Middle or bottom when fishing a shelf

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bennygesserit

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On most commies I fish there is a shelf a few metres out , do I fish the bottom of the shelf where the depth is slightly more predictable or the middle where the bait seems to be accesible to carp but getting the depth correct is much more difficult.
 
nicepix

nicepix

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Fish wherever the fish are Benny. Start at the full depth and work back up the water column until you get bites ;)
 
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alan whittington

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Normally I would fish the bottom of the shelf,or the top,in the margins,but thats all dependant on depths,if the bottom of the shelf is deep,i.e.8ft plus,that maybe too deep for the warmer times of year,as for the margins,if its shallower than 18"-2' then fish wont normally be prepared to feed confidently,each fishery has its vagaries but that would be my advice.
 
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bennygesserit

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nicepix said:
Fish wherever the fish are Benny. Start at the full depth and work back up the water column until you get bites ;)
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Yes I have to remember to try going up in the water rather than sticking to the one level.

---------- Post added at 09:19 ---------- Previous post was at 09:15 ----------
alan whittington said:
Normally I would fish the bottom of the shelf,or the top,in the margins,but thats all dependant on depths,if the bottom of the shelf is deep,i.e.8ft plus,that maybe too deep for the warmer times of year,as for the margins,if its shallower than 18"-2' then fish wont normally be prepared to feed confidently,each fishery has its vagaries but that would be my advice.
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Thanks Alan 2 foot is great for carp I always look for that sort of depth when plumbing up.

I saw a video recently that said lay your line onto the middle of the shelf as 1. Its easier for the carp to feed as they dont need to get their tails out of the water and 2. Being surrounded by bait , some of which is tumbling down the slope gives a natural presentation.

I wondered if anyone else followed this i.e fishing the middle of the shelf and achieved success with it , I do it but I am not always convinced my bait is at dead depth because of the slope.
 
The Runner

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Right at the bottom of the shelf tends to be a bit silty on many venues so personally would start by looking for a flat or flatter spot towards the bottom of the slope.
 
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alan whittington

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When fish.particularly carp on commercials,they tend to feed at a similar depth in the margins,so if they're feeding at 3ft in mid-water out they are likely to feed at 3ft down the slope.
 
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bennygesserit

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The Runner said:
Right at the bottom of the shelf tends to be a bit silty on many venues so personally would start by looking for a flat or flatter spot towards the bottom of the slope.
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Yes you can tell that sometimes when plumbing up
 
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chefster

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If you have a sloping marginal slope,feed on the slope and fish off the deck,and swing it in to the shelf,the bait will fall straight into the fish,s eyeline and they will grab the bait and tear off everytime!!..As previously said,if fishing the"5m"(its called that,but maybe closer or further than 5m) meat line,fish out slightly from the base of the shelf,away from the build-up of silt..Gazza
 
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