Canal Perch on the Worm
Canal Perch on the Worm
It’s all down to location
The most important part in catching a big bag of perch from any venue is simply down to location and a couple of winters back, during a match, I drew one off the flyer, an end peg on one of my club stretches on the Kennet and Avon Canal near Hungerford. Ever since watching the lucky angler that drew this peg who proceeded to take over 30lb of big perch I’ve been meaning to return, well today is the day!
The early bird…
If you want to get the best swim then you have to arrive early, set the alarm well before dawn, park up in darkness and start setting up as the sun rises. Fortunately today I’ve been blessed with a respite in the recent wet weather but looking at that sky, I’m on limited time before the rains arrive, the only downside is most of the swim is covered with leaves.
Canal craft
First job is to get the box set up nice and stable in the marginal vegetation, mix a little groundbait, plumb up a few areas and get some bait in to activate each line. I’ve settled on three lines, one at 8m where I’ve cupped in a couple of balls of groundbait made from a 50/50 mix of Champion’s Method Black Roach and Quick Skimmer which I pushed through a fine riddle a couple of times. My second line, slightly to my left at 11m, just on the downside of the far bank shelf and close to a line of rushes is prepped with a couple of cupfuls of chopped worm and casters and my final line at 13m is right across on top of the shelf just under the cover of the far bank overhanging bushes.
You need to be comfortable and have everything to hand to fish well.
The clarity of fluoro makes it almost invisible in water.
It’s not rocket science
As for tackle I’m using my trusted Sphere Zero-G F1+ Pole and although each line is slightly different regarding elastication and end rig, the one that is producing after rotating each line is the chopped worm and caster one. The rig for this is relatively simple and consists of Stretch 7 Blue 1.90mm Hollow Elastic, 0.12mm Cenex Hybrid Power line containing a 4×14 pole float, with a four inch Cenex 0.13mm Fluoro Carbon Hook Line and a Sphere size 16 Match Hook. Nothing fancy regarding shotting, just a bulk of no8 12’from the hook and a couple of tiny droppers spaced equally to the hook with the whole rig fished an inch over depth.
Rigs and things
A couple of things worth pointing out is although I’m using a hook length that is of a higher diameter than the mainline, its breaking point is slightly less, the reason for the thicker hooklink is its created from Fluoro Carbon, a material that fish find almost impossible to see, something that when fishing for sight feeders such as perch is very important. I’ve also set up my pole roller down the edge so I can side ship my pole in and out without upsetting other canal tow path users and the Black Magic Double Width 60 Roller with its extendable legs allow just that!
Little reason to switch
A quick look at the 8m line from the off and its only producing small roach, which is a great sign as where there’s small fish there will be big perch and after fifteen minutes its time to lower half a Dendrobaena in on the 11m line and straight away the float sinks and I’m onto a reasonable perch. The action continues throughout the morning with perch to 2lb 6oz gracing my net and apart from one bite on the lobworm line I see very little reason to switch. It’s a good idea to keep pulting a few casters over the top to keep the small fish interested and every time bites dry up I simply introduce another cupful of chopped worm and casters which livens things up. After three hours and with the first spots of rain in the air I’ve had my fill and have ended up with at least 15lb of quality perch including a couple more around the two pound mark. Canal fishing, I love it.
Colin Sheppard
The nerve-jangling moment a big perch hits the surface.
Colin’s Tackle
Sphere Zero-G F1+ Pole
Stretch 7 1.90mm Blue Elastic
4×14 pole float
0.12mm Cenex Hybrid Power Mono
0.13mm Cenex Fluoro Carbon Hook Line
Sphere Size 16 Match Hook
Colin’s Bait
Dendrobaena Worms
Lobworms
Casters
Squat
Maggot
Champion’s Feeder Black Roach & Quick Skimmer Groundbait.
Head to Head - Pole Versus Running Line
Head to Head - Pole Versus Running Line
In this great new video we pit Mick Fordham and Colin Sheppard head-to-head in a pole versus running line challenge. How will they fair and who will win?
Watch by hitting the play button below or find the video (and hundreds more) on our YouTube channel.
