Fishing a massively uneven bottom on the pole. Tips?

[rudd]

Use a polaris float or like neil said - a float ledger set up.

 

[Zerkalo]

I've never fished a lake like that but would plumb up as usual but to the bottom of a ridge and keep lifting the bait every 20 seconds or so, so the rig settles in different spots, might provoke a bite.

 

[Maesknoll]

I know I'm too late to help but this would be my solutions.

Use a 1g in line Olivette resting on the bottom to form a float leger set up. Set the rig to the deepest part with the Olivette on the deck. Shot the float as normal. The Olivette can be any distance you choose from the hook stopped with a small shot. You can then hold the float so it is in contact with the Olivette.

A float attached bottom end only waggler style can help.

An alternative using a normal rig is to set up a pair of over/under pole rests on the seatbox legs. Put the pole in these and plumb up under where the pole tip sits or slightly left or right of that point. When introducing the rig either lower straight down or lay to one side. Either way the rig will settle in the same spot every time. Once the rig has settled remove the pole from the rests and hold the rig in that position.

One word of caution here, not on the effectiveness of this, but the fact that on many venues a float leger set up contravenes the free running rule.

 

[Neil ofthe nene]

Yes, I forgot that. There is a fine line between overshotting a float and legering. You may be able to get away with having some of the float's shotting on the bottom.

This used to be a method (with fixed or running weight) I saw practiced by early clubmates using a pole (fibreglass) on the Lee and Thames

 

[mbuna_matt]

I fish a venue where the bottom on some swims is (at least according to my plummet) like the Himalayas. I think this is due to roots etc from the bankside vegetation which is extensive in places. I suspect water quality is a bit poor as the majority of the fish seem to be shallow (if they are there at all!.....)

 

[RedRidingHood]

Well.....


There goes the worst days fishing I've ever had.

 

[warrington63]

There is a commercial in Warrington where one of the pools has plateaus , you have to fish on top of them to catch,

A club water used to be like plumbing up on a ploughed field,

 

[davylad]

Personally I hate pegs like that, too much like hard work. I would pick a level spot even if it's only a foot square, and concentrate on that with the pole, as long as the conditions are ok, and it's not blowing a gale.

 

[Me and my lad]

I would watch a load of Andy May vids and just fish shalla! Think dave is right on the money with 3/4 depth. Little and often would be key. Anything = maggots or either caster/pellets for carp.

 

[chefster]

I would watch a load of Andy May vids and just fish shalla! Think dave is right on the money with 3/4 depth. Little and often would be key. Anything = maggots or either caster/pellets for carp.

Not really a February tactic though fishing shallow

 

[chefster]

I used to fish a place where the bottom was all over the place, it was converted from a trout/fly fishery into coarse ...If you took your time plumbing up properly , you could always find a spot to fish ,wasn’t always just a case of trying dead in front of you , nice and easy!.sometimes you had to go long at an angle, etc, then just be accurate, you only need a small area, the size of a plate!...as said before didn’t matter in summer cos you’d either catch shallow or right tight in the edge

 

[RedRidingHood]

Personally I hate pegs like that, too much like hard work. I would pick a level spot even if it's only a foot square, and concentrate on that with the pole, as long as the conditions are ok, and it's not blowing a gale.

Only, This is exactly what happened today.

I managed to find what I believe to be the only place that hadn't been hit by a mortar team in the pond, For the wind to do a massive U turn 20 minutes later hitting me straight in the side. This is after a solid 20+ minutes of plumbing up. I'm cool to fish in a little bit of wind, But if I would've continued my pole would've snapped clean in half, It was bending like I had a 25lb carp on it, And it was constant. I even went to the extent of taking my pole cup off out of desperation to no avail. No worries I thought, I'll keep feeding it and return to it later. Well, I'd be so lucky. Had the odd 5 minutes on it here and there before packing it up to prevent breakages, In the end it just wasn't worth it.

