Evening all, I'm after a bit of advice. Fishing a small club water that's fairly well stocked but mainly carp and very little else. I've done only maybe a dozen or so nights on here over the years but never done well. I've always fished boilies but wonder if I'm missing a trick and should try a different tactic?
Only 3 acres ish and like most venues at the moment highly pressured.
I was considering using corn or something similar but worried I'll be making a mistake and maybe I should stick to the boilie approach and hope my luck changes. Any advice?
Only 3 acres ish and like most venues at the moment highly pressured.
I was considering using corn or something similar but worried I'll be making a mistake and maybe I should stick to the boilie approach and hope my luck changes. Any advice?
In reply to Post #1
I think you've probably answered your own question there mate - if you don't do so well on the boilies then switch things up and try something different.
If you have a bit of bait anxiety (we all have at some point) then fish two rods with variations close together. Maybe a couple of grains of corn on one and your boilies on the other - over a bed of broken boilies and sweetcorn. Got to be worth a try.
Give maggot a try - fish will take them in all weather and all year round. Catapult out some freebies over your hookbait regularly to keep the swim going. Or chuck a load in a PVA bag if too far for the catapult.
On a smaller water you even more chance of the margins being a sweet spot. Easy to put sweetcorn or maggot down there too.
I'm a big fan of Spam / breadcrust / cheese (not just as a sandwich). If the rest of the water is a ton of boilies, then being different can be your edge
I think you've probably answered your own question there mate - if you don't do so well on the boilies then switch things up and try something different.
If you have a bit of bait anxiety (we all have at some point) then fish two rods with variations close together. Maybe a couple of grains of corn on one and your boilies on the other - over a bed of broken boilies and sweetcorn. Got to be worth a try.
Give maggot a try - fish will take them in all weather and all year round. Catapult out some freebies over your hookbait regularly to keep the swim going. Or chuck a load in a PVA bag if too far for the catapult.
On a smaller water you even more chance of the margins being a sweet spot. Easy to put sweetcorn or maggot down there too.
I'm a big fan of Spam / breadcrust / cheese (not just as a sandwich). If the rest of the water is a ton of boilies, then being different can be your edge
In reply to Post #1
I would give worms a go, worked well for me on a small 1 acre lake
I would give worms a go, worked well for me on a small 1 acre lake
In reply to Post #2
You're right about the anxiety. I've used boilies for so long I've become a bit complacent with using any other alternative. I worry about the hook bait still being on the hair in the morning. It'd be soul destroying to find empty hairs when I reel in.
Maybe I'll do what you say and try a couple of options but I'm quite determined to move away from boilies on this water. I'm sure everyone is on the same tactic there.
You're right about the anxiety. I've used boilies for so long I've become a bit complacent with using any other alternative. I worry about the hook bait still being on the hair in the morning. It'd be soul destroying to find empty hairs when I reel in.
Maybe I'll do what you say and try a couple of options but I'm quite determined to move away from boilies on this water. I'm sure everyone is on the same tactic there.
In reply to Post #3
Not fished worms over night and although I'd be confident on a day trip over night I'm not so sure.
Not fished worms over night and although I'd be confident on a day trip over night I'm not so sure.
In reply to Post #4
are you only doing nights?
worth getting some days on there and watching the water to pick up on those extra clues as to where they feed.
are you only doing nights?
worth getting some days on there and watching the water to pick up on those extra clues as to where they feed.
In reply to Post #6
I don't normally get to do days due to work commitments but this'll be a rare treat of having all morning after to fish on. Maybe I'll learn something from it.
I don't normally get to do days due to work commitments but this'll be a rare treat of having all morning after to fish on. Maybe I'll learn something from it.
Smaller waters tend to fish well in the margins. Up the shelf when warm, down the shelf when cooler. Reeds & lillies are good starting points. If you can wade & prepare spots that you know about and feed them often to get the fish looking for food in those areas, they can pay dividends until people catch on to what you are doing. If you can try to stay awake as much as possible at night for signs of showing fish in the dark, especially on bright moon nights. If there is little else other than carp, try the good old golden grains. Carp will eat those straight away with no hesitation unless they have been hammered on them in the past a lot.
I would spend a couple of days once everyone gets back to work (if you can) just walking the place and looking for the fish, making sure that you watch them in areas where they may be feeding in. Find a feeding fish, & you are half way there to catching it if you can present a bait in front of it.
I would spend a couple of days once everyone gets back to work (if you can) just walking the place and looking for the fish, making sure that you watch them in areas where they may be feeding in. Find a feeding fish, & you are half way there to catching it if you can present a bait in front of it.
In reply to Post #8
Wading is a no no on this water. Quite clicky on there and I'm keen not to upset the locals too much. I think I'll give the corn a good go this time round. Maybe find a couple of decent margin spots as you say. Worse case scenario it's a beautiful place to blank!
Wading is a no no on this water. Quite clicky on there and I'm keen not to upset the locals too much. I think I'll give the corn a good go this time round. Maybe find a couple of decent margin spots as you say. Worse case scenario it's a beautiful place to blank!
In reply to Post #9
if you're worried about losing it off the hair in the night you could always go for some fake corn and some glug as your hookbait...
if you're worried about losing it off the hair in the night you could always go for some fake corn and some glug as your hookbait...
In reply to Post #9
What about maize,alot tougher on the hair and safer than rubber baits
What about maize,alot tougher on the hair and safer than rubber baits
In reply to Post #11
Some good advice here already.
