shotting pattern

[jgrace]

My local aire/calder canal @ Pollington holds some superb roach,fin perfect and weighty fish. There are locks nearby and whenever opened the water obviously has a strong flow,I'm having problems maintainig a steady catch rate. Should I be changing my rigs,or be fishing over depth when this happens? I'm currently fishing a 3grm lollipop float with all of the shot in the bottom two feet,but this still lifts when the flow increases.Feeder tactics dont seem to work. anyone have any tips!

[John Ellison]

I have fished there a couple of times. When that canal moves, it moves! I know what you mean about those good roach though. I don't know how you've got onto Lollipop float fishing though. I bought a couple and found them very awkward to use, not having the benefit of having watched anyone competant use one, maybe you have. I think that's the key. I sat at the back of Kevin Ashurst once on the Trent and came away a changed man, is there some local crack using a lollipop? if not chuck em up the bank and do what what they do.

I think you should reckon that every time that the canal rips through, assume all your bait has been washed out of your swim. Re-feed with either a nugget of groundbait with a few hooker's in or use a small baitdropper and don't feed much. The baitdropper does give you accuracy.

Eeeeeeee older I get the better I was

[jgrace]

yeah,I think your right about the lollipop float,I dont use them as a rule. I read an article once and the England team were using them, and from what I can remember they favoured them because of the difficult flow/wind? It was awkward.

[M.K]

Why not try usinga longish whip and set all the shot (BB minnimum) just toucking the mainline loop. Set it so the WEIGHT is a little overdepth (about 3 keys on a keyboard) and hold it back. When a fish takes it the float should gotarght under. It depends on how confidently the fish are feedng. It works very well in a little hole in the canal botom! If the flows too strong for that then ledger.

[John Ellison]

I got pondering over the lollipop again and on Friday I went and gave it another go.

I was fishing in the River Calder and put in 5 balls with casters in (not the best bait here). I'd read up what info I had, not a lot! and away I went. Jean Desque did a spread on the floats he uses in an old Angling plus and was going on about running it through with the tip dotted. When he held it back, the bristle rose up to the body and then buried as a roach took the rising bait. I got a few fish, but! I am in no doubt whatever that had I fished my usual Sensas Bernard, I'd have caught 5 times what I did. Because river roach are looking up for their food and the best presentation is an olivette rig with the hook 2 to 2 1/2 feet above the hook with 3 Number 11 droppers on. Set this to run 3" off the bottom, keep adjusting this to 6" off and so on untill you find the depth at which you get the most bites. I switched to the waggler in the end for a change and caught better. When I got home I found an article how Bob Nudd had won his 4th. World Championship using upto a 30 gram lollipop float. The target fish were carp. His olivette was 6" above the bottom with the hook laid on the bottom 28" with one shot on the bottom.

Alan Scotthorne told me he would only use a lollipop float on the river when targetting bream.

 

Eeeeeeeeeeee older I get the better I was.