"There is so much natural food"

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Stuart Bullard

Guest
I popped down to my local lakes yesterday evening for a couple of hours and there were a number of carpers down there who had been there for a few days. I had a chat with all of them. Not one had caught and no runs. To a tee they all said it was so hard because there was so much natural food in the lakes. They all used boilies.

This got me thinking. I am a bit of a fishing tart i.e. I get around many venues and rarely stick to one for long. All the lakes I have fished, including a number of RMC venues seem pretty similar in the sense that there is weed growth etc, although this does of course vary a bit, but I cant think of one where I have thought "this lake is dead". SO....

Do lakes really differ dramatically ?

How do you really tell ?

And, if there is such a thing as a lake with abundant natural food, do tactics change ?

Whether they were "good" or not, I cannot tell, although a couple did look at me quizickly when I asked what their plans or strategies were......
 
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David Will

Guest
I would try to mimic the situation with lots of little particles but first step would be to fish where they are.Boilies would be way down the list of options.Having said that this would apply to a sparsley weeded/little natural food water.So no tactics would not be much different.If I was in a position to see what the fish were feeding on this would have an influence.I recently watched Carp feeding on daphnia in a corner following a wind in that direction.One of those fish fell for a zig rigged bunch of redworms amongst the daphnia.
 
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Gary Knowles

Guest
Stuart,

The Cheshire meres are full of natural food and this is a massive problem when trying to swith the bream onto anglers baits. Some of the mere's I fish are so full of daphnia you wouldn't beleive it and every cast with a plumbing rod pulls in about 2 dozen bloodworm.

I've found that heavy baiting with red maggots is usually the best solution and I know from bitter experience that carp love this approach.
 
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Stuart Bullard

Guest
Thanks David and Gary. Actually the red maggot idea sounds interesting. Is it because it gets close to imitating the natural foods?? I am still perplexed by this difference between lakes though and which, if any, DONT have lots of naturals....

By the way, nice Bream Gary. Its funny, I was observing a shoal of 21 bream yesterday, all dustbin lids. When I commented to one of the guys that I wouldn't mind trying to target them I got a strange look and he said "Your obviously only a one day at a time person and not a proper fisherman". His exact words.
 
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Gary Knowles

Guest
Stuart,

I think that the shear volume of red maggots induces feeding but I'm also convinced there is more than a passing resemblence to a bloodworm bed.

Thanks for the bream comment. As for the 'proper fisherman' statement, I can only assume the chap in question was a carp angler !
 
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Stuart Bullard

Guest
Not "the" Carp Angler....he is a real fisherman as he goes for everything!! Yes, it was one of your myopic bivvy boys. Sorry, one last question on the red maggots. Most of the lakes I fish are silty, would you still feed them live or are they best frozen first??

Thanks.
 
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Paul Williams

Guest
Just like to say i agree 100% with Garys comments on maggots being the best way to try to attract the attentions of fish preoccupied with naturals......and yep those darned carp can be a nuisance......in fact my PB carp came on a bream session. :eek:)
 
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Ray Bewick

Guest
Yep - agree Paul still those high 20's make good livies; the 30's & 40's are difficult to cast.

seriously, we are talking pre-occupation (agree with David),surfeit of grub etc; my gut reaction is to present an irresistable bait, one that triggers aggressive eating, maggot ball type idea etc. Longer sessions would allow 'weaning' but require time & other resources.

Stalk 'em.

P.S.
We dinosaurs wouldn't know what a 'zig rig is.
By the way my betamax video recorder is excellent but i am unable to receive the home service. I'am also thinking of upgrading my 'herons' any suggestions?
 
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Ray Bewick

Guest
Yep - agree Paul still those high 20's make good livies; the 30's & 40's are difficult to cast.

seriously, we are talking pre-occupation (agree with David),surfeit of grub etc; my gut reaction is to present an irresistable bait, one that triggers aggressive eating, maggot ball type idea etc. Longer sessions would allow 'weaning' but require time & other resources.

Stalk 'em.

P.S.
We dinosaurs wouldn't know what a 'zig rig is.
By the way my betamax video recorder is excellent but i am unable to receive the home service. I'am also thinking of upgrading my 'herons' any suggestions?
 
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Gary Knowles

Guest
I have no problem fishing with live maggots over silt, after fishing in clear water I have gone back out in a boat to view bait and found that live maggots, contrary to popular beleif do not ALL crawl under the silt. I think the fact that some do however is a good thing as the bream will then see them as a more natural food (ie very similat to what they would find in a bloodworm bed)and suck them in through mouthfulls of silt.

Like Paul says, You would not beleive the amount of carp I have caught fishing large quantities of maggots when bream fishing, whilst all around me the carp lads on boilies are blanking. I have to say if I were a carper, I'm sure the vast majority of my fishing would be by using maggots or other particles.
 
GrahamM

GrahamM

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You are a carper.

And sometimes you fish for carp.
 
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Gary Knowles

Guest
Bloody hell your up early - and sharp as well, nice one!

Must have been last nights lack of activity giving you a good nights sleep !
 
GrahamM

GrahamM

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Whadja mean, I had a bream. Must have been all of 3lb.
 
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Stuart Bullard

Guest
Thanks Gary et al. Saving up the pennies for a gallon of maggots for the weekend now!
 
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Rob Brownfield

Guest
Another method i have used with good results is to visit an aquarium wholesalers. Buy frozen blood worm (U can buy it in slabs that are about an inch thick by 12 inches square). Buy a couple of these and defrost them. Once at the lake, you can either use a spod or, if fishing close in, a roach pole with a cup on it...and dump the whole lot in. Next, fish something like a lobworm over it. The carp cant resist.

It has done wonders inrich waters.

U can also buy daphnia and tubiflex worms like this as well.

Basically u are creating an artificial "natural" hotspot. It a damn site cheaper too.
 
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Philip Inzani

Guest
Going back to the dead or live lake point, I dont think any lake is totally dead (unless its poisoned) but I think that it is possible to come across part of waters that are, well maybe not dead, but devoid of alot of life. I am not very confident fishing over black stinking silt for example. I do like really fresh weed. I know its very general but the birdlife can sometimes help you here, they often feed on fresh weedbeds not decaying ones.
I agree about the maggots. I think the key point to get fish off an abundance of natural food is to use a live bait of some sort, but even that sometimes can be hard going. I think an inert bait like a bolie could be even worse in these cases.
 
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Rob Brownfield

Guest
Stuart...anywhere between ?3 and ?10..depending on the quality. To tell the truth, there is no difference in it for the fish. They are made for the fish keeping trade and so the expensive ones are blasted with gamma rays to kill off bugs that wiuld kill a tropical fish. The cheaper ones are just frozen..and thats it. Since they come from uk water, i guess there is no danger to natural fish.
 
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Anuvver Andy

Guest
Stuart,
Fished a water years ago with the same problems, best advice I can give is to treat it as a stalking water, if the fish don`t know a good boilie when they see it you`ll have to chuck shed loads in till they do!!,..Nope best off stalking with a nice attractive natural bait, maybe worms? or, indeed, as someone said a nice `medussa` rig full of maggots.
best of luck, Andy
 
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Stuart Bullard

Guest
Funny you say that. I did catch an 18lb leather doing that at the start of the season, perhaps I should have learnt from that!! Thanks.
 
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