21 Advanced tips & tricks

1. Using Groundbait and Particle Mixes

• Mixing Groundbait: Advanced anglers often mix their own groundbait to suit specific conditions and target species. Experiment with different ratios of ingredients like breadcrumbs, fishmeal, sweetcorn, and pellets. Adjust the moisture content to match the feeding habits of the fish.
• Particle Baiting Strategy: Use particle baits like hemp, sweetcorn, and small pellets in combination. Hemp attracts fish to the swim, and corn acts as a visual attractor. Creating small beds of particles around your hookbait can also encourage fish to feed without overfeeding them.

2. Pole Fishing Precision

• Fishing to Margins: Use a pole setup to fish precisely in the margins where larger fish often feed. By fishing directly under the rod tip or in hard-to-reach areas, you can present baits more naturally and accurately.
• Elastic Selection: Match your elastic strength to the species you’re targeting. Use light elastics for smaller species like roach and heavier elastics for large carp or barbel. Fine-tuning this ensures you land more fish without pulling hooks.

3. Feeder Fishing Techniques

• Method Feeder: Use a method feeder packed with groundbait and pellets around the feeder cage. Place a short hook length with a hair-rigged boilie, pellet, or artificial corn. Fish like carp and bream will be drawn to the method ball, hitting the bait once it crumbles.
• Pellet Waggler: Use a pellet waggler in clear, shallow water. Cast small, light pellet wagglers to fish near the surface or midwater. Keep loose feeding pellets regularly for consistency, encouraging fish to rise and feed.

4. Mastering Float Fishing

• Shotting Patterns: Understanding advanced shotting patterns can improve bait presentation. For example, the shirt-button shotting pattern spaces small shots evenly down the line, allowing a slow, natural fall of the bait. This is effective for wary fish in clear water.
• Fine-Tuning Floats: Use a selection of floats based on conditions. For windy conditions or deeper water, heavier floats give more stability. Adjust shot placement for different species to ensure sensitivity when fish feed lightly.

5. Tackle and Rig Refinement

• Hair Rigs for Coarse Fish: While popular in carp fishing, hair rigs are also effective for other coarse species like bream, tench, and barbel. Hair-rigged baits allow fish to pick up the bait without feeling resistance, giving better hook holds.
• Hook Length Adjustment: Use fluorocarbon hook lengths in clear water for near-invisible presentations. Adjust length depending on the species and how far away from the feeder or float you want your bait to be. For shy feeders, longer hook lengths can be advantageous.

6. Baiting Patterns and Frequency

• PVA Bag Fishing: When fishing for large species like carp or barbel, using PVA bags filled with micro pellets or chopped boilies can focus the feed around your hookbait. This tactic works well in rivers and still waters.
• Pre-Baiting: Pre-bait swims for days before fishing to condition fish to feed in certain areas. For best results, introduce smaller amounts regularly and increase the quantity of feed closer to your session.

7. Watercraft and Location

• Understanding Fish Behaviour: Larger fish tend to patrol deeper waters or snags during the day but may come into the margins to feed during low-light periods. Use this knowledge to time your sessions or change tactics depending on the time of day.
• Spotting Signs: Look for subtle signs of feeding fish like bubbles, water disturbances, or reeds moving. Identifying these can help position yourself correctly and save time, allowing you to fish in productive areas.

8. Temperature and Seasonal Adjustments

• Cold-Water Adjustments: In colder conditions, fish become lethargic, so you’ll need to scale down your approach. Use smaller hooks, lighter lines, and less groundbait. Focus on deeper swims where fish tend to hold.
• Summer Fishing: Fish are more active in warmer weather, so increase feeding and use larger baits. Surface fishing with bread or dog biscuits can be effective for carp, particularly on warm afternoons.

9. Fine Tuning Bite Detection

• Quivertip Sensitivity: When feeder fishing, adjust the quivertip sensitivity based on conditions. Use softer tips for small, shy-biting species like roach and harder tips for big fish in flowing water to avoid missed bites.
• Bobbin Indicators: For specimen anglers targeting big carp or tench, using weighted bobbin indicators in combination with alarms can help detect slow bites. Adjust bobbin weight based on wind and the fish’s biting behaviour.

10. Understanding Fish Diet and Preferences

• Natural Baits: Try natural baits like worms, maggots, and casters, which can often outfish artificial baits in pressured waters. Match your bait choice with the natural food available in the water you’re fishing, as fish are accustomed to these.
• Seasonal Preferences: During spring and summer, oily fish-based pellets and boilies work well, while sweet or fruity baits like corn or pineapple-flavoured boilies can be more effective in colder months.

