Fishing in the shallow water up to an island is one of the most effective ways to catch fish on commercials. When you fish in the correct depth of water and have your rig and feeding just right, it can be like shelling peas, and a big weight of fish can be amassed very quickly.
However, fishing across can also lead to some real nightmares! Fish in the wrong depth of water, or get the feeding or rig wrong and you can soon end up with line bites, foul hookers, lost fish and a general disaster!
Believe me, I have been in a fair few situations like this myself over the years, but I like to think I have been able to refine my fishing across tactics to such an extent that now I can usually fulfill my peg’s potential.
Where to fish?
One of the most important decisions you have to make when it comes to fishing across is where you choose to fish. Careful thought is often rewarded here, and you should pay more attention to the features below the water’s surface than above it. I always like to take the time to plumb up thoroughly and ask myself what I am looking for.
The single most important thing is either a flat, or very gently sloping area of the bottom. I want somewhere I know I can pot bait, where it isn’t simply going to roll down the slope.
Secondly, I am looking for two specific depths. Early on, in the session, I like to fish a line in slightly deeper water – anywhere between 18 inches or two feet is fine depending on the contours of the slope.
For later in the session, I like a much shallower area, something anglers often refer to as a ‘mud line’. Anything between eight and 12 inches is favored here, although if I find I am getting line bites I won’t hesitate to go into even shallower water.
Obviously, there is no ‘one size fits all’ rule, as every swim you plumb up will be different. I have said, you need to give thought to the shape of the slope that you are fishing on too.
Pay attention to any bank-side vegetation, such as overhanging reeds or trees. Often the cover and shade provided by this will mean fish will feed more confidently. However, overhanging cover can also mean potential tangles, or roots under the water, so it is worth assessing the level of risk before venturing too close to any danger zone – especially when pole control is hampered by wind.
How to Prepare the Mix?
1. Finely chop your worms.
2. Disperse into the soil.
3. Add ground bait to add some flavor.
4. Casters are then added.
5. Add some softened micro pellets.
What To Feed?
Gauging the correct bait to feed, and more importantly knowing how much of it to put in is the second key decision that you have to make. This may seem a strange thing to say, but attracting too many fish into the area that you are fishing can be just as bad as not attracting any, as this is generally when foul hookers and line bites occur.
The ideal situation you are looking to achieve is that you introduce enough bait for a few fish to move into the shallow water to eat it. Your hook bait stands out enough for them to eat it very quickly.
On the subject of what bait to feed, this is very seasonal.
In the winter, generally, pellets will be my choice, but as we move into the summer months, another bait comes to the fore – worms!
A lot of people associate worm fishing with a big bait bill, but being a tight northerner the way I like to do it is very cost effective.
I like to keep a bucket and a riddle in the back of the car, and whenever I see a sexy looking molehill (believe me, there is such a thing) I hop out and grab it. The only two things to be wary of are the consistency of the molehill (i.e. if it has been raining the soil can be too wet) and also I avoid molehills that are right next to a busy road, as I don’t want any impurities from vehicle emissions tainting my bait.
A well as the obvious advantage of being completely free, this molehill soil has an even bigger plus point – it bulks out whatever feed you add to it, and carries it straight down to the bottom.
The Killer Mix
For a typical session, I use just 250ml of worms chopped up very finely. To this, I add two pints of molehill soil, 100ml of crushed expander 150ml of casters and 100ml of micro pellets. Mix these key ingredients together and you are left with damp mix that can either be formed into a ball, or put in a pole mounted pot and tapped out loose.
If I feel I want to feed more bait (and sometimes I do later in the session, when the fish really start feeding confidently) I simply add another handful of micros and the same of casters to my mix. It really is as simple as that!
When it comes to rigs, again there is nothing at all complicated about my approach, which is geared around efficiency. I use a 0.2g rugby-ball-shaped pattern with a wire stem for stability and hollow plastic tip for visibility. I favor a longish bristle compared to many anglers, but this allows me to really read my bites and distinguish positive indications (normally a sharp dip or pull under) from line bites.
Robust 0.165mm Matrix Power Micron is my rig line of choice, and strength is a vital characteristic when you are looking to catch a lot of fish. My hook length, however, is 0.115mm Power Micron. This lighter choice has two distinct benefits: firstly, I believe it helps me to fool the big crafty old F1s and secondly, if I do get snagged up on the far bank it is just my hook length that needs to be replaced and I am soon back in business.
