big perch!
p_028-032_cfa_10_Des.indd 4 19/08/2014 12:26

ASK AN EXPERT
With the water Des’ swim choice

deeper in this section was one with a big
of the Severn the flow drop-off and undercut
was slower, allowing bank under his feet.
Des to move his With the bright light
livebait gently through the perch would be
the hotspot, giving hunting deep down
more time for the and sheltering next
perch to grab it. to the bank.
IT’S A LIVE!
Livebaits are a hugely effective
perch bait but they don’t always sort
after, unfortunately they’re not the size we want, out the bigger fish, as many anglers the swim the float bobs around as the chublet
and a string of half-pounders and smaller are think. They can also be a bait that keeps on the move before… bang, and the
swung in until Des opts for plan B.“There are the big perch wise up to very quickly float sinks swiftly out of sight.A deft strike and
once a few of them have been
plenty of fish down there and if there were the rod tweaks over to another half-pounder.
caught on them.
bigger fish around I would have expected these This makes livebaiting a great “It’s amazing how much a perch can fit into its
smaller fish to have scarpered, as they could well approach to a new water that hasn’t mouth,” laughs Des.
be on the menu,” muses Des.“Having said that, seen much angling pressure before. Three more small perch are caught before
the bigger fish might be switched on to baitfish Des makes the decision to switch back to the
– I’ve seen a few leaping as if they’re being struck worm.“Big perch can just snap on to the feed
at by predators, so it’s time for a change.” depending on light levels.We’ve a bit of cloud
coming over now and I have a hunch that we
LIVEBAIT might get some action, and I’m most confident
Switching rods – the same model but this time that they’ll go for the worm,” he tells us.
with the Avon top – Des is now in livebait
mode.While he was persevering with the worms SUCCESS
our editor’s been off upstream and loaded the Back on the monster lobs and all is very quiet
livebait bucket with a number of small chublets through to a size 8 hook with a 2SSG loafer float until a stray eel breaks the silence with a crazy
(remember that it’s illegal to move fish between held on the line by rubbers, allowing the depth fight.A couple more casts, though, and the
waters in the UK, so always catch your livebaits to be changed instantly, with two swan shot tension drops out of Des’ quivertip. He lifts the
from the same water before you fish, and make positioned around a foot above the hook.“The rod and hits into something that this time fights
sure you’re allowed to use livebaits in the first weight is to cock the float but also to keep the back. In the clear water we see a flash a couple
place), so Des is straight into action. bait down where I want it,” Des tells us.“In this of feet under the surface with the dogged, head-
“The perfect size for a livebait for perch is swim, with around 10 feet of water, I’ll set the nodding fight and glance of stripes confirming
three to four inches in length,” states Des,“and in depth at around seven feet. If the perch want lives Des has hooked what he came for. It’s soon all
my experience the two best species are minnows then they will move up to them.” over, but thanks to the tough, basic approach to
and gudgeon, as they’re the hardiest of fish that A small chub is taken from the bucket his rigs the result was never really in question.
will keep swimming for ages.” and gently lip hooked on the size 8. Being a Posing for the catch shot Des is pleased his
Unlike the static presentation for worms Des barbed hook the bait will stay in place, but if lobs delivered the goods.“Even on a bright
delivers his livebaits to the perch under a float. you were fishing an unbarbed version – say sunny day with the river low and very clear the
This presentation gives the bait the freedom on a commercial fishery – you would need perch haven’t been able to resist them,” he smiles.
to move around, effectively doing the work of something to keep the bait in place, with a small “I’m sure they would have taken on the lives as
exploring the swim for the angler.Again the piece of elastic band working well for this.The well, but for me, when it comes to perch, you
setup is very simple: 10lb main line straight same applies to the worms.After being cast into just can’t beat the worm.”
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p_028-032_cfa_10_Des.indd 5 19/08/2014 12:26

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QA &
Your questions answered by the CFA team…
EDITOR STEVE PHILLIPS AND
DEPUTY EDITOR STEVE MARTIN
With decades of angling experience across all
disciplines between them, the CFA team know
their onions and can answer your questions to
try and get you real results.
CFA ANSWERS
............. ..................................................................................................
.............
............. Send your coarse fishing question to the CFA team at ..................................................................................................
..................................................................................................
.............
..................................................................................................
Q
Why is it that
when feeder
fishing on the river
it’s best to create
a bow in the line,
and does this affect bite
detection?
John Middleton, Tunbridge
Wells
Steve Phillips says:
This is a simple case of
physics, John. This technique
is used on rivers with a faster
flow — think the Wye and
Trent — where if you had a
tight line to your feeder it
would be very difficult to hold
bottom because of the water
pressure acting against the
main line. What a bow does
is spread the load created by
the pressure of the flow as it
hits your line. The more line
out there bowed around, the
more the pressure is spread
and the easier it is then for
you to keep your feeder in
place.
Cast your feeder directly
out or slightly upstream,
then hold your rod tip up and
feel as the feeder hits the
bottom. Now pay out line —
usually between five and 10
metres is enough — until the
feeder stays where it is. This
also changes the angle of
the main line to the feeder,
with it now coming from
downstream back up to the
feeder, creating a delicate
balance.
Use enough weight on
the feeder so that it just
holds bottom with a bow
of line out. If you get this
right, when you do get a bite
most of the time the fish will
dislodge the feeder and the
tip will go slack in a drop-
back bite from an already
hooked fish.
P-034-035_cfa_10_Q&A MP.indd 1 21/08/2014 10:31

Q&A
CFA ANSWERS
Q Why do some anglers

use doubled-up elastic
could double up a No4. The
general rule, though, is not
instead of a stronger single to go beyond a doubled No6
length? What advantages, if elastic.
any, does it give them?
Rich Newham, Meriden
Steve Martin says:

The secret here is in how the
elastic reacts. When you hit
a fish on doubled-up elastic
initially it’s very forgiving,
so you bump off less fish.
However, when you’re playing a
fish and the elastic is flowing
it reacts a lot faster in terms
of controlling the runs of a
fish, meaning that you can
play and land them faster.
Doubling up your elastic is
pretty easy to do as well. It is
.... literally just a doubling up of
....
.. the numbers, so if you were in
a situation where you wanted
to fish a size 8 elastic you
Q I’m having real trouble

using the Method feeder
mould. Try cutting down the
amount of pellets you put in
with pellets. I’m finding that I your mould by a third and see
can’t get the feeder to come how you get on. Either that or
out of the mould with the
pellets on. Any idea what I’m
try moulding them around the
feeder by hand. Q I’m new to carp fishing and I’m trying to get my head
around all the different items of tackle that are available.
doing wrong? What I’d really like to know is what are snag ears and why
Chris Richards, via e-mail would I need to use them?
Steve Chambers, Nottingham
Steve Martin says:
It sounds like one of two Steve Phillips says:
things, Chris. Either your mix Snag ears are small upright poles that fit either side of your bite
is wrong in terms of how long alarm when you’re carp fishing. They are designed to be used
you’ve soaked your pellets — when you’re fishing with baits really close to snags that you
either too long and they’re don’t want a hooked carp to get into.
too mushy to stick together The theory is this: when you get a take the carp will bolt and
properly or you’ve not soaked run, and if you’re fishing in open water then your free-spool reel
them long enough and they will release line. When fishing next to a snag, though, you can’t
don’t want to bind together afford to allow that as before you get to your rod you’ll have
— or more likely is that you’re already lost the fish.
loading too many of them in However, if you’re not allowing the fish to take any line and
the mould. If you put too many it runs you could be in danger of your rod being pulled off your
in, most of the pellets will be alarm and down the bank — which is where the snag ears come
in the mould and not on the in. They will stop your rod being pulled off your banksticks or
feeder when you try and pull pod and help hold the fish away from the snags.
the feeder out. The result will If you do try this, make sure you’re always right next to your
be that the pellets stay in the rods and you use the right gear for the job.
Q I’ve started tying pole

rigs myself but am
from there — it’s always better
to have too much line on a rig
having problems when it than too little.
comes to their length. How Regarding how long your
do I know what length they rig should be when you start
should be before I get to my fishing, it depends on a
swim? number of factors. First is the
Tony Richards, Exeter depth you’re fishing, which
is determined by where the
Steve Martin says: fish are in the water column.
Unless you know the venue In terms of line between
and what to expect you won’t your pole tip and float, wind
know what length to make can play a big factor and,
them, but err on the side of generally, the stronger the
caution and make them a lot wind the more line you need
longer than you think you to help buffer against pole
need and then modify them movements. Also, if you’re
when you get on the bank. fishing on running water
If you do know the fishery it’s best to have more line
you’ll be fishing then make between pole and float, to
them roughly the right length allow you to work your swim
for what you want and then better as the rig moves
you can always tweak them downstream with the flow.
P-034-035_cfa_10_Q&A MP.indd 2 21/08/2014 10:32

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QIsilver
love catching
fish
CFA EXPERT
Name: Kieron Rich
Sponsors: Daiwa, Burt Baits
from my local Hometown: Irlam, Manchester
commercial lake,
but no matter how
hard I try I don’t
seem to be able to BUILD IT UP FOR
BIGGER
catch the bigger
roach and bream.
What am I doing
wrong?
Richard Miller
SILVERS
Hometown: Newark, Notts
Age: 54
Favourite fish: Bream
....................
....................
....................
....................
Kieron Rich is our

A man in the know
when it comes to Words and photos: Steve Martin
catching big silvers on
commercials. Kieron Rich looks at the tactics you need to get
through the small stuff to catch big silvers.
W
ith so many anglers fish, you need to think outside the box. the mini masses before they had time to see the
targeting mainly carp on To get to grips with this issue, we joined bait and chase it down.
their local commercial Daiwa-backed Kieron Rich for a day on Oak Moving on to the shallow rig, this simple
venue it’s hard to believe Pool, at Blundells Fishery, to look at the two setup saw a 4x10 rugby-ball-shaped float on
that there are massive tactics that he uses to catch bigger silver fish 0.10mm main line with a size 16 Drennan
shoals of silver fish that are never fished for. In from a venue full of small stuff. Silverfish Pellet hook tied on direct.Three small
the main, these fish – predominately roach and The first order of the day was to set up the shot were added and set a few inches apart about
bream – spend their lives feeding on the pellet rigs, and for this session Kieron had set up a four inches above the hook. It was interesting to
and groundbait scraps left by the carp, and swim positive rig to fish on the deck and a shallow rig, note that the complete length of this rig was no
around unnoticed, except when they are seen which, he explained, he would use later in the more than 25 inches.
trying to escape a perch strike, or when they are session as with regular loose feeding the better Kieron’s plan was to fish the early part of the
breeding in the margins, where they also attract roach, and even bream, often come up in the session on the deck, and so to pull the
carp that love to feast on the eggs. water.
However, if you want to target these silver fish, The bottom rig consisted of a 4x12 Floats
it’s pretty easy to catch them with just a pint of Direct Slim Finesse float on 0.14mm main line
maggots and a little groundbait.The downside of with size 18 Drennan Silverfish Pellet hook on
this tactic, though, is that you will usually catch a 6in 0.10mm hook link.To ensure the
the smallest fish, mainly roach, which live in the hook bait dropped through the water
upper layers where they quickly intercept any quickly, the spread bulk was set
food that drops in the water. 15 inches from the hook,
How often do you drop a bait in the water with three droppers set
and see the float shoot away almost immediately, equidistant between the
or never settle properly? It doesn’t matter what bulk and the top of the
you do, as these fish will always be there looking hook link. In theory, the
for a free meal, so to get through to the bigger rig would drop through
TACKLE TIPS
1 Slim floats are best

for deep rigs; buoyant
floats are great for shallow
2 A small shot below
the float acts as
a reference that you’re
3 Elastic needs to be
soft to avoid bumping
fish, but still able to cope
ones. fishing the right depth. with bigger fish.
p_036-039_cfa_10_kieron.indd 1 21/08/2014 10:32

Lift and drop your
TOP rig regularly when
ASK AN EXPERT
TIP fishing baits just Your questions answered
under the surface.
QUESTION
OF THE MONTH
WINNER
£100
VOUCHER
How many would have

guessed that this near-2lb
bream was lurking less than
12 inches below the surface?
Frequent
feeding is the
key to catching
bigger roach on
the shallow rig.
10
p_036-039_cfa_10_kieron.indd 2 21/08/2014 10:33

ASK AN EXPERT Do you hair The pellets are too small,
Your questions answered rig the 4mm
pellets?
QA & so it’s best to put the
band on the hook.
SWEET, STICKY AND LOADED
1 Silver fish, especially bream

love a sweet-smelling feed. 2 Pile in the casters to bulk
up the groundbait. 3 Once on the deck, it creates
a concentrated bed of feed. 4 Four big balls are dropped
in to kick-start the swim.
fish into his swim he next mixed up a sweet, The difference between
heavy and sticky groundbait.The sweet flavour catching small silvers
and bigger fish often
would help attract the many skimmers in the depends on the hook
lake, the stickiness allowed him to mix in plenty baits and feed you use.
of large particles – in this case casters – and the
weight enabled him to create a concentrated bed
of feed that would break down slowly and form
a flavour cloud in the water.Then, in the first
hour he would regularly loose feed over the top
to create a wider feed bed, which would help to
gain the fishes’ confidence to feed.The colour of
the groundbait was also important, as it needed
to be visible in the coloured water to arouse the
fishes’ curiosity.
“There was no clue that big

skimmers were lurking just
below the surface.”
Switching back to his bottom rig, Kieron had
plumbed up so that he would be fishing two
inches overdepth. He explained that resting the
bait on the bottom this way allowed the fish to
pick it up cleanly, whereas if the small bait was
fished at dead depth it would get ‘washed’ about,
which could result in missed bites as the fish
snatched at it.
Kieron started the session by feeding four,
big, caster-laced balls of groundbait at 11 metres
– that’s the great thing about fishing for silvers,
as you can catch them close in.With a single
caster on the hook, he loose fed about a dozen
‘shells’, swung the bait in and then started to
loose feed casters about three times a minute to
start to ‘build up the swim’, explaining that it was
important to gradually add feed to create a bed
that would eventually pull in the better fish. PELLET POWER
He also added that fresh casters are essential,
as you want them to sink quickly to the bottom
and hopefully avoid being snatched by small fish
on the way down.These were also the reasons for
not fishing maggots and for the high frequency
of his initial feeding.
After about 90 minutes it had become clear
that there were very few bigger fish feeding on
the bottom, as Kieron had bagged plenty of small
roach and a few ‘blades’ for his efforts. During
this time there were a lot of fish swirling around
his float as he loose fed – many were small roach,
1 The switch to feeding
4mm carp pellets… 2 … and fishing them on a
band lured the big fish.
....
....
..
p_036-039_cfa_10_kieron.indd 3 21/08/2014 10:33

ASK AN EXPERT
but there was the odd big vortex, as a bigger fish At first Kieron suffered missed bites and
muscled in. pricked fish when he struck. He put this down to
This was the first explanation as to sometimes not lifting the float quickly enough, as there was
why you don’t catch fish where you would too much line between it and the pole tip. He
expect to.Water temperature is a key factor even shortened the rig so that he had just four inches
for silver fish, as they prefer to feed in the upper of line above the float, which meant that the fish
layers when the heat rises, and it had become almost hooked themselves as they attacked the
clear that Kieron’s loose feed had pulled a lot bait. In fact, many did as soon as Kieron dropped
of fish up in the water.A switch to the shallow the pellet in.
rig saw an increase in his catch rate, with a few To look at the water there was no clue that
bigger roach plus the odd 1lb skimmer from no big skimmers were lurking just below the
more than 12 inches below the surface. surface, but the change in bait and tactic saw
Now it’s at this point that many anglers might Kieron regularly putting 1lb-plus fish into his
give up hope of catching big fish, but experience net.The key was to keep the loose feed pinging
had told Kieron that a switch in baits can often in, and although he still suffered the odd missed
bring a change in fortune. bite – mainly from fish all competing for the
Silver fish see a lot of carp pellets on food brushing against the line – his catch rate
commercial venues, with 4mms being the increased markedly compared to the early part of
common feed particles. Roach and skimmers the session.
intercept these small pellets in the same way as The high water temperature had seen the
they chase the casters – it it’ss surprising that any fish feed in the upper layers, but it was still key
loose feed ever gets down to the bottom – and to build the swim up over time and, as is often
bream love them. the case, it paid to switch to a
Placing the casters to one side, Kieron grabbed different bait when the initial
a bag of 4mm pellets, started to feed a dozen or method didn’t bring results.
so over his pole line, and switched back to his However, that’s not to say
bottom
bott
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ig, wh
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h Kieron’s gr ggroundbait
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o
After catching small roach

and ‘blades’ early doors,
Kieron went on to bag
the bigger roach and
skimmers.
.......................................................
...............................................................
.......................................................
....................................................... ...............................................................
...............................................................
p_036-039_cfa_10_kieron.indd 4 21/08/2014 10:33