Browning Cup Österreich 2022
Wie jedes Jahr am ersten Oktober Wochenende findet unser traditioneller Browning Cup Österreich in Ybbs an der wunderschönen Donau statt. Unser Team ist mit reichlicher Erfahrung und guter Planung schon sehr gut eingespielt, denn es gilt neben der Organisation des Events auch noch für das leibliche Wohl der Angler zu Sorgen. Darüber freuen sich unsere Gäste auch immer sehr.
Heuer waren es 22 Mannschaften à 4 Personen, die am Hegefischen teilnahmen. Unser Team Österreich stellte auch 4 Teams. Das ist auch nur möglich, da wir reichlich freiwillige Helfer haben, die uns unterstützen. Danke an dieser Stelle dafür!
Die Aufteilung der Sektoren gestalteten wir etwas großzügiger. So kam es, dass die nicht so fischreiche Sektoren „A“ und “B“ mehr Platz bekamen. Was sich dann auch in den Fangergebnissen widerspiegelte. Die Sektoren „C“ und „D“ wanderten weiter Flussaufwärts. Auch hier waren die Resultate sehr ansehnlich.
Aber nun zu meinen 2 Bewerbstagen
Samstag loste ich im Sektor „C“, genau mittig. Naja, dachte ich, wird schon schief gehen. Ich lotete den Gewässerboden vor mir sauber aus und tatsächlich fand ich in ca. 85m Entfernung einen strukturierten Untergrund, das ist nicht oft der Fall. Meistens hat man es mit glattem Untergrund zu tun. Die Ruten waren schnell auf 80m abgelängt und bereit für Ihren Einsatz. Warum 80m? Ich wollte mir etwas Reserve aufheben, um noch verlängern zu können, wenn es später im Match schwieriger wird. 140gr Blockkralle hielt gut am Boden und somit startete ich damit auch voller Zuversicht in die Partie. Gleich nach dem 3 Wurf konnte ich dann auch schon die erste Barbe fangen, gefolgt von 2 Skimmern. Das wars dann auch schon mit dem Ansturm und Ruhe kehrte ein. Immer wieder wechselte ich die Hakenköder und die Ködermenge im Korb, um für etwas Veränderung am Platz zu sorgen und Bisse zu provozieren. Es gelang auch und ich konnte regelmäßig Aktivität verzeichnen. Mit dem Fangen ist es das dann noch so eine Sache, den man muss erstmal die Barben über die Steinschlacht im Uferbereich hieven. Da gewinnen oft die Flossenträger, trotz 0,28er Vorfach. Am Ende hatte ich leider viele große Fische verloren und es reichte für die 3 im Sektor.
Mit der Mannschaft lagen wir mit drei guten Ergebnissen und einem nicht so Guten auf Platz 4. Aber es war noch alles drinnen für eine Verbesserung am 2. Tag.
Sonntag, das Losglück war auf meiner Seite und ich nahm auf Platz 2 im Sektor A Platz. Das ist ein Platz neben dem Eckplatz, wo am Vortag der Sektorensieg gekommen ist. Voller Motivation lotete ich den Gewässergrund, diesmal nur glatter Untergrund. Aufgrund der Regenfälle in der Nacht und ist die Strömung auch stärker geworden, somit war meine Wurfweite begrenzt. Auf 72m blieb dann doch die 160gr. Blockkralle liegen und hier startete ich dann auch. Ich wollte alles aus dem Platz herausholen und durch meinen hohen Futterrhythmus von 2 Minuten über die ersten 2 Stunden bescherten mir dann den ersehnten heftigen Biss. Kurz darauf konnte ich eine stattliche Barbe landen. 10 Minuten später dann die 2. Bartelträgerin. Wahnsinn dachte ich mir, jetzt geht’s los. Aber das war dann auch schon der ganze Zauber. Weiterarbeiten, war mein Gedanke, die kommen schon wieder! Zu den 2 Fischen gesellten sich dann doch noch einige schöne Rotaugen und eine Blaunase, bis ich nach einer Stunde ohne Aktivität um einige Meter die Distanz verlängerte. Wie im Lehrbuch, bekam ich kurz darauf einen Hammer Biss. Der Rollenclip war geöffnet und der Fisch nahm kräftig Schnur. Plötzlich wurde der Widerstand unterbrochen und ich musste einen Schnurbruch des 0,28mm Vorfachs akzeptieren. Warum nur dachte ich verzweifelt. Aber Kopf hoch, die Donau gibt und sie nimmt auch! Weiter werfen, da sind noch Fische am Platz. Wieder bekam ich kurz darauf den Biss und ich konnte eine weitere Barbe zum Landgang zwingen. Den Rhythmus hielt ich weiter konstant hoch, aber leider kam kein großer Fisch mehr. Einige Rotaugen später war das Match dann auch zu Ende.
