Fishing In The Pads

[Carpinjohn]

Sorry, did'nt answer the question about a rig in the pads and fish safety. If you need to cast a surface bait accurately and at distance into the pads and with fish safety and loss of expensive rigs in mind I've found the following not faultless but a good compromise. A barbless hook is obviously imperative and tied on to a short (say 2 feet) multi-strand leader which is almost invisible when on the water but a devil to tie. The leader is then tied to the main line and this knot becomes the sacrificial part of the rig if the fish and line become entangled with the pad roots. To provide some floating weight for casting which is not expensive if lost I cut a short piece of a candle, pull out the wick and bond in a piece of pvc tube. This is then threaded on to the main line with a stop on the hook side of the main line. At the worst if the fish becomes entangled the line will break at the knot with no rig or float attached to the fish and at the best the fish will make for open water and be netted safely.

 

[edit note: Hi carpinjohn. You might find it easier to click on the "reply" button at the top or bottom of a thread than to have all the quoted material in there. Quotes are good when you want to reply to something specific that may be further up in the thread but otherwise it may distract from what you want to say. - Newt]

 

[ 14. September 2003, 08:29 PM: Message edited by: Newt ]

[Carpinjohn]

Thanks Newt, I think I've cracked in now - no more quotes.

Carpinjohn.

[Newt]

[Woodzzz]

Julian:

 

When fishing close to pads where big fish are present, set-up is of major importance you have to ensure that if something does take-off; nothings going to let-go. I use about 18-20ft of 45lb Quicksilver as shock-leader, combined with hook-links of over 20lb and safety clips, etc. The long shock leader means that when fishing on the edge of a pad line and the fish goes under, I’ve got plenty of leader still up and out of the water, which can be handled much tougher than just a main line.

Surely, by using this set-up, the potential for damage to the carp is massively increased. The mainline becomes the weak link, infact, the leader knot is probably the weakest link, and if that snaps...the carp is left with 20 feet of your shockleader material!

 

Terry [Wordbender] and I have discussed this at length, agreeing that using a lighter hooklink and heavier mainline is the solution, because if anything 'goes' it's going to be the 2-15 inches of hooklength. Which I'd prefer to be trailed around by a carp than 20 foot of Quicksilver!

 

Matchmen have done it for years, and rightly so.

 

I know that landing the fish is important, but as you have said in the quote below this, safety comes first.

 

Julian:

 

 

At the end of the day you have to think about the safety of the fish *first* then your set-up, and finally your own ability to bank the fish. If your approach is right on all these points, then why not?

 

Julian

Not saying the advice is entirely wrong because you and many others have probably caught on the set up you've outlined [including me] but I just want to give a little food for thought before others from the forum go out and use the tactic you mentioned.

 

When fishing locked up [no baitrunner AT ALL] single banksticks pointing at the target, sat next to the rods etc I have the drag set so tight that no line can give, the fish can't get into the pads.

 

Not forgetting, mono stretches, fishing inches from the pads, on the take, results in the carp being around 2-4 feet into the pads before the stretch in most monos is taken up [at 50 yards range, even more at further range]

 

I use the same method as Gaffer if i'm ever fishing pads, and literally run away from the pads with the rod to haul the fish away from them before they get chance to bolt.

 

Pabulum....

[Julian]

Hi Mat,

 

Interesting response, but I feel you’re taking things out of context in relation to the post as a whole:-

 

quote:

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Surely, by using this set-up, the potential for damage to the carp is massively increased.

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Not at all, the opposite in fact! - You’re making two incorrect assumptions ; firstly that the fish is always going to get snagged and secondly that the mainline is always going to snap - Rarely, *if ever*, the case when using this method properly.

 

Furthermore, if you re-read my post you will see that I don’t advocate that everybody new to carping goes out and tries this method; I point out *more* than once, the importance of ones own ability and experience when fishing this method.

 

quote:

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Terry [Wordbender] and I have discussed this at length, agreeing that using a lighter hooklink and heavier mainline is the solution, because if anything 'goes' it's going to be the 2-15 inches of hooklength. Which I'd prefer to be trailed around by a carp than 20 foot of Quicksilver!

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Fine, but what you are effectively saying here is that you are setting-up with a pre-determined belief that you are going to get snapped! If you don’t think you’ll be able to bank the fish then you shouldn’t be fishing there in the first place. However, what I’m saying is that if you can bank the fish without harming it, then *surly* it’s better not to get snapped in the first place?

 

The method we adopt is born through experience, and whilst I’m not saying that Capesthorne Top Pool is the most difficult venue in the world to fish, its certainly far more difficult than any weedy or padded lake I’ve fished before - and I’ve fished a few.

 

When we first started fishing the place years ago, we used the tactic you advocate above, with the hook-link being the lowest breaking strain of the set-up. What we found was that we were getting snapped on a regular basis, often when just fishing in the weed - Never mind the pads! The weed growth is just so dense that the minute you exerted pressure on a weeded fish the hooklink would let go, each time leaving a fish with a rig in its mouth.

 

To cut a long story short we tried several different methods until we were able to effectively get takes and land the fish (with no damage I hasten to add). What emerged is the set-up we currently use.

 

Since using this method proper on Capesthorne, I’ve not been been snapped once. I’ve not damaged a single fish, and I’ve never placed a bait in a position where I’m not totally confident I’ll bank it. FACT.

 

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Matchmen have done it for years, and rightly so. –

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Steady on! A bit of a sweeping statement - On the club water I run I’ve untethered many, many, more carp snagged in the shallows on match gear than I’ve ever had to on carp leaders, etc.

 

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Not saying the advice is entirely wrong

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LOL! If used in the correct way *none* of it is wrong!

 

quote:

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just want to give a little food for thought before others from the forum go out and use the tactic you mentioned

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No problem. If you re-read the post you’ll see that I advocate ‘thought’ and ‘common sense’ as important factors when fishing like this (all fishing when it comes down to it) and its not a method for the novice. However, wherever possible I’ll always try and offer guidance or advice for those who want to push forward in terms of watercraft and strategy.

 

quote:

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Not forgetting, mono stretches,

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Yup. Hence the long leaders.

 

quote:

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fishing inches from the pads, on the take, results in the carp being around 2-4 feet into the pads before the stretch in most monos is taken up [at 50 yards range, even more at further range]

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Again, re-read the post - “I would never think of putting one in the pads at distance, purely because I don’t think I’d be able to exert the necessary pressure to take control of the situation from the off and get the fish in safely.”

 

Nourishment, indeed.

 

Cheers,

 

Julian