Feeder tactics and a spot of lateral thinking get me the result I want – along with bonus roach!
RIPPING open two bags of Continental groundbait instantly brought back memories of tench, bream and roach as the rich, sweet aroma filled my nostrils.
This was a moment to savour, and one that instantly made me want to go fishing – despite the horrendously damp early spring weather showing few signs of abating.
The forecast was for a stiff, chilly breeze and heavy showers, but there was no point in waiting for a better day, because the long-range prospects were equally grim. At least the last of the daffodils framing my swim added a splash of colour, and gave me hope that nature was finally waking up.
Challenging conditions indeed, but I can get bored when bites come too easily, and I doubted that would be the case today.
The lake wasn't big , at around 5½ acres, but I felt it was too early and cold to get bites in the margins. Instead, I opted to fish the feeder rather than the float. Not that this would be a ‘bait and wait ’ session, because with this tactic you can quite often get the fish to feed fairly quickly. First task was to find a suitable area to fish, and at 30 yards I discovered a smooth, clean area between weed beds – a great spot to focus on.
I didn’t want to go crazy with the feed to start with, but I felt some needed to go into the swim, so I opted for a bait-up feeder packed with that lovely-smelling groundbait, dampened and augmented by hemp, casters and live/dead maggots.
I cast out four payloads, and from then on I’d use a medium feeder carrying the same mix, and recast it at least once every 10 minutes.
My 11ft rod carried a 1½oz glass tip which, on the face of it, seemed rather soft. But it would help me read the swim, showing up line bites which could have been missed with a stiffer carbon version. The tip was black, rather than white, because against the silvery water it would show signs I might otherwise not see. My 8lb reel line was just right for feeder fishing , and carried a helicopter rig made up of two tungsten stoppers, a quick-change swivel and an 8ins, 6.6lb fluorocarbon hooklength. The size 16 hook would be baited with either casters or maggots.
Last but not least, I’d make use of the reel’s spool clip to ensure accuracy. I was now ready to start fishing.
With a small bed of bait in place, I punched out my rig and waited for a sign. But nothing happened for an hour, or indeed two, and I began to wonder if I was in the wrong swim! Then the tiniest of twitches reassured me, and 30 minutes after that I began to get