In terms of shooting, again simplicity is the name of the game. I just have a bulk of No. 8's at the top of my hook length, which is four-inches long to keep my hook bait pinned exactly where I want it. Hook choice is a size 16 Matrix Carp Bagger.
Another vitally important aspect of your kit for fishing across is elastics. You need something soft enough to allow you to hook fish and have them swim out of your peg without breaking the surface, but powerful enough for you to bring them under control quickly at the netting stage. I use No. 8 Matrix latex in conjunction with a puller kit.
Today’s Session
We have sat on the lovely Jenny’s Pool today at the prolific Tunnel Barn Farm complex near Warwick. This lake holds some big crafty F1s, and is perfect for demonstrating how I approach this type of session.
I mentioned at the outset that I like to plumb up two lines at the start, one in deeper water, the other in shallow water. I always start on the deeper of the two swims, and look to fish here if possible for the first half of the session. Fishing in this way means that you always have somewhere to go late on in the day, and so you can fish the most productive part of your swim at the time in your match when you are most likely to do some damage, i.e. late in the day when the fish normally switch on to feed.
Fishing in the slightly deeper water (it’s about two feet deep here) I form my mix into a small, softly squeezed ball that fits just inside the medium Matrix Toss Pot. This way I know my feed is going straight to the bottom, and taking the fish down with it.
I manage a few nice F1s early on in the day, but to be honest I am not happy with how the session is panning out – I know how many fish are in this lake and I feel sure that if I fished in shallower water I would be able to catch them better.
For this reason, I go on my shallow-water line much earlier than I would normally, but it is important to remember that today I have a lot of room, and the whole lake to myself, which certainly affects how the fish feed.
This move reaps instant rewards, and I soon find myself catching a good stamp fish every single put in. Fishing in this shallower water, I feed slightly differently, simply pushing some of my mix into my pole pot rather than forming it into a ball. This ensures it spreads out nicely on the slope and holds fish where I want them for longer.
When I know the fish are feeding confidently, I also up the quantity of micro pellets and casters in my mix as I find this gives me a slightly longer window between feeding, and potentially getting a bite, before I have to reship and repeat the process.
We soon have a net full of prime Tunnel Barn F1s for the camera, and hopefully this piece will go some way towards helping you get the most from your peg the next time you draw a nice looking island, or bit of banking to fish up to.
However, fishing across can also lead to some real nightmares! Fish in the wrong depth of water, or get the feeding or rig wrong and you can soon end up with line bites, foul hookers, lost fish and a general disaster!
Believe me, I have been in a fair few situations like this myself over the years, but I like to think I have been able to refine my fishing across tactics to such an extent that now I can usually fulfill my peg’s potential.
Where to fish?
One of the most important decisions you have to make when it comes to fishing across is where you choose to fish. Careful thought is often rewarded here, and you should pay more attention to the features below the water’s surface than above it. I always like to take the time to plumb up thoroughly and ask myself what I am looking for.
The single most important thing is either a flat, or very gently sloping area of the bottom. I want somewhere I know I can pot bait, where it isn’t simply going to roll down the slope.
Secondly, I am looking for two specific depths. Early on, in the session, I like to fish a line in slightly deeper water – anywhere between 18 inches or two feet is fine depending on the contours of the slope.
For later in the session, I like a much shallower area, something anglers often refer to as a ‘mud line’. Anything between eight and 12 inches is favored here, although if I find I am getting line bites I won’t hesitate to go into even shallower water.
Obviously, there is no ‘one size fits all’ rule, as every swim you plumb up will be different. I have said, you need to give thought to the shape of the slope that you are fishing on too.
Pay attention to any bank-side vegetation, such as overhanging reeds or trees. Often the cover and shade provided by this will mean fish will feed more confidently. However, overhanging cover can also mean potential tangles, or roots under the water, so it is worth assessing the level of risk before venturing too close to any danger zone – especially when pole control is hampered by wind.
How to Prepare the Mix?
1. Finely chop your worms.
2. Disperse into the soil.
3. Add ground bait to add some flavor.
4. Casters are then added.
5. Add some softened micro pellets.
What To Feed?
Gauging the correct bait to feed, and more importantly knowing how much of it to put in is the second key decision that you have to make. This may seem a strange thing to say, but attracting too many fish into the area that you are fishing can be just as bad as not attracting any, as this is generally when foul hookers and line bites occur.
