You blanker

[RUDD]

For the past month I have fished (alot of times) a small irrigation pool that is deep and the water crystal clear - without a bite!!!

When fishing I have watched 20lb+ carp, big Tench, small carp and bream swim past without even stopping to investigate baits fished halfway down or at the bottom of the shelf, tried corn, flake, pinkie, maggot, dead maggot, pellet and 8mm boilies.

I have even popped bread discs off the bottom and tried going down to 3lb flurocarbon hooklengths with size 20 hooks.

Nothing is working - It may be that the water is still very cold but I suspect these fish are not stupid and feed at night as angling is dusk/dawn only.

As the twighlight hour starts fish start topping - first the roach and I have only spotted one roach under the surface so far then a few roll here and there and bubbles appear in a few spots.

I will catch fish soon - I am confident in that but to make matters worse I have also has a few sessions on the much easier water next door - and also blanked!!!!

Tuesday night I actually hooked a fish on the float that smashed a light hooklength in seconds then changed to a method feeder and landed a small stockie carp.

 

Back to the hard clear water - I have noticed a few washed out boilies in a few spots and suspect that there is prebaiting going on.

The water is way to small and I suspect prebaiting is having the opposite effect than intended - IE hte fish have plenty of food to feed on at night whilst the anglers sit all day without a bite!!!

 

Do any of you fish deep clear venues and how do you approach them?

[Ken L]

I have been known to put clay in my groundbait. These days, I'd probably be a bit more direct and pre mix the clay with water and put it out in a pole pot or similar.

Seemed to work well when I was a kid so long as you have a bit of flavour (liquidised cheese is god) to attract fish into the cloud.

[Nicepix]

Ken's post has reminded me of a hot sunny day long ago when my brother and I were fishing from a moored boat on the River Bure at Coltishall on the Norfolk Broads. The water was perfectly clear and after an hour without a bite I changed tactics. Whilst my brother who was fishing at the other end of the boat had nothing, I caught fish after fish. The difference was that I was adding clay to my groundbait and fishing in the coloured water I had created. I never told my brother what I'd done because we had a quid on who caught most in the week's holiday

 

Wind the clock on quite a few years and the location is Dingle, Ireland on a pier with a howling gale blowing in from the Atlantic. Below us is blue sea with an obvious demarkation where the waves have stirred up a sandy corridor along the shoreline. Fishing in the shallow coloured water resulted in a plaice a cast. Fishing in the blue clear water resulted in nothing. Once I had worked this out the three of us took it in turns to fish the hotspot.

 

If you can't find clay try sieved leaf mould (black crumbly soil from the woods - Benny Ashurst style) or even powdered milk to create a cloud. Another trick I have used is to drag a rake head across the bottom to stir up the mud, or even paddle in shallow water. I've had good tench come right to the rod end after a good paddle.

 

Also, it has to be mentioned; if you can see the fish, they can see you. Try and keep out of sight.

[Phone]

Rudd,

 

I have a couple American suggestions baring in mind I have NO idea for the limnology involved.

 

One - go big! 40mm is not to big. Two - if the water is slightly acid, add Alka Seltzer chunks to you freebies.

 

I know that's not much but I don't know much about the venue.

 

Phone

(mentally I'm seeing - like - - - a large deep well with few features?)

[Nicepix]

I've been thinking about this. If you are up for a bit of experimenting get yourself a few black buzzers in sizes 14 - 16 from the fly fishing shop. Mount them under a waggler float and fish them slowly sink and draw or let them drift across the pool. Try fishing the fly at different depths. You could try the same with an Apps Bloodworm fly. I'm thinking natural food and a bit of movement might stimulate a take.

 

It's got to be worth a couple of quid in flies and a couple of hours of your time. I have caught a few trout and coarse fish from unfished waters float fishing trout flies.

[RUDD]

what sort of clay?

As the new plant potting season approaches I will be keeping the old peat that normally gets spread over the garden and adding that into a mix - will also use some mole hill dirt.

I think what I need to be doing is creating an illusion that fish have been feeding over a spot by feeding dirt/peat/clay (making a cloud of dirty water) to get the crusing fish to have a mooch around the baited area.

 

 

Years ago I used artificial fly with a maggot on the hook to catch Rudd up in the water and it worked well.

[Ken L]

I used to use the red stuff from mole hills along the Severn or the fields near my parents caravan but the compounds in most clays are pretty stable so I don't suppose it matters to much.

I'd probably avoid potting clay though purely on the grounds that I don't know what might have been added to it to change it's colour or handling properties.

 

As Nicepix says, I probably got the idea via the Angling Times from the likes of Benny Ashurst.

[Phone]

Rudd,

 

Of all the commercial offerings clouding agents are one I'll buy and use. First, they are cheap and second they work fine.

 

I often use (well not often but from time to time use) dry milk products with a drop or two of food coloring. I like blue.

 

Phone

E: sp

Edited April 11, 2012 by Phone