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p040_CFA_10_Sportsquest.indd 1 18/08/2014 12:36

.................................................................
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.................................................................
.................................................................
QIlooking
have a great-
weir
CFA EXPERT
Name: Darren Cox
Sponsor: Garbolino
ASK AN EXPERT
pool on my local Hometown: Stratford-upon-Avon
club water, but I’m

not sure how to
fish it. Can one of
your experts help, KEEP OUT OF THE
WILD
please?
Paul Littlewood
Hometown: Stratford-upon-Avon
Age: 15
Favourite species: Chub
WATER
....................
....................
....................
....................
Sounds like a
A venue that our
expert Darren Cox is
familiar with, so we’ve
asked him to help out.
Words and photos: Steve Martin
Garbolino’s Darren Cox points you in the right

direction to tackle weir-pool eddies.
The large eddy

created at the edge
of the heavy flow acts
as a food trap, which
attracts all manner of
species looking for an
easy meal.
The fast water

from the weir meets
the main flow coming
from Darren’s right, to
create a fast-flowing
current at his feet,
which puts extra
pressure on his hook-
hold when playing
fish.
Set the rod tip high to

keep the main line out of
the fast-flowing water.
41
p_041-045_cfa_10_cox.indd 1 19/08/2014 12:30

ASK AN EXPERT
W
eir pools are a wonderland DARREN’S SWEET RIVER MIX
when it comes to the A slightly dark mix is best on the
river, with hemp for added fizz.
number of species that can Big particles are added, which will
be found lurking in the hold fast in the slower flow.
wild, swirling water. Many
anglers shy away from them, though, as they see
the challenge as a step too far, and places where
more tackle is lost than fish caught. However, if
they stopped a while longer and took the time
to watch the water more closely, they would be
able to get a better picture and start to see where
the water swings away from the angry water to
form slower-flowing eddies, and the discernable
crease that forms where the slower water meets the slow water, so it’s a good idea to try and
the fast flow. cast a feeder as close to that point as possible.
We joined Darren Cox at Lucy’s Mill weir on However, it’s not plain sailing, as often weir pools
the Warwickshire Avon at Stratford-upon-Avon, are covered with rocks on the riverbed, which
where he not only had to contend with the have either been exposed by the raging waters
water from the weir coming straight across the or added deliberately by the water authority to
river from the far bank, there was also the added prevent erosion.
flow from the lock and second weir upstream Before adding a feeder, Darren clipped a 50g
that added to the power of the water that flowed weight to his swivel and cast as close to the edge
at his feet. of the pool’s flow as he dared. He then placed
the rod in a rest and watched the rod tip to see
The dark groundbait was if the lead stayed put, or was dragged off by the
flow.After three or four casts he found an area
also fishmeal-free, as Darren where the weight would settle – around a metre
in from the main flow – and a depth that he
wanted to catch “every fish in estimated at around nine to 10 feet. He wasn’t
the swim.” finished yet, though, as he then started to drag
the weight slowly along the riverbed to ensure
On arrival, Darren set his box up so that he he had found a clear bottom to fish over. Only
was positioned downstream of the main flow when he was happy that he would avoid the
from the weir, just below the large eddy on the snags did he clip on the open-ended feeder and
far bank that was to be his target area for the attach his hook link.
session.The quiet water was in stark contrast to Lucy’s Mill weir is well known for its bream,
the slightly coloured water that raced past him at so the coloured water meant that the conditions
his feet, which, he pointed out, might cause him were ideal to fish for them. It also dictated the
a few problems when it came to netting fish. It groundbait mix that Darren used for the session.
also didn’t help that the days prior to the session His recipe for the day was half a bag of a sweet-
had seen some of the heaviest rainfall of the late smelling feed, to which he added half a bag of
summer, and it was cold water too. a slightly darker mix that contained plenty of
Setting up his 13ft feeder rod, Darren hemp particles.This, he explained, would give
explained that, by their nature, weir-pool eddies of plenty of smell and would fizz to create an
collect a lot of food, as it drops down to the attractive trail in the flow.The feed was also
riverbed in the quieter water. It’s little wonder fishmeal-free, as Darren wanted to catch “every
then that fish will congregate there in numbers fish in the swim,” and if he had used a fishmeal-
for a feast. He also added that much of the food based feed it would put off some of the smaller
falls at the edge, where the fast current meets species. If small fish ‘ragging’ his hook bait did
IN THE FEEDER
1 Always carry a selection to

cover different flow rates. 2 Initially, fill the feeder with
plenty of casters… 3 … and plug both ends
firmly with groundbait. 4
Fish a particle-laced feed
for the rest of the session.
p_041-045_cfa_10_cox.indd 2 19/08/2014 12:30

TOP Slowly drag a lead around
your swim before you
ASK AN EXPERT
TIP start fishing, to ensure it Your questions answered
is clear of snags.
GEAR FOR THE RIVER
1 A powerful rod is
needed to cope with the
heavy flow.
2 Darren’s line choice is
8lb Shimano Technium
mono.
3 The feeder and swivel
are stopped by a tiny
bead on a twizzled loop.
Target the eddies at the

side of the main flow if
you want to get the very
best from weir pools.
p_041-045_cfa_10_cox.indd 3 19/08/2014 12:30

ASK AN EXPERT
Overall it was pester him he might add a few dampened micro

a disappointing pellets for a quick halibut boost.Then, as he was
session, but Darren
did catch eight
looking to catch on the bottom, he added two
different species big handfuls of hemp to ensure some bigger
from the river. particles were left once much of the groundbait
had dispersed in the flow.
A further look at Darren’s setup for the
session revealed that he had clipped on quite a
heavy feeder. He explained that he wanted to
use more weight than he would normally need,
as he would be casting quite close to the flow.
And, as it was not a critically balanced setup, he
would be looking for the tip to pull round when
a fish took the bait. He added that he could not
fish with a lighter feeder and a bow in the line
due to the heavy flow at his feet, which would
quickly pull the feeder away from the eddy. If a
barbel or carp did find the bait there would be a
chance that he would get a drop-back bite, but it
was unlikely.
Before the extra water arrived

Darren hooked and landed a
surprise tench.
The fast-flowing water also created another
problem, as it was key that as much of the main
line was kept out of the water as possible – again
to stop the feeder being dragged away.To achieve
this, Darren had set his feeder arm so that the
rod tip sat high in the air, to keep as much line as
possible off the water until it entered the slacker
water.
The heavy, nearside flow also posed another
problem, as once a fish was hooked Darren
would have no option but to play the
fish across the flow, which, along with
the weight of the fish, would put extra
pressure on a light hook link and
small hook.To help counter this he
attached a 30in 0.18mm Garbo Line
hooklength, to which he had tied a
size 14 Drennan Wide Gape hook.
This may have seemed a bit severe,
but as Darren would be fishing
big baits for bigger specimens,
he wanted the extra security
the ‘overgunned’ tackle would
give.
Bream fishing can be a
waiting game, as a shoal often
takes time to find the feed, so to
‘set the trap’ Darren started the
session with eight or nine quick
casts with the feeder full of casters and
plugged with groundbait, as he wanted to
get some feed down with some big particles.
Once the initial feed was down he switched to
a more groundbait-based feed, to which he had
added some corn, chopped worms and casters to
keep the big-particle theme.
....
He explained that it was important to get ....
a bed of feed down in the early stages, as he ..
p_041-045_cfa_10_cox.indd 4 19/08/2014 12:30

Why not feed Some river species shy away ASK AN EXPERT
with fishmeal
groundbaits?
QA & from fishmeal, so leave it out
for a mixed catch.
expected the flow to wash much of it away to BIG BAITS

produce the flavour trail he wanted to create. He
would recast every five minutes in the first hour
and after that he’d leave the rig out for up to 15
minutes, unless he struck into a fish. It was all a
case of getting the balance right, he said, as he
needed to keep the feed going in but at the same
time he want his hook bait to be fishing as long
as possible.
THE SESSION
The day turned out to be one of mixed fortunes
for Darren, which wasn’t helped by the increased
1 A worm’s head, tipped
with a dead red maggot. 2 Double casters make
for a crunchy morsel. 3 Three dead red
maggots stand out in
coloured water.
flow and rise in water level as the rain from the
previous day made its way downstream.This
extra cold water would certainly have affected
the fish, as they are not happy when the water
temperature changes rapidly.Also, the fresh water
increased the spread of the fast water at his feet.
Initially it was only flowing through a third of
the river’s width, but after two hours the fast
flow had started to spread almost halfway across,
as the level rose. Not only did this affect the fish,
it also dictated where Darren could cast, as the
way the eddy flowed also changed.
Before the extra water arrived Darren hooked
4 Bream have a
weakness when it
comes to lobworms.
5 Add a couple of dead
reds for an even bigger
offering.
6 A heavy grain of
corn sits well on the
riverbed.
and landed a surprise tench of around 4lb.This
was then followed by a much bigger fish, which would have made the perfect end to a difficult formed by Lucy’s Mill weir and they had made
Darren never saw. One of the features of weir day, but luck eluded Darren again – as soon an appearance only a few days earlier. However,
pools is they draw loads of rubbish downstream, as the fish bolted into the fast flow, something the weather of the previous few days and the
and as Darren was just starting to tame the fish gave, and it was crystal clear just what had effects it had on the river made even the best
in the heavy current a large branch snagged the happened when he reeled in.The hook link swims difficult.
line, which added to the already massive strain had again rubbed on rocks, and had given way On another day, Darren’s tactics would have
on his gear. He continued to play the fish as the under the excess pressure. bagged him plenty of fish. He did, however, bag
branch slid closer to his feeder until the hook Live features do not always go to plan, as eight different species during the session, which
pulled, much to his disappointment. Either the conditions can go often against the angler.The shows just what you can catch from weir-pool
close proximity of the branch had spooked the bream Darren was targeting live in the eddy eddies.
fish or the extra weight close to the feeder just
put too much pressure on the hook-hold.
This 4lb-plus tench was
Soon after this the bites slowed with the a surprise catch from the
increased water.Against his better judgement, eddy’s quiet waters.
Darren scaled down in hook size, hook-link
strength and bait size.This worked to a degree,
as he started to catch smaller fish, plus a perch
around the 1lb mark and a reasonable eel.The
issue with the lighter gear was there was always a
chance that if he latched on to a bigger fish the
pressure on the line and hook might result in a
break or hook-pull.
And such was the case as after the next good
fish, which Darren said felt like a bream, was
guided into the heavy current, the pressure was
too much for the hook to hold.
This was turning into a day of frustration,
so it was back on to the heavier gear and, as
he switched, Darren pointed out that not for
the first time that day his hook link had been
chafed as it passed over unseen rocks. It was
an issue that came back to haunt him, as a few
casts later he was into a big bream, which, as
it came to the surface, looked all of 6lb.This
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p_041-045_cfa_10_cox.indd 5 19/08/2014 12:30

QA &
Your questions answered by...
ALAN STAGG BIG-FISH HUNTER
All-rounder Alan is one of this country’s top
specialist anglers and a regular Drennan Cup
weekly winner, who narrowly missed winning
the coveted crown in 2011. Here he answers
your specialist angling questions.
SPECIMEN ANGLER
.............
............. Send your coarse fishing question to Alan Stagg at ..................................................................................................
..................................................................................................
.............
............. ..................................................................................................
..................................................................................................
Q
When buying prawns the hook point is proud. When I also like to add lots of the uncommon to have action
for perch fishing, it comes to loose feed I find a soil that the worms come in while I’m spodding over the top
which size is best mixture of mini prawns, which into the mix, which has two of my hook baits.
to feed and which is I like to dice into small pieces, advantages. Firstly, it forms Don’t be afraid to experiment
best for the hook? red maggots and chopped a lovely cloud in the water with adding flavours to your
Grant Potter, via e-mail worms takes some beating. column and secondly, this prawns to give them an added
cloud provides a great marker boost. One particular flavour
Alan says: Prawns are of exactly where you need to I have done very well on is
a fantastic bait when cast to. Whether I am fishing Worm & Shrimp from
targeting perch and such is in close or at any range, Enterprise Tackle.
their effectiveness and my I always introduce Food-colouring
confidence in them that I now my feed via a spod. dyes can also
use prawns almost exclusively This helps to keep be added to
for this species. A trip to the the feed in a boost their
supermarket will see all manner nice tight area, attraction.
of hook baits at your disposal, and don’t be
but I prefer to use large king mistaken
prawns as hook bait and mini or in thinking
baby prawns as loose feed. perch are
They are a very user-friendly afraid of
bait — I simply hook them the sound
through the side, making sure — it’s not
p_046-047_cfa_10_Q&A AS.indd 1 19/08/2014 12:31

Q&A
SPECIMEN ANGLER
Q I’ve been told that roach

like flavoured maggots.
difference to my results. Now
whether adding additional
What are the best options, and attraction to my loose feed and
how do you add the flavours to hook baits made a difference to
the bait? the roach, or just my confidence,
Archie Masters, via e-mail I don’t know, but it certainly
improved my catch rates.
Alan says: I’m a big fan of I tend to steer clear of
sprucing up maggots when liquid flavours (which can
targeting species like roach and be very concentrated) and I
rudd. I experimented extensively favour powders such as krill
several years ago and found or Feedstim XP powder. After
that certain edges made a big purchasing my maggots, I simply
remove any sawdust or maize
by running the maggots through
a riddle. It is then a simple
case of sprinkling on a liberal
amount, making sure to cover
the maggots evenly. If possible
I like to do this the day or night
.... before I am intending to fish.
....
..
Q With barbel, how many days in advance would you prebait a
swim before starting to fish?
Steve Andrews, via e-mail
Q I want to make my own
baits as I’ve been told
the rolling process, and now is
the time to add a very small
Alan says: Prebaiting for barbel is always worth the effort and can
that they are better than shop- amount of base mix. A good test
often lead to some great results. Steer clear of pressured areas or
bought baits, which are full of to check if the paste is right
well-worn swims and never bait areas that might be detrimental to
preservatives. How do I start? is to stick your finger into the
fellow anglers.
Frank Miller, via e-mail mix — if nothing is on it when
I follow two general rules when prebaiting rivers, which depends
it’s removed, it’s time to start
on how many barbel I think the river/stretch I am fishing contains.
Alan says: Making your own the rolling process. It should
On productive stretches I find prebaiting the night before will often
bait is dead simple. However, resemble the texture and feel of
give enough time to attract fish in numbers and build up plenty of
there are a few key items that Plasticine.
confidence. However, on stretches that contain far fewer fish I tend to
are essential if you are going The important thing is not to
go on a two-day rule, which gives the fish more time to find the feed.
to make a good job of it. You allow it to dry out. Mould the
Amounts and what you introduce depend again on the fish. I tend
will need a large mixing bowl, a paste into a cylinder shape that
to prefer a mix of 4mm pellets, hemp and a couple of good handfuls
sausage gun, a Gardner Rolaball fits nicely into the sausage gun,
of hook-bait samples such as boilies or large pellets.
Long Base Baitmaker, something with the remainder placed into
to measure your liquids with, a a freezer bag to prevent it from
pan to boil your baits in, a timer, drying out. With a well-behaved
a clean tea towel and some mix, use the same size nozzle
freezer bags. on the sausage gun, as you
First of all crack open the want them to turn out to (some
required amount of eggs into a mixes can expand and will need
bowl — as a general rule, liquids a larger Rolaball). Extrude the
often go in with liquids, so now paste from the gun to lengths
is a great time to add any oils that fit the top Rolaball, which
or flavours and simply beat the keeps waste to a minimum.
eggs until everything is blended. Lay them one at a time across
Now start adding your chosen the rolling table, push firmly
base mix. When you are new to down over the top (keeping hold
bait making, add a little bit at a of the back) and three or four
time as it’s better to take a little sweeps backwards and forwards
longer and get it right rather will result in a handful of boilies.
than adding large amounts of Keep repeating until the gun is
powder and ending up with a empty. Now they are ready to be
sticky, lumpy mix. boiled.
Add a small amount of base With the water bought to
mix and whisk in with a fork. a steady boil, carefully pour
You’ll quickly develop something a smallish amount of boilies Q What are the benefits of
using coated braid hook
uncoated braids. Coated
braids have been very popular
that looks like thick soup; keep into a pan and start the timer links over uncoated braids? in carp and specimen circles
adding base mix little and often (following any instructions on the Mark Billington, via e-mail for a number of years and
until it starts to stiffen up. bait manufacturer’s packaging). sometimes using something a
Soon you will have to Gently stir during this process, Alan says: The benefits of little different from the norm can
abandon the fork, and start which will prevent any from using coated or uncoated braid pay dividends. I’m also a big fan
using your hands to fold the sticking. obviously depends on the of the suppleness that braid has
mix, remembering to add small Once the boiling process is angling situation you have in to offer.
amounts of base mix as you go. finished, scoop them out of the front of you. If you are fishing
The clue that you are almost pan and place them on a clean towards snags or heavy weed
ready is your bowl is going to be tea towel and allow the surface then a coated braid will give you
pretty clean and no excess mix to dry. Every now and again extra security. Uncoated braids
is left. move them around and try not can also offer good anti-tangle
You will now have a ball of to allow them to clump together. properties in comparison to
paste. If the mix still feels tacky Leave the baits until they are coated braids.
or is sticky to the touch, you cool to the touch, or for a couple When it comes to choice,
are not quite ready to start of hours before freezing. wherever possible I prefer
p_046-047_cfa_10_Q&A AS.indd 2 19/08/2014 12:31

