Returning Newbie help

[bantam_dave21]

Hiya,

I know this has been covered quite a bit but wanted to get some help specific to my scenario....if anyone could oblige.

When I was last fishing with any regularity poles were fairly rare and more common with serious (and perhaps well off) match anglers, now poles seem to be the go to and some kids look at you strange when you mention a reel and how to 'cast'...

So I've been out over 20 years and my 6 year old wants to start fishing on our local canal as a start point. This appears to me as almost a newbie having never fished a pole to be the ideal scenario for pole fishing perhaps even the lower end whip as we're both new to it. I've read a nice article in here by Peter JAcobs about whip fishing but wanted to ask please....

Having never made a pole rig, I've seen pre made rigs but not sure if these are whip suitable, what sort of rig should I be asking or searching for, what sort of float/s etc for narrow canal fishing are best suited etc. I'm assuming our local canal (the Chesterfield near Worksop) is probably a perch, roach sort of expectation

Any help on rigs and poles greatly appreciated folks.

thanks

 

[Peter Jacobs]

A short whip is ideal for youngsters to start to learn with as there is no reel to tangle.

Rigs shoul be as simple as possible, a bulk of shot sauy s third f the way down the line with just one dropper shop say 4 inches from the hook.

The length of the rig is important as you will be swinging a lot of smaller fish "to hand" so allow for the added weight when adjusting the length of the line . . .

Hope that helps

 

[bantam_dave21]

Hi Peter,

so a rig length similar to the poel length is ideal....

How do you deal with length/depth using pre made rigs - albeit I did this a long time ago you went to fish somewhere, check the depth - plumb bob or whatever and set the depth from there. once you'd shotted your line you were fairly fixed short of trying to open the shot and start again is there a more tolerant method of adjusting depth etc? Or just work on a narrow canal being no more than 2-3 ft deep in the centre (ish) thus on a 4 metre pole/rig your set up is considerably further away from the pole tip....

 

[Peter Jacobs]

Hi, the rig length should be equal to the whip length. however, to make life easier when swinging a small fish to hand remember that the whip will bend under the weight of the fish. I'd trim my rigs to the length including the weight of the expected fsh so the rigs were always s little shorter than the whip length.

Typically you will be catching smaller fish that have come up in the water to intercept the loose feed or groundbait going in so total depth is not really a factor when short whip fishing

If however you need to fish the full depth then just use a plummet in the normal way.

 

[bantam_dave21]

spot on thank you

 

[bantam_dave21]

Hi, the rig length should be equal to the whip length. however, to make life easier when swinging a small fish to hand remember that the whip will bend under the weight of the fish. I'd trim my rigs to the length including the weight of the expected fsh so the rigs were always s little shorter than the whip length.

Typically you will be catching smaller fish that have come up in the water to intercept the loose feed or groundbait going in so total depth is not really a factor when short whip fishing

If however you need to fish the full depth then just use a plummet in the normal way.

Hiya,

hook sizes ? I’m thinking 18/20 perhaps for double maggot perhaps, light incentive feeding around the fishes area?

thank you

 

[Peter Jacobs]

A size 18s is fine for most small shoal fish like bleak . . . and in a match situation a barbless for ease and swiftness of unhooking.

I aswys referred a single maggot fed onto the hook like you might a worm so then you can catch several fish without the necessity of changing the bait.

Once you have them feeding then fish in front of you at 10 - 12 and 2 o-clock and only take one or two from each zone amd feed the next zone you intend to fish.

I hope that makes sense.