Has anyone got any advice on how to find the deeper areas of silt in a fairly large lake?
The pictures of the fish I've seen all have black mouths so look like they are feeding heavy in the silt. There are lots of clear areas and some weed but it's not easy to find where the deeper silt is (for me)
Cheers
The pictures of the fish I've seen all have black mouths so look like they are feeding heavy in the silt. There are lots of clear areas and some weed but it's not easy to find where the deeper silt is (for me)
Cheers
In reply to Post #1
Every in the areas of the deepest silt most of the feeding will occur in the top six inches, because that's where the live food lives.
As you get further into the silt there is less, little or no oxygen. Hence very little food.
Watch the water closely and take note of where you see fish really bubbling up. Not one or two little bubbles but plumes of them hitting the surface. Keep a note of the exact areas the fish are happy to feed.
Every in the areas of the deepest silt most of the feeding will occur in the top six inches, because that's where the live food lives.
As you get further into the silt there is less, little or no oxygen. Hence very little food.
Watch the water closely and take note of where you see fish really bubbling up. Not one or two little bubbles but plumes of them hitting the surface. Keep a note of the exact areas the fish are happy to feed.
In reply to Post #2
I watched Simon Scott explaining this on YouTube. Bloodworm try and find a balance between being eaten and suffocating!
I watched Simon Scott explaining this on YouTube. Bloodworm try and find a balance between being eaten and suffocating!
When fishing a lake in Kent with 4ft of silt a long time ago before an abundance of tackle , a sliding paternoster was the way to go .
A short hooklink on a running bead with an eye to fix hooklink .
A couple of the rubber stops 6 ft up the line and cast out , lead goes in the silt and if set up correctly the hooklink goes in the first few inches at the top of the silt .
It works as we caught a fair few fish from this lake , obviously a bit crude by today's standards but if it ain't broke why change it .
Hope this gets you thinking 🤔
Finding deep silt use a length of white wool that you use for knitting jumpers , tie lead on and tie to mainline , cast out and the silt will get trapped in the wool fibres and give you an accurate depth of the silt to tailor your rig 👍
A short hooklink on a running bead with an eye to fix hooklink .
A couple of the rubber stops 6 ft up the line and cast out , lead goes in the silt and if set up correctly the hooklink goes in the first few inches at the top of the silt .
It works as we caught a fair few fish from this lake , obviously a bit crude by today's standards but if it ain't broke why change it .
Hope this gets you thinking 🤔
Finding deep silt use a length of white wool that you use for knitting jumpers , tie lead on and tie to mainline , cast out and the silt will get trapped in the wool fibres and give you an accurate depth of the silt to tailor your rig 👍
I'd love to see an underwater test for that old white cotton/wool trick. I've always thought it was nonsense, but happy to be proved wrong.
Surely if the lead only plugs in a few inches, but the cotton lays in the top inch of the silt it will colour up the same as if it's dragged in six inches?
Can't beat getting out there and having a poke about if you want to feel it. Andy's tip is the one if you want to know where they will feed. First light will tend to give them away big time.
Surely if the lead only plugs in a few inches, but the cotton lays in the top inch of the silt it will colour up the same as if it's dragged in six inches?
Can't beat getting out there and having a poke about if you want to feel it. Andy's tip is the one if you want to know where they will feed. First light will tend to give them away big time.
In reply to Post #5
It's all in the technique which is sadly lost these days .
You can't re invent the wheel but lots try and some get rich 🤔
It's all in the technique which is sadly lost these days .
You can't re invent the wheel but lots try and some get rich 🤔
In reply to Post #5
Fished a silty mere years ago with solid bags, didn't realise really what was going on, had a few blanks, used to wind in and 3"of tubing behind the lead was black, been under the silt buried.... A thread on silt says fish in it but to me they need to be able to find it.....
Fished a silty mere years ago with solid bags, didn't realise really what was going on, had a few blanks, used to wind in and 3"of tubing behind the lead was black, been under the silt buried.... A thread on silt says fish in it but to me they need to be able to find it.....
In reply to Post #7
They can find it... they bury themselves up to their gills to feed on naturals.
They can find it... they bury themselves up to their gills to feed on naturals.
In reply to Post #8
Aerobic and anaerobic I didn't do to well in the soft stuff, not on my methods, my mate on lead clips and longer hooklengths faired better..
Aerobic and anaerobic I didn't do to well in the soft stuff, not on my methods, my mate on lead clips and longer hooklengths faired better..
In reply to Post #1
A decent sonar usually does a proper trick. Anything with chirp will do. Also, gardner has weed rakes that can be thrown using a spod rod, a Poseidon ground tester is good or a prodding stick is useful when using a boat.
A decent sonar usually does a proper trick. Anything with chirp will do. Also, gardner has weed rakes that can be thrown using a spod rod, a Poseidon ground tester is good or a prodding stick is useful when using a boat.
Tie the white cotton in a ball and tie to the lead, when retrieved it will retain some silt so give it a sniff.
If it's stinky then it's anaerobic and not worth fishing in.
If it's stinky then it's anaerobic and not worth fishing in.