E H ERE
DV E RTIS ATES
A R
T G REAT
A
CALL KA
REN ON
01 :
327 315
426
OR
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MAIL: E-
KAREN@
DHPUB.C
O.UK
Stapeley Visit our website for more information:

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p048_CFA_10_Stapeley_Sterling_Karen.indd 1 19/08/2014 12:19

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QI’ve had some

success
CFA EXPERT
Name: Mark Griggs
Sponsors: Middy
ASK AN EXPERT
recently fishing Hometown: Boston
with pellets and

feel I’ve got to
grips with the
basics. Are there
any other ways
to utilise pellets
to help me catch
more fish on my
local commercial?
Chris Johns
Hometown: Warwick
Age: 43
Favourite species: Rudd
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....................................................................................
The great thing

A about pellets
is that they are
incredibly versatile
and, once you know
the basics regarding
preparation and
hooking them, there
are loads of variations
in the way you can
fish them to maximise
your catches.
We asked top
match angler and
last year’s Fish 4 5k
winner Mark Griggs to
show us his favourite
methods, and joined
him at Lincolnshire’s
Westwood Lakes for a
lesson in the fine art
of pellet fishing…
SLOPPY
PELLETS Photos: Craig Butterfield
Want to add a twist to your pellet fishing?

Our advice is to get sloppy and get catching.
10
p_049-052_cfa_10_Middy.indd 1 21/08/2014 10:34

ASK AN EXPERT
T
here are many ways to fish pellets the water and soften up. the confidence to feed in close.
and every top angler has their At this point I take out a few for the hook I’ve set up two rigs: one for the deeper
preferred choice. For me, on and feeding and then the rest are drained on a water where I have around four feet of water
mixed fisheries such as here at fine-meshed riddle. I use a pinkie riddle as I like and one for the margins where it’s just over
Westwood Lakes, pellet slop really my slop particles quite fine, but using a standard- 18 inches deep. My margin rig carries a 4x12
is a brilliant bait. sized maggot riddle can be equally effective. Middy Styrex 1 float and a heavier 4x14 Middy
Not only is it a fantastic bait but it’s also cheap Once the majority of the water has drained Carp Grey for the deeper swim. My main
– for a normal session a bag of expander pellets off I place the riddle and pellets over a bowl line is 0.16mm Middy Lo-Viz to a 0.14mm
and a selection of hook baits is all you will need, and then use my hand to push the soft pellets hooklength and hook choice is a size 16 Middy
so you can catch huge weights of fish for less through the mesh.This gives the perfect feed 93-13.This wide-gape hook is perfect for pellets
than £5. that can be cupped in loose, formed into balls for and enables me to switch between my different
For the hook I have brought 6mm and 8mm deeper swims or fed by hand. sizes of hook bait.
expander pellets that have been pumped to I’m on Skylark Lake today and with the As the lake holds a good head of fish to
soften them so they can be easily hooked. I’ll weather warm and the fish active I’m going double figures and some big barbel I’m taking
also take out a handful of softened 4mm pellets to target two swims, but both at short range. no chances with my elastic, and I’ve opted for
before I prepare my slop, to give me another The first, and my starting swim, will be at the a Middy 12-14 Shockcore hollow through a
hook bait and feed option. bottom of the near shelf, which is a brilliant area puller kit.
The pellet slop is incredibly simple to prepare; to target.The fish will feel safer here than in I’m starting the session by feeding regular, small
it’s exactly the same process as preparing your the margins early in the session and it’s a natural balls of slop by hand on my swim into the deeper
hook baits but just in larger quantities. I pump a spot for fish to feed.While fishing this I’ll also water. Giving them a squeeze ensures they don’t
bag of 4mm pellets in batches and then just leave be feeding my margin swim to hopefully catch break up until the lower layers, ensuring the fish
them in a shallow bowl of water to fully absorb some bigger fish later in the session as they gain feed on the bottom where they are easier
FISH IT
Westwood Lakes
Five House Lane, Boston,
Lincolnshire PE21 7JA
Tel: 01205 724162
E-mail: enquiries@
westwoodlakes.co.uk
Day tickets: £6
Another raging carp is

brought to Mark’s net.
p_049-052_cfa_10_Middy.indd 2 21/08/2014 10:34

What pellets You need to use prepared ASK AN EXPERT
should I use to
make slop?
QA & expanders as they will break down
easily in the riddle.
MAKE SLOPPY PELLETS
1 Everything you need to

make a batch of sloppy
pellets.
2 Put your expanders in your
pump pot and cover in
lake water.
3 Pump them as usual so
that they take on water
and can be mushed up.
4 Once you’ve got enough
expanders for what you
need, put them in a bowl.
5 Get your riddle and pour

the pellets on to it and
place the bowl underneath.
6 Now push your expanders
through the riddle mesh
to mush them up.
7 Your slop shouldn’t be too
fine, but should give off
plenty of cloud and attraction.
p_049-052_cfa_10_Middy.indd 3 21/08/2014 10:34

ASK AN EXPERT TOP To bag the bigger fish in your swim try
swapping to a larger pellet and waiting
Your questions answered TIP longer for a bite.
to catch. I’ve also put a large cup of loose slop in my first bite is rewarded with several metres minutes I’m guiding a carp over my waiting
the margins in the hope that the fish will settle of elastic being pulled from the pole. By using net.The action is fast and furious and I’m soon
over this bait later on and I can increase my the puller kit I’m able to beat the culprit into adding more carp and tench to my catch – it
catch. netting range and slip the net under a stunning seems that the more regularly I feed the more I
It takes just 10 minutes before I get my first 4lb barbel.The bigger pellet seems to be catch, which is a sure sign that the fish are really
bite – a small tench that has taken a liking to working and in the next hour I add several carp getting their heads down to feed on all of the
my 6mm-pellet hook bait. Once I start getting to 4lb to my catch. small particles of slop.
indications I’ll feed a small ball of the pellet slop The lure of the margins eventually becomes I’m over the moon to end the day with close
after every fish; this helps them settle after the too much and, having seen several fish swirl, to 100lb of fish; I’ve had carp, tench, bream,
disturbance of one of their mates going missing! I’m keen to have a go. I’ve fitted a small pot on barbel and crucians, which really goes to show
I’ve had quite a few small carp and barbel my pole and I’ll be feeding a pot of slop and how versatile and diverse pellets can be.We
now and, in the hope of catching some bigger a few loose 4mm expanders in the margins all know they’re a great fish catcher but, as
fish, I’m going to try my secret bait – a big 8mm regularly to try to give the fish an area to feed with any bait, once you get to grips with the
expander. over. basics the possibilities for experimentation are
It does take a little while longer to work but The action is almost instant and within five endless… and so are the bites.
Does the sloppy pellet

approach work? Here’s
your answer.
Mark’s bait tray is simple

but deadly effective.
Tackle is simple and

strong to tame carp.
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p_049-052_cfa_10_Middy.indd 4 21/08/2014 10:34

BEST PRICES
IN THE UK
THIS AUTUMN
0208 949 3307
WWW.TACKLEFANATICS.CO.UK
E M AT
IC
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PR
 
U
E
G
AR
E
ANT
Beginner’s
GUIDE
We all have to start
NETS
somewhere, and getting the
basic angling skills right is all
part of getting more out of
your sport over a lifetime.
Coarse Fishing Answers’
Beginner’s Guide will give you
the grounding you need to
develop the right skills that will
help you catch more fish.
Whether for landing or keeping fish,

nets are some of the most important
tools in your fishing kit.
W
hatever kind of supporting the creature – which is why
coarse fishing you you can play big fish on light lines.
do, at some point Try lifting that fish clear of the water,
you will need to though, and all of its weight will act on
use a net. Mainly your line, and it won’t be long before it
this is for landing fish, but for some snaps.Which is where the net comes in.
pleasure sessions, or if you fancy trying Being mesh you can push a landing
your hand at a match, a keepnet will net through the water without taking a
also be on the agenda. load of it with you. Get it under a fish
and lift and it then takes the weight of
LANDING NETS the fish as you lift it on to the bank,
Landing nets are essential for safely instead of the line.
getting fish of more than a few ounces Because they’re essential for all
to the bank. In the water the whole disciplines of coarse fishing, landing
weight of a fish isn’t being put on nets come in a range of shapes and
your line because the wet stuff is sizes.The two most common shapes
SITTING RIGHT
Don’t just throw your net out ESCAPEES
and hope for the best. Make Make sure the top of your
sure it’s sitting correctly in keepnet isn’t too close to
the water to maximise the the water as some fish have
space in it for the fish you the habit of leaping out of
catch. This might mean the mouths of nets and back
pegging the other end of it into the water.
out in the water if you can.
p_054-058_cfa_10_beginner.indd 1 21/08/2014 10:29

LEARN THE BASICS
Catch More
are the spoon and the triangle.

The spoon is a rounded net with
a frame that goes all the way, and MESH
is more suited to small fish and With modern angling being very
much about the protection of the
commercial carp. A triangular net
fish we catch there have been great
gives a large diameter at the front, developments in the field of net mesh.
and using just two arms spread out Tighter micromeshes that cause
either side to support the mesh less damage to scales are great for
they’re also lighter for their size, commercials and natural venues where
you’re after smaller fish. For rivers with a
making them more suited to larger flow you’re better off with a larger-gauge
specimen fish. mesh to allow the water to run through
it and so not pull the net away from you.
KEEPNETS For lure and predator fishing, more and
more manufacturers are using
Keepnets are designed to allow
rubberised mesh to prevent
you to hold the fish that you catch, trebles catching in them.
either to admire as a whole at the
end of a pleasure session, to weigh
them in at the end of a match or, in
some cases, to stop them going back
DEPTH
out into your swim and spooking The larger the fish you’re looking to
the other fish. catch the deeper your net should be as
Shapewise keepnets have evolved this allows a larger fish to ‘fold up’ into
from being round to now being the mesh.
rectangular in their profile (although
you can still buy a small number of
rounded nets), with rectangular nets SPOON
Spoons are best for smaller fish, ideally
being more efficient in terms of the
up to around double figures and so,
amount of water in them when laid with a few exceptions, aren’t available in
out on the bed of a lake or river. huge sizes. Their complete frame around
As with the landing nets the mesh the outside of the mesh makes them
used has got better too. Fish-friendly stronger than triangle nets so you can
lift the fish out more easily with the
micromesh that doesn’t catch fins frame instead of gripping the mesh and
and scales has made things much using that to lift.
better.
TRIANGLE
Designed more for specimen fish, a
triangular net uses two arms to support
the mesh, with a cord across the front
instead of a solid bar. The arms are
held in place via a spreader block, and
their design means triangular nets can
be broken down for transportation and
storage.

HARRY AND CHAY
This father-and-son duo are mad-keen anglers.
Beginner’s Chay, a fully qualified level 2 angling coach and
GUIDE angler for many decades, is teaching his 12-year-

old son and budding fisherman, Harry, the ropes.
A
s our novice angler, 12-year-old move – even if the delicate line that he’s using until the fish is beaten; you’ll usually know when
Harry Jackson, hooks another holds, one twitch from the fish and the hook- this is as the fish will come to the surface and
chunky rudd on his pole his hold that is now under a lot of pressure would look like they’re taking a breath.When they sit
elastic pulls out, he brings the fish pull and he’ll lose the fish. on the surface and can be pulled towards the net,
to the surface and he scoops up Using a net, though, allows you to lift the fish that’s the time to net them.”
the flapping golden fish in his landing net. It’s a from the water with no stress on your tackle and With any fish it’s good practice to have the
perfect demonstration that however, wherever in an enclosure that the fish won’t escape from. net waiting in the water just before you need
and whatever you’re fishing for, a landing net is With his fish netted, unhooked and popped in it. Don’t be tempted to ‘stab’ at the fish when
an essential item of tackle. his keepnet (which we’ll come back to) Harry it comes to the time to net it – put the net out
The reason that a landing net is essential is ships out again to take a slightly larger fish on the where you need it to be and pull the fish over it;
to do with water.When a fish is in the water drop.This one takes longer to play to the surface there’s less chance of losing the fish that way.
it doesn’t weigh what it does when it’s out on on the light elastic, but once it does come up Once you have the fish over the net lift the
the bank – its weight is supported by the water Harry’s dad and angling mentor, Chay, talks him mesh up to enclose the fish, but don’t keep lifting
around it, meaning that you can play a 10lb carp through netting the fish. because in most circumstances you’ll put a lot of
on 2lb line and still beat it. “Don’t try netting a fish before it’s ready stress on your landing-net handle. Instead, pull
Get that same fish to the surface and try and because your net will just get in the way and the fish back in the net along the surface so the
lift it out of the water, though, and your 2lb line you’ll either scare it into making another run water can still support its weight, and then lift the
has no chance. Even with Harry’s fish of 10oz or where you could lose it, or you could knock it whole lot up using the net itself when it’s close
so, lifting it to hand from the water is not a clever off altogether,” he explains.“The key is to wait enough.
USING YOUR
NETS Don’t just take them for granted, learn to use your nets
and you’ll get more out of your fishing.

