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 Finding
features to fish to
How many times have you turned
up at a venue, set up your rods and just
cast out into the middle of the water without
thinking about what lies beneath the surface?
If you are lucky, then the swim you have
chosen has a visible feature to cast to,
such as an island, lily pads or a reed bed.
Maybe it has resulted in a fish or two for
you. But what if there are no visible features,
you are just facing an open expanse of water?
Well, if you just cast and hope, then you
may be missing out on a fishing hot spot
that you didn't even realise was there.
If you want to do well on a
venue, you must take the time to understand
it and learn its features. Not just the
visible ones, but also the gravel bars,
shallows, weed beds and clear areas of silt
or clay. You need to know the areas where
the carp patrol, and where they feed and
rest. On arriving at a new water, take time
to walk around. If possible talk to other
anglers and find out as much as you can.
Over a period of time you will be able to
fish many of the swims and build up a map
of the lake and lake bed. The more you know,
the more you will catch. For the first time
in a new swim though you need to know what
lies under the surface and to do this you
need to use a marker float.
Tackle required
If you have one available, use
a spare rod and reel. You can use the same
rod you are fishing with, but it is nice
to have a marker float set up all of the
time you are fishing. The rig you will need
is not difficult to assemble. All you need
is a fairly strong main line, a marker float,
a lead stop and a weight heavy enough to
reach your target areas, to sink your marker
float easily and that you can drag along
the bottom when you retrieve it. I would
recommend at least 2 ounces. The rig looks
a bit strange at first as the float is attached
to the end of the mainline and the weight
allowed to slide above it. Try to stop the
lead so that it is just a foot from the
float.
 How
to pick up features
Now cast the rig so that it
lands just beyond you chosen target area.
Allow the rig to sink; you will feel it
come to rest on the bottom. Now you float
will be a foot above the weight. By allowing
one foot of line off of the reel at a time
until the float surfaces, you will be able
to determine the depth of water in that
spot, remembering of course to add the foot
between float and lead. Now wind back down
tight and move the rig around, repeating
the process and thus building up a picture
of the different points in your swim. As
you drag the lead around on the bottom,
stand with your rod at 90 degrees to the
water and retrieve slowly. Notice how the
rod tip pulls or bounces around as you retrieve?
This is telling you what sort of ground
you are travelling over.
If you feel a smooth but steady
bouncing, you are probably on clay. If the
pull increases and tugs slightly as you
retrieve, you are on silt. If you feel a
lot of tugging and sudden pulling free then
the lead is travelling through weed and
what you are feeling is the strands breaking
free. And finally if you feel a clonking
bouncing of the lead on the bottom, then
you have found gravel. Now all you have
to do is to cover as much of your swim as
possible and note the different areas of
each. Look for sudden changes. This will
tell you where things such as gravel patches
are hidden amongst large areas of silt or
clay. These are your features. A clear gravel
bar in amongst a weed bed would be a typical
feeding area for the carp. A weed bed however
would be a resting area and the very edge
of it may be a good catching area. Each
time you find a new feature, release the
float again and record the depth. Different
depths will attract carp at different times
and temperatures. A shallow bar will often
hold a lot of fish in warmer weather, whereas
a deep hole may do the same during colder
spells.
Spend some time mapping out
your swim, and gradually over several sessions
you will begin to understand the entire
lake. You will start to find things like
bars and troughs which can sometimes stretch
the entire length of the water. Become a
thinking angler and you will start to improve
your catch rate.
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