Post by tompo on Oct 18, 2010 14:44:44 GMT -5
October usually signals the tailing off of the pellet fishing season on canals. This year would appear to be no exception.
Still catching but weights are down. Last Sunday I fished with a friend and he had 15-3 to my 12-12. He had more fish but mine were better quality.
This was only fourth time this season that anyone has bettered my weight in either a pleasure session or a match. It was the first time anyone has caught more fish than me. The other occasions that I have been beaten it has been by quality, not quantity.
Overall weights were down on previous years but still very good. My best weight has been 39lbs and there have not been many occasions where I have weighed less than 20lbs.
So what have I learned or done differently this year.
My normal approach, from April to October, has been to fish soft pellet on the hook and feed “B” soaked micros over groundbait.
A lot of the things I do on waters over I have adapted to use in Holland. Now, I find that a lot the things I do in Holland (most notably the pellet approach) I am doing over here.
This year in Holland I found that although pellet caught a lot of fish, I caught as many on corn. With that in mind, I have recently started using corn as a change bait, particularly on my 11.5m line which I leave as long as possible before fishing but which is usually the most responsive.
Next season I will be looking at incorporating liquidised corn in to the feed.
Tackle wise I haven’t really done too much differently to what I have for the last several years.
I prefer to use pencil style floats where there is a bit of depth on the 5 and 10m line. Weight of float depends on depth and if I’m fishing an area where there is a lot of tow – usually near locks. One thing I am looking at for next season is to have small flat float rig set up to use when the canal races due to locks being opened and closed.
Most of my rigs are set up on .09 mainline with .08 hook lengths. I don’t see the need to go heavier and this combination has landed Bream to 4lb, Tench to over 3lb and even Pike up to 7lb.
Speaking of Pike, in the last month I have landed two Pike of 5lbs and 7lbs. Both legitimately caught on pellet. I have also lost two bigger fish, one which bit me off at the net and the other one which leapt from the water and almost tangled itself in some overhanging bushes.
Hooks vary in size. During summer I like to use Tubertini 801’s or 808’s in size 18. In spring/autumn hooks can vary between 18–22. Again Tubertini 808’s.
My elastic of choice is Middy 1-5. This is brilliant elastic and is one that I use for 90% of my canal fishing in England. For my pellet fishing I now double it up through a top two. Only time I would use anything different is if fishing very close to far bank cover or a peg that I know carp are present. Then I would use a light hollow elastic.
I have slightly changed my groundbait this year. I now like to use a sweet fishmeal based groundbait where possible. I am currently using a mix of Sonubaits F1 Supercrush mixed with either Sensas Bream 3000 or Magic.
I like to use flavoured pellets. I usually do one lot that is sweet (currently gone back to using Scopex) and something that is “fruity”. Early in the season I catch a lot on Pineapple pellets. As summer wears on I like Maple flavour.
One thing that I tried in Holland this year was Coconut flavour. This worked really well in Holland and has been by far the best flavour over here recently.
Still catching but weights are down. Last Sunday I fished with a friend and he had 15-3 to my 12-12. He had more fish but mine were better quality.
This was only fourth time this season that anyone has bettered my weight in either a pleasure session or a match. It was the first time anyone has caught more fish than me. The other occasions that I have been beaten it has been by quality, not quantity.
Overall weights were down on previous years but still very good. My best weight has been 39lbs and there have not been many occasions where I have weighed less than 20lbs.
So what have I learned or done differently this year.
My normal approach, from April to October, has been to fish soft pellet on the hook and feed “B” soaked micros over groundbait.
A lot of the things I do on waters over I have adapted to use in Holland. Now, I find that a lot the things I do in Holland (most notably the pellet approach) I am doing over here.
This year in Holland I found that although pellet caught a lot of fish, I caught as many on corn. With that in mind, I have recently started using corn as a change bait, particularly on my 11.5m line which I leave as long as possible before fishing but which is usually the most responsive.
Next season I will be looking at incorporating liquidised corn in to the feed.
Tackle wise I haven’t really done too much differently to what I have for the last several years.
I prefer to use pencil style floats where there is a bit of depth on the 5 and 10m line. Weight of float depends on depth and if I’m fishing an area where there is a lot of tow – usually near locks. One thing I am looking at for next season is to have small flat float rig set up to use when the canal races due to locks being opened and closed.
Most of my rigs are set up on .09 mainline with .08 hook lengths. I don’t see the need to go heavier and this combination has landed Bream to 4lb, Tench to over 3lb and even Pike up to 7lb.
Speaking of Pike, in the last month I have landed two Pike of 5lbs and 7lbs. Both legitimately caught on pellet. I have also lost two bigger fish, one which bit me off at the net and the other one which leapt from the water and almost tangled itself in some overhanging bushes.
Hooks vary in size. During summer I like to use Tubertini 801’s or 808’s in size 18. In spring/autumn hooks can vary between 18–22. Again Tubertini 808’s.
My elastic of choice is Middy 1-5. This is brilliant elastic and is one that I use for 90% of my canal fishing in England. For my pellet fishing I now double it up through a top two. Only time I would use anything different is if fishing very close to far bank cover or a peg that I know carp are present. Then I would use a light hollow elastic.
I have slightly changed my groundbait this year. I now like to use a sweet fishmeal based groundbait where possible. I am currently using a mix of Sonubaits F1 Supercrush mixed with either Sensas Bream 3000 or Magic.
I like to use flavoured pellets. I usually do one lot that is sweet (currently gone back to using Scopex) and something that is “fruity”. Early in the season I catch a lot on Pineapple pellets. As summer wears on I like Maple flavour.
One thing that I tried in Holland this year was Coconut flavour. This worked really well in Holland and has been by far the best flavour over here recently.