LEARN THE BASICS
Catch More
Harry does as his dad instructs and makes the them out into the water.There’s less chance of
perfect job of it, lifting the net with the fish into you dropping or losing the fish than if you move
his lap for unhooking.“Keep the net on your lap them in your hands, and it’s better for the fish.”
supported either side by your legs when you’re Given this information it becomes obvious
unhooking a fish,” Chay continues.“That way, if why, when setting up, Chay positioned
you drop the fish it falls back into the net and not Harry’s keepnet so close to his
back into the water or on to the floor where it seatbox.All Harry has to do after
can damage itself.” unhooking his fish is turn
For the same reasons Chay also slightly to his left and
passes on another tip to his THINK FLOW gently lower it into
protégé.“Even with smaller When fishing on a river the waiting mesh.
fish that you’ve had to use a always have your keepnet
But that’s not all
positioned lengthways so
landing net for, the best way that it goes with the flow. you have to
to put them in the keepnet is The fish will always sit consider when it
to keep them in the landing pointing upstream, so this comes to your
net,” he explains.“Lift them will make them the most keepnet.
comfortable while they’re in
up and into the opening of the As a pleasure
the net.
keepnet, grab the mesh at the angler it’s not an
bottom of the landing net and roll essential item,

Beginner’s
GUIDE
but there’s something very satisfying to see all of to have a full covering of water so that the fish water as quickly as possible,” he explains.“Also,
your angling achievements together before you have the maximum amount of room to move the less you handle the fish the better.”
put your day’s catch back.With this in mind, then, around in. Ideally the net will have enough water When Harry reaches the bottom section of the
fish welfare should always be at the front of your over it so that you can’t see the fish as this will keepnet as he pulls it from the water, the flurry
mind when using a keepnet. mean they’ll be less stressed.Where you can, using of activity shows he’s not been too shabby in the
The first thing to think of is using the right a bankstick to stake out the end of the keepnet catching department. On the bank he has around
kind of net for the fish you’re catching.A short will also help to maximise the space in the net 8lb to 10lb of rudd and roach, which he soon has
silver-fish net is perfect for a canal when you’re for the fish. to return to the water.
targeting roach, perch and gudgeon, but no good Once you’ve finished your fishing session and “The worst thing you can do is just upend
if you’re catching large numbers of bream or carp, are ready to take in and return your catch there the keepnet and roll the fish down the mesh and
which will need much more room. are a few things to remember, as Chay tells Harry. back into the water, as this will damage the fish,”
Then there’s the amount of water that covers “You need to look after the fish, so with that Chay tells him.“You also don’t want to grab each
the net. It’s no good throwing your keepnet into in mind you need to get fish by hand and throw them back in because
a few inches of water – at the very least it needs them back into the this isn’t great for them.” Instead, with all the fish
in the last section of the keepnet, Chay bunches
up the upper sections and pops the frame of the
net just above the fish through the bunched-up
top sections.This effectively shortens the net,
which means that Harry can now just hold it in
the water and allow his catch to swim away with
minimum stress to the fish.“Always remember to
check your net for any stragglers that didn’t find
their way out,” adds Chay, as he pats Harry on the
back for a job well done.
For safety use your landing-net
head to put fish in your keepnet.
Harry safely
returns his catch
using his keepnet.
When a fish is ready to net it

will come to the surface.
GOOD TIMING
A keepnet is not the
ideal environment for
fish so don’t keep them
in there for too long.
A good rule of thumb
is to return your catch
after a maximum of
five hours.
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.......................................................... Send your coarse fishing question to us at ...............................................................
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...............................................................

A CHANGE OF
TACTICS IS OFTEN
THE KEY TO SUCCESS
…as is a change
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CATCH MORE
10
STEPS
TO CATCHING
BIG PERCH
BAIT VENUES
01 There are three go-to baits for
big perch. If you’re exploring a
new water lures are a great option,
02 You can’t catch a big perch if
they’re not there, so do your
research before you fish. Some of
then once you’ve found your fish the best people to speak to are
try worms or livebaits — the latter match anglers — big stripeys have a
work best where there hasn’t been habit of showing up in competitions.
too much angling pressure. Have a stroll down the bank at the
However, another brilliant bait weigh-in and see what’s turned up;
that has caught a lot of big perch you’ll normally even be able to find
over the last decade is prawns, out what bait and peg they were
which they just seem to love. caught on.
Big perch can turn up anywhere,
so also don’t be afraid to do a
SWIM SELECTION bit of pioneering on new waters
where these fish might not be
03 Big perch have become
big because they feed on
the richest food there is in the
getting too much pressure. You
never know what even the
water they inhabit — other fish. smallest of waters could
As predators they’ll be looking throw up.
to ambush their prey, so look for
them in spots that give them the
cover they’re after. Structure such
as sunken trees, rocks, roots, reed
beds or anything they can hide in
or against to get the element of
surprise is worth looking at.
Also think about light; dark
corners and any shade over
structure are great bets for perch —
with their superb eyesight they like
to have the advantage of low light
levels over their prey.
PLAYING
04 Strike into a bite and if you’ve got a big perch on the
other end you almost instantly feel that powerful
nodding along the rod as the fish shakes its head to try
and dislodge the hook. Although big perch aren’t in the
realms of carp or barbel when it come to their fighting
prowess you need to play them with respect as their bony
mouths don’t always give the best of hook-holds — so make
sure your hooks are nice and sharp before you cast out.
p_060-061_cfa_10_steps to.indd 1 19/08/2014 12:34

CATCH MORE
TACKLE
05 If you’re after specimen perch then you will
need to strike a balance between being able to
control and land what could be a fish of a lifetime
and not going so strong that you risk pulling out of
hook-holds. A specimen rod of between 1lb and 1.5lb
test curve will work for all perch fishing, matched
with a 4000-sized fixed-spool reel.
When it comes to bite indication, floats and
quivertips work but if you’re going down the bite-
alarm route remember that the species doesn’t like
resistance, meaning lighter bobbins are a good idea.
If you’re fishing worms or prawns then you can
get away with a normal hook link, but if you’re
presenting livebaits or lures and there are pike
around you will want to include a low-poundage wire
trace.
WHAT IS A BIG PERCH?

06 Bring a specimen perch up to the surface
and almost every time you’ll swear it’s
bigger than it actually is. With their gills and
fins flaring, big perch look huge, but to claim
that you’ve really caught a specimen you’re
looking to have banked a fish of over 2lb. Net
one at 3lb or over and you’ve a very healthy
PB; over 4lb and that is a fish of a lifetime.
There are more and more bigger fish around
as the species thrives in a multitude of venue
types across the country. The record now
stands at a few ounces over 6lb, which is just
monstrous.
FEEDING
07 Although big perch are predators, quite often
it can pay to feed your swim more like a silver-
fish angler, to draw your chosen quarry in. Create a
swim that’s full of roach, gudgeon, small perch and
other tasty targets for big stripeys and they will not
be far away.
To do this you’ll need groundbait, maggots and
chopped worms to get the little fish competing.
There’s also a great secret ingredient that has
been used by perch anglers for years — molehill soil.
Having a diet of mainly worms the mole doesn’t just
push earth out of its tunnels, but mole dung loaded
with worm enzymes that drive fish, especially perch,
crazy.
WHERE THERE’S ONE…

TIMING
08 Perch have brilliant
eyesight, as most
09 Up to a certain size big perch will
still be shoal fish. This often means
that where you’ve found one decent fish
predators do, and, to there could well be others of a similar
make the best use of size. Because of this, if you’re fishing a
that to make them a more intimate venue it might be a good
more effective hunter, idea to hold fish in a keepnet to prevent
they will feed in light them spooking the rest of the shoal.
levels that put their prey
at a disadvantage. This,
then, sees perch feed
most ferociously at dawn TWITCH IT
and dusk, or on bright
days when the light 10 A great tip to try and induce a
bite is to twitch your bait. Quite
often big perch will hold near to a bait,
levels drop suddenly due
to cloud cover. just keeping an eye on it, but without
It’s incredible how fast actually taking it. However, give that bait
perch can just switch a twitch and all of a sudden the perch
on into a feeding frenzy, thinks its easy meal might be heading
so use the light to your for the hills, giving it little choice but to
angling advantage. gulp it down.
p_060-061_cfa_10_steps to.indd 2 19/08/2014 12:34

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QItocannot
pile in
afford CFA EXPERT
Name: Jon Arthur
Sponsor: Drennan
ASK AN EXPERT
groundbait, meat Hometown: Oxford
and maggots
down the margins
RATTLE IN
on my local lake
like some anglers
do, but that’s
where all the big
carp are being
caught. Is there
a less expensive
alternative that
I can use to still
catch my fair
THE 8MMS!
share?
Ricky Jackson
Jon Arthur shows you a
Hometown: Leeds
Age: 37 devilishly simple way of
catching quality carp down the
................................
................................
................................
................................
A There are a few

options here Ricky,
margins… and all you need is a
but top commercial single bag of 8mm pellets!
angler Jon Arthur has
one that will definitely
help with your carp
catching — here’s what
he had to say about it.
FISH IT
Meadowlands Fishery
Location: Oxford Road,
Ryton-on-Dunsmore,
Coventry CV8 3EG
Contact: 07909 843561
Jon pings in hard 8mm

pellets to make plenty
of noise on the surface.
10
p_063-066_cfa_10_drennan.indd 1 19/08/2014 12:35

ASK AN EXPERT
D
umping in potfuls of groundbait
down the edge might be all the A banded 8mm is all that’s
needed on the hook.
rage on commercials these days,
but it’s definitely not the be-all
and end-all of margin fishing.As
our reader points out it can also be an expensive
old game based on the amount of bait you put
in – but there are ways around that.To show you
how you can still catch big without worrying
your wallet, Drennan’s Jon Arthur has loaded up
with hard 8mm pellets and headed to Coventry’s
Meadowlands Fishery to take on the impressively
hard-fighting fish of the venue’s Lambsdown
Lake.
WISING UP
The rigs are basic but they work,
Carp in commercial fisheries are getting with strong components being key.
increasingly bigger, older and wiser.That
means they definitely learn to associate certain
feeding practices with getting caught. Feeding It’s typically much later in the evenings when The beauty of 8mm pellets is that they make
groundbait down the margins has been one of these fish finally decide to feed with confidence. a great fish-attracting rattle on the surface.This
the most devastating edge methods for a long That tells me it’s time for something different.” must travel a long way through the water to
time, but even that isn’t always right these days. It alert fish in the area and because of this there’s
works because it creates a rich carpet of feed on WHY HARD PELLETS? little to match an 8mm for noise.A bed of these
the bottom for the fish to cloud up and forage Practically every coarse fish in our commercial pellets on the bottom also creates a frenzy in
through – but on some waters it’s starting to lose fisheries has been brought up on a pellet the swim.They act like a gobstopper to the
its edge. diet. Even the roach and skimmers smaller fish as they frantically try to get at
“More and more, recently, I’ve witnessed are ravenous for pellets.There’s a them and Jon’s sure the target carp
quality fish being clearly attracted by a bed of massive head of silver fish here at GO SHALLOW! must be encouraged by all this
groundbait, but not settling over it,” explains Jon. Meadowlands, for instance, and The regular peppering of commotion and come in to
8mms will also encourage fish
“Instead they swirl and quickly bow wave away. they’re like piranhas at this investigate.
to take the bait seconds after
time of year.“Quite often it has hit the water. Don’t be Big pellets also allow you
you can reel in a hard-pellet afraid to occasionally push to get away with bigger
hook bait to find the edges the float down the line and hooks and stronger line,
completely whittled away,” fish well off the bottom. Today which makes extracting big
Jon had two of his biggest
smiles Jon. fish just 12 inches deep in two
‘edge dwellers’ so much easier.
For this reason you need feet of water.
to be feeding hard pellets, not TACKLING UP
soft, in summer – they need For getting among the bigger fish
to be as big and small-fish-proof today Jon has a no-nonsense pole rig
as possible.“One of the most important assembled for his 2ft-deep margin swim. Bite
things is that the carp need time to locate detection is from an ultra-strong 0.2g Drennan
the bait before the nuisance fish can gorge AS4 float and with its thick 2mm bristle it can
on it and, for me, that means hard 8mms all the support the weight of an 8mm pellet if necessary.
way,” he adds. Bites should be ultra-positive so Jon deliberately
leaves plenty of tip showing to help accentuate
detection.
He’s shotted his float very simply with a single
bulk, placing all of the shot under the stem for a
free fall or at half depth for more stability.With
such a large hook bait there really is no need for
any other fancy permutations than that.
Line for the job is 0.20mm Supplex to a
size 14 Power Riggers hook and 0.18mm
hooklength.“I’m actually using pre-tied Power
Bandits hooks to nylon today, which are great for
the job and nice and easy to use,” explains Jon.
The final part of the setup is the elastic.“I
started on pink Drennan Carp Bungee today
but quickly swapped to the stronger red version
after the first three fish,” he tells us.“The carp
are definitely a bit lively and angry today, so
Cheaper than groundbait, hard stouter red Bungee gains me the upper hand a
pellets are a great edge alternative.
bit quicker.”

TOP A great tip is to hold your pole between the join of two sections. This
way you’ll have an easy reference point to help gauge your range and
ASK AN EXPERT
TIP make sure you’re fishing where you need to be. It also helps balance Your questions answered
the pole, lets you search a little bit further past the feed and allows
you to follow any fish that bolt off into the middle of the lake.
Big carp come in close so

fish right up to the bank.
VARY YOUR FEEED

Once you get the carps’ attention vary
or reduce your feed to keep them
interested but increase your chances
of them taking your hook bait.

ASK AN EXPERT
FEEDING PATTERNS things are quiet or to help regroup them. quickly, I try to feed more bait as soon as I’ve
Where possible, Jon likes to keep some Unlike some other edge fishing tactics, hooked a carp,” says Jon as he hooks into a
distance between himself and the fish, so Jon has no problem feeding bait over the good fish.“Then, when I’ve stopped its initial
today’s swim is around 13 metres down the top while he’s actually fishing run and have it under control I will
bank.A decent catapult is essential as he won’t the swim. “The beauty of try and feed again. Failing that,
be feeding anything with a pole pot. “There’s this method is that you’re PLOP IT! I’ll make sure I feed another
no need to kick off with a large amount of feeding a decent area The fish will associate the decent pouch of bait as soon
bait,” he says.“Instead, I’ll simply fire out small of about two metres, sound of your loose-fed 8mms as I have the carp in the
amounts of pellets quite regularly.” rather than the fish with feed, so try mimicking that landing net. This way, you
by lifting and dropping your hook
The actual ratio can vary but there are two fighting over a tightly bait. Regularly plop the hook
are priming the swim
main ways Jon likes to feed.The first is a light concentrated pile bait back in to make a noise. ready for when you ship
peppering of just two to four pellets every of bait,” he explains. Sometimes the fish will prefer back out again.”
minute or so.This can work particularly well “I think that makes the pellet falling straight down, There really isn’t much
while at other times holding it
when he thinks there are already fish in the it easier to hold the more to explain than that.
on a tight line so it slowly arcs
swim.The second method is ‘burst feeding’ fish and prevents them through the The 8mm way is simple,
with two full pouches at spooking so easily.The water is better. easy and, as Jon’s haul of
a time.This is used to occasional stray pellet won’t Meadowlands scrappers shows,
draw fish in when harm the swim, either, and also very effective. In fact, as Jon
actually helps to draw more fish feeds and catches the swim just gets
into the area.” better and better and by the end he has at least
The catapult is rarely out of his hand as 20 angry carp to 12lb in his keepnet.“Your
the swim receives a regular peppering readers have got to try this for themselves –
of pellets.“As long as a fish they won’t be disappointed,” Jon smiles as he
doesn’t bolt off too has one last put-in.
GRUB’S UP!
Don’t worry about
overfeeding. It can take
a few hours to reach the
bottom of a typical 800g
to 900g bag of feed pellets,
but that’s actually not a
lot of bait compared to a
bowlful of groundbait!
A great bag of fish on

Jon’s pellet edge tactics.
.......................................................
...............................................................
.......................................................
....................................................... ...............................................................
...............................................................