Die Waage brachte dann noch die Gewissheit, mit 9400gr. konnte ich souverän den Sektor für mich entscheiden, was mich irrsinnig freute. Es kann auch anders gehen. Am Ende hatte ich mit 4 Gesamtpunkten leider mit dem niedrigeren Gewicht das Nachsehen und belegte Platz 6 in der Einzelwertung. Mit der Mannschaft konnten wir uns leider nicht mehr verbessern, aber ein vierter Platz bei dem Teilnehmerfeld, stimmte uns zufrieden.
Ergebnislisten und Ausschreibungen findet ihr wie immer auf unserer Homepage
http://www.browning-team-austria.com/
Jürgen Fröschl
Team Browning Austria
The 'Method' for F1's
The ‘Method’ feeder or otherwise known as the Flatbed Feeder has revolutionised feeder fishing on commercials over the past few years. Hook lengths seem to be getting shorter and shorter with some anglers dropping this down to just an inch or so in order to get a quick bite and capitalize on the aggressive feeding nature of the fish found in many of these heavily stocked venues.
Orchard Place Farm Fishery in Kent has twelve lakes in total, three of which are classified as general/match lakes and today I’ve come to the biggest, Lake 6 which is heavily stocked with a mix of species, yet my target today are F1’s. F1’s are great fun, feeding all year round and can be very obliging on far from ideal conditions like today when other species simply refuse to feed.
Activate the swim
My preferred method here is the feeder and I’ve picked a swim which features an island, as I’m sure the fish will be doing their best to avoid this bright sunshine and heading for some cover. Regular casting to activate the swim, especially at the start of a session, is essential, as is accuracy so after a few practice cast so that the feeder lands just inches from the bank, it’s time to clip up and get fishing.
Sucking up the entire contents
Bait today is simple, a single red maggot on the hook and a 50/50 mix of Champion’s Method Mussel Green and Formula Fish groundbait. This was mixed on arrival with lake water and allowed to draw in the moisture for a few minutes, before dampening down again, waiting a few more minutes before mixing using a groundbait whisk. An addition to this is a good scattering of dampened down micros and when the mix can be compressed in the palm of my hand and on releasing expand without breaking up, I know I have the right consistency that will cling to the feeder. I have also bought along some 6mm hard pellets, just in case I need a switch but I’m guessing these won’t come into play as F1’s love maggots. It might sound strange using a groundbait mix with pellets in and then maggot on the hook but I think that the feeder delivers just enough bait for a fish to suck up the whole contents including the maggot. Speed is of the essence here and maggots offer just that without being detrimental to the time it takes to get a bite. No bait bands or fiddling around re-baiting and quite often the maggot is good for more than one fish.
Creating a safe bolt rig
The tackle I’m using today consists of a rod that I just cannot fault, the Sphere Bomb +10% and I’ve teamed this up with a Sphere MgTi 930 loaded with Black Magic Gold 0.21mm (8lb) mono. This style of fishing punishes a mainline repeatedly but this multi-purpose reliable line is really abrasion resistant and simply deals with everything thrown at it. On the business end I’m using a 20g Black Magic Method feeder but instead of tying the mainline direct to the swivel I’ve threaded the feeder onto my mainline, through the swivel and then back through the feeder before tying a figure of eight overhand knot to secure. This doubling over of line simply gives me the security that the line won’t weaken near to the feeder and although the feeder can pass easily over the knot above, it does produce some resistance and in turn, a safe bolt rig. My hooklink which attaches to the feeder swivel is short, around two-inches, contains a barbless size 16 Sphere CPF LS Hook and is made from 0.16mm (6.6lb) Cenex Hybrid Power Mono. All in all a robust set up that’s easily capable of withstanding and dealing with the big weights of fish we get from here.
