Would Stretpegging Work ?

[Phillips Jerry]

Here's the senario I'm fishing shallow water no more than 4ft but usally about 3ft the tidal flow is gentle and can eddy both ways I am about 20 yards from the shore in water up to my knees ,I have caught fish on the surface. last night I tried a large float 4sg fished at half depth loads of missed bites just wasn't senstive enough . Mullet test a bait with there lips before taking so bolt type rigs are out ,couldn't buy a bite on the feeder which is my normal method of attack. I would like to present a bait about half depth,so would Stetpegging work with a longer tail and bouyant bait bread ?

Will be trying this out this evening as the tide is right.

 

[ED (The ORIGINAL and REAL one)]

You won't be fishing at half depth if you stret-peg.....

"What’s stret pegging?
This is a running water method in which you use a top and bottom float to present a static bait to the fish. It looks cumbersome but in the right hands can be deadly for the likes of chub, barbel, bream and even big roach. Stret pegging is particularly good in deepish runs when you are fishing close to the near bank as the rod tip needs to be in line with the float and bait. The key is to place a bulk of shot (enough to sink the float) very close to the hook (around 8-12 inches) and set the rig well overdepth (at least two feet, more in faster swims). The idea is that this shot lies on the bottom with the float lying flat on the surface (pay out line until it does so). Cast downstream of you, and put the rod in two rests with the tip angled upwards so that the line is held off the surface. Putting a bow into the line also helps the shot hold, allowing the use of lighter, more sensitive floats. You can search the swim by lifting and lowering the rig to move it to a new position, and a 13ft or 14ft rod certainly helps in this. Bites tend to be very positive, with the float shooting across the surface and under. "

STRET-PEGGING

 

[Alan Tyler]

Possibly not, as the line is tight from float to rod-top (hence the other old name, "tight-corking") BUT- and this is only "book - larnin'", and comes with all due caveats - a retired matchman called,IIRC, Clive Gingell was public spirited enough to pass on a dodge which may be of use - he'd run the top part of his hooklength between finger and thumbnail, making it curl, when legering for roach and bream - he found the slack that this "spring" generated was enough for them to accept the bait and turn with it, and to have got enough momentum by the time they felt the lead to be unable to avoid self-hooking.

 

[Alan Tyler]

Oops, Ed posted while I was typing - if that's stret-pegging, what's laying-on? I've always done it ( or what I thought was "it") with the bulk shot just off the bottom, with (hopefully) only the bait and a dropper-shot or two on the deck, inching through or holding still directly downstream of the rod-top.

 

[Fred Bonney]

Not certain it would be defined as stret pegging, that is for fishing a static bait on the bottom with the float set way over depth.

Sounds like you lookingfor eithera slow sinking baitrig with all your weights set at half depth, orfloat ledgering with your flakelifting up from the bottomon a long tailand sitting at around half depth.

Iwould have thought either way is worth a try, although I've neverfished for mullet or used either method in a tidal flow

 

[Fred Bonney]

and me!

 

[slime monster]

Stop now before the mullet drive you insane...or use a short drennan loaded crystal waggler with no shot down the line with the float dotted down as much as conditions allow and strike at any movement......if you get any.

 

[Mark Wintle]

I've done well for mullet in similar conditions using simple unloaded peacock wagglers.

 

[Nigel Connor(ACA ,SAA)]

A lot of people are put off mullet fishing by their reputation of being finicky biters.They can be but not all the time!I do a fair bit in summer and you get plenty of bites where the float just vanishes.

Don't give up on the bolt efffect either.When conditons were too bad for the float last October, I caught a couple of 4lbers on a cube of crust popped up from a method feeder around which was moulded some stiff mash.The bites were not subtle!!Quite a lot are caught like this apparently although getting them on the float and pin is more satisfying for me.

Where are you getting you mullet Jerry?Nice to see a few inshore as early as this.

 

[Phillips Jerry]

A bloke who fishes in akayak put me on to these mullet,you have a 3hour window ofopportunity to fish for them before the tide is to high and they disappear down creeks andinlets on the salt marsh. The main proplem I have is the weather has been against me ,the wind blowing my free offerings back to wards the shore,because it so shallow you have to wade out 20 yards and cast another 10 yards min the fish are pretty cagey at the moment , but when conditions are good will feed confinetly. the main problem I have is how to present a bait 12 to 18 inches below the surface when the conditionsaren't right for surface fishing .The fish seem to be in sunbathe mood and are not feeding on the bottom.

I,m fishing the river hamble at the moment it's a bit of a trek to get to this spot and you need chesties as boots would be sucked off by the mud. Later on in the year I don't have a problem with float or using bolt style rigs when legering ,it is the shallow water that is giving me the problems. Can't begin to descibe the fight of a mullet in such shallow water

 

[Peter Jacobs]

Jerry,

Seems to be the perfect situation for a fly rod and a slow sink tip line to me.

 

[Ray Roberts]

Peter, how do you tie a bread fly? Please don't say use your loaf. /forum/smilies/smile_smiley.gif

 

[Phillips Jerry]

I think you have hit the nail on the head. Must learn to cast a fly rod .Are there any bread imatations ?

 

[Peter Jacobs]

Ray,

Believe it or not you can actually buy ready-made bread 'flies' and pellet 'flies' too.

Personally, I think you could still catch them on more 'traditional' flies, nymphs, gold heads and killer bugs for a start.

Other thoughts would be silvery flies; Butcher, Invicta.

Even one of those horrible 'blobs' would work - white ones I suppose.

 

[Fred Bonney]

There are, a rubbery look alike.

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