accurate fishing to islands

7/28/2019 Accurate Fishing to Islands

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Accurate fishing to islands

How to feeder fish an island swimBy ImproveYour Coarse Fishing

14 September 2009 10:52

Here Paul Garner shows exactly how toeffectively fisha feeder and cast your baitas close as possibletoislandsthat can be foundon both commercialfisheriesand natural lakes.

Fishscientist, specimen angler and KorumProductManagerDr Paul Garnerexplainswhy fish are drawn toislands, and how to maximise your catch by feeder fishingthem correctly.

Paul said: Islands areboth natural patrol routes, andholding areas for fishas they offer food and cover. Castanywheretowards an islandand , sooneror later, yourelikely to catch a fish. The trick is to keep those fishcomingthroughout the session. To fill your net you must be able tointerpret islandfeatures, and learn to cast accurately tothem.

Island features

Overheadcover cuts out light and makes fishfeel moreconfidentout of sight of possible threats includinganglers!

Islandsoffer all kinds of cover from the smallest tuft of overhanginggrass, to mighty willow trees pushing well outover the water. The closer youcan get a bait to these fishysanctuaries, the better the chance of gettingconfident bites.

Other fish-holding features to watch for are shallows oftenfound at the end of islands where fish will bask in warmweather, small bays or cut-outs in the island bank, ratholes and protrudingreed beds.

Paul hasbrought the cameras to the scenic and fish-filledBrockamin Pools day- ticket fishery near Worcester.

Hes opted to fish the Lower Pool in a swim that offers him half a dozen different fish-holding featureson the island withincomfortable casting range.

Canopies

Each of the Islandfeatures will definitely hold fish but Paul is especiallyinterested in any canopies formed by dense vegetation likepampasgrass that grows out from the bank and leans over the water creating a protective, shady overhead canopy where fishfeelsafe.

Thiscanopy can protrude over the water for several metres and form asanctuary for a surprising volume of fish, especially onheavilypressurisedwaters.

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Its impossible to get bait under these islandoverhangs, but the closer youcan get your feeder to them, the more fish youwilltempt.

Feeder Choice

You can use eithera cage feeder, or a flat-style Method feeder, to fish to islands. Bothtypes have their advantages.

Flat Methodfeeders cast further, and more accurately, especiallyin a crosswind. A short hooklengthcan be buried in thegroundbait sothey are less prone to tangling if youaccidentally overcast and catch overhangingvegetation. In clear water, buryingthe hook also helps get more bites.

Flat feedersare better at letting fish, especially carp, hook themselveswith the bolt effect and produce unmissable rip-round biteson the quivertip. Also, flat feeders dont roll as much when they land on steep underwater islandslopes.

Cage feeder rigsare much more sensitive to bitesthan flat feeders because theres far more movement in the long hooklengththats connectedabove the weight of the feeder. Shy-biting fish can pick up the bait and move freelywithout feeling resistance.Thisrig should be used when delicate biting species like roach, bream, skimmers and F1 carp are expected. Cage feeders arearguablyeasier to load than Method feeders and Pauls usingone here.

Click here to learn how to make the perfect feeder rig for fishing tight toislands

Click here to learn the right way to load your feeder rig groundbait


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Groundbait choice

You can use the same groundbait ingredients for the cage and Method feeders but each must have a different texture for bestresults.

The cage feeder mix shouldbe light, fluffy and barely damp so that it expands and explodesout of the cage once it hits the lakebottom.

The Methodmix is more claggy to stick to the Method frame and stayintact until it hits bottomwhere carp will attack it.

The difference between these texturesdepends entirely on how muchwater you use to mix them with. The more water you add, thestiffer/stickier the groundbait becomes.


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You need Hemp & Hali Crush, S-Pellet, Crushed HalibutPelletand Tuna Dip

Fill a two-pint bait tub with Sonubaits Hemp & Hali Crush

Now add two pintsof S-Pellet groundbait to the Hemp & Halicrush

Thoroughlymix the groundbaits together in a groundbait bowl

The mixed light and dark coloured groundbaits should look likethis

Add a dollop of Tuna Dip to the water used to mix thegroundbait

Use your fingersto mix the Tuna Dip and water before adding tothe mix

Add Tuna Dip watera little at a time. Dont overwet it!


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After mixing, add a good handful of Crushed Halibut Pellet feed

The finishedmix should be light and fluffy and just damp, