Beginning Float Angler

[Cart Man]

I would like to introduce myself. My name is Jonathan McLean. I live in Pasadena, California, USA. I am very interested in UK fishing techniques. I am trying to learn more about ultra-light pole float fishing. I have always enjoyed pole fishing for pan fish. I catch carp on sweet corn using 4# line on a spinning reel, but I have seen Koreans catch carp using a waggler and a 4-5 meter pole. Now I want to combine what I have seen on youtube (Danny Williamson I think), and what I have seen done with carp, and what I have read about wagglers, telescoping rods, etc. I have grown some maggots in my back yard. Not many, but 25 - 50. I may end up having to order some online. I bought some snelled size 20 hooks, and I have been snelling my own Japanese eyeless (spade end?) hooks in what is probably size 16 or so. I have wagglers, and I have gotten myself some micro split shot. The bluegill are just starting to bite here, so I am ready to get out there and drown some maggots. Anyway, that's why I want to join this forum, to read what others are doing and ask questions to improve my fishing.

[Cart Man]

Welcome to AnglersNet Cart Man. I don't float fish much myself or use a pole but I can definitely recommend reading through any related posts using the search function and getting yourself a general coarse fishing book from the UK to get a leg up on the techniques we generally use here, even though the target species may be different!

It will help no end and I'm sure someone very knowledgeable on the subject will reply in short order.

 

Renrag

 

Thank you, Renrag. I assume you pursue carp. I have really been into UK carp fishing for the last couple of years. I am familiar with all the US suppliers of UK fishing tackle, and I have all the stuff. I tie my own hair rigs, and I have made my own boilies and even fished with tiger nuts. I have different method feeders, helicopter rigs, etc. I have caught many carp, not one on a hair rig of any sort. On the other hand, I have been very successful catching out version of the catfish (we call it the channel cat) using carp fishing techniques. I have not given up the hair rig, and I will continue to try from time to time, but in the lakes where I fish, sweet corn out of the can seems to be almost the only thing that works, and it works really well. Go figure.

[Renrag39]

Welcome to AnglersNet Cart Man. I don't float fish much myself or use a pole but I can definitely recommend reading through any related posts using the search function and getting yourself a general coarse fishing book from the UK to get a leg up on the techniques we generally use here, even though the target species may be different!

It will help no end and I'm sure someone very knowledgeable on the subject will reply in short order.

 

Renrag

[Newt]

"catching out version of the catfish (we call it the channel cat)"

 

So no flatheads, blue cats, or bullheads out in Sunny California?

 

Welcome to Anglers' Net. Some really great folks on here and you can learn a bunch. I wandered in over 10 years ago to get some info on carp fishing and never managed to leave.

 

[Janet]

I wandered in over 10 years ago to get some info on carp fishing and never managed to leave.

 

Don't worry Newt...you'll get time off for good behaviour....eventually!

 

Janet

[Cart Man]

So no flatheads, blue cats, or bullheads out in Sunny California?

 

Welcome to Anglers' Net. Some really great folks on here and you can learn a bunch. I wandered in over 10 years ago to get some info on carp fishing and never managed to leave.

 

 

Hi Newt. Thanks for the note. Yeah, sure we have blue cats and bullheads. I just want to make some sort of distinction from the types of cats I have seen in UK fishing photos. They look more like eels to me.

 

I will want to pick your brain about carp fishing techniques. I have had no luck with boilies and hair rigs.

 

Jon

[Newt]

LOL - Janet, I think I'm trapped here forever. Good thing I enjoy the place and the company.

 

Cart man - Carp on boilies, neither have I, ever, and not from lack of trying. None with tiger nuts either which surprised me or night crawlers which surprised me even more.

 

Good old boring corn usually does it for me if I'm feeling lazy as do range cubes. Otherwise, pack baits rock. I went to quite a few fish-ins with I was living in North Carolina with a mix of US and ex-pat UK & French carpers and the pay lake guys using pack bait usually wound up outcatching everyone else.

 

I'm in the Florida panhandle now and a nearby river holds a pretty good population of carp, red horse suckers, channel cats, and some flatheads. The bank I can get to is pretty rough so I'm waiting for the rain to stay away for a while so the river drops enough to expose sandbars which make for great places to fish from.

[Renrag39]

Thank you, Renrag. I assume you pursue carp. I have really been into UK carp fishing for the last couple of years. I am familiar with all the US suppliers of UK fishing tackle, and I have all the stuff. I tie my own hair rigs, and I have made my own boilies and even fished with tiger nuts. I have different method feeders, helicopter rigs, etc. I have caught many carp, not one on a hair rig of any sort. On the other hand, I have been very successful catching out version of the catfish (we call it the channel cat) using carp fishing techniques. I have not given up the hair rig, and I will continue to try from time to time, but in the lakes where I fish, sweet corn out of the can seems to be almost the only thing that works, and it works really well. Go figure.

I'm afraid you assume wrongly my man. I very rarely pursue carp, I usually avoid them! I prefer a more general approach, the only fish I target specifically on a regular basis is Pike.

Sweetcorn is a fantastic bait, versatile, cheap and tough and works great for many other species in the UK too.

I would say that if you've had no luck with hair rigs and boilies, then they're not necessary. Keep what's useful, discard what isn't.

 

Renrag

Edited April 19, 2011 by Renrag39

[Cart Man]

...I can definitely recommend reading through any related posts using the search function and getting yourself a general coarse fishing book from the UK...It will help no end and I'm sure someone very knowledgeable on the subject will reply in short order.

 

Renrag

 

 

Renraq, can you recommend some general coarse fishing books? I will need some to choose from. It costs over seven GBP just for shipping on Amazon.

 

I am trying to find a copy of Bob Nudd's Illustrated Guide to Pole Fishing, and I ordered a used copy of The Complete Book of Float Fishing by Allan Haines from here in the US (1.23 GBP).

[Cart Man]

I'm afraid you assume wrongly my man. I very rarely pursue carp, I usually avoid them! I prefer a more general approach, the only fish I target specifically on a regular basis is Pike.

Sweetcorn is a fantastic bait, versatile, cheap and tough and works great for many other species in the UK too.

I would say that if you've had no luck with hair rigs and boilies, then they're not necessary. Keep what's useful, discard what isn't.

 

Renrag

 

I've had to quit using the hair rigs and boilies, but it was hard. I was convinced I could make it work. Still think I could if I could feed the swim long enough though I've tried for up to five days. To catch carp I've had to go with what I could catch carp on, light line and sweet corn. I have a lot of expensive tackle that doesn't see any use though.