Lift Method Refinement
Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2017 10:35 am
This year, for the first time, my tench fishing took place on a big gravel pit rather than small estate lakes and brick pits. I was fishing an open , windy and deep venue and had to think about my methodology carefully as my old techniques weren't really up to the challenges. Waves , surface drag and undertow were all issues , as was extensive weed in places .
For aesthetic reasons I love float fishing for tench and as the biggest feature by far was the marginal shelf I was happy fishing at 8-12' within 3 to 10 yards from bank , depending on where the dropoff was .
Sliding floats were de rigeur , even with my favoured 14' rod as casting in windy conditions with 10' of line below the float was impossible. When fishing at 10 yds I would need to cast nearer 15 so as effectively to sink the line - without doing this properly fishing was impossible. I encouraged sinking by washing up liquid on the line.
Rig? From bottom up - a size 12 or 14 forged hook baited with maggot and often a maggot/dendrobena cocktail which I have found tench love. I used 6.9 bs Drennan line straight through. Then a float stop slid on to line and stopped between 6 inch and a 1 ft from hook. Then a small sliding swivel , on to which was 4inch of mono to which was attached the shot load . This was never less than 3 AA and up to 5 AA in big winds . 3 ft above that , another float stop , but only there for float to rest on during casting. Then a small running bead ,then the float (waggler with very visible tip- not too thin and shotted so at least an inch would show in windy conditions ), then another bead and then a stop knot.About which I have learned that line of about 6-8 bs is best as lighter stuff doesn't work - the tag ends just fold over on pressure from float - which can get a lot of pressure when anchored in a good wave. I use tag ends at least an inch long as they cast easier.
It worked very well and I had bags of two to five tench averaging 5lbs . The useful thing was being able to adjust the shot position so easily - necessary if undertow bad to leave more weight on the deck and also recycling the shot loading with the same float next trip- sod's law is that no two floats take the same load , even if identical and I would ensure that I kept the float with the shot attached by leaving end rig in situ complete with float so I'd use the same float with the same shot next time.
I claim no credit for any of this - I am sure I have just picked up stuff from what I have seen and read. But the combination of a float which wasn't bullied by wave or wind , by taking a decent load and having easily adjustable shot position , made a huge difference to my ease of fishing.
For aesthetic reasons I love float fishing for tench and as the biggest feature by far was the marginal shelf I was happy fishing at 8-12' within 3 to 10 yards from bank , depending on where the dropoff was .
Sliding floats were de rigeur , even with my favoured 14' rod as casting in windy conditions with 10' of line below the float was impossible. When fishing at 10 yds I would need to cast nearer 15 so as effectively to sink the line - without doing this properly fishing was impossible. I encouraged sinking by washing up liquid on the line.
Rig? From bottom up - a size 12 or 14 forged hook baited with maggot and often a maggot/dendrobena cocktail which I have found tench love. I used 6.9 bs Drennan line straight through. Then a float stop slid on to line and stopped between 6 inch and a 1 ft from hook. Then a small sliding swivel , on to which was 4inch of mono to which was attached the shot load . This was never less than 3 AA and up to 5 AA in big winds . 3 ft above that , another float stop , but only there for float to rest on during casting. Then a small running bead ,then the float (waggler with very visible tip- not too thin and shotted so at least an inch would show in windy conditions ), then another bead and then a stop knot.About which I have learned that line of about 6-8 bs is best as lighter stuff doesn't work - the tag ends just fold over on pressure from float - which can get a lot of pressure when anchored in a good wave. I use tag ends at least an inch long as they cast easier.
It worked very well and I had bags of two to five tench averaging 5lbs . The useful thing was being able to adjust the shot position so easily - necessary if undertow bad to leave more weight on the deck and also recycling the shot loading with the same float next trip- sod's law is that no two floats take the same load , even if identical and I would ensure that I kept the float with the shot attached by leaving end rig in situ complete with float so I'd use the same float with the same shot next time.
I claim no credit for any of this - I am sure I have just picked up stuff from what I have seen and read. But the combination of a float which wasn't bullied by wave or wind , by taking a decent load and having easily adjustable shot position , made a huge difference to my ease of fishing.