KNOW YOUR TARGET
www.shakespeare-fishing.co.uk
THINK LIKE A FISH…

THE
GUDGEON
O
ne of the UK’s most diminutive fish commercials and small farm ponds, it’s a species
species, the gudgeon still holds that doesn’t appear as prevalent as it once was,
a special place in the hearts of but always brings a smile to every angler when
most anglers. Found in all water they turn up — no-one ever complains about
types, from big rivers and canals to catching a gudgeon!
LOCATION
Looking like a tiny barbel with their
bottom-feeding-shaped mouths
and sensitive barbels (the little
whiskers that grow around their
mouths), you’ll always find gudgeon
on the bottom. They usually like
to congregate on the top or the
bottom of shelves, especially on
canals and stillwaters.
BAIT
Being small fish, you’re looking at
small baits for them to eat. Pinkies TACKLE
and maggots are the order of the The best way to tackle
day, especially fished over small up for gudgeon is on a
nuggets of dark groundbait. A great TIMING
whip. Fish light and fast Like most fish there are set windows where
tip is to fish with a slightly chewed and once you get them
maggot, or you can squash one they will feed the hardest. With gudgeon
going in the swim you that’s usually around sunset where you’ll get a
under your shoe while it’s on the can catch big numbers
hook. couple of hours’ window of hard feeding as the
of the species. Light light begins to fade. As soon as dark comes,
For some reason gudgeon love it hooklengths and size
— being one of the smallest species though, they’re off, looking for shelter from
18 or 20 hooks with a marauding predators — perch and zander love
in any venues, it probably stems sensitive float are your
from eating the leftovers of the feeding on gudgeon.
best bet.
bigger species.
p_068-069_cfa_10_think like.indd 1 19/08/2014 12:36

KNOW YOUR TARGET
www.shakespeare-fishing.co.uk
.....................................................................
.....................................................................
....................................................................
....................................................................
IDEAL ENVIRONMENT RECORD GUDGEON
Although you’ll find gudgeon all over The British record for the gudgeon
the place, the ideal environment has stood for 24 years and was
for them is fast, shallow and set back in 1990 by a Mr Hull while
clean streams. This is where they fishing the River Nadder in Wiltshire.
naturally belong and where they The fish weighed in at 5oz; not a
will thrive, given half a chance. massive fish but just think about
what a gudgeon of that size would
look like on your hand — simply TOP TIPS
monstrous in comparison to the When fishing for larger fish try
average size for the species! dropping a small amount of bait
Given the small size of the close into the edge to try later on
species, and the fact that it can get for gudgeon. If they’re there when
mistaken for barbel, there’s every you drop in you could have a quick
chance that many contenders for run of fish to put a smile on your
face.
this long-standing record have
actually been thrown back without
.........................................
the captor ever knowing what they Gudgeon are suckers for a bit of
had on the bank. garlic flavour in bait. Try adding
a powdered version of it to
groundbait to draw them in and get
them feeding.
IDENTIFICATION
With a similar body shape, gudgeon are
often mistaken for small barbel especially
on rivers. If you’re not sure of what species
you’ve caught a great rule of thumb is that
gudgeon have only two barbels whereas
barbel have four of them.
WWW.SHAKESPEARE-FISHING.CO.UK
p_068-069_cfa_10_think like.indd 2 19/08/2014 12:36

ASK AN EXPERT
PREDATOR
inside the
Sharpen your skills and get
minds of the UK’s predators.
.......................................................................................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................................................................................
p_070-071_cfa_10_Pred Spec.indd 1 21/08/2014 10:30

ASK AN EXPERT
Coarse Fishing Answers’ December issue

will be packed full of the best tips, ON
tactics and tackle for taking on anything
predatory. Get your questions in now to
SALE
No vember
be answered by the top pike, perch and 12th
zander anglers in the country.
Send all your predator fishing queries to
steve.phillips@dhpub.co.uk
............................................................
............................................................ Send all your predator fishing queries to ...............................................................
...............................................................
............................................................
............................................................ ...............................................................
...............................................................
............................................................ steve.phillips@dhpub.co.uk ...............................................................
71
p_070-071_cfa_10_Pred Spec.indd 2 21/08/2014 10:30

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f there’s one thing
Coarse Fishing Answers
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START
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FISHING
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p_074-075_cfa_10_tackleup2.indd 1 21/08/2014 10:30

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This A6 River Fish notebook from Gift Republic, with its masses
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There are a large number of species swimming in the freshwater
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p_074-075_cfa_10_tackleup2.indd 2 21/08/2014 10:30

TACKLE
Kit to make you go weak at the knees
p_076-077_cfa_10_dreamT.indd 1
DREAM
TACKLE
Flog the house, pawn the dog and remortgage the
missus – you need this in your life!
To really see the beauty

of this rod you need to
‘‘ ‘‘
hook into a barbel.
19/08/2014 12:38
p_076-077_cfa_10_dreamT.indd 2
he saying “You get what (designed to be the right size so ALL ACTION
you pay for” is an age-old that weed on the line will not cause With its luscious deep-green sheen,
phrase because, by and a problem when you’re playing in a classy graphics and tactile cork, just
large, it’s very true. The more fish) and a cork handle featuring Fuji keeping this rod in your tackle shed
T you spend on something, screw-winch reel-seat fittings. to look at would be a worthy enough
the better it tends to be — or at least As with the rest of the rod the reason for buying one, but to really see
you’d hope so. In the case of the Lone handle itself has been well thought the beauty of it you need to hook into
Angler barbel rod, however, hope is out. Measuring 24¾ inches it’s shorter a barbel.
not something you need to worry than your average barbel-rod handle, Our editor owns one of these rods
about. but with good reason as this is and will fish with nothing else for
Designed by the godfather of designed to be held and used (the rod barbel. The action in the 1¾lb-test-
modern barbel fishing, Trefor West, weighs in at 500g) , not just plonked curve rod is sublime, picking up line
this sublime item of tackle is quite in a rod rest, with the shortness with lightning-quick efficiency on the
possibly the finest piece of barbel- allowing it to be easily manoeuvred strike before leaning into the fish with
catching equipment available in the around your body. such a balance of forgiveness and
UK today. And it’s no wonder. One of the most impressive and power it’s quite unbelievable. Thanks to
ultimately attractive aspects of the combination of Trefor’s experience
A QUALITY PRODUCTION the Lone Angler rod, though, is the and Harrison’s technical genius the
The two-piece rod — or the Trefor fact that it is an all-English affair. blank just keeps giving with no hint of
West 12ft Barbel Rod, to give it its full Masterminded by Trefor, who has locking up, even when your arms are
title — is built around the best-quality been tinkering and tweaking this coming out of their sockets.
TREAT YOURSELF
components there are. Forming the model from the bank for well over a So, as we stated at the beginning,
The Lone Angler Trefor West 12ft
heart and soul of the rod are Harrison decade through the application of his you get what you pay for, and in this
Barbel Rod is available direct
carbon blanks finished with precision wealth of barbel angling experience, case that’s one of the finest specimen
from Lone Angler for £250. To buy
in a dark matt green. The blanks then the unit is expertly assembled by rods we’ve ever fished with for a price
yours visit www.loneangler.co.uk
play host to high-quality Seymo rings Harrison Advanced Rods in Liverpool. tag of £250. Worth every penny.
19/08/2014 12:38
PC • M AC • TA B L E T • S M A RT P HONE
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p078_CFA_10_App.indd 1 18/08/2014 12:34

p013_CFA_10_Manor Farm.indd 1 18/08/2014 12:37
p80-81_CFA_Subs_Dynamite Outlined.indd 1 18/08/2014 15:30
p80-81_CFA_Subs_Dynamite Outlined.indd 2 18/08/2014 15:32
p082_CFA_10_Mr Crabtree.indd 1 18/08/2014 12:35
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......................................................................................................
Q Why do
carp anglers
use PVA bags
CFA EXPERT
Name: Alan Stagg
Sponsors: Gardner Tackle, Enterprise Tackle,
CCMoore
ASK AN EXPERT
to target fish?
I’ve seen people
casting them out
on my regular
water and can’t
really understand
how such a small
packet of feed
will work; surely
you’re decreasing
your chances of
catching as it’s
hard for the fish
to find?
Tim Covany
Hometown: Tamworth
Age: 47
Favourite species: Tench
..............................................................
..............................................................
..............................................................
..............................................................
We can tell you

A Tim that, although
we can see where
you’re coming from,
you are very wrong.
In the right hands
the solid PVA bag is a
deadly catcher of carp,
and other species —
you just need to learn
more about it and
we’re sure you’ll be a
convert. To get the
information you need
we spoke to big-fish
expert Alan Stagg.
BAG A
BIG
CARP
Get to grips with PVA and
you’ll be bringing bigger
carp to the bank in no
time.
10
p_083-086_cfa_10_carp.indd 1 21/08/2014 10:31

ASK AN EXPERT
ALL YEAR ROUND

Because with a solid bag
you’re fishing for one bite,
one fish, the PVA bag is a
great year-round method. “In
summer it’s great to be able
to cast into weed, knowing
your rig will still work and you’ll
have good presentation,” says
Alan. “In winter it’s also a great
approach to use smaller bags
and cast around to find where
the fish are.”
T
he PVA bag has become a bit of
a go-to presentation for carpers
over recent years. In terms of
bait presentation it’s pretty much
unbeatable.You’re essentially placing “For bait and rig presentation QUALITY BAGGING
up a bag with feed and your
your hook bait slap bang on top of a pile of feed, it’s very hard to beat what a If you’re going to fish a solid PVA rig and cast it to where you
meaning that once a carp comes across your bait PVA bag can offer you,” bag, the most important thing is to want, then in the water
and starts feeding the chances of you getting a states Alan.“Once you have good-quality bags. With the the bag dissolves away
amount of pressure they get put
take are massively high – but there’s a bit more get the knack of tying to reveal a neat pile of
under when loading, casting and
to it than that. one sorted you will be impacting on the water’s surface feed.
One man who knows the genius of the solid able to cast them pretty they need to be well made, with “The key to a
PVA bag (solid referring to the bags being solid much anywhere to good seams that won’t let you successful PVA bag
rather than mesh) is Gardner Tackle’s Alan Stagg. deliver a very compact down. For the job Alan recommends is how you load it,”
Gardner Tackle’s Standard and Mini
We caught up with him at the prolific Thorpe patch of feed, which will PVA bags — the sizes allow you to
explains Alan.“Not
Lea Fishery, just outside Egham in Surrey, to see draw the fish in and have alternate the amount of feed you only will you get a neat
what he had to say… them feeding over what is cast out depending on the venue pile of feed but do it right
basically a food backdrop to you’re fishing. and you’ll also have your
the cherry on the cake – your rig covered by the feed too,
hook bait.” making a very covert presentation.
At the heart of how a solid PVA bag Tying up a PVA bag for the cameras (see
works is the bag itself. PVA, or polyvinyl the comprehensive step-by-step guide) Alan
alchohol as it’s less takes us through the details that can boost their
Bright commonly known, has effectiveness.
hook baits
the great properties of
are the
cherry on being strong and durable FEED
the top. when dry, but breaks “One of the most important things to remember
down when wet.As soon about your bait is that it shouldn’t have water
as it touches the water the anywhere on it or the bag will start to come
PVA absorbs the wet stuff, apart before you cast, and that will spell disaster,”
which affects its molecular Alan is at pains to point out.“Oils, though, are
bonds to the point where okay, and my favourite feed for a solid bag is a
it just melts and dissipates very oily pellet mix.”
into the lake. Today Alan demonstrates loading his bag using
The ingredients for Alan’s
perfect PVA-bag mix. The advantages of this CC Moore’s Oily Bag Mix.This is a 4mm pellet
are obvious.You can load mix that’s been slightly crushed to give both
p_083-086_cfa_10_carp.indd 2 21/08/2014 10:31

ASK AN EXPERT
BUILD THE PERFECT PVA BAG
1 Take a PVA bag and nick

your hook in the bottom
corner. This will ensure the hook
2 Load the bag with the
crushed-pellet mix to
about a quarter full to create a
3 Push the mix down,
compacting it and making
sure it gets into the corners of
4 Take your lead and place
it on top of the pellets in
the opposite corner to the hook
bait sits where it’s supposed to layer over your hook bait. the bag. — make sure your hook link is
and stays put on the cast. tangle-free in the bag.
5 Now add more pellets over

the top of the lead, again
adding around a quarter of a
6 Compact the layer over
the lead, which will keep
it in place and with its position
7 Looking at the bottom of
the bag you should now
have your bright hook bait
8 Add another layer of mix
and compact it until you
have a sturdy lump in the bag —
bag’s worth. in the bag it will be covered in showing at the bottom corner. leaving enough PVA above the
feed and hidden on the bottom. feed to tie the bag up.
9 With the leader from the

rig at the centre, pinch the
PVA around it and hold it tight.
10 Now twist the PVA
tight around the leader;
at this point a lot of the air will
11 Take a 20cm length of
PVA string and wrap it
around the top of the bag five
12 Tie two overhand knots
in the string and trim
off the ends.
be pushed out of the bag to times to create a tight seal.
make it even more compact.
13 Aerodynamics are very

important to cast a bag,
so you need to sort out the
14 Lightly lick the corners
to add moisture to it,
but don’t overdo it.
15 Now fold the flap over
and hold it down — the
moisture will make it stick to
16 Now trim off the excess
PVA at the top of the
bag, being careful not to cut
flaps at the bottom corners. the main bag. your leader, and you’re ready for
launch.
p_083-086_cfa_10_carp.indd 3 21/08/2014 10:31

ASK AN EXPERT How big a PVA Chose one that will give you
Your questions answered bag should I
use?
QA & enough bait to get one bite
- that’s all you’re fishing for.
pellets and a more grainy element to the feed. want is this small patch of bait HOOK BAIT
“These finer particles of the pellets are perfect to create a large slick that With the feed sorted Alan turns to
for building a good bag as they get into the moves around the water HOOK LINK hook baits, and the rule is the
corners and fill the bag out, plus they stop the on the tow to draw the Use a supple hook link, with brighter the better.“I go for a
uncoated braid being the best
pellets moving around so you can really compact fish in and down on dark feed mix so that I can
choice (Alan opts for Gardner
it all down, making a very solid bag that will cast to it.” Trickster) as a stiffer hook link contrast a bright hook bait
much better,” he tells us. To pep up his will work to push your hook against it,” he explains.“With
One of the most important things with a pellets,Alan adds a bait away from the tight pile a bag, what you’re doing is
bag mix, though, is making it attractive enough glug of CC Moore’s of feed. Use a short hook link fishing for one bite at a time,
of three or four inches as this
to draw fish in.As our reader points out it’s a Slicking Boost liquid will be easier to fit in your bag
not looking to introduce a load
very small patch of bait that fish might miss – – only a small glug is without tangling. of feed to an area to build up a
unless you make it work hard to be irresistible. needed, as it’s potent stuff. swim. Because of this you’re playing
“Oil plays a big part in my PVA bag mix “It’s always good to add your a bit of a numbers game and ideally
and I’ll add it to the CC Moore’s mix, even oil the night before as it gives it you want the carp to take your hook bait
though it’s oily already,” says Alan.“What you longer to absorb, meaning your pellets before anything else.”
will give off a slick for longer, but you can do it To achieve this Alan is looking to figuratively
on the bank if you want and this works just as put a very bright and noticeable cherry, which
well, especially on runs waters where the bites will act like a beacon to the carp, on top of a
will come quicker,” reveals Alan.As well as this dark, attractive cake. His favourite hook baits for
he also adds a dose of powdered krill to the the job are either a pair of Enterprise fake corn
mix, which delivers a very potent grains or a whittled-down fluoro boilie –
fishy attraction that the carp both being balanced so that they just
love. waft around above the hook.
Just one of a
number of fish
that fell to Alan’s
tactics at the
prolific Thorpe Lea.
A well-prepped bag
will cast a long way.
.......................................................
...............................................................
.......................................................
....................................................... ...............................................................
...............................................................
p_083-086_cfa_10_carp.indd 4 21/08/2014 10:32

what’
sin your armoury?
gardnert
ackle.
co.
uk
COMPETITION
Commercial Carp Kit
WIN O
nce you start catching carp
on your local commercial
you’ll have a smile on your
face almost as big as the fish
you’re playing. It’s brilliant fun
that everyone should try at least once in their
angling careers.
Although you can go and catch on a
variety of tackle not designed specifically for
commercial carp, having the right gear really
can make things a lot easier and help you catch
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................ more.Well, here’s your chance to get the gear
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................ that covers all your bases.
In this great giveaway we have up for offer
A BRILLIANT PACKAGE a 13m carp pole package, a margin pole, a
carp feeder rod, a carp waggler rod and two
OF COMMERCIAL reels perfect for casting and cranking in all
conditions.
CARP-CRUNCHING TACKLE
WORTH OVER £697.
HOW TO ENTER Q: What size elastic is the Daiwa Power

Answer the following Margin pole up for grabs here rated to?
question by post to
the address below,
or call 09012 932307 A: 5 B: 12 C: 20
Terms and conditions
The competition runs from midday on September 10th, 2014. Calls will cost £1.03 from a BT land line. Calls from other networks or mobiles may cost
considerably more. Please obtain permission from whoever pays your telephone bill. You can also enter by post. Put your answer on a postcard or sealed-
down envelope, along with your name, address, e-mail and daytime telephone number, and send it to: Commercial Carp Kit Competition, Coarse Fishing
Answers, 1 Whittle Close, Drayton Fields, Daventry, Northants NN11 8RQ. Postal entries must be received five days before the closing date. The winner will be
selected at random from all correct entries received by 11am on October 8th, 2014. This competition is open to UK residents only.
The editor’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
p_088-089_cfa_10_comp.indd 1 19/08/2014 12:41

