Quick fixes

28
AnglingTımes
Visit www.greatmagazines.co.uk and
Tuesday, december 20, 2011
Quick
fixes
with AT’s coach abi brewster
Reader Jason Harrison has
posted on our Angling Times
Facebook page that he
wants to know how to tie a
hooklength for fishing the
bomb with pellet
1
Tie a band to a
length of line.
Make sure you pick a
band which is
suitable for the size
of pellet you plan to
use. I use the Guru
Micro Bait Bands for
all my bomb fishing
with pellet, which are
suitable for pellets
from 6mm-plus.
2
Thread the line
through the back
of the hook eye and
pull it through until
the band sits close to
the hook. Make sure
the size of your hook
is suitable for the
pellets you are going
to choose. A size 16
PR36 is great for
fishing 8mm pellets.
3
Wind down the
shank of the
hook. Most anglers
like to wind down the
shank 10-12 times.
However, some
match anglers now
wind all the way
down the shank in
order to get the
pellet closer to the
bend of the hook.
4
Thread the line
back through the
back of the eye.
Moisten the knot and
carefully pull all the
line through the eye
until a knot has
formed. While doing
this, keep everything
tight so the knot
doesn’t start to
come undone.
5
You are left with a
hair rig perfect for
fishing the bomb
with pellet. Tie the
hooklength as long
as you like – 12ins is a
good start. Take a
selection of
hooklengths and
experiment until you
find what combo
works best for you.
Got a question for Abi?
Post on our Facebook wall at
www.facebook.co.uk/anglingtimes
tactics I devastating method nets year’s
13 perch for
44lb – all on
drop-shotting
Ben Miles
REPORTER
[email protected]
Angling Times can this week lift the
lid on the tactics that were
responsible for the year’s biggest
haul of river perch – a mega catch
that featured 13 specimens for an
impressive 44lb 1oz total.
Andy Crossley and Neil Pinnington
proved how devastatingly effective
small rubber lures are when targeting
big stripeys by banking four perch
over 4lb, a quartet over 3lb and five
‘twos’ when they boat-fished a stretch
of the bang-in-form River Thames in
the Hampton Court area.
The Hertfordshire-based duo used a
tactic known as ‘drop-shotting’ – a
method that originated on the
Continent and is rapidly catching on
in the UK – which allows anglers to
delicately present small rubber baits
on an ultra-light and sensitive set-up.
The sheer productivity of the
method was emphasised in no
uncertain terms by Neil, an
experienced fly angler, who had never
even targeted perch before. Not only
did he smash his personal best seven
times in the hectic session, he also
banked four of the biggest perch in the
bumper haul, which the two friends
amassed in just three hours.
“This was the first time I’d been
perch fishing and always thought I’d
be in with a chance of a big one, but
I’m convinced that no other method
would have given me the chance of
making a catch like this,” said Neil,
who owns Rib Valley Angling in
Hertfordshire.
“Being a fly angler I’m used to
working with artificial baits and
understand that the presentation has
to be just right. This method is
unbelievably effective and by far the
most productive tactic I’ve used while
coarse fishing on any river in the UK.”
Andy is a Fox tackle-sponsored
angling guide, who’s not only banked
Britain’s biggest authenticated river
perch at 5lb 9oz from the Thames,
but has also visited his beloved river
to catch more than 30 perch over the
4lb mark.
He is the first to admit that dropshotting is an extremely simple
method, but is keen to emphasise the
importance of using the correct tackle
and sticking to a few basic principles
in order to get the best out of it.
However, while specialist tackle
specifically designed for dropshotting is now widely available on
the market, he says that any angler
armed with a small bomb rod and reel
loaded with fine braid can head to
their local river and get the best out of
the tactic.
“This method will give you the
best chance of catching a new
personal-best perch this winter,
and all you need is a couple of
rubber lures, a hook and a lead…it’s
really that simple,” Andy told
Angling Times.
“It’s vital to use a rod that’s got
enough backbone to land big
fish, but one that has a ‘tippy’
action because this makes it
very easy to manipulate and
drop and lift your bait. Plus,
sometimes you’ll often get
a few taps on the rod-tip
before the fish takes your
bait, and it’s important to be
able to detect these, and using
a rod that doesn’t have a
sensitive tip would make this
impossible.”
*If you would like more advice
about drop-shot fishing, contact the
team at Rib Valley Angling by calling
01920 462200 or visit the website
www.ribvalleyangling.co.uk
get angling times for £1 when you subscribe
Tuesday, december 20, 2011
biggest catch of river stripeys
To p 5 p e rc h lu r e s
1
Fox Rage Darter Tail 10cm: A great pattern for
‘drop-shotting’ when the fish aren’t willing to chase
the bait. Just twitch the lure for the best results.
2
Fox Rage Tube jig 12cm: The lure to choose when
fishing areas with snaggy bottoms because the
design prevents it getting caught up.
3
Fox Rage Slick Stick 9cm: This is the plug to go for if
you have to cast a long way and search out bigger
areas of water.
4
Fox Rage Slugger shad 10cm: When you’ve got a
clean bottom, this a good choice because it can be
retrieved or ‘bounced’ quickly along the river or lakebed.
5
Fox Rage Fork Tail 10cm: Ideal for ‘vertical’ jigging
from a boat. Can be lowered straight down and
worked easily with a flick of the wrist.
Wh at i s d ro p - s h otti n g?
Drop-shot rigs are currently all the
rage with predator anglers looking
to present small plastic baits. Mega
simple to set up, in essence it is a rig
where the bait is tied up the line,
with the lead attached a few feet
below. Raising the bait off the
bottom gives it a completely
different look and it behaves in a
different manner to lures presented
in a traditional way. Drop-shots are
best fished on light line outfits.
Neil Pinnington with
one of the 13 Thames
perch at 4lb 4oz.
AnglingTımes
29