Struggling to hit bottom
Having no other anglers targeting the island I wasn’t surprised that on the first cast, and moments after the feeder landing, a few liners revealed that a fish, or a few fish are active. After waiting a further sixty seconds it’s time to wind in and repeat. Four casts in and after a couple of indications, probably caused by a fish sucking in the contents of the feeder, the tip pulls round and the first F1’s comes to the net. More follow and after just thirty minutes the feeder is struggling to hit bottom before the tip pulls round and another F1’s gets hooked. This continues in the same manor for the next four hours before its time to call it a day and with upwards of 150lb of fish netted, it proves the point that the ‘Method’ is a tactic you simply can’t ignore.
Dean Tennant
Catch More Carp this Winter on Maggots
Catch More Carp this Winter on Maggots
At this time of year, when the nights get longer and colder and the water temperature starts to plummet you really do need to think about switching over from pellets to more natural baits such as maggots.
Steady trickle
Pellets although fantastic in the summer become less effective in cold water and difficult for the fish to digest and pass so introducing too many can be detrimental as they will simply lay in your swim and spook the fish. Maggots however, fed on a little-and-often basis will attract all fish, not just carp into your swim and if any do find themselves wriggling around on the bottom will soon bury within the lake bed, so by keeping a steady trickle falling through the water column will soon activate your swim and produce lots of bites.
Feeding tactics
I prefer fresh red maggots in the winter, as opposed to whites in summer and for a five hour match/session would take at least three pints. Feeding these really does depend on the weather conditions and how many fish you have in the swim as on some days feeding a few through a pot and concentrating the feeding zone to a tight area can be best, yet on others catapulting a wider spread will work. A good winter tactic is to start a session on the feeder, hopefully pick up a couple of early carp whilst feeding maggots accurately on the pole line. I usually start by catapulting maggots, which will drag a few fish in from further afield before concentrating my feed more accurately with a small feed pot as the session progresses.
Working it out
For today’s practice session I’ve come to Tyler’s Common in Essex which is a typical carp dominated commercial where matches are held on a regular basis, and have chosen to fish Willow Lake which is stuffed full of carp in the 2-5lb bracket. As it’s a practice session I’m not going to cast a feeder rod out as I need to work out just how quick I can get the 13m pole line working as this will give me a good idea when best to switch in the next match.
Keeping it steady
The rig I’m using is simply a 4×10 float shotted with a bulk of three No10’s around eighteen inches from the hook along with two No11 droppers. Mainline is Cenex 0.16mm Hybrid Power Mono connected to a short 0.12mm Hybrid Power hook length which has a Sphere size 18 hook finishing the rig off. As it’s really windy I have chosen to add two tiny back shot above the float, spread out and not too close to the tip of the float as this will allow me to hold the float in position and up in the water in the gusty wind. As for elastic I’ve scaled this back to balance up with the delicate rig and have chosen Stretch 7 yellow. This works perfectly with my Sphere Zero-G PT+ pole and by adding a Flat Butt Pole Protector helps even more in keeping the pole steady in the high wind.
Laying it in
The wind is really gusty, cold and strong today so I have chosen a swim, one that I have never fished before with the wind off my back. It’s really shallow, just two and a half feet at 13m so I’m guessing that the fish will be reluctant to come really close in, in fact I might have to venture even further out. It’s important to keep lifting and laying the rig out so that the bait slowly falls through the water mimicking the freebies that I’m catapulting in every thirty seconds or so. It’s taken around fifteen minutes to start getting bites, albeit from silver fish and a further fifteen to connect with the first carp but the constant firing of half a dozen maggots is working its magic. Ninety minutes in and it’s a carp a cast proving that when the water cools down feeding little and often is the key in unlocking a swim.
Get on the maggot
There are lots of other anglers around the lake, most are using two rods, alarms and probably boilies or pellets and in the whole of my four hour session I haven’t seen another fish caught! Time to get on the maggots I think!