Fished Hybrid, Cage & bomb all day and had 3 pulls, And 1 fish. It didn't help that, even though the entirety of the lake was vacant (well over 20 pegs), 2 old fellas decided to set up right next to me using what appeared to be 40-50g feeders basically spodding groundbait / pellet mixes in, both pegs to my right gone. Fair enough, They have the freedom to fish where they please. Fella I know also fished the peg left of me so I'm basically blocked into a very confined space.

Had a few hours on the hybrid with nothing, Then I trickled some pellets in over a bomb as the fish in this pond usually react very positively to sound, nothing. I soon figured that there was basically no fish in the swim or they simply weren't feeding and I was just making things worse by piling in the bait making a needle in a haystack situation, Even if it's just micro's. Decided to then go on a small cage, 30g (small) so I'm not actively adding larger baits for them to feed on to make the situation worse. Had a single pull, and nothing. As the evening started to draw, The older fellas packed up, Of course the guy closest to me decides to dump all his bait in the middle of the pond like he's running for gold in the Olympic shot put, But at this point I'm beyond caring. Last hour or so I decided I'd go back on the Hybrid, Random decision, But I managed to snag one ganky mouthed mirror carp half hour before packing up.

Honestly, I didn't want to fish this pond... I wanted to go to another pond across the way but alas, I didn't get my way. Not massively bothered if I'm honest but I'd have liked at least a few more as on my last visit I had 19 good sized Carp and a nice Tench.

All in all, There was 6 people on the pond, And 3 fish were caught in 9+ hours. I had one, And buddy next door had 2. Other than that, nobody had a bite. Honestly the worst day I've ever had on a commie, Bit shocked it fished that bad actually.

 

[RedRidingHood]

Oh yeah did I mention I also got electrocuted by an electric fence?

That was the icing on the cake

 

[Dave]

I thought for a minute you were going to say you'd followed my advice and it was disastrous

 

[chefster]

Oh yeah did I mention I also got electrocuted by an electric fence?

That was the icing on the cake

Sounds like a great day

 

[RedRidingHood]

I thought for a minute you were going to say you'd followed my advice and it was disastrous

Dave, I wish I could've. I really do! I wish I could've put any of the advice here into practise, Alas, The weather didn't allow for it. On plus side, It's there for future reference if I ever decide to fish this hellhole ever again.... Right now though, I think I'm going to stick to one of the other four ponds.

Sounds like a great day

Could've been worse Gaz. For instance the tree behind me could've fallen on me but it didn't!
In all honesty though, Wasn't all that bad, it was just nice to get out somewhere different. Cool weather, Good view, Plenty of wildlife, befriended the ducks with a few slices of bread. Going to a new commie next week, so theres that to look forward too!

 

[Total]

Oh yeah did I mention I also got electrocuted by an electric fence?

That was the icing on the cake

^^ ............And have you got a dog called "Lucky?"

 

[rudd]

Oh yeah did I mention I also got electrocuted by an electric fence?

That was the icing on the cake

Having just finished a very bad 13 1/2 hour day You have made my evening - somehow I have now become you in this post??? All good as Its the first time this month I haven't blanked

Oh blast- now me again

 

[rudd]

One word of caution here, not on the effectiveness of this, but the fact that on many venues a float leger set up contravenes the free running rule.

I remember Drennan Team England receiving a warning for dragging weight on bottom.

Its like said - a fine line, when does laying on become float ledgering?
What about the lift method which relies on a weight resting on bottom.

 

[Maesknoll]

I remember Drennan Team England receiving a warning for dragging weight on bottom.

Its like said - a fine line, when does laying on become float ledgering?
What about the lift method which relies on a weight resting on bottom.

A normal float set up with with weight on the bottom does break some match rules, but what I was advising was that a genuine float leger isn’t designated as free running, many venues don’t allow anything behind the lead even for pleasure fishing.