Speedy's Tactical Masterclass

From reservoir bream to commercial carp, Nick Speed shares his extensive know-how to help you put more fish in the net

IT’S NO secret that pellets are the number one bait on commercials, but how you use them needs to be tweaked as the seasons progress.

Hard pellets and rattling in plenty of loosefeed with a catapult has been the name of the game throughout summer, but it’s a case of ‘all change’ now that winter is almost upon us.

Using expanders on the hook and feeding small quantities of 2mm micros are the way forward if you want to keep the bites coming when the going gets tough. But it’s not just your bait tray that needs looking at – many other elements of your set-up require fine-tuning to maximise your chances of having a memorable day on the bank.

Swim selection

F1s are the primary species that you’ll encounter with this approach and, like most fish, they are prone to shoaling up tightly once the cold weather arrives. Some pegs will be barren, but others will be absolutely teeming with them! It’s important to do a little homework before you settle down for the day to boost your chances of enjoying bites from start to finish. Speak to fishery staff for advice or check match results for trends regarding pegs that frequently win or ‘frame’. A quick walk of the lake can also give clues. If you see one fish jump out in an area, you can guarantee that there’ll be plenty more nearby.

Start short

It’s best to start long and work your way towards the margins during the summer, but you need to do the complete opposite now. The clear water will make the fish unwilling to come right into the edge, but there’s a good chance they’ll be sat 5m-6m from the bank at the bottom of the marginal slope when you first start. Expect to get a run of fish here and when that area peters out, it’s time to look elsewhere for a while. Continue to trickle tiny amounts of micro pellets in though, as once the light starts to fade later in the session, the fish will often come back and provide a late rush of action.

Going long

Once the action dries up short, it’s time to look elsewhere to keep bites coming during the middle stages of your session. It’s important to have plenty of separation between this line and where you started, simply to prevent splitting the shoal. Pencil it in 11m-13m out, and fish it in the same manner with regards to feeding ‘negatively’. Don’t be tempted to chase the fish around and set up other lines to your left or right as that will make it difficult to work out where the bulk of the fish are sat.

Perfect conditions

It needs to be reasonably calm for pellets to work effectively. If it’s too windy for the rig to be presented properly, the loosefed offerings will sit still on the bottom but the hookba