Is it me or has June been a really strange month? With temperatures up and down and fish spawning late every session has took some real working out.
I kicked off my month on Partridge Lakes for the Fish 0 Mania qualifier and when I pulled out Ribbon Lake I knew I had no chance. My peg offered me only 11 metres of water across to an island and no margins to target. Still I had a days fishing for small carp and silvers for 35lb.
Next up was Whitmore Fisheries in Lancashire on the East canal. Quite a large snake type venue with over 50 pegs ensuring we had plenty of room. Here was a match where I needed a mixed approach. The venue I was told had a few small carp up to a 1lb with a few bigger specimens, but the majority of fish would be Skimmers, Ide and Roach. I decided on Pellet for the Carp tight across to the island and Worm/Maggot for the Silvers. 2 carp around 1lb a piece and lots of tiny Ide and Skimmers gave me a section win with 10lb 5oz.
I never moan about draws as there isn't much you can do about it. But my next two outings to Blundells Fishery and Heronbrook, my drawing arm really let me down! Blundells is a rover match and although I drew ball 43 (Not great!) I was missed out and ended up choosing what was left at the end. 35lb of Ide and a couple of Carp was enjoyable but never going to compete for the section.
Heronbrook I drew the area I really didn't want to be in. Only 35lb was needed to win the section and my 23lb left me cursing a number of lost fish.
I got to thinking about my local venues and the miles I have travelled hoping for a good draw. Around the Manchester area the match scene is strong. However for a good commercial water I have to travel over 30 miles to Blundells, Partridge or Brookside Fisheries. There is a real need for a quality well managed fishery to the North of the city. However what we do have is an abundance of "Natural venues". A local club I recently joined is one such place. No big carp weights or heavy stocking. Just a natural stock of Roach, Perch, Skimmers, Tench, Crucians and the odd wise old wily Carp.
So this Month I wanted to target these natural fish with a mix of old and new; both bait and tactics.
The Session
I have only fished this water once and knew it was around 4-5ft deep with a nice flat bottom. As it was an evening session I decided to take minimal tackle. Sticking with the Old Skool theme a whip would be my main approach. Weather was overcast and a pleasant 18degrees. I would fish 6.30 - 9.30pm.
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| I picked a lovely looking peg with lots of cover |
Bait is where I wanted to do a little test. I would fish 2 lines the maximum length of my 8 metre whip. Bit of a gamble as these shy fish may back off, but I was hoping that with only me on the lake I could build the swims nicely. Line 1 at 11 o clock in 4 feet of water I would be feeding "natural" baits, Maggot/Worm over a traditional Sweet Bream groundbait, darkened with some purple crumb.
Line 2 at around 2pm I would be feeding "Modern" baits. 2mm Marukyu Jpelletz would be fed and a 6mm red JPZ over the top. I am 99% certain these fish would never have seen these products before! A few Grains of corn for a change of hookbait completed the bait tray.
I would also introduce a mixture of the two under the tree to my right. Watercraft tells me there should be shoals of Perch and Roach under the tree with hopefully some bonus fish lurking in the shadows. Jpelletz and red maggot would be the combo here in 3 feet of water. It would be interesting to see what cropped up with such light tackle :)
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| Natural and Modern baits for 2 lines |
Tackle :
8 Metre Daiwa Airity System Whip
Rig 1 Shallow/Tree line : 4x10 Ben Scott Pencil .10 Silstar straight through 20 Kamasan B911 F1 hook. Preston Slip elastic no5
Rig 2 full depth : Jim Standish Slimzee 4x12 .11-.10 hooklength 20 Drennan Carp Maggot hook. Preston Slip elastic no5
Rig 3 Shallow : Flick tip with small blob float .10 to an 18 Drennan Carp Maggot hook.
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| Left : Rig 1 Right: Rig 2 |
Line 1 I introduce 3 tangerine balls of groundbait by hand laced with a little chopped worm. I then planned on feeding maggots over the top. This may encourage some big roach or skimmers to feed shallow later.
