November is the last chance saloon for catching on pellets, meat and corn. The colder the weather gets, the more selective these baits become. While you may have the odd good day on them, most of the time it’ll be slow going.
The answer lies in maggots. Two pints of reds and whites guarantee bites from almost every species and lets you fish in a way that catches at all depths.
This is commonly known as ‘through the water’ and is deadly for F1s, ide, big roach and chub. The idea is to use a light float on the pole, feed regularly and positively and allow the hookbait to fall gently through the water rather than racing to get to the bottom where the fish might not even be!
Here's how to do it...
Go for light floats
My floats will always be very light – a 4x10 for fishing on the bottom and a 3x8 for off the deck. They’re both Chianti-style patterns made by Dave Pearson.
Add big backshots!
Roughly halfway between the float and pole-tip I fix a large backshot, typically a BB. This keeps the line tight to the shot and absorbs any movement on the pole created by wind.
Side-hook the maggot
Rather than hook a maggot normally, I nick it on through the side. This looks odd, but a maggot falls through the water sideways. Matching this gets me quicker bites.
Loose groundbait
On my skimmer line I’ll use groundbait but feed it loose. The bottom of the lake is silty, so cupping it in loose makes it end up like a sandcastle where the fish can easily find it.
Keep firing bait in
Loosefeeding is key, especially for ide and roach. These fish will quickly come up in the water and can be caught either on the drop or at half depth with a shallow rig.
Use a bump bar
When fishing the long pole for skimmers, I’ll always use a bump bar. It keeps the pole dead still and ensures that I’m always keeping a tight line to the backshot.