11. Targeting Bigger Fish with Larger Baits

• Tip: If you’re aiming for larger specimens, consider upsizing your bait. Big carp, barbel, or tench are more likely to go for bigger food items, such as 18-20mm boilies, chunks of luncheon meat, or whole corn.
• Technique: Pair larger baits with a stronger hook (size 6-8) and use hair rigs to ensure the bait is presented naturally. Adjust your line to handle the increased weight and strength of bigger fish, using at least 10-15lb test lines.

12. Mastering the Feeder Setup

• Tip: Use a feeder rig (method feeder, cage feeder, or pellet feeder) for highly efficient baiting in still waters or slow-moving rivers.
• Technique: A method feeder allows you to pack ground bait around a weight, providing a constant scent trail that attracts fish. The hook bait is typically placed right in the middle of the ground bait, ensuring it’s the first thing fish see once they reach the bait ball.

13. Using Zig Rigs for Mid-Water Feeding Fish

• Tip: Zig rigs are excellent for targeting fish feeding in the middle of the water column, especially in warm weather when fish are less likely to stay at the bottom.
• Technique: Use a long hook link (up to several feet) to present a pop-up bait suspended off the lakebed. Adjust the depth by changing the length of the hook link based on fish behaviour. Try using small foam pieces or buoyant pop-up baits.

14. Adapting to Seasonal Changes

• Tip: Fish behaviour changes drastically with the seasons, so adjust your tactics accordingly.
  • Spring: Fish start feeding again, so use brighter baits and ground bait to grab attention.
  • Summer: Fish tend to feed higher in the water column. Use floating baits and zig rigs.
  • Autumn: Fish are fattening up for winter, so focus on high-calorie baits.
  • Winter: Fish are lethargic, so use smaller baits and finer rigs.
• Technique: Use thermometers and oxygen meters to monitor conditions, ensuring your bait and rig are in the most productive zones for the current season.

15. Precision Casting and Baiting

• Tip: Successful anglers know the importance of casting and baiting accurately. It’s not just about where the fish are but also ensuring your bait is presented in a way that entices them to strike.
• Technique: Practice long-range and precision casting by using the same target spot every time. Use marker floats or clip your line to a specific point to cast to the same area repeatedly. Match your baiting to your casting area using spods, PVA bags, or catapults to keep the fish in one concentrated zone.

16. Pre-Baiting to Condition Fish

• Tip: Pre-baiting an area regularly will condition fish to feed in that location, increasing your chances of success.
• Technique: For a few days leading up to your session, bait an area with particles, pellets, or boilies to get fish used to feeding there. By the time you fish the spot, the fish will be more confident, increasing the likelihood of hooking larger specimens.

17. Stalking Fish in Margins

• Tip: Instead of always fishing at long range, sometimes the biggest fish are right under your feet in the margins.
• Technique: Approach the margins quietly and look for signs of feeding activity such as bubbles, mud clouds, or fish movement. Use a simple float rig with stealthy presentation, or freelined bait, to avoid spooking the fish.

18. Understanding Fish Feeding Behaviour

• Tip: Each species has unique feeding habits that can be exploited.
• Technique:
  • Carp: They often feed by sucking and blowing bait off the bottom. Use balanced bait (e.g., wafters) that floats slightly off the bottom to increase hook-ups.
  • Bream: These fish are bottom feeders, so use a flatbed feeder rig with ground bait to keep your presentation anchored.
  • Tench: Tench are shy and often feed early in the morning or late in the evening. Fish during these peak times and use small particle baits such as maggots or sweetcorn.

19. Using Liquid Attractants

• Tip: Liquid attractants can give you an edge by enhancing your bait’s smell and flavour.
• Technique: Add liquid attractants like Krill, fish oils, or Scopex to your ground bait, boilies, or hook baits. This creates a strong scent trail that draws fish towards your bait from long distances.

10. Baiting for Barbel in Fast Currents

• Tip: Barbel are strong river fish that require specialized tactics when fishing in fast-flowing water.
• Technique: Use a heavy feeder to keep your bait in place in fast currents. Opt for large pellets, luncheon meat, or paste baits on a hair rig. Pre-bait heavily and be prepared for hard, fast runs once you hook into one.

20. Rotating Bait Types for Success

• Tip: Fish can become wary of the same bait. Rotating between different bait types can lead to more takes.
• Technique: Switch between pellets, boilies, and particles throughout the day. Keep testing small changes to see which bait triggers a better response from the fish.

21. Spotting Signs of Fish

• Tip: Being able to read the water is crucial in coarse fishing. Look for fish movement and feeding signs.
• Technique: Look for disturbances on the water surface, bubbles rising from the bottom, and fish rolling or jumping. These indicate active feeding zones. Position your bait close to these areas to maximize your chances.