COMPETITION
Commercial Carp Kit
We’ve reviewed and used all of the gear up

for grabs here so we know it’s great kit that will THE PRIZE PACKAGE
help you get plenty more from your fishing. • Middy Baggin’ Machine CS24 Synaptic Series Pole
The Team Daiwa Power Margin pole, for 13m Package: £294.98
example, is a brilliant piece of kit for hooking • Daiwa Team Daiwa 8m Power Margin Pole: £130
fish down the edge, and with it handling elastic • Middy Baggin’ Machine Carp Feeder Rod: £75
up to a 20 rating you can really mix it with the • Middy Baggin’ Machine Carp Float Rod: £75
bigger fish too. • Drennan Series 7 Carp Method BR 9-30 Reel: £47.95
The good news is that one lucky winner will • Browning Black Magic Burner 640 Reel: £74.95
get to have all of this tackle to play with, and
all you have to do to make that personYOU is
enter the competition below. Good luck.
p_088-089_cfa_10_comp.indd 2 19/08/2014 12:41

GREAT DEALS EXCLUSIVE TO CLIMAX
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Available in sizes: M, L, XL XXL and XXXL
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AFFORDABLE QUALITY MATCH TYPE LUGGAGE
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WEIGHT: Features include:
HD 60in Brolly System: 9kg • HD 50in Brolly System: 7kg • Available in Small (six tube), Medium (eight tube) and Large (10 tube +)
• 1.90m length stores all 16m poles
WYCHWOOD SOLACE
• Long external pocket for net handles and brolly
HD 60IN & 50IN OVAL BROLLY OVERWRAP
• Short external pocket for banksticks, feeder arms and box accessories
Features include: Transforms the HD Brolly into a twin-skin bivvy
• Extremis HD 10,000mm hydrostatic head material, • Full-length zip-on main compartment, adjustable shoulder strap and carry handle.
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CODE DESCRIPTION RRP
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• 1.90m length accommodates two sectioned 12ft rods
• Internal Velcro rod retaining straps
SHIMANO • External pocket for banksticks, feeder arms and box accessories
BEAST MASTER MARGIN POLE • Full-length zip, twin shoulder strap for carrying on your back and carry handle
If you’re confident in your ability and your pole kit, the likelihood is you’ll be catching more fish and GLU015 - L 190cm x W 18cm x D 26cm
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p90_CFA_10_Climax.indd 1 18/08/2014 12:38

TACKLE
The latest gear in focus
..................................................................
..................................................................
..................................................................
..................................................................
..................................................................
GEAR
Looking for top tackle? We’ve got it covered.
..................................................................
..................................................................
..................................................................
..................................................................
..................................................................
SHIMANO BAITRUNNER 10000 ST-RB

Gear ratio: 4.6:1
Weight: 555g
Line capacity: 325 yards of 14lb mono

Gear ratio: 4.6:1
Weight: 555g

Gear ratio: 4.8:1
Weight: 555g

Gear ratio: 4.8:1
Weight: 310g
Line capacity: 240 metres of 0.20mm
mono
01
SHIMANO loads of the features that you would expect responsive free-spool mechanism.
BAITRUNNER ST-RB REELS when buying high-end reels from Shimano, The smaller models would make a great
Price: From £69.99 so you get a lot for the money. choice for the match or river angler when
www.shimano-eu.com The single-ball-bearing reels feature fishing feeder tactics for bigger specimens,
There is a choice of four reels in the brand- an XT7 body and spool, an AR-C line and need the extra security when the bites
new Shimano Baitrunner ST-RB range — 2500, management system, Super Stopper II, are savage. The 6000 and 10000 models will
4000, 6000 and 10000. Many will see these Dyna-Balance and Varispeed. Each reel also sit nicely with carp and predator anglers who
reels as entry-level models, as they come comes with a strong, silky-smooth rear drag like to fish with higher-diameter mono or
with just the single spool, but they feature and long-life bail spring, plus a sensitive and heavy braid lines.
Call 0208 949 3307 ffor

or the UK
UK’s
s best p
prices
www.tacklefanatics.co.uk
p_091-100_cfa_10_tackle.indd 1 21/08/2014 10:33

TACKLE
02 03 04
05
06
................................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................................
02 03 04 05
................................................................................................................................................................................................
06
................................................................................................................................................................................................
ACE SAKURA DYNAMITE 30PLUS GREYS
LUMIN-8 SENSOR MONARC SPINNER THE CRAVE BASE MIX KODEX SPECIMEN MAT PRODIGY TXL
HEADLAMP BAIT & LIQUID KIT AND WEIGH SLING SPECIALIST FLOAT
Price: £24.99 Price: £9.99 Price: £9.99 Price: £32.50 ROD
www.acecarp.com www.sakura-fishing.com www.dynamitebaits.com www.specimen30plus.com Price: £99.99
This super-bright, Spinner baits are one of Developed with the help This mat/sling has been www.greysfishing.com
compact, comfortable the most exciting lures to of top carp angler Terry designed very much with This lightweight, 13ft,
and lightweight headlamp fish with, especially when Hearn, this protein- the mobile angler in mind. three-piece rod has been
is ideal for carp and they are fished just below packed mix is used as a It’s lightweight, has a developed to cover a
specimen fishing. The the surface. This new base for Dynamite’s highly padded central section multitude of float fishing
central XP-C Cree white colourful range comes successful boilie range. and measures 77 by 49 tactics, and its powerful,
LED provides up to 80 in five patterns — Hot However, thanks to its centimetres, so it’s ideal progressive action makes
lumens of brightness, plus Chart, White & Chart, Red fishy ingredients, which for carp in the upper it especially versatile
there are two additional Tiger, Natural Shiner and include tuna meal, sardine doubles along with big when it comes to tackling
smaller LEDs for a more Mazjora — each in four and anchovy meal, specimen barbel, chub, heavy stick-float tactics
subtle light. The great sizes: 7g, 10.5g, 14g and concentrated shrimp tench and bream. The on fast-flowing rivers.
feature on this lamp is 17.5g. The bigger models paste and winterised mat also doubles up as a It’s also the ideal choice
that it can be turned on are ideal for casting salmon oil, it is proving weigh sling, with a full zip when it comes to big
and off simply by waving longer distances. a big hit with specialist and strong handles fitted waggler floats, as it’s
your hand across the Each lure comes with anglers who prefer to to allow it to be lifted on rated to cast up to 20g if
lamp’s sensor. There is a weighted head with make their own hook to scales with the fish required.
also an on/off switch. muppet-type strands that baits for barbel and chub. fully protected. The high-modulus
The head can be cover the hook, plus a Each bag comes There is also a small carbon blank is well
angled to allow you second arm that’s fitted supplied with a bottle chamber suitable for tailored to playing big
to rebait, retie rigs, or with two different sized of liquid food source, to storing a bottle of specimens, as its anti-
unhook fish in darkness blades. give your recipe extra antibacterial solution lock action and SiC rings
with minimal effort. The pulling power, so all it on the inside, and ‘D’ ensure a stress-free
woven headband is needs is an egg to bind rings for pegging down if battle right up to the
comfortable and the unit it all together. Supplied in necessary. net. Rated for 3lb to 10lb
runs off three supplied 1kg bags with a bottle of reel lines and 2.5lb to 8lb
AAA batteries, liquid food inside. hook links.
Call 0208 949 3307 for the UK’s best prices

p_091-100_cfa_10_tackle.indd 2 21/08/2014 10:33

TESTED
07 08
11
09 10
................................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................................
07 08 09 10
................................................................................................................................................................................................
11
................................................................................................................................................................................................
DRENNAN MARUKYU GARDNER OLD GHOST BOOK
E-SOX JELL-IGNITE SOFT HOOKER GT80+ MONO MAGGOT MEAL PASSION FOR PIKE
SOFT SHAD LURES PELLETS Price: £19.99 Price: £5.99 Price: £19.95
Price: £3.95 Price: £2.99 www.gardnertackle.co.uk www.oldghostbait.co.uk www.dhpbookshop.com
www.drennantackle.com www.marukyu.co.uk This new-generation This natural maggot meal Dutch fisherman, artist
These soft lures come These 6mm soft hook mono has evolved directly is a great groundbait and writer Ad Swier has
in 8cm, 10cm and 12cm baits come in two from Gardner’s successful additive, especially if you been fishing for pike for
sizes, and in three opaque flavours — JPelletz and GT80 main line. It has are going to fish with 50 years. ‘Passion for Pike’
patterns designed to Skrill — and have been a unique copolymer dead maggots on the represents his reflections
attract perch and pike. introduced to be used formula, which includes hook in the margins. That on that angling
The bodies are in conjunction with an extra-heavy-sinking said, it can be added to journey. He explains
translucent and have Marukyu feed pellets in additive to ensure the any mix to give it extra how he discovered the
a film that covers the the same flavours. The line sinks fast once in the pulling power, but there’s effectiveness of fly fishing
weight to give a light- baits are soft enough to water. The line also offers no need to add too much, for pike and describes
reflecting, holographic hook or hair rig and to high abrasion resistance, as it’s strong stuff. some of the situations
effect when in the water. the fish they look and without sacrificing knot The key is to add it to in which pike, including
The single hook is located smell exactly like the strength, suppleness or a dry mix, which needs the very largest, may be
on top to help prevent free offerings, but with an linear strength. to be prepared about caught on streamers,
snagging in weed or added bonus that they Its smooth finish gives 20 to 30 minutes before divers, poppers and other
debris on the bottom, give off a tantalising and the line excellent casting use, so that the meal has flies.
and the paddle tail adds visible scent trail into the properties and the deep enough time to rehydrate. Many different patterns
attractive movement water. green colour offers great Supplied in 350g bags. of pike fly are described
and vibration as the lure camouflage. Comes on and illustrated, from
is retrieved. Supplied in bulk spools in three simple streamers to
packs of three. strengths — 10lb, 12lb realistic imitations of the
and 15lb — which makes pike’s prey.
it a great choice for There’s humour here,
both specimen carp and and nostalgia, story and
specialist tactics. controversy, as well as
good instruction and the
description of techniques.
ww.tacklefanatics.co.
Buy. Sell. Part-Exchange. Finance.
p_091-100_cfa_10_tackle.indd 3 21/08/2014 10:33

TESTED
.....................
.....................
.....................
.....................
.....................
SHIMANO FORCE MASTER
TESTED
10FT COMMERCIAL MINI FEEDER ROD
...................
...................
...................
...................
...................
.....................
..................... SHIMANO BAITRUNNER ST 2500FB REEL ...................
...................
..................... ...................
T
here’s something almost hypnotic bites and hook a fish that’s when the fun With the hard fight and often savage
about feeder fishing. Getting into that starts. The rod has a gradual action that takes of commercial carp, especially on
casting rhythm when you’re hitting the you’d call parabolic and the harder you or bolt-rig-style setups such as the Method
target every chuck and the bites just keep the fish pulls the more power it applies feeder, anglers can and often do find their
coming is simply magic. Obviously it always as the blank bends right through to the rods jumping into the water. What the
helps if your tackle is helping you get butt. But that also works the opposite way, Baitrunner provides then is a buffer for this.
into that feeder groove — and in the tight meaning that if you have a small fish you Its secondary free-spool drag can be
economic times we live in, if that tackle still have delicate control to get them to engaged to cope with taking fish so that
doesn’t break the bank but also delivers in the net. it gives enough line from the clutch so as
terms of capability, then all the better. For a rod with such a tiny price tag not to lose your rod. Then, with a click of
This year tackle giant Shimano has it handles very well in this respect, the Baitrunner switch or a small turn of the
produced two such items and CFA editor impressively so in fact. The more I think handle the action moves on to the front
Steve Phillips got out on the bank to see about it, the more impressive this rod drag, giving you instant control.
what they had to offer. gets — keep thinking £35 and the fact you Now that anglers have twigged on to
couldn’t fill up half a fuel tank for that! this Shimano has produced Baitrunner reels
SHIMANO It has other features like Shimano’s specifically for the task, with the latest
FORCE MASTER 10FT COMMERCIAL Hardlite feeder guides and a custom screw- being this ST 2500FB.
MINI FEEDER ROD hood reel seat, but my favourite is the cork On the bank this reel does everything it
Price: £54.99 and EVA handle, which gives it a great look, says on the tin. Sleek, unfussy and looking
www.shimano.co.uk again belying its price tag. every inch the Baitrunner it has a smooth
It’s amazing how spoiled we are as anglers As an editor of a national angling front drag that allows line to peel off
these days. Back when I was learning magazine I get to use quite a lot of very without being grabby, so no issues there.
to fish a cheap rod was exactly that, as nice and expensive kit, but if I’m honest this With the Baitrunner system engaged,
well as heavy, badly made and liable to rod would still find a place in my tackle. It again the clutch system is smooth, and
fall apart or break before the end of the does everything you need of a close-range when you want to disengage it you’re only
season. But now, as this rod proves, pay commercial feeder rod and it does it well. looking at a quick half-rotation of the
as little as 35 quid — the SSP (suggested For this kind of money you can’t not handle until the switch flicks over — exactly
selling price) on the model — and you get check it out if you’re looking to buy this what you want for the type of fishing I talk
a piece of kit more than capable of doing type of rod… and my bet’s on even the about above.
exactly what you want it to. snobbiest of tackle tarts being impressed. Using it for a couple of sessions the one
The 10ft version of the Force Master Mini thing I did notice about the reel was how
Feeder is the shortest of the two rods in precise it was. This isn’t an expensive unit
the range. It’s designed more for shorter SHIMANO but the line lay is great, there’s no play in
chucks, with the diminutive length giving BAITRUNNER ST 2500FB REEL the handle, it’s smooth, it feels robust and
you plenty of control to land your feeder Price: £69.99 it just has that pleasing, solid feel of a
in tight spots to find the carp. It does this www.shimano.co.uk good reel.
very well and is a lovely light rod to cast, It’s hard to believe the Shimano Baitrunner I’m not sure how it would stand up to
and can even muster a longer-range heave has been with us nearly three decades a whole season of abuse — only time will
if you really load it up — it’s rated to cast now. They’ve changed loads over the years, tell — but so far I’m impressed and although
loads of up to 70g. though, and are still evolving. They’re also I’m more a fan of the older Baitrunners
The rod comes with two tips, the lighter still very much a must-have for many (probably more nostalgia than anything) I’m
necessary for picking out shy bites in anglers, especially in the specimen world, happy that the FB is still keeping up the
winter and suchlike, but once you get the but now in the smaller-carp scene too. good work.
p_094-095_cfa_10_testedSP.indd 1 19/08/2014 12:43

TESTED
“The more I think about this

rod and how little it costs the
more impressed I am with it.”
Tested by: Editor Steve Phillips
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
p_094-095_cfa_10_testedSP.indd 2 19/08/2014 12:43

p096_CFA_10_Bookazine.indd 1 18/08/2014 12:38
NEW 2014
BAITRUNNER ST - RB 10000
THE NEW BAITRUNNER ST SERIES

Since its invention over 25 years ago Shimano have led the way in free
spool technology with the legendary BAITRUNNER reel range.
Often copied, but never bettered, the new BAITRUNNER ST range is now
available for under £55.00 (SSP price for Baitrunner ST-FB 2500). With two large
rear drag models (6000 and 10000) for specimen carp fishing and two smaller
front drag models (2500 and 4000) for smaller match sized carp and feeder
fishing, the BAITRUNNER ST represents outstanding value for money. BAITRUNNER ST - FB 4000
Of course there are cheaper copies of the Baitrunner free spool system available,
but why settle for second best when you can now afford the real thing!
BAITRUNNER ST - RB 6000 - RRP £79.99. | 10000 - RRP £84.99.
BAITRUNNER ST - FB 2500 - RRP £69.99. | 4000 - RRP £74.99. *£55 relates to limited introductory offer on Baitrunner ST-FB 2500
See us on YouTube
Join us on Facebook
shimanofishinguk http://www.youtube.com/shimanofishinguk
Baitrunner ST advert.indd 1 29/05/2014 16:54:52

