Garbolino’s Mat Linforth explains why he relies on natural baits a lot more than most commercial fishery enthusiasts, and he believes that when paired with groundbait, maggots can work wonders for both carp and big silvers.
We’re not talking about this as a tactic just for the margins, either – it works in deeper areas in open water too. As with everything, it’s the finer details that can make all the difference, and Mat explains his approach here...
THE BEST MARGIN POLES ARE GREAT ON COMMERCIAL FISHERIES.
Two lines long, one line short
I set up three lines, each fed differently. I have two pole lines at 10m in open water, and the one on the left is fed positively. Four big cups of groundbait and some maggots go in at the start, and these are then left to settle for a couple of hours before I try it.
This works when the fish are quite cagey, giving them an area to graze over without the regular disturbance of loosefeed raining in. My other 10m line is on an angle to the right. It receives one pot and is then drip-fed with maggots through a cup. This works well when the fish are demanding regular introductions of bait, keeping them in a tight area.
The final area is directly in front at 6m, and this also receives a cup of groundbaitat the start, before being fed with maggots by hand. This spreads the loosefeed a little, as fish move around the peg to graze, helping to attract others. This can be a good ploy if the area seems a little light on fish numbers at the start.
My three lines create a triangle, and it is just a matter of working out which is the most effective as the session progresses.
TARGET BIGGER SPECIMENS WITH THE BEST FISHING POLES.
Feed over-wetted groundbait
I want my groundbait to sink quickly, leaving an attractive cloud as it falls through the water. An over-wetted mix helps achieve this, and i mix three parts groundbait to one part water to attain that consistency. For example, 1.5 pints of groundbait will have half-a-pint of water added to it.
It will stick to the bottom once it gets down, and its heavy consistency will prevent fish wafting it up easily.
If the mix on your side tray starts to dry up a little, keep sprinkling it with water and then use your fingers to get it back to how you want it.
A dark groundbait with a high fishmeal content works best on commercial fisheries in summer, and I use an even blend of so simple dark crushed expander, tinca and fine skimmer.
Another little bait trick of mine is to add a teaspoonful of red bait dye to my maggots. This not only creates a cloud close to the surface that can distract any tiny roach and rudd, but it also gives the maggots a more vibrant colour.
USING THE BEST FISHING SEATBOX WILL IMPROVE YOUR POLE FISHING.
Use balanced rigs
I rely on groundbait and maggots because i want to catch every species that swims, and therefore my rig needs to be geared towards landing anything that I may encounter.
My elastic is a grade 8-10 hollow which, that can be tightened up via the puller on my top kit.
Mainline is 0.18mm to a 0.12mm hooklength and a size 18 power feeder hook, which i bait with single or double maggot.
The float is a 0.2g round bodied float with a wire stem. This has a 1.5mm hollow bristle which is quite sensitive yet provides a little stability to help me differentiate between liners and genuine bites.
CHECK OUT THE 5 BEST CARP POLE FISHING RIGS IN THIS HANDY GUIDE.
Rotate two different shotting patterns
A slow falling hookbait is always likely to lead to more bites, because it’s moving at the same pace as any loosefeed, helping to fool the fish.
I use a reverse taper shotting pattern at the start to achieve this, and this involves the distance between each shot getting slightly smaller as I work my way up towards the float.
If the venue that you are targeting is home to a lot of small silvers, there’s a good chance they’ll be living close to the surface, quickly homing in on anything that sinks slowly.
A bulk with a single dropper below is the answer. Place the bulk 18ins-2ft from the hook, with the small shot around 6ins below it. This will bomb the hookbait through the upper layers before slowing it up as it continues its journey down to where the bigger fish are sat.
SET YOUR SHOTTING PATTERN ON THE BEST POLE FISHING LINES.
Fish beyond the fizz
A lot of commercial fisheries, especially the older ones, have big beds of silt on the bottom. Pockets of air that are trapped in this are released whenever fish feed on top of silt, leading to lots of tiny bubbles breaking the surface. This can be exciting at first but often, despite fish being present, the float will refuse to go under!
This is because underwater visibility will be reduced as the silt kicks up off the deck, making it a lot harder for fish to find the food. The best way to get around the problem is to simply fish 2ft-3ft away from the fizzing. That could be beyond, or to the side.
Water clarity will be better, and fish sat on the periphery, often the bigger specimens – will be more likely to spot the hookbait.
CATCH MORE ON YOUR LOCAL COMMERCIAL WITH THIS TOP TIPS GUIDE.
