One of the best in the business reveals how you can keep big carp coming when the odds are stacked against you
FLOATFISHING has always been viewed as a pretty technical arm of the sport, with lots of intricate details that can make or break a session.
Conversely, feederfishing is often seen as a more simple approach, with most anglers – certainly in days gone by – believing it to be a bit of a ‘chuck it and chance it’ tactic.
Thankfully, that’s starting to change, with the majority of anglers now realising that paying attention to tiny details when fishing ‘the tip’ is just as important as when working with the pole or waggler.
Rob Wootton is a man who’s fully aware of just how important it is to analyse every aspect of your feederfishing approach. He was recently crowned the individual champion in the European Feeder Cup – the first international event to be staged on home soil since the 90s.
Dozens of the finest anglers descended upon Birmingham’s Barston Lakes to compete, with England storming to victory in the team event.
Rob was the top performer on each of the three days, bagging three section wins against talented opposition.
Such an achievement didn’t come about by chance, with Rob’s near obsessive attention to detail giving him the edge when it mattered.
This month he reveals his top tips to keep you bagging on carp all winter!
1 USE BIG HOOKS
“Winter is often seen as the perfect time to scale down your tackle, but I do the complete opposite when feeder fishing for carp.
“I might only be fishing for a handful of bites, and I need to land every single one of them if I am to have an enjoyable day on the bank.
“A big hook reduces the chance of you losing fish and my number one choice is a size 10 Preston Innovations KKH-B.
“They’re a strong pattern that even the biggest of carp will struggle to eject once inhaled.”
2 BOOST YOUR LOOSEFEED
“The days of carp eating big beds of bait are gone for this year, with their appetites dropping substantially as the cold kicks in.
“They’ll only want to eat the odd mouthful, and you need to make sure that it is your bait that they go for.
“Coating your Method feeder pellets can work a treat and I’ve had plenty of success using Dynamite Baits F1 Sweet Swim Stim Pellet Soak and Evolution Shrimp Extract.
“I’ll dampen my micros and then tip a generous glug over the top, mixing it in well to spread the scent evenly.
“Mix up a couple of batches of pellets and flavour them differently, rotating between them until you work out which is most effective on the day.”
3 SHORTEN YOUR HOOKLENGTH
“A 4in hooklength seems to be the standard length to use with the M
