The traditional commercial silverfish season may be coming to a close, but Essex-based rod and Guru-backed angler Will Reynolds isn’t one for packing up the lighter gear just yet. With carp now back on the feed and gatecrashing every pole line in sight, those delicate roach and skimmers can easily be pushed out. But rather than fighting for elbow room on the pole line, Will reaches for an overlooked classic, the trusty waggler and corn.
This time of year, carp start to bully their way onto every baited spot. Most anglers are piling bait in short, and the carp just move in and take over. That leaves silvers nowhere to go. But a carefully fished waggler beyond pole range gives them a safe feeding spot and gives you a real chance of bagging up on quality skimmers and bream without the constant carp interruptions.
Choose the perfect peg
Before flicking a float out, consider swim selection. Wind direction is everything. You’ve got to keep a tight mainline to stay in touch with the float. If you’ve got a side wind, or it’s blowing in your face, forget it, you’ll miss bites all day. Calm conditions or a wind off your back is ideal.
You also need room behind to cast cleanly. With a 13ft rod in hand, overhanging trees or close hedgerows will have you tangling on every chuck. Keep it open and clean, it’s a traditional method, and it needs traditional room.
ENSURE YOU ALWAYS HAVE A STABLE PLATFORM WITH THE BEST FISHING SEATBOX.
Precision plumbing
With no room for a heavy plummet on a delicate float setup, a clever tip is to crack open two SSG shot and join them with a bait band. Hook that, cast it out and it’ll tell you everything you need to know without sinking the float. Use an unloaded waggler that’s identical to your fishing version, super buoyant and easy to read when adjusting depth.
THE BEST FISHING REELS ARE ESSENTIAL FOR ACCURATE WAGGLER FISHING.
Dial in the right setup
The go-to rod is the Guru Aventus 13ft Float, built for this job. It’s forgiving enough to avoid hook pulls but long enough to pick up line quickly and hit those cheeky, finicky bites.
The setup’s simple but dialled in: 4lb mono mainline, a 12-inch 0.12mm hooklength, and a size 14 F1 Pellet hook. Corn’s a soft bait, so you need a bigger hook to stop it flying off on the cast. Drop down a size and you risk flinging your bait off every time.
A 5g loaded waggler suits calm days, fitted with float stops either side and shotted with a small bulk of No9 halfway down. Two more No9 sit just above the hooklength swivel. The aim is a stable, responsive float, sensitive enough for a shy bite but settled enough to anchor the bait just overdepth.
SPOOL UP WITH THE BEST FLOAT FISHING LINES.
Prioritise accuracy
Fish at 20 to 25 metres. You can go longer, but it’s harder to feed accurately, and accurate feeding is everything. Corn varies in size and weight, so even with a good catapult, you’ll get a slight spread. But that’s fine, keep it tight, keep it consistent.
The starting approach? Feed five grains twice, quickly, every two to three minutes. Two lots of noise, pulls fish in better than one hit of ten. Once they’re feeding hard, you can increase it.
LEARN HOW TO FEED ACCURATELY WITH A CATAPULT IN THIS HELPFUL GUIDE.
Stay in the zone
The key is feeding tight and casting with intent. Start dead centre of the feed, but if bites tail off or the stamp of fish gets smaller, don’t panic. First try upping the feed slightly, but if that fails, cast a metre or two past the feed.
This is where the magic often happens. Flicking a bait just beyond the main feed can often produce a big skimmer straight away. The bigger ones hang back, picking off stray grains. If you make your hookbait look like one of those, you’re in.
SCOOP UP THOSE BIG FISH IN THE BEST COARSE FISHING LANDING NETS.