Line 2 I introduce 2 toss pots full of 2mm Jpelletz. I use the trees on the far bank as markers and use the white water as my target area so I am always accurate.
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| Line 1 at around 11 o clock Old Skool. Line 2 at around 2 o clock modern baits |
I decided to start on Line 1 with a small piece of worm. I had only a few collected from the garden and only 1 pint of Maggots so a relatively cheap evenings fishing. I expected at least a 10 minute wait after the groundbait settled. But as I am rolling a cigarette my float lifts signalling a Skimmer lifting the bait off the bottom and 2 feet of elastic sees me netting an 8oz Skimmer. Great start! I am fishing an inch overdepth with a spread bulk. I decide immediately to bulk my shot together 18 inches from the hook and place my 2 no10 droppers above the 6 inch hooklength and add a little depth. Essentially a double bulk rig. Next chuck and bang another Skimmer. A few Roach and Perch make me decide to top up with another golf ball of Groundbait.... Time for the Pellet line.
The Jpelletz had sat there for at least 30 minutes and I expected a bite instantly.... nothing!
After 2 or 3 minutes I was starting to get concerned thinking these new Marukyu products would be too alien to the fish. After around 5 minutes the float sank down the hole, my 5s elastic is streaming out. The whips bend and the fact I sneakily placed the elastic through a small puller bung allows me to manage a Tench around 2lb. A sprinkling of pellet through the toss pot and my hook loaded with another JPZ again a 5 minute wait, but a Skimmer over 1lb. Next cast same again.
All the while fishing pellet I am pinging Maggots over the groundbait line. I decide to have another look and am instantly greeted to another skimmer around 6oz. There is a clear theme emerging that I have to wait longer fishing the JPZ but the stamp of fish is significantly larger. I manage 2 Tench over the groundbait but they are babies around 8oz a piece. Some fish begin swirling for my maggots so its time to have fun with the flick tip. A number of Roach between 2-6oz are the culprits along with a 12oz Skimmer which was fun on the light gear.
Tree Line
Coming into the last hour and its time to look under the tree to my right hand side. I had been feeding the area by hand all evening with a pinch of pellet and a few red maggots.
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| How very Fishy! |
A single red maggot hookbait is flicked into the open water and my rig dragged back under the canopy of leaves. Instantly a Perch snaffles the bait .... Inevitable. A few more Perch so I decide to cut out the Maggots but feed solely Jpelletz, and try a double Maggot offering on the hook. Amazingly 2 chucks later the float goes down the hole and a small Tench is landed. 3 more follow until I foul hook and lose something much better... had the old Carp moved in? Next chuck and WALLOP! 8 feet of number 5 elastic and my whip bent double under the treeline, I gingerly add a couple of sections and after a 5 minute battle a beautiful Tench of around 3 and a half pound is in the net. A roach of around 8oz then follows before I call all out to myself and my imaginary match.
Conclusion
Around 18lb of Skimmers, Perch, Tench, Roach and the odd Tommy Ruffe (Proof of a natural venue!) were managed by fishing the 3 swims. Groundbait was certainly instant and the attraction given off from the worm and maggot gained lots of small fish attention. Had I upped the feed maybe I could have attracted a larger stamp? However the Jpelletz certainly attracted a larger stamp of fish in a relatively short period of time, the bites took a while but were worth the wait.
A combination of natural baits, old skool sweet groundbait, scientifically developed pellets and good old watercraft made for an enjoyable evenings experimentation.
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| A lovely mixed bag |
Why not go to one of these forgotten waters and give the carp and F1's a miss for a change. And don't be afraid to experiment with pellets, flavourings and modern groundbait. Marukyu products are designed to target all Cypranids... no matter where they live!
(This Month's Blog is dedicated to Billy Anderton of my Eight Bells Angling Club in Manchester who sadly passed away on the day I did this session. He will be missed by many RIP Billy x )
