PDF - Preston Innovations

WATERCRAFT
Play it right
Landing fish successfully
is an art form. Here’s our
guide to getting it right…
Landing lumps on the pole...
1
2
Hooking a big fish on the pole requires steady
nerves. When you get a bite hold the pole low
and let the fish pull as much elastic as it wants
During this early part of the fight the pole
elastic takes the strain. Note how in this picture
the pole is gently curving rather than bending
3
4
5
Slowly but surely strength is sapped from the
fish and the elastic gradually returns to the
pole. You’re now in charge of the fight
Unship pole sections and now you’re in control.
Point the toughened tip section up in the air and
gently but firmly draw the carp towards you
When you can feel the fish tire and it stops
thrashing about, ease it over the net and caress
the mesh around it. You’ve won the battle
Landing lumps on the waggler...
1
Strike as soon as the float gets pulled under the
water, a sharp upward motion sets the hook
3
It’s essential to keep a tight line at all times. If
you give the fish any slack it will shed the hook
32 • IYCF Issue 271
2
Keep the rod bent and upward, the rod is a
shock absorber and does it’s job only when bent
4
In the net it goes and the job is done. If the fish
runs let line pull off the spool via the reel drag
Using hard pellets
The plop of pellets hitting the water is like a dinner bell
going off for fish. Here’s how to present a hard hookbait
H ARD feed pellets are loaded with flavours
and extracts that get carp, tench and
bream grubbing around for a meal.
The harder texture makes them more resistant
Bait banding
1
Slide a number of bait bands on
to the special banding tool
Drill and band
1
Once you’ve drilled through the
pellet, transfer the drilled bait
to a baiting needle
to small fish and stops you having too many
problems with tiny little fish.
But the question for many anglers is how to
hook them and here are two easy suggestions.
2
3
Depress plunger to open prongs &
insert pellet into stretched band
2
Now simply insert the hookpoint
behind the band and twist
3
You’ve tied a bait band on to the
hair of your hook. Push needle
through, grab band and pull
Release band off the baiting
needle and it expands to grip the
inside of the drilled pellet
Hook fish by design
Are you failing to catch because of your hook choice?
Well, you might be if you’re choosing the wrong pattern
M ANY anglers think of hooks only in terms
of size, completely ignoring strength or
weight. This is a seriously big mistake.
A lightweight hook made out of fine wire may
be an excellent choice for smaller silver species
but it will fail when you encounter big fish.
The flip side is that a heavyweight hook that
is built to catch carp is all but useless if you’re
targeting shy-biting roach, rudd or crucians.
For example, these two hooks are both
nominally size 18, one is a Preston PR36 that’s
made for carp fishing with big heavy baits and
is made of thick wire. The other is a Preston
PR344 that’s made of finer wire and is lighter
for small fish.
The difference between the
two is quite subtle but don’t
think it doesn’t make a big
difference because it does.
The lighter PR344 will be
sucked in far easier by wary
fish than the PR36 but the
heavier hook will land lumps.
Take a moment to
think about your
hook pattern. It
does matter
IYCF April 17 – May 15, 2013 • 33