Don't be afraid to go old school, some hemp and corn still delivers. Boost it up with some hemp oil, get the corn juice fro. The can in as well.
Some good advice here already.
Don't be afraid to go old school, some hemp and corn still delivers. Boost it up with some hemp oil, get the corn juice fro. The can in as well.
In reply to Post #9
I don't want to make presumptions and forgive me if i'm wrong, but I get the feeling that you're worrying so much about fairly small issues like bait and rigs that you may be failing to make the most of the most important thing, watercraft.
Think about a time when you caught well on X bait and Y rig. Stick with those.
I'm concerned that one of your main worries is whether your soft bait is on the hair come morning. Sorry to sound blunt, but why are you then even turning up with it in the first place?
What is your usual routine when turning up at a lake? Do you go with an open mind, or do you worry so much about the bait you're using that you fail to miss basic things like where are the fish at that current moment? I'm not saying you do this, but I see too many people get out the car and look at the swims to see which ones are free, if their titan fits in it, will that swim fit three rods, and how much of the blue stuff they have access to. Also, because they had one out of the double last week, it must surely be a good bet for the following week...
A lot of the time, I don't even cast out until I see one. The brolly doesn't usually go up until it's time for me to get my head down. If your bivvy is up by 5pm and they start lunking out the other end of the pond at 8pm, not many move due to the Titan being up and the sausages are in the ridgemonkey. To many, this is the priority, to camp and chill out (which is fair enough) but then wonder why the bobbins haven't moved all night.
If I don't see any signs at all then wind directions, depths and which part of the lake gets that first bit of morning sun comes into consideration. That is when the margins come into play. If everyone is chucking out into the middle, fish the margins. Find a quiet corner away from the pressure. Fish that overgrown swim no-one likes because they can't get aforementioned Titan into it...
Please, don't take this the wrong way, but you haven't mentioned watercraft once, which is the most important bit. Plus, you mentioned you have done 12 nights "over the years" which is not a lot of time at all to get to properly know a water and the patterns that occur.
I don't want to make presumptions and forgive me if i'm wrong, but I get the feeling that you're worrying so much about fairly small issues like bait and rigs that you may be failing to make the most of the most important thing, watercraft.
Think about a time when you caught well on X bait and Y rig. Stick with those.
I'm concerned that one of your main worries is whether your soft bait is on the hair come morning. Sorry to sound blunt, but why are you then even turning up with it in the first place?
What is your usual routine when turning up at a lake? Do you go with an open mind, or do you worry so much about the bait you're using that you fail to miss basic things like where are the fish at that current moment? I'm not saying you do this, but I see too many people get out the car and look at the swims to see which ones are free, if their titan fits in it, will that swim fit three rods, and how much of the blue stuff they have access to. Also, because they had one out of the double last week, it must surely be a good bet for the following week...
A lot of the time, I don't even cast out until I see one. The brolly doesn't usually go up until it's time for me to get my head down. If your bivvy is up by 5pm and they start lunking out the other end of the pond at 8pm, not many move due to the Titan being up and the sausages are in the ridgemonkey. To many, this is the priority, to camp and chill out (which is fair enough) but then wonder why the bobbins haven't moved all night.
If I don't see any signs at all then wind directions, depths and which part of the lake gets that first bit of morning sun comes into consideration. That is when the margins come into play. If everyone is chucking out into the middle, fish the margins. Find a quiet corner away from the pressure. Fish that overgrown swim no-one likes because they can't get aforementioned Titan into it...
Please, don't take this the wrong way, but you haven't mentioned watercraft once, which is the most important bit. Plus, you mentioned you have done 12 nights "over the years" which is not a lot of time at all to get to properly know a water and the patterns that occur.
In reply to Post #13
You make a lot of good points. I agree with the watercraft comment. The trouble I have on this particular water is there's limited swims and there's a draw for swims so you can't know where you'll be fishing which makes watercraft somewhat restricted.
You make a lot of good points. I agree with the watercraft comment. The trouble I have on this particular water is there's limited swims and there's a draw for swims so you can't know where you'll be fishing which makes watercraft somewhat restricted.
Fished small intermit lakes most of my life. If you can get some pre bait going in on a regular basis that can help massively. Find a nice quiet corner that receives less pressure than everywhere else and start tricking the bait in, bollie pellet and maize on a regular basis then when you fish just small mesh bags, id be matching the hatch this time of year and small traps
In reply to Post #15
All good advice but if lake is the one I am thinking of there are no quiet corners that receive less pressure and no chance of prebaiting as you can only visit when fishing. Pre baiting is against strict rules anyway. Trying to be positive there are lots of others in same boat as you catch23. Fish are very moody around spawning time. If you fancy giving corn a go do so. You certainly wont be the only one though 😉
All good advice but if lake is the one I am thinking of there are no quiet corners that receive less pressure and no chance of prebaiting as you can only visit when fishing. Pre baiting is against strict rules anyway. Trying to be positive there are lots of others in same boat as you catch23. Fish are very moody around spawning time. If you fancy giving corn a go do so. You certainly wont be the only one though 😉
I would start of with tigers and if possible regularly lightly prebait with them in various swims around the lake. Also, don't risk spooking the fish by keepIng to the back of the swim and rod tips as far back as possible. Switch to a running rig, as the majority will be on lead clips or heli rigs..this might be enough to start getting a few bites. Good luck.
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