Stillwaters Bait Fishing Tackle Tips
Although lakes and reservoirs are called stillwaters, they are very rarely without movement generated by the wind. This can prove very annoying, because your line will begin to bow, pulling your float under and making striking difficult if you're fishing with a swim feeder at range. If you're float fishing, it's a good idea to put a very small shot about 12 inches up the line from the float.This sinks the line and helps to stop drift. If you're ledgering, sink the rod tip after you've cast out, and wind in until everything is tight. The line should remain sunk and out of the main drift. You can also soak your line in washing-up liquid, which takes the grease off and makes it sink faster.
When fishing shallow, clear, water on a sunny day, try blackening the last few yards of line with a waterproof black marker pen. This dulls the glint of the nylon and can result in you getting many more bites.
Fish can sometimes be suspicious of a heavy hook
that keeps bait bedded on the bottom. If they suck at a bait and the weight of
the hook doesn't let it rise, then they'll ignore it altogether. Try,
therefore, a floating caster or two on the hook to give the bait a little
buoyancy. If you're very cunning, it's a good idea to put some maggots in an X
of an inch (3mm) of
water for half an hour with the lid on the box. You will find they absorb the
water and float. This means that the hook weight is neutralized, and is much
more easily sucked into the mouth of a feeding fish.
When you are catapulting groundbait out, go tor a low flight path in a wind, as it is less likely to be blown off course.
When ledgering, it can pay to tug the line between
the reel and the bottom ring occasionally. A bait that moves from time to time can trigger an
instant bite.
Paint some of your quiver tips white with a bottle of liquid paper. This will make them show up much better at dusk, dawn and at night in a torch beam.
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