Coarse Fishing in the South East (UK)

I'm going to start off with a tip that won me a box of assorted Van Den Eynde pellets in June's edition of Angling Times Advanced. On difficult days or when targeting perch, hook a single maggot normally. Now add a small dab of superglue to the bottom of another maggot, and stick this onto the tip of the hooked maggot. You can repeat this with a third maggot if you want (picture). The result is the liveliest hookbait you can get - the movement of the first maggot is amplified to the second and so on...

I always carry a tiny bottle of washing up liquid in my fishing box. It comes in very handy when feeder fishing. Over a period of time the line gets covered with scum and surface dirt that can make it greasy and difficult to sink. Simple answer is to treat your line to a liberal dose of liquid which will help it get through the surface layer of the water and improve your presentation allowing you to spot those tiniest of bites.

How often do you use your catapult? quite often I should imagine. I found that over a period of time I was going through spare elastic's like there was no tomorrow. Mainly due to the ware and tare at the point at which the elastic leaves the frame of the catapult. Simple answer was to use some pole lubricant to reduce friction and prolong the life of the elastic. It works so well that I can't even remember the last time I had to change my elastic!!.

 This is just common sense! Always carry a water resistant black marker pen. Changing the colour of your float tip can make all the difference and will save you straining your eyes on those bright days when the float is difficult to see against a bright background, especially when the water is choppy. Alternatively there are floats on the market that have inter-changeable tips (orange, red, yellow, black).

A white 'tipex' pen comes in very usefull for marking pole top kits so you know exactly what depth each rig is set at. If you trash a rig or need to alter depth then you have a reference point to go back too. It can be easily removed with a thumb nail at the end of the day.

As a match angler I find this little gadget invaluable to keep track of my catch rate. I can tell at a glance if my catch rate is on track  and if your catching a similar stamp of fish you get a good idea of what weight you have, especially on pleasure or practice session where the use of a keep net is not allowed. If you look closely you can see the figures on the counter showing the number of fish I caught on my last outing '9999'.......NOT!!

 We've all had the problem of a float that we can't shot. It either just about sinks beneath the surface or if we take even the smallest shot off the line the float sits like a lighthouse!. Carry a small tub of vaseline and your worries are over. Simply put a dab of vaseline on your float tip and it should sit on the surface giving perfect bite indication.

Invest in a proper coffee grinder. When pellet fishing with hard pellet or even expanders a change to paste on the hook can pick up bonus fish especially if the paste is made out of the pellets you are feeding. It's also cheaper to make your own paste at a fraction of the price compared to shop prices. It takes just a few minutes to put some through a grinder.

How many times have you dropped your catty only for it to sink to the bottom of the lake or river never to be seen again? Why they don't make them to float I don't know. Never fear - simply glue some floating rig foam to your handle. If you drop it in the water then simply scoop it out with your landing net!

Now here is one of my better tips. I'm rather proud of this one. I have NEVER seen anyone using this method to hook drilled pellets and it works an absolute treat. First find yourself some old hollow elastic such as Hydrolastic or Maver Dual Core. The size of elastic depends on the size of hole in your drilled pellet. If it's a small hole then thin grade elastic is necessary, for my example I have used Red Hydro because this fits snugly into the drilled pellet when the piece of Hydro is put under tension by the small Korum baiting needle. Don't try and put a large piece of elastic through a small hole otherwise you will probably split the pellet.

Hook the inside of a small piece of elastic, use the baiting needle to hook the inside of the elastic, pull the elastic to put it under tension then slide the pellet onto the elastic, release the baiting needle from the elastic, as a result the elastic grips the pellet very tight and keeps it in place.

While on the subject of drilled pellets - if you use them often it would be wise to invest in a miniature model drill (picture below). You can drill dozens of pellets in a matter of minutes.

 

Lesson No 1: Don't push too hard with a baiting needle otherwise you could come a cropper! Paul Goldsmith (pictured) found out the hard way during a recent Metro-Musketeers match at Woodpecker Lakes. With only a few minutes to go to the end of the match he was in a bit of a rush to get another bait into the water and catch his last fish before the whistle. End result was a trip to the local hospital to have the offending object removed from his left hand. After seeing this happen twice in the space of a couple of months I am in a position to recommend either the Korum Bait Spike or Korum Baiting Needle instead of the traditional, and dangerous, spiked (barbed) baiting needle. As some of you may know once the needle has penetrated the flesh there is no chance of pulling it back out again - the point of the needle has to run it's course....... out the other side of your hand, which normally involves a trip to the local hospital for removal and tetanus injection. A process, according to Paul, which is very very painful!!