Paul Garner

Today I am planning on Shallow Pole Fishing for F1’s on a lovely summer day.

Although loads can be learnt from practice sessions on a venue, don’t get caught out and expect the lake to fish exactly the same once it’s crammed with match anglers. One of my regular venues, Falklands in Essex is a typical example of this, a venue full of silvers which the match anglers ignore, being more content on bagging up on the vast shoals of F1’s. This is a recipe for disaster as although the F1’s will kindly oblige all day long when its quiet, come match day they simply disappear after a couple of hours due to the noise and pressure around the lake, yet many still flog the same line in hope they will switch back on. 

Keep an eye on others

Witnessing this behaviour became apparent during the first match I fished here, yet I noticed it wasn’t just my swim that died, every other angler was going through the same scenario, however knowing the venue was full of roach, ide, skimmers, barbel and perch I had been constantly feeding another line with maggots, a line that paid off as I won the match with a fifty/fifty net of F1’s and silvers.

I’m going to go through the same routine as I would during a match, one that has seen me win the last six matches here, however with just one other angler on the lake I’m sure those F1’s won’t follow the same pattern as on match days, let’s see? 

Don’t get carried away

Getting the best from a swim here really does all come down to feeding, keeping those options open and not getting carried away with one that’s gives you that flying start and lures you into a false sense of security. Every angler that goes long, shallow pole fishing for F1’s and will catch steadily at the start of the match but the first hour is always the best and each that follow will get worse and worse. It’s knowing when to switch and in my experience half way through a five hour match is about right. The downfall of many, even those who start feeding a maggot line is they forget to keep feeding and for those that try and get a second line going cold later on; well the damage has already been done.

Don’t stop feeding

My approach from the start is quite simple as it’s based around two positive lines, one at 14m, the other at 5m shallow pole fishing for F1’S.  And one down the edge where I might just have to go in search of a barbel or two, yet rarely has this line had to come into play. The 14m line is my F1 line and where I will start with the 5m line being my silver line for the second half of the match. All seems really straight forward but it’s amazing how the F1’s can draw your attention for far too long and even the anglers that do feed a maggot line can soon forget to feed in the hope that the long line will stay good all day. Not feeding, or stopping to feed is the biggest mistake on this lake as the silvers will stop responding and simply move to where there’s a steady trickle of bait falling through the water and in most cases this will be 5m in front of me!

Quick routine

Whistle blows and it’s time to get into a routine and straight away two pouchfulls, containing around ten 4mm pellets are catapulted to the 14m line. I then ship my pellet rig to the 5m line and feed to pinches of mixed red and white maggots by hand to this line, before another ten 4mm pellets a fired to the 14m line. Shipping the pole out and once in position I once again feed a few pellets, plus a pinch of maggots close in and hope that a bite comes quick. Often it takes a few minutes to get the F1’s up in the water and feeding and bites can be small dips of the float that simply need to be lifted into, yet once they get use to those pellets being fired in on a regular basis it won’t be long before swirls can be seem and the elastic to come stretching out of the tip. All the time I’m waiting for that first bite I’m feeding a few maggots by hand yet once a F1 is hooked this is where the routine really starts as once hooked and guided away from the swim I let the elastic do its work before feeding a few more pellets then shipping in and landing. Once unhooked and in the keepnet I fire another ten pellets out, ship the pole to the 5m line, feed two pinches of maggots accurately, fire another ten pellets to the 14m line and ship out into position. Hopefully by the time my rig settles an F1 will be ready and waiting which in more cases happens. All that’s left to do is hopefully repeat the process.

One day, maybe

You really do have to make the most of those first two hours on the F1’s as this line will noticeably start to dry up and during a standard match I would be looking at placing around 30lb in the net. It’s now time to hit that silver line, the one I’ve been priming for over two hours on a little and often basis, yet don’t get lazy, keep those pellets going in on that 14m line because, although I’ve never had too, you never know when you will need it!

The initial softness of Microbore Elastic means that I bump less fish, but can easily land the odd bonus carp.

Cenex Hybrid Power is such a brilliant all-round line. Very clear, yet with great knot strength and high abrasion resistance.

Dibber floats are ideal when fishing really shallow, causing less tangles and spooking less fish.

Shallow and short

Rigs and tackle for shallow pole fishing for F1’s are relatively straight forward, but having a light pole such as an EXO Sphere Zero-G F1+ will pay you back big time and make fishing long so much easier. I have a number of SkyLine one piece top kits made up but the standard F1 top kit is elasticised with Xitan Microbore pink rated 7-9 which is ideal when using a really short line and rig. The rig itself is connected to a Dacron Connector, albeit slightly differently than normal to totally eliminate tangles and consists of 0.18mm Cenex Hybrid Power Mono onto which a 4×14 Dibber float is placed before a three-inch Cenex 0.14mm Hybrid hook length is attached. A bulk shot half way down shots the float and a size 16 barbless Sphere Beast hook tied knotless knot style leaving a short hair containing a pellet band finishes the set-up. When I say I’m fishing shallow, I mean shallow, concentrating catching at between 8 and 12 inches so with a total rig length, including hook length, of around 15 inches you start to realise what shallow and short really means!  

Red is best

As for bait it’s a 4mm banded pellet but a little trick that works for me is to use a red pellet as hookbait. I’m not sure what it is but these F1’s seem to pick a red one out well before the standard light brown ones that I’m feeding. I dye my hooker pellets red, flavour them with krill powder and do add a few to my loose feed. I also have some 6mm pellets to hand as if a few larger carp come drifting through the swim a quick switch can often tempt one! 

The maggot rig is very similar apart from I’m using a top kit with Microbore orange elastic rated 5-7 and slightly thinner Cenex 0.16mm and 0.12mm Hybrid Power Mono and place the maggots directly onto a size 18 hook.

Predicted result

Today’s session is so typical of a non pressured fishery as the F1’s have continued to feed aggressively throughout the five hour session and although they did slow up there was no need to switch to the silvers and with well over 70lb in the net it’s been a productive few hours.  

Getting the best from a peg in a match situation here at Falklands isn’t about technical rigs, it’s all about feeding and the angler that keep his work ethics up and then is prepared to switch from what was a productive line, well before others will certainly come out on top.

Effort equals reward; it’s as simple as that!

Filipe Passeira.

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The brilliant Beast hooks keep their sharpness incredibly well.

Red pellets have definitely been the best bait today.

I feed both plain and red fishery pellets.

Fil’s Tackle

EXO Sphere Zero-G F1+ 

SkyLine Shallow Kit

Xitan Microbore Orange and Pink Pole Elastic

Cenex Hybrid Power Mono  

Sphere size 18 Beast barbless hook

4 x 12 Dibber Float

4mm Bait Bands

Fil’s Bait

4mm pellets

Red/white maggots

A lovely days fishing when the F1’s just kept on feeding.