THE NORTHS PREMIER FISHERY \\ HOME TO MAVER MEGA MATCH THIS
HAYFIELD LAKES
TEL: 01302 864 555 \\ MOB: 07484 918414 \\ rgoforth1@aol.com
DANNIE'S ISLAND LAKE
"Dannie's lake is capable of producing some fantastic sport all year round, but the fish are very old and very wise. You sometimes have to think outside the box" - Graeme Wall, venue expert.
Suitable Tactics:
Method feeder approach on pegs:
17-18-19-20-21-22-23-24-25-26-41-42-43-44-45-46-47-48-49-50-51-52
Casting distances range from 25 yards to 80 yards.
Micro pellets are usually best, but groundbait can also work equally as well. Sometimes, a combination of the two works best. A variation of hook baits is needed with pellets, maggots, corn, boilies, wafters etc, proving to be most productive. The method feeder can also work well on the 5m line and / or the pellet waggler line. Simply adjust the feeder to suit depths of up to 16ft.
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Terminal gear:
25-35g inline feeders.
0.20mm-0.25mm low stretch mainline.
0.16mm-0.22mm hooklengths.
Pellet waggler:
The pellet waggler is typically fished at 25-35 yards at depths of 1ft-6ft in warmer months, maintaining an active bait. Pellet waggler tactics can also produce during winter months at depths of up to 10ft, with a static bait at the right depth producing the best results. It sometimes pays to cast a few yards beyond the feeding area for those bigger fish that are cautious, ie, 2-3 yards left & right & beyond. 8mm pellets loose fed via catapult work best.
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Terminal tackle:
4g-12g pellet wagglers (bodied when conditions dictate).
0.16mm-0.20mm low diameter, high stretch, reliable reel line is key.
0.16mm-0.20mm hooklengths.
Straight lead approach:
Straight lead tactics can score well on the pellet waggler line if the fish show a lack of willingness to feed shallow confidently due to conditions, alterations of feed rate, fish present, etc. It's always worth a cast with a straight lead for a quick bite. Read your peg and use liners and other signals to work out what's needed. When fishing the bomb, feed via a catapult varying the amount and frequency of loose offerings to suit.
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Slow sinking bomb/feeders:
Best fished on the same line as pellet waggler and straight bomb. This particular method allows you to present an active bait at all depths throughout your peg and can be altered and setup to suit your desired sink rate. Be sure to keep counting the depth and cast regularly into loose fed pellets. The aim is to get the bomb among the loose feed pellets where it is much less obvious to those older, wiser fish.
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Terminal Tackle:
10g-30g bombs.
0.20mm-0.24mm mainline.
0.16mm-0.20mm hooklengths.
Long pole:
Depths at 14.5m-16m vary. To accommodate the depths, the recommended rig length is around 14ft, which can then be trimmed to suit the peg. Given the amount of water, rigs will vary depending on conditions, but floats ranging from 1g-3g are ideal.
Pellets are usually the best option loose fed via a catapult (6mm) with both 6mm and 8mm pellets working well on the hook. Fishing pellet to depth on the long line can often produce great results. With fish regularly being caught shallow on this line during warmer months, fishing to depth can sometimes fool wary fish. As a general rule of thumb, it's usually worth having three rigs for the long line: a full depth rig; a half depth rig (6ft-7ft); and a more conventional shallow rig (1ft-3ft).
When loose feeding this line, even whilst fishing to depth, it's always best to work the hookbait and get it in amongst the loose feed pellets. By counting the pellets down then lifting the rig 12"-2ft off the bottom and lowering slowly back to the bottom amongst those loose offerings can prove very effective.
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Half depth rig:
The fish at Hayfield have seen every tactic under the sun, so can prove very difficult to catch. The resident carp sometimes sit at depths where they're hard to approach with standard tactics. A rig presented at half can sometimes catch them out. A great tip is to use a slow falling rig to offer as natural a presentation as possible. Slapping is also an option as the hookbait can be intercepted by fish at all depths the rig can reach. The depth of water here at Hayfield means the fish can sometimes be less spooky of poles overhead, etc. Sometimes counting the dropper shot gives you an idea of what's happening. A deadly tactic on its day.
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Shallow rig:
Ideal for depths around 1ft-3ft. Slapping whilst loose feeding can be deadly. It is sometimes worth having a long lash of line between pole tip and float allowing the angler to flick the rig just past the pole. The resident carp can sometimes be unbelievably hard to catch. Bright, flat calm conditions can result in the pole casting shadows onto the water. The fish are wary of this and can be spooked easily - another reason for fishing with a long lashing beyond the pole.
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Terminal tackle:
0.16mm-0.20mm mainline.
0.14mm-0.18mm hooklengths.
8-12 elastics.
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Short pole line - Top kit + 2/3 sections (5-7 metre line).
Here, depths are around 4ft-8ft. Loose feeding pellets on this line in the latter hours of the match can result in some large bonus fish. Usually loose feeding 6mm or 8mm pellets accurately on this line can result in a surge of weight towards the end of a match or pleasure session. Other baits can also produce on this line such corn, etc. Taketime whilst plumbing up and find the best area of the peg. Again loose feeding pellets and lifting and lowering the hookbait among loose offerings can snare a bite. Sometimes, floats of up to 1.5g are necessary to offer the correct presentation.
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Terminal tackle:
0.5g-1.5g floats depending on conditions.
0.16mm-0.20mm mainline.
0.14mm-0.18mm hooklengths.
Margins:
This is the line where colossal weights can be had! Ideally, you either need to be an end peg, or have plenty of room between you & the next angler to entice those larger fish down the edge in the latter stages.
Ideal approaches are feeding either micro pellets or groundbait via a pole pot during the final stages of a match whilst offering a combination of hookbaits. Ideal choices are dead maggots, worms, corn and paste. It's important to find the right depth so foul hookers are kept to a minimum. Typically, 18"-36" of water fishing to the next platform, or beyond, produces the best results.
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Terminal tackle:
0.3g-0.6g floats for stability.
0.20mm-0.24mm mainline.
0.18mm-0.22mm hooklengths.
Strong hooks are a must!
14-18 elastics or black hydro equivalent is ideal.