Session Fee: £11 (please ensure you have the correct change).
Draw: 9am (at the lake side)
Coaching until 11:45. (No keep nets)
Match start: 12 noon.
Match end: 4pm.
After two visits to Todber and fishing on two lakes, Jerry and I came to the conclusion that the Carp at Todber are nuts and will eat anything!
But there are ways to catch more fish quicker if you put your mind to it.
Methods:
Pole is by far the best way to catch fish on Homeground Lake. If you do not have a pole, Then I suggest you beg, steal, or borrow one for the day (first and last are better than the middle one. We can’t condone stealing!)
It needs to be a robust pole because it will take a kicking throughout the day.
I am going to recommend a minimum of a size 16 elastic. Any lighter than a 16 and you will be spending more time playing the fish than you will catching them. Size 20 is probably the most commonly used elastic.
Rigs, like the pole, need to be strong. On Tuesday I used a 0.25mm main line (12lb) to a 0.22mm (9lb) hooklink. Most of the fish are only between 2 and 5lbs in weight, but the abuse your rig gets from angry Carp for 4+hours is tremendous. Floats need to be, you guessed it, very strong. A thick bristle and a fibreglass stem are crucial to make them last for the whole match. 4 silicone sleeves for a long stem and one long sleeve for a shorter stem will lock the float in place and prevent it from moving up or down the line.
Floats are damaged during the landing/unhooking phase more than any other time.
Floats of 0.3g/0.4g or 4x12/4x14 are needed for fishing on the bottom. Lighter floats of 0.2g or even 0.1g can be used for shallow fishing. The same style/size of float that are used for deeper fishing can be used in the margin, should you need to.
Hooks also need to be extra strong. Size 16/14 for all areas will be needed. Keep your eye on the shape and sharpness throughout the day. Any change in either needs a new hook. Banded hooks for pellets, spade end hooks for soft baits.
If you have no pole, then the next best method will be the feeder. You probably will not catch as quickly on the feeder than you will with a pole. But you will catch never-the-less. A 20-to-30-gram feeder will be sufficient, the slope is not steep enough to need anything heavier.
The usual 10cm hooklink to a strong hook. Take plenty, you will need them.
The only waggler I would bother with would be a Pellet Waggler. This will catch fish, but is far slower than either the pole or the feeder, even in experienced hands.
Bait:
I recommend that you have with you the following:
At least 2 pints of 6mm pellets.
At least two tins of Luncheon Meat (Not chopped pork or Spam)
At least 2 pints of Micros (2mm pellets) in case you end up fishing on the feeder.
Optional baits:
1 pint of Maggots
1 tin of sweetcorn.
8mm Pellets
The Match:
Unusually, we are having a practice session before the start of the match, so we will take a look on how to fish and feed as a group before you go off and try it for yourselves.
Either myself or guest coach, Richard Butler, will host the tutorial.
Keep Nets:
I would ask that you bring all the keep nets that you have (Provided they are legal!). With the potential of catching hundreds of pounds of fish, we will need all the keep nets we can muster.
Net Limits:
You must keep your net weight below 66lbs as per the fishery rules. You will be advised on roughly how many fish to put in each keep net before the start. If the scales show ‘ERR’ when weighing, that net will be automatically knocked back to and recorded as 50lbs. Please try to keep your nets between 50 and 60lbs in the interests of fish welfare.
Because of the amount of time it will probably take to weigh everyone in, Silverfish will not count for this event.
Let the bagging commence!
Juniors Sec…