The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Gentlemen I am asking for advice.

I have seldom caught a rudd before and they have always been small. I have the opportunity to fish a very large pit which is stuffed with rudd, some of record rocking proportions. What bait would you recommend and what baiting procedure would be best to target the bigger ones. Incidentally there are no roach in the water and so they are pure rudd! It will be a winter campaign so I guess the floaters will not work. Bread/bread mash, worm or maggots I really have very little idea.

I really am a novice regarding this species so it is all quite exciting. I shall have a boat to fish from if necessary. Over to you chaps

I am by no means an expert but a few weeks ago I tried to catch some of the decent Perch that are in a local pit but caught nothing but some lovely Rudd on frozen Prawns

This might sound like blasphemy but breadflake freelined from a pole used to work well for me. You could always use a cane pole???

Cockles have caught fish to just under 4 from a water I fish.

Neill Stephen caught this 3lb 15oz 8dr fish recently on sweetcorn. (also on a cane rod, centrepin and Andrew Field float)
Amazing fish. Hope to see you holding a similar one Bob!

http://www.gofishing.co.uk/Angling-Time ... l-Stephen/

Bob, a water I used to fish regularly held a lot of large Rudd 2lb and over.
I found the best method for the larger fish was bread about the size of your thumb nail squeezed onto the hook and fished about a foot under the float.
Spray the area to be fished with a few pouchfulls of maggots for a few minutes before casting. The bites would come almost instantaneously.

A couple of maggots would also bring plenty of bites of couse but were very difficult to hit as they tend to nip the maggot itself and fishing shallow like this can lead to more tackle in the trees behind you than you've got left in your box, with bread they almost hook themselves, you only need to tighten up into the fish.

I use a hook size 12 for the bread.

A size 18 buried inside a caster is a good Rudd bait but it can attract the smaller ones too which will congregate under the maggots from heaven.

Good luck and I look forward to hearing your results.

Wal.

Harry H wrote:I am by no means an expert but a few weeks ago I tried to catch some of the decent Perch that are in a local pit but caught nothing but some lovely Rudd on frozen Prawns

Thanks Harry that is a bait that hadn't crossed my mind. It is particularly interesting as this water also has some specimen perch too.

Bread flake, corn or as above, prawns

A big thanks to one and all.
I was aware of maggots, sweetcorn and bread flake but I hadn't even considered prawns or cockles. I have to say that prawns appeal, particularly due to the presence of some large perch, which surely will be close by to the Rudd shoals.
Bob

Here's a page from "Baits and Groundbaits" by Faddist (Edward Ensom) ... the 1952 edition :-



Elderberries seem particularly appropriate at this time of year.