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Tricky conditions, peg choice and choice of attack


RUDD

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I have fished Ladywood for a few hours every sunday this year and there has only been two other anglers Ian and Barry.

 

Yesterday I went down for a five hour session knowing that it would be very hard fishing as all three pools have been frozen solid all week.

 

To my utter dismay there were already five anglers in the five deepest pegs when I arrived.

Two were switching between pole and feeder. one on the pole and two on the waggler.

All had caught except Kev on the pole in the deepest peg.

 

Although all except one had caught they all said it was hard to even buy a bite and the bites were small indications.

 

I did not fancy the middle or bottom pools as both have not fished well all winter compared to the top pool.

 

What to do? I could have gone on peg 18 but did not feel there was enough depth with winter rules in mind.

There was peg 23 that has access to deeper water along the dam wall, is never winter fished and had the brisk wind blowing straight into it.

 

I chose 23 and opted to fish a big 5aaa+ insert waggler dragging bottom - let me explain.

(After speaking to the others none would have even attempted to fish the peg I was in - Kev drew it in a match and struggled!!!!!!!!!!, they would have all had a go on 18)

 

The water all around me is shallow but slopes down to approx 7 feet deep about 11 meters out from the dam. The wind is blowing into the dam.

I plumbed and set my undershot float at 8 feet deep and cast into the wind.

The wind pushed the float back towards the dam with the float stopping as the line layed on straight down the slope ancoring the float. A few shotting adjustments soon had the float dotted down but visable in the ripple.

I cast a few times until I was happy that the float stopped in the same spot each cast.

 

Now for how to attack the peg - Kev on the pole had feed three lines with loose feed and not even had a bite. Ian had feed a small amount of grounbait and was loose feeding over the top using the waggler and getting bites.

Gary and his boy had caught a few on the feeder but had better luck using red maggot over chopped corn on the pole.

Monty was fishing the waggler feeding pellet and caster and had had a few fish.

 

With the wind hard in my face getting feed out to my chosen spot was going to be hard.

So I went with a light groundbait attack.

I mixed enough dark winter style groundbait for about five jaffa sized balls.

Once ready I put in two handfulls of micro pellets, half a handfull of red maggot and a hadfull each of fluro and red pinkies.

I cast out the float and let it settle into the spot then threw in three jaffa size balls.

I wanted the feed to attract and hold any fish in the area knowing there would not be much loose feed going in.

 

The others told me I was mad, during the session I put out a very small amount of loose feed when the wind dropped (not very often).

 

I missed about five shy bites in the first hour and a half finally hitting one after two hours. This resulted in my 1.1lb bottom to a 22 getting smashed instantly!!!

 

Next bite resulted in a perch of just under a pound then I had a few bream and a few more perch.

I finished with 6lb of hard earned fish from a peg that hardly gets fished all year round using an attack that most would not have dared.

 

Who says winter fishing is hard!!!!!!!!!! All six of us caught, even Kev on the pole in the end had some nice perch and a suprise Tench.

 

Whilst packing up the wind dropped to a whisper and I could see bubbles coming up from the spot I was fishing.

I am convinced I had attracted crucian carp that were responsible for the missed shy bites.

RUDD

 

Different floats for different folks!

 

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