Loss of concentration
One thing I did notice and wasn’t surprised at was the owner bought me down a cup of coffee around two hours in and having had a brief chat and not fed during this period the fish had drifted off taking a good fifteen minutes to get them back and feeding confidently.
Positive routine
Although today hasn’t been under match conditions I’m guessing that I could have put together a really big weight if it was a match, proof that by getting into a routine, feeding small amounts of bait on a regular basis and having faith that the fish will turn up is so important if you want to get the best from every session.
Alex Reynolds
Alex’s Tackle
Sphere Zero-G PT+
Sphere Flat Butt Pole Protector
Stretch 7 Yellow Elastic
Cenex 0.12mm/0.16mm Hybrid Power Mono
4×10 Float
No10/11 Shot
Size 18 Sphere Barbless Hook
Alex’s Bait
Red maggots
New Video - Catch More with Maggots
Alex Reynolds looks at how to catch more winter carp on the humble red maggots in this new video over on the Browning official YouTube channel.
Check it out this, and hundreds more videos here.
XCITE BF Reels
New Product Launch - XCITE BF Reels
Looking for the perfect reel for Method feeder fishing? The new Xcite BF free-spool reels are perfect for match fishing for carp and other powerful fish. The free-spool system instantly gives line when engaged to stop carp from smashing the line on vicious bites.
As you have come to expect from Browning reels, the Xcite has been designed to be a rugged work-horse that will not let you down. The strong construction features a compact carbon graphite body and rotor which houses the precision engineered gears. Line lay on the aluminium spool is faultless, for improved casting distance and accuracy.
Each spool is fitted with two line-friendly clips. One is a traditional design, whilst the second has a softer construction, enabling the line to release under pressure before the line breaks – a useful innovation when big carp are likely to be encountered.
The precision front drag can be adjusted to give line consistently and can be relied upon to not let you down. The instant anti-reverse enable fish to be landed faster, and for the tension on the rod tip to be adjusted precisely, so no bites are missed.
A brilliant addition to the Browning range of reels, just perfect for feeder fishing for big fish.
20K Bib and Brace
20K Bib and Brace
If you are a match anger like myself that fish carp dominated commercials you will know only too well how uncomfortable it when bagging up to have a wet lap and legs due to inadequate overalls that are just not waterproof.
Finding a Bib and Brace that’s not only 100% waterproof but also comfortable hasn’t been straight forward, yet the launch of the 20k clothing range seems to have put all my headaches to bed.
For those who want to know the technical spec here we go – this clothing has a water column of 20’000 mm and is breathable at a rate of 5’000 g/mm2/24h, which basically means that even in the wettest conditions you will stay completely dry on the outside and even after a hectic session of casting and catching you will also stay dry on the inside!
It has adjustable shoulder straps, padded knee and rear areas, top quality waterproof hard wearing zip with Velcro’s fasteners to not only the front but also to the spacious legging bottoms which allows footwear from walking boots to wellies to be worn and secured. There is also a nice area at the front where you can tuck your hands in as well as placing items such a mobile phone which is ideal if it’s raining.
Produced in the standard Browning colours and being amazingly lightweight and compact means it can be stored within your luggage without taking up to much space.
There’s also a matching jacket for uneatable protection against the elements.
Available in five sizes – 50/M, 52/ L, 54/XL, 56/XXL and 58/XXXL
Alex Reynolds
Pole Position for Snake Lake Carp
From the Archives - Pole Position for Snake Lake Carp
Pondwood Fishery in Berkshire is fast becoming one of my favourite venues, not only because it’s been very kind to me in the matches recently, but being unable to fish my local canals this winter, the Snake Lake here is about as close as it gets to where I love to fish. The only difference is that instead of scratching around in the cold for a few bites on a canal, this lake is full of fish and even on the cruellest of days, a decent net of fish is almost guaranteed.
The luck of the draw.
Although this is a snake lake, one thing that is slightly different to others is it does have a few bridges crossing it, which create a number of, what’s known as end pegs throughout its length. These are the ones to pick out of the hat on match days, but even if you do, you still have to get the best out of them to win. I’ve been fortunate to pick a couple of end pegs of late and on both occasions have won the matches, the first being on a very windy day when the extra margin to my left produced 68lb and on the other occasion 52lb came my way fishing to the far bank.