TESTED
TESTED
.......................................................
.......................................................
........................................................
........................................................
....................................................... DRENNAN ACOLYTE CARP POLE
.....................................................
....................................................
....................................................
.....................................................
.....................................................
........................................................
....................................................... .....................................................
.....................................................
....................................................... .....................................................
ACOLYTE CARP POLE reversible section that fits in the No5 and most club/pleasure anglers would have
Prices: 13m package £995; 14.5m package the No6 sections when fishing short, and a a 13m model, it was best to stick at that
£1,295; 16m package £1,595 72cm reversible section that fits in the No7 distance to see how the pole performed.
www.drennantackle.com section and in the ends of the 13m, 14.5m It usually rains when I test poles for
and 16m butt sections. CFA, and this session was no different, so
The last 18 months have seen Drennan’s And there’s more, as each pole comes it allowed me to see how shipping in and
Alcolyte range increase at a rapid rate. First supplied with a Visi Case that includes: out was. The pole’s excellent finish allowed
there was the top-of-the-range Acolyte roller cones that fit in the side-pull top me to ship smoothly, and when it came to
pole, which was extremely well received by kits, plus an extractor rod; a Polemaster adding or removing sections the knurled
match anglers, plus the introduction of the pole pot, plus spare adaptor; a selection of finish on the ‘male’ end of the pole ensured
Ultra float-rod range. These were followed side-pull beads; 30 superslick PTFE bushes; there was no fear of jamming, which often
closely by the Power models, both of which an EVA nose cone that fits in the No4 happens in the wet.
I have reviewed on these pages. section and four skid bungs to help protect I fished at the full 13 metres at the start
There are more rods on the horizon, but your pole when shipping back. That’s the of the session and at that length the pole
the latest addition — the Acolyte Carp pole standard package, but Drennan does offer was nice and stiff, and it didn’t put a strain
— has really got the jungle drums banging. top-kit packages that can be tailored to on the back. I caught fish from the off,
Aimed primarily at the commercial-venue individual requirements. and once I’d shipped back to the puller-
market, this pole comes in a range of 13m, So what’s it like on the bank? Well, type top two I found that, with the roller
14.5m and 16m options, and the real bonus once you get the pole out of the supplied cone fitted, pulling the elastic through
is the price. The shorter option comes in at holdall, the first thing you discover is the was not only smooth but there was none
a fiver under a grand, and the full-length top kits are ready to use without cutting of the noise that you normally get with
version is a tad under £1,600. Plus, you get back if you want to fish with low-diameter some other systems. After a time, the fish
a massive package for your money. solid elastics. However, it doesn’t take long moved a little further out so I added the
The Carp pole itself is made on the to cut the top section back to fit one of short extension, which was enough to put
same mandrel as the top-end Acolyte, but the supplied bushes if you plan to fish with me back on them. I had 50lb in the net in
is constructed from ultra-high-modulus hollow elastics. I also like the longer length no time at all by slapping, and at no point
carbon and resins to give extreme stiffness of the top kits as they elimimate the need did the sections come loose, which often
for a slim pole, and means the top kits are for a short-four. happens due to the rotating motion you
interchangeable between the two models. I took the pole to my local carp-bagging get when slapping baits on the surface.
Whichever length of pole you choose water and, when I arrived, it was clear the I was really impressed with the pole —
to buy, you will get the same standard fish were up in the water so I chose to the package and the price — and if it wasn’t
package. This consists of four side-pull fish shallow — feeding 6mm pellets and the case that I am extremely happy with
top-two kits, two side-pull double-two kits, slapping a short rig on the top. I had the my current pole, I would seriously think
an extra-rigid cupping top two, a 62cm full 16 metres with me, but I felt that as about buying one myself.
p_98-99_cfa_10_testedSM.indd 1 19/08/2014 12:44

TESTED
“If it wasn’t the case that I am

extremely happy with my current
pole, I would seriously think
... about buying one myself.”
...
.... Tested by: Deputy editor Steve Martin
....
p_98-99_cfa_10_testedSM.indd 2 19/08/2014 12:44

TACKLE
12 13 14
15
16
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12 13 14 15
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16
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MIDDY SHOPATDHP ULTIMATE DIRECT KORUM DRENNAN
FAST-STOP CARP ENGRAVED ‘SPECIES’ COMMERCIAL PRO XL BITE INDICATORS CRYSTAL DIBBER POLE
HOOKS TO NYLON PEWTER TANKARD SPRAY BAR Price: £5.99 FLOATS
Price: £1.99 Price: £23.99 Price: £22.99 www.korum.co.uk Price: £1.65
www.middytackle.com www.shopatdhp.com www.ultimate-direct.co.uk These bigger models have www.drennantackle.com
These new hair-rigged This English-made, The problem with some been designed to offer Drennan is continuing to
hooks to nylon have one-pint pewter tankard spray/bump bars is they better bite indication push the boundaries with
been tied using Middy’s comes beautifully etched can often sit too close to in windy conditions, or these new light, buoyant,
Lo-Viz line and new, with all the major UK your box, which makes when fishing at longer clear-plastic pole floats,
strong, barbless KM-3 freshwater species, placing fish in keepnets distances. Every pack which have already
hooks. There is also an including roach, perch, a bit of a farce, as you comes with a choice of become popular with
Auto-Stop on each hair to barbel, grayling and often have to stretch over four coloured heads, each anglers who like to fish
allow the easy mounting carp. It’s a great gift if the bar. This versatile bar with a slot for a small up-in-the-water tactics
of soft hook baits or you are looking for a — it fits most seatboxes — isotope, including a glow- for carp and F1s.
drilled pellets. birthday present for the sits a fair bit further away in-the-dark option for The floats have a short,
Available in two styles: angler in your life, or as a from the footplate than night fishing, which once unobtrusive design and
long (12 inches), in sizes presentation trophy for most, so there’s ample ‘charged’, gives up to five a domed glow tip is easy
10 to 0.20mm, 12 to your annual angling club room to put fish in at hours of light in the dark. to see above the surface
0.20mm, 14 to 0.18mm, awards. your feet. The bite indicator also when fishing long. They
16 to 0.18mm and 18 to The tankard, which is The bar is extremely features a strong 4in also feature an upward-
0.16mm for feeder tactics; 115 millimetres in height stable, lightweight and chain, a 10g removable angled side eye that
short (three inches) in with a base diameter of fully height adjustable, weight for added stability, is fused between the
sizes 10 to 0.20mm, 12 to 115 millimetres, comes in a plus there’s padding on an adjustable line grip body and the fluorescent
0.20mm and 14 to-0.18mm smart gift box. the side bars, which help and a ‘hockey stick’-type ‘cap’ of the domed tip,
for the Method. to protect the fish as attachment. which makes it almost
Supplied in packets of you place them in the impossible to pull out.
eight. net. The spray bar itself Available in red, yellow
is fully adjustable to a and orange tips, and in
height of 60 centimetres, three sizes: 0.2g, 0.3g and
so you can set it to suit 0.4g.
your fishing position.
Call 0208 949 3307 for the UK

UK’s
s best p
prices
p_091-100_cfa_10_tackle.indd 4 21/08/2014 10:33

If you have a deal to advertise contact Karen Biggs
on 07929 007852 or e-mail karen@dhpub.co.uk
Lodges and
Luxury Cottages Cornwall
10 lodges and 2 cottages for 4 coarse lakes
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Just minutes to coast and Tamar Lakes. VB 4-5 Stars,
Pets welcome!
Ideal for the family fisherman

01288 321413
Call Jim or Gillian on
www.forda.co.uk
LYONS GATE CARAVAN PARK

& FISHERY
With a choice of 7 day ticket, 1 specimen and Ideal for caravans, tents & motorhomes
5 match ponds, there is something for everyone! Set in a tranquil caravan park in the beautiful county of Dorset,
BARONS PONDS St Patricks Lane, LISS, Hampshire GU33 7HF yet only a 30-minute drive to the coast. Perfect for anyone looking
Longmoor Road, GREATHAM, for a quiet location to relax and fish, while visiting the
PUMP STATION Hampshire GU33 6AP local attractions and coastline.
WOOD HENGE Smithfield Lane, WISHANGER, Our four superb coarse fishing lakes are well stocked with:
Surrey GU35 8ST carp over 35lb, tench over 10lb, plus chub, barbel,
COLOURED PONDS Rogate Road, RAKE, golden orfe, bream, pike, roach and rudd
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• Weekly senior & junior open matches • Ample car parking • toilets on site Tel: 01300 345260
E-mail: info@lyons-gate.co.uk
Tel: 07885 754365 www.lyons-gate.co.uk
www.mbkleisures.co.uk Lyons Gate, Dorchester, Dorset
p101_cfa_101_get hooked.indd 1 19/08/2014 12:22

WEBSITE GUIDE
www.coarsefishinganswers.com
If you’re looking for top-quality fishing tackle at affordable prices,

check out these websites from some of the best companies out there...
....................................................................................................................................................................
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....................................................................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................................................................
MANUFACTURER BAIT TO ADVERTISE HERE CONTACT

KAREN BIGGS
TACKLE DEALER HOLIDAYS 01327 315426 OR
FISHERY 07929 007852
www.gardnertackle.co.uk www.prestoninnovations.com www.korum.co.uk www.shimano-eu.com
Gardner has been developing Manufacturer of high-quality Visit this excellent site and State-of-the-art fishing tackle
advanced carp and coarse match and coarse fishing discover Korum’s wide range of for all anglers, with millions of
fishing equipment since 1980 products. innovative fishing rods, luggage fans and users worldwide.
and accessories.
www.shakespeare-fishing.co.uk www.middytackle.com www.carp30plus.com www.greysfishing.com
Manufacturer and distributor Middy Tackle has been one of Manufacturer of top-quality Fishing-tackle manufacturer of
of great-value fishing tackle the UK’s leading coarse fishing fishing tackle covering carp quality products suited to all
suitable for all anglers. brands for many years. and all specimen disciplines. anglers.
p102-103_CFA_10_shopping centre.indd 1 18/08/2014 12:37

WEBSITE GUIDE
www.coarsefishinganswers.com
www.daiwasports.co.uk www.drennantackle.com www.billyclarke.co.uk www.stapeleyangling.co.uk
Manufacturer of high-quality Quality products from one of Established in 1918, Billy Clarke A huge shop offering the
fishing tackle across all the UK’s longest-established Fishing Tackle is a family-owned very best in carp, match and
disciplines. tackle companies. business that prides itself on its specimen fishing kit at very
shop, stock and service. competitive prices.
www.tackleup.com www.tackle2u.com www.tacklefanatics.co.uk www.sheltonsfishing.co.uk
A long-established tackle A huge choice of gear at brilliant A great website where anglers A brilliant website to
shop, selling a wide range of prices with loads to look at on can buy, sell or exchange any complement a superb tackle
tackle for all disciplines. the comprehensive website. fishing items. shop.
www.fishingtackle2go.co.uk www.ultimate-direct.co.uk www.climaxtackle.com www.nathansofderby.co.uk
Some great bargains to be A large tackle dealer with an The Climax website is updated Established in 1988, Nathan’s
had on this easy to navigate extensive product range for all daily with the latest deals and has quickly become Derby’s
website, catering for every area types of angler. products from leading brands. Premier Angling Centre.
of fishing.
www.tacklesaver.co.uk www.nickstackle.co.uk www.manorfarmfishing.co.uk www.fishinginthailand.com
Big-name products at great Based in Maidstone, Kent this Online fishing megastore offering Top Cats Fishing Resort offers
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discounts for even more savings. offers a fast and reliable online carp, match and fly tackle. sought-after freshwater fish in
shopping service Thailand.
p102-103_CFA_10_shopping centre.indd 2 18/08/2014 12:37

TACKLE
TACKLE
ESSENTIALS
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.....................................................................
.............................................
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............................................. THIS MONTH… .....................................................................
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............................................. BUDGET CARP RODS .....................................................................
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Carp fishing can be expensive and could put a severe dent

in the wallet, but that doesn’t have to be the case as there are
some good-quality, low-cost carp rods on the market. We put
the spotlight on six that will do the job for less money.
DAIWA
BLACK WIDOW
www.daiwasports.co.uk It has an action that gives it plenty of The rod is finished with a matt, low-glare
It might be a low-cost rod, but this 12ft, casting power, and when playing fish topcoat, and features a soft-touch grip and
two-piece, 2.75lb tool has all the Daiwa there’s plenty of backbone, plus a good a graphite DPS reel seat, plus aluminium-
quality you would expect from a rod double cushion for hook-holds for those ‘under the oxide guides, including a 30mm diameter
the price. tip’ lunges, as the fish comes to the net. butt ring.
KORUM
CARP
www.korum.co.uk backbone to cope with chunky PVA fish-playing action that will tame a big
This 12ft, 2.75lb test curve, two-piece rod bags and feeders at closer range. It has double with ease.
is one of four in Korum’s 2014 range of understated graphics, an abbreviated The rod features six, tough fully lined
carp rods, and has all the power required handle and ergonomic rear grip and, thanks guides, including a 40mm diameter butt
for long casts with a big lead, and the to a responsive top section, it has a superb ring.
p_104-107_cfa_10_Gtest.indd 1 19/08/2014 12:45

TACKLE
....
....
....
....
Price: £64.99
Weight: 11.4oz
Reel line rating: 6lb to 18lb mono
Casting weight: 4oz
Rings: Ultra-low-friction aluminium oxide
Price: £49.99
Weight: Not stated
Line rating: 10lb to 15lb mono
Casting weight: 2.5oz
Rings: Fully lined guides
p_104-107_cfa_10_Gtest.indd 2 19/08/2014 12:45

TACKLE
CHUB
S-PLUS
www.chubfishing.com a forgiving tip and progressive action to big-pit-style and freespool-type reels, Other
This 12ft, two-piece, value-for-money rod help you control hard-fighting carp at close features include a Japanese shrink wrap
has a slim, lightweight blank and its 2.5lb quarters. butt grip and double-leg SiC-lite guides
test curve gives plenty of power for long- Other features include an 18mm throughout, including a 40mm diameter
range casting, but at the same time it has gunsmoke-grey reel seat that accepts all butt rig.
JRC
CONTACT 2.5LB
www.jrc-fishing.co.uk extra strength, which makes it extremely the net, but also plenty of backup when
Low cost needn’t mean a lack of quality. lightweight. At the same time, with its you need to put the breaks on.
This 12ft, two-piece rod features a carbon- 2.5lb test curve it has the softness you The rod features six lightweight TS SiC
composite construction with a woven need in the top section to cast a distance guides — including a 40mm diameter butt
carbon section above the reel seat for and the progressive action to play fish to ring.
SHIMANO
ALIVIO DX
www.shimano-eu.com and forgiving action to tame and land big XT30+ Geofibre blank with Hardlite guides
This 12ft, two-piece carp rod has a test fish. fitted throughout, a DPS-type reel seat and
curve of 2.75lb, so it has the ‘beef ’ in It comes with a raft of Shimano’s hi-tech understated cosmetics.
the top end to cast a heavy PVA bag of features that you might expect to find on The rod features a 40mm diameter butt
goodies, as well as the fish-playing action its more-expensive rod ranges, including an ring.
30PLUS
KODEX CX
www.specimen30plus.co.uk rod that will cast that bit further . likely to have ‘frapping’ issues when you
We’ve included this 12ft, 2.75lb test curve, One of the main features with this rod launch a big lead.
two-piece rod, which is still sub-£100, as is its 50mm diameter butt ring, which is The cosmetics are subtle and
it’s well worth a look if you have a slightly essential when it comes to long-distance understated, and other features include a
bigger budget, and you are looking for a casts. The big ring means you are less shrink butt grip and F-Grip reel seat.
p_104-107_cfa_10_Gtest.indd 3 19/08/2014 12:45

