How would you do it?

[davedave]

Evening,

 

I fish a club pond regularly, it is a deep irrigation pond with over 20 pegs. It has a lot of roach and rudd, some large perch, chub, a handful (literally) of big carp, tench and bream. The bream and the tench do not get caught very often at all, they are in there, and the bream go to 8lb, the tench to nearly 5lb but they just don't get caught. Most of the bream seem to show in the middle of the pond where it is generally deepest (14ft approx.), and the tench don't show at all, but get caught within 4 or 5 rod lengths out. There is a lot of natural food in the pond, bloodworm mostly, and I think that the fish aren't being caught because they are gorging on the natural food.

 

I keep thinking how I am going to target the tench and the bream, I'm not fussy which I catch, I'd just like to catch one of them!

 

My last go at them I tried fishing a cage feeder with soft pellets in it and double hair rigged corn. I had lots of bites but this could have been roach attacking the feeder, although the bites were quite violent at times.

 

My most recent thought was to fish a heavy mainline (10lb) and use a medium block end feeder (http://www.poingdestres.co.uk/ProductImages/fullsize/tfob.jpg) to put a bed of maggots out. I was thinking use the heavy mainline and then line it up and clip it up so i'm hitting the same spot consistently, have 5 or 6 casts then attach my hooklength, something like a 5lb hooklength to a size 10, and use a big bunch of compost redworms (to mimic the bloodworm) on the hook.

How many pints of maggot do you think I would need to effectively get the breams head down on the feed?

 

If you were fishing the water, how would you go about targeting the bream? And possibly the tench but that I think would be even harder.

 

Thanks guys

[stuchef]

I personally would start by fishing a lot smaller and lighter 4lb hook length to maybe 6lb line most with a size 14 hook. I would use a open end cage feeder with a black particle ground bait I would plug one end of the feeder with the ground bait fill the middle with chopped worm and castor then plug the top with ground bait I would cast this out maybe 5-10 times line clipped to exactly the same spot to lay a bed of food down for the bream so they can get there heads down rummaging for food. I would leave this for 15 mins then go over it with half a worm and double maggot cocktail on the hook. As for the tench I would fish 4-5 rod lengths with a float. fish over depth and spray corn and pellet and fish a size 14 quick stop hair rig with double corn. This is how I would fish the venue without knowing it

[Phone]

Davedave,

 

Most of your answers will probably come after everyone gets back from the fishin.

 

As for bream - I thought they were a slimy; shoaling carp. If you search AN the bait of choice seems to be bread. Then again, tench are green carp so what do I know?

 

Phone

[davedave]

I personally would start by fishing a lot smaller and lighter 4lb hook length to maybe 6lb line most with a size 14 hook. I would use a open end cage feeder with a black particle ground bait I would plug one end of the feeder with the ground bait fill the middle with chopped worm and castor then plug the top with ground bait I would cast this out maybe 5-10 times line clipped to exactly the same spot to lay a bed of food down for the bream so they can get there heads down rummaging for food. I would leave this for 15 mins then go over it with half a worm and double maggot cocktail on the hook. As for the tench I would fish 4-5 rod lengths with a float. fish over depth and spray corn and pellet and fish a size 14 quick stop hair rig with double corn. This is how I would fish the venue without knowing it

 

Cheers mate, I only said about the heavier line as I was worried about damaging the line when clipping up. Given me a bit to think about, thanks

 

Thanks phone, don't get tench or bream your side of the pond?

[wotnobivvy]

I have often found a blood based ground bait brings the tench along, with one or two grains of sweetcorn fished lift style on a size 10 drennan specialist hook attached to 6lb line.

[Phone]

Davedave,

 

A few tench - no bream.

 

Phone

[stuchef]

Dave clipping your line won't damage your line as long as your casting right. I don't want to teach u to suck eggs however I do see people on the bank casting wrong which would cause the line to snap at the clip, when casting after you release your finger from the line bring the rod back to a vertical position when it reaches the line clip the feeder will tighten the line and your rod tip will cushion the fall of the feeder into the water this is 2 fold the line will be tight (no bow) and also the hook length will land flat in the water so no wrapping round your feeder this is called feathering. Again I sincerely apologise if I'm sounding patronising

[Andy Macfarlane]

Minced prawn and crumb...ball it in round the margins and fish whole prawn on a size 10 under a waggler, hard on the bottom.

[davedave]

I have often found a blood based ground bait brings the tench along, with one or two grains of sweetcorn fished lift style on a size 10 drennan specialist hook attached to 6lb line.

 

Thanks bud, what type of groundbaits? Also whats the lift style? Like a pop-up with artificial corn?

[Andy Macfarlane]

Plain brown crumb with say minced prawn...or

 

Any of the strawberry groundbaits....or

 

Sonubaits Fishmeal or Ground Pellet method mix.

 

 

Lift method is an overdepth leger/waggler rig, on which bites are indicated by the float rising out of the water as the legered bait is picked up off the bottom. Look it up on Google under 'Tench Lift Method'