Target the far margin
As you can imagine, the far bank is the area to target as a large proportion of the fish move here to get away from the disturbance we make when setting up. If conditions allow then expander pellets over micros just off the shelf will be the best method and that’s what I’m going to be doing throughout this short practice session.
Distinguishing between liners and proper bites
Feeding accurately and placing the rig over the top at anything from ten to fourteen metres means that the pole rules here and I’m using my trusted Sphere Zero-G Power Partner. This is teamed up with Xitan Micobore 1.9mm Pink Elastic which has a rating of 7-9, ideal for the average size of fish here, around 12oz but easily capable of controlling the odd bigger carp that is likely to be hooked. The rig I’m using is relatively simple and consists of a short .3g rugby ball shape float, one that has a relatively thick high-viz tip for easily distinguishing between liners and proper bites. This is connected to Cenex 0.16mm Hybrid Power Mono, the six-inch hooklink is Cenex 0.11mm Fluoro Carbon and on the business end is a barbless size 18 hook. I like to use a number of Micro Soft Shot to cock the float as these can be adjusted if needed, yet the most consistent arrangement here is to place six number ten’s, an inch apart on the lower half of the rig, one being placed on the hooklink as this straightens out the loop-to-poop knot used to attach it. I’ve also attached two number eights, three inches above the float, the reason for the back shot is they cut out any surface drift allowing me to keep the float directly above the pole tip and connect with the bites with the slightest of pole lift.
Heavy plummet
Fishing the float and presenting your bait in a swim perfectly would just not be possible without the use of a plummet and when pole fishing its best to use a heavy one as you can feel the plummet hit bottom and adjust the float accordingly. Making a mental note of the depth, even making a mark on the pole, is important as to keep the fish coming throughout the session I will need to adjust the depth constantly, yet the marker allows me to return to dead-depth instantly without having to plumb-up again.
Constant adjustments
Bait today is simple, 2mm micros that will be fed through a small feed pot and 4mm expanders for the hook which were prepared last night, along with some liquidised corn as back-up. To start with I’m going to introduce around twenty micros and within seconds I’m into my first fish, a carp around a pound. More follow but getting the best out of the swim is all about feeding, when to increase or reduce the amount of micros. There are no set rules here, as every day is different but like today, if you start foul hooking fish it’s because the fish have come up in the water, so when this happens its best to cut back on the feed and if it continues then adjusting the shotting can help but better still you need to take a few inches of the depth and offer the hookbait higher up in the water. This may mean fewer bites, but the ones you get from then on should be proper ones. Foul-hookers need to be avoided at all costs as they simply ruin not just the swim but often the rig as well as eating into the time you have on the bank.
Plenty of bites
Today’s three hour session has been a little frustrating at times, as I’ve experienced far too many foul hooked fish yet by constantly adjusting the rig, the depth the bait is presented, as well as how I have fed has kept the fish coming.
A frosty start followed by a bright morning is never going to be easy, but by heading to a well stocked commercial and picking the right swim usually means plenty of bites.
John Brownlie
John’s Tackle
Sphere Zero-G Power Partner
Xitan Microbore 1.9mm Pink Pole Elastic
Cenex 0.16mm Hybrid Power Mono
Cenex 0.11mm Fluoro Carbon
.3g Pole Float
Size 18 Barbless Hook
John’s Bait
2mm Micro Pellets
4mm Expander Pellets
Black Magic Uni Reel Line
Black Magic Uni Reel Line
If you are looking for a tough, no nonsense reel line, specially for feeder and heavier float fishing, then the new Black Magic Uni Reel Line will be perfect. A supple, yet abrasion resistant line with a consistently high knot strength, this is a great all-rounder, and better still, it is supplied on great value bulk spools too.
The dark brown colour blends in really well with most lake beds and the line sinks naturally, cutting through the surface film easily. Like all Browning lines, it has an accurate diameter and breaking strain, taking the guess-work out of choosing the right line for the job.
Available in diameters between 0.17mm (4.5lb) and 0.27mm (12.6lb) with between 680m and 490m per spool.