TACKLE
Price: £59.99
Weight: 305g
Line rating: Not stated
Casting weight: Not stated
Rings: SiC-lite guides
Price: £34.99
Weight: Not stated
Casting weight: Not stated
Rings: TS SiC guides
Price: £69.99
Weight: 322g
Casting weight: 100g
Rings: Shimano Hardlite guides
Price: £99.99
Weight: Not stated
Line rating: 18lb mono
Casting weight: 4oz
Rings: Fully lined guides
p_104-107_cfa_10_Gtest.indd 4 19/08/2014 12:45

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QIofcatch a lot
chub on
CFA EXPERT
Name: Gareth Goldson
Sponsors: Hardy & Greys, Dynamite
the rivers using PB lure-caught chub: 6lb 15oz
standard bait
tactics but I want
to expand my
range. I’ve actually
always fancied
catching them on
lures, although
I haven’t a clue
where to start.
Have you any
advice that might
help?
Dereck Watts
Hometown: High Wycombe
Age: 62
Favourite species: Barbel
......................................
......................................
......................................
......................................
They’re such an
A exciting species to
target on this method
that we’re sure you’ll
love it, Dereck. We
asked Hardy & Greys
man Gareth Goldson
to give up some of his
tips for targeting chub
on lures.
p_108-110_cfa_10_lure gold.indd 1 21/08/2014 10:34

ASK AN EXPERT
P
ike, perch and zander form the is that it really does sort out the bigger fish,” says To get this wake Gareth retrieves the plugs
standard trio of predators in UK Gareth, as we begin the walk down to the river. slowly across the surface – he doesn’t make them
waters… but there is another. “It’s only the bigger fish that strike at lures, so dive as they don’t create the surface disturbance
Lurking in rivers across the county you know that when you hook one it’s liable to once they dip under it.
is a species that will demolish prey be a very nice fish.” The best body style he has found for this is a
fish as soon as look at them.An aggressive hunter At this time of year the river is full of weed, fat-bodied, single-piece plug (the same shape as
with the speed and power to make it a worthy and in terms of lure presentation the fish respond the famous Shakespeare Big S).“My favourite for
target for any thrill-seeking predator angler – well to plugs fished either on or just below the the work is a lure called the Bomber Shallow A,”
especially of the lure fishing persuasion. surface.With the fish sitting in the flow the takes he informs us.“When retrieved slowly across the
In its smaller sizes the chub is the bread and are often savage as they torpedo upwards to surface it has a real rolling action, even when I’m
butter of stick-float and feeder anglers. Get smash what they see as an easy meal. putting a little speed into it.This creates loads of
to anything past the 4lb mark, though, and a For the job Gareth uses shallow-diving plugs, wake, which really riles up the chub.”
predatory instinct kicks in where they begin to but it’s taken him a number of years to work
take advantage of the abundance of protein-rich out the most effective type.“I’ve been doing The lure needs to stay on
prey fish around them. It’s a trait that our expert this kind of fishing for a while now and the the surface and roll
for this feature knows only too well, having most effective action I’ve found comes on the to give off a wake.
tempted some monster chub to lure tactics.To surface, but not from a surface lure,” he explains.
find out more we caught up with specimen ace “What you want to create is a lot of ‘wake’ on
Gareth Goldson on a stunning stretch of the the surface. I’m actually convinced that the chub
River Wensum in Norfolk. don’t actually think this is a fish they’re hitting
“The great thing about lure fishing for chub but a vole or shrew.”
ACTION
With the surface motion Gareth is after, all you really
need to provoke takes is a slow, steady retrieve
across the surface. With its lip touching the surface
of the water, the lure will provide plenty of wobbling,
rolling action itself and if, as Gareth believes, the
chub think they’re hitting small shrews or voles, you
don’t want a broken retrieve as these furry critters
keep swimming until they reach safety. Remember to
keep your rod at an angle to your line, though; do not
point it directly at the lure. If you do get a take you
need the rod to cushion the hit, otherwise all of the
force will be on your line and your knots.
THE FOURTH
PREDATOR As well as the standard trio of fish munchers there’s
another predator that you can add to your lure target list.
10

ASK AN EXPERT What angle should For wake fishing a plug, hold
Your questions answered I hold my rod at
when retrieving?
QA & the rod high to counter the lip
trying to pull the lure down.
Armed with just a backpack, net, a Greys

Platinum Specialist 25g rod and his trusty GARETH’S CHUB LURE SELECTION
Shimano Stradic reel Gareth covers a lot of water Although Gareth prefers ‘wake-baiting’ lures for the chub, there are days when other
in the hunt for chub. In terms of location he’s approaches and patterns will also work. Because of this he always caries a selection of
lures with him, with the following four being his most effective. On all of his lures Gareth
looking to fish the same swims as he would if
swaps the trebles for stronger, sharper models to make sure that when he hooks a fish,
he was presenting bait – overhanging trees, dark, he’s got the best chance of landing it.
deeper holes, creases and suchlike.“I’ll spend
about 10 minutes in each swim; if the fish are
there and they want to take a lure you’ll get one
within the first couple of casts,” he says.
Wading through the sea of nettles and long
grass, in the second swim he fishes there’s SALMO BUTCHER
BOMBER ARBOGAST DRAGONFLY
suddenly a monstrous swirl around the lure and JITTERBUG For when the fish
SHALLOW A A bit of an oddity,
he’s into a fish.After an exciting battle a long, With a deep roll on A proper old- want to hit prey Gareth picked up this
lean, river pike is in the net.“I always use wire the surface even at school surface fish under the weird lure exactly
low-speed retrieves lure for when the water Gareth rates for the purpose of
traces for this kind of fishing just because there
this is a great lure chub want a lot the Salmo Butcher targeting big chub
are a lot of pike around that will take the lure as more random, crank bait. At five
for the surface. It’s and, although it casts
well,” smiles Gareth, as he unhooks the fish in very buoyant and, splashy action centimetres long like an empty plastic
the water.“A trace doesn’t seem to bother the importantly, it’s just from their prey. it’s the perfect size, bag, it works. This was
chub either.” two inches long, with Good for imitating and in the floating actually responsible
Gareth not going a struggling fish format can be for fooling Gareth’s
Moving further down the river he fishes a worked to around
much past this size or creature on the biggest chub on a
number of swims, receiving several strikes but surface. three feet in depth.
when targeting chub. lure, a fish of 6lb 15oz.
with the fish missing their intended target.
“They’re a bit half-hearted today,” frowns our
angler.“If they really want it they properly nail take that sees his rod hoop over as the braided Gareth.We carry on down the river, dropping
the lure. main line stretches tightly out in the river.This into every likely looking hole.Another fish is
“Fishing a river you not only have to think is no pike, and after a few seconds of tense head hooked and lost at the net along with a handful
about where you cast, but which way you shaking a large head with a pair of ‘rubber lips’ of other mistimed hits by fish before the session
retrieve in relation to the flow as well.The chub containing Gareth’s lure emerges to the surface ends.
will be sitting facing into the flow and you get before sweeping over the lip of the net. “The end of August onwards is a great time
more takes to a lure coming over their heads At over 5lb it’s a scale-perfect, deep gold and to target chub on lures as the bigger fish are
from behind, meaning you’re working the lure brown chub.“It really wanted that and it was looking to eat more,” says Gareth as we pack
against the flow.” well hooked, which can sometimes be an issue away.“So if you’re after a specimen on lure tactics
Just as he says this he gets a tremendous smash with the tough, rubbery lips of these fish,” smiles I’d advise CFA readers to give it a go.”
Gareth casts to a
far-bank feature
that looks perfect
for chub.
A medium-weight rod and

2500 reel are good for chub.
..........................................................
.......................................................... Send your coarse fishing question to us at ...............................................................
...............................................................
..........................................................
.......................................................... ...............................................................
...............................................................

£59.99
RRP
A GREAT ALL-ROUND DEAL
INTRODUCING THE NEW EOS 1O,OOO...
THE PERFECT CARP REEL FOR SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZED VENUES, STALKING
AND SURFACE FISHING, THE NEW EOS 1O,OOO IS ALSO IDEAL
FOR LARGE RIVER BARBEL AND PREDATOR METHODS.
 Fox Free Spool Mechanism
 5 Ball Bearings
 5.5:1 gear ratio
 Multi-Disc Front Drag
 Rotor Balanced Profile
 Twist-Free Line Roller
 Range Casting Clip
 Powerful Single Handle

Easy To Use Rear Smooth Front Drag and Ergonomic Moulded
 Lightweight Graphite Body Free Spool Mechanism Excellent Line Lay Easy Grip Handle
 Weight: 558g
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SPECIFICATIONS: SLIM BLACK HANDLE, ALUMINIUM SPOOL, LINE CAPACITY - 0.33MM/320M · 0.35MM/260M, SPARE SPOOL AVAILABLE SEPARATELY - RRP. £12.99
EOS 10000 Reel Advert General.indd 1 13/05/2014 14:41:49

CATCH
Celebrating your catches in style with great prizes to be won.
CLUB
..................................................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................................................
WINNER
NATHAN FARRAR (J) MAX COLLINGS (J) JASON ROBERTS HARRISON WOODHAM (J)
Catch: 3lb 3oz ide Catch: 4lb 13oz koi Catch: 38lb common carp Catch: 4lb carp
Venue: Tom’s Pond, Otley, West Yorkshire Venue: Rushmoor Lakes, Surrey Venue: Waterlily Lakes, France Venue: Harescombe Fisheries, Gloucester
WINNER
DALE LANDER PAUL KING KENNETH TAYLOR BARRY GORE

Catch: 2lb 1oz roach Catch: 4lb carp Catch: 13lb 8oz mirror carp Catch: 45lb 6oz catfish
Venue: River Severn, Bewdley Venue: Wykeham Lake, Scarborough Venue: Brafferton Fisheries, North Yorkshire Venue: Club lake, Kent
HANNAH ROBERTSON (J) TERRENCE GARDNER MARK BENNETT MAX PHILLIPS (J)
Catch: 8lb 1oz mirror carp Catch: 15lb carp Catch: 12lb carp Catch: 3lb carp
Venue: White Acres, Cornwall Venue: Brafferton Fisheries, North Yorkshire Venue: Quadring Lake, Lincolnshire Venue: Lagoon, Makins Fishery, Warwickshire
p_112-113_cfa_10_catchclub.indd 1 19/08/2014 12:47

www.oldghostbait.co.uk
Join the Catch Club

Every picture
Enter now and if we feature your catch shot That’s not all, as each of our monthly
that appears will win a here, you will win a prize from bait expert winners will be invited to join the Old Ghost
selection of Hookbait Old Ghost. There’s also a prize for the best team for a day out on one of the UK’s top
Sausages, worth £18 senior and best junior catch of the month. commercial venues later in the year.
Your entries can either be of a single fish To enter your picture(s), send your images
or a nice netful. to oldghostcatchclub@dhpub.co.uk, along
Each month the best senior and best with your name, address, a daytime phone
junior entries will each receive a prize of number and the details of your catch. The
Old Ghost goodies to the value of £65, qualifying age for junior entries is 16 years
and every picture that appears will win a old and under. The editor’s decision is final
selection of Hookbait Sausages, worth £18. and no correspondence will be entered into.
oldghostcatchclub@dhpub.co.uk
..................................................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................................................
Tip Of The Month

One of the top tactics to catch carp in the
margins is to fish a bunch of maggots –
dead or alive – over groundbait.
The secret to getting the fish feeding on
KAI SHIMWELL the bottom in the shallow water is extra-
Catch: 1lb 2oz roach
wet groundbait. Add at least twice the
Venue: Ardleigh Reservoir, Essex
amount of water than you would normally
use to mix your feed, so that you get a
heavy groundbait that quickly drops to the
bottom when cupped in. If the mix is too
dry it will drift with any wash and create a
cloud; this will attract fish to your peg but
will get them feeding at all levels, which is a
recipe for foul-hooked fish.
To ensure you get the best results, feed
a pot of groundbait down the edge every
30 minutes until you start to see tails in the
water or swirls from fish in deeper margins.
Once you see this, feed half a pot of hook
baits as well as the groundbait twice more
before dropping a rig over their heads.
Once you start catching, feed half a pot of
groundbait and maggots every few fish.
CAROLINE MARTIN
Catch: 3lb carp
Venue: White Acres, Cornwall
WINNER WINNER
Every month our junior and

senior winners will each
receive a selection of Old
Ghost baits to the value
of £65
p_112-113_cfa_10_catchclub.indd 2 19/08/2014 12:47

PUB AMMO
Get your facts straight
Catfish are the

opportunist feeders of
the fish world, feeding
as either a scavenger or
predator on pretty much
anything that crosses
their paths. This includes
frogs, ducks, rats, fish,
worms and anything else
dead or alive that they
come across.
In the right
environment the Wels
catfish can grow up to a
staggering 400lb in weight
and measure an incredible 13
feet in length — if you hooked
into one of these you’d know
about it. The right conditions
for this are the warmer parts
of Europe, with cats
having a 15lb-a-year
growth rate.
Although a veracious
predator the Wels catfish
The Wels catfish doesn’t actually have any
has two very special teeth in the same way as a
derivatives — the albino pike or zander has. Instead,
and the mandarin. Both are the species uses pads at
regular catfish except for the front of its mouth that
their colouring. The mandarin are covered in very small
has an orangey or yellow backward-facing barbs, before
The Wels catfish loves
colouring while the albino is crushing its prey in its strong
rivers and as such has
white with a pink tinge to its jaws and swallowing
managed to spread across
body along with them down.
a large area within Europe
pink eyes. and beyond. You can
find Wels as far north as
Sweden and as far south
When it comes to the largest as Spain, while they are
catfish, big rivers are where it’s at. also found in Russia and
The International
The species grows to good sizes in even in parts of the middle
Game Fish Assocation
running water in several countries, east, including Iran.
official world record for the
including: Wels catfish is a whopping
France — the Saone, Tarn, Loire, specimen of 297lb 9oz. The
Cher, Petit Rhone and the Seine. monster fish was caught
Germany — the Rhine, Neckar, Main on Italy’s River Po — known
and Naab. for producing massive cats The first Wels catfish to
Spain — the Ebro, Segre and Cinca. — by angler Attila live in UK waters can be traced
Italy — the Po (possibly the best Zsedely in 2010. back to the late 1800s. It’s believed a
catfish river in Europe) and Mincio. soldier, Sir Stephen Lakeman, moved
Russia — the Volga, Ural, fish from the River Danube in Romania
Dneiper and Don. to his estate in Britain, in 1864. Further
fish were imported by Lord Odo Russell
in 1871 while he was ambassador to the
German Empire, when he sent catfish to
Catfish
a British naturalist.
The most famous introduction, though,
occurred in 1880 when the 9th Duke of
Bedford, Charles Hastings Russell, was
made a gift of 70 catfish that were
introduced into the famous Shoulder
of Mutton Lake at
Woburn Abbey.
BIG, POWERFUL AND JUST A BIT UGLY,
THERE’S MORE TO CATS THAN YOU THINK.
p_114_cfa_10_pub ammo.indd 1 19/08/2014 12:47

Af
£6ble
Fr
fo
om
rd
a
on
9.Perfor
ly
99man
ce
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EXP SPECIMEN ROD R A NGE
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it’s products. The Agility EXP range has been designed by our own staff in our UK headquarters, especially for
fishing in the UK. Taking the hugely successful Agility range as a blue print for the actions, we have developed
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money we are proud to say that we don’t think you can get any better.
Agility 2014 EXP Specimen Advert.indd 1 18/08/2014 15:23:04

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OBC_CFA_10_Sert_(Sakura).indd 1 18/08/2014 12:38

Coarse Fishing Answers - October 2014 UK PDF

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THE ONLY FISHING MAGAZINE CREATED BY ITS READERS NEW

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Strong ﬂoats are a must … as are strong hooks; under

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And relax… getting a big

mighty orange at 18-20.

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QWhy are there

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Leave the catapult

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Q How often do I feed when

A You want the ﬁsh competing

1 Trimming an inch off

Q How far out should I fish

A The distance you can feed

Q How big should I make my

A People often make the

Master the catapult, and

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Bob says: I don’t, although

p_020-021_cfa_10_Q&A BN.indd 1 21/08/2014 10:31

Do you feed groundbait

.... Q I want to set up my

Bob says: Elastics between

Q Does brown bread catch

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Having trouble feeding

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Chris found the

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MAKING SLING BALLS