The ideal situation you are looking to achieve is that you introduce enough bait for a few fish to move into the shallow water to eat it. Your hook bait stands out enough for them to eat it very quickly.
On the subject of what bait to feed, this is very seasonal.
In the winter, generally, pellets will be my choice, but as we move into the summer months, another bait comes to the fore – worms!
A lot of people associate worm fishing with a big bait bill, but being a tight northerner the way I like to do it is very cost effective.
I like to keep a bucket and a riddle in the back of the car, and whenever I see a sexy looking molehill (believe me, there is such a thing) I hop out and grab it. The only two things to be wary of are the consistency of the molehill (i.e. if it has been raining the soil can be too wet) and also I avoid molehills that are right next to a busy road, as I don’t want any impurities from vehicle emissions tainting my bait.
A well as the obvious advantage of being completely free, this molehill soil has an even bigger plus point – it bulks out whatever feed you add to it, and carries it straight down to the bottom.
The Killer Mix
For a typical session, I use just 250ml of worms chopped up very finely. To this, I add two pints of molehill soil, 100ml of crushed expander 150ml of casters and 100ml of micro pellets. Mix these key ingredients together and you are left with damp mix that can either be formed into a ball, or put in a pole mounted pot and tapped out loose.
If I feel I want to feed more bait (and sometimes I do later in the session, when the fish really start feeding confidently) I simply add another handful of micros and the same of casters to my mix. It really is as simple as that!
When it comes to rigs, again there is nothing at all complicated about my approach, which is geared around efficiency. I use a 0.2g rugby-ball-shaped pattern with a wire stem for stability and hollow plastic tip for visibility. I favor a longish bristle compared to many anglers, but this allows me to really read my bites and distinguish positive indications (normally a sharp dip or pull under) from line bites.
Robust 0.165mm Matrix Power Micron is my rig line of choice, and strength is a vital characteristic when you are looking to catch a lot of fish. My hook length, however, is 0.115mm Power Micron. This lighter choice has two distinct benefits: firstly, I believe it helps me to fool the big crafty old F1s and secondly, if I do get snagged up on the far bank it is just my hook length that needs to be replaced and I am soon back in business.
In terms of shooting, again simplicity is the name of the game. I just have a bulk of No. 8's at the top of my hook length, which is four-inches long to keep my hook bait pinned exactly where I want it. Hook choice is a size 16 Matrix Carp Bagger.
Another vitally important aspect of your kit for fishing across is elastics. You need something soft enough to allow you to hook fish and have them swim out of your peg without breaking the surface, but powerful enough for you to bring them under control quickly at the netting stage. I use No. 8 Matrix latex in conjunction with a puller kit.
Today’s Session
We have sat on the lovely Jenny’s Pool today at the prolific Tunnel Barn Farm complex near Warwick. This lake holds some big crafty F1s, and is perfect for demonstrating how I approach this type of session.
I mentioned at the outset that I like to plumb up two lines at the start, one in deeper water, the other in shallow water. I always start on the deeper of the two swims, and look to fish here if possible for the first half of the session. Fishing in this way means that you always have somewhere to go late on in the day, and so you can fish the most productive part of your swim at the time in your match when you are most likely to do some damage, i.e. late in the day when the fish normally switch on to feed.
Fishing in the slightly deeper water (it’s about two feet deep here) I form my mix into a small, softly squeezed ball that fits just inside the medium Matrix Toss Pot. This way I know my feed is going straight to the bottom, and taking the fish down with it.
I manage a few nice F1s early on in the day, but to be honest I am not happy with how the session is panning out – I know how many fish are in this lake and I feel sure that if I fished in shallower water I would be able to catch them better.
For this reason, I go on my shallow-water line much earlier than I would normally, but it is important to remember that today I have a lot of room, and the whole lake to myself, which certainly affects how the fish feed.
This move reaps instant rewards, and I soon find myself catching a good stamp fish every single put in. Fishing in this shallower water, I feed slightly differently, simply pushing some of my mix into my pole pot rather than forming it into a ball. This ensures it spreads out nicely on the slope and holds fish where I want them for longer.
When I know the fish are feeding confidently, I also up the quantity of micro pellets and casters in my mix as I find this gives me a slightly longer window between feeding, and potentially getting a bite, before I have to reship and repeat the process.
We soon have a net full of prime Tunnel Barn F1s for the camera, and hopefully this piece will go some way towards helping you get the most from your peg the next time you draw a nice looking island, or bit of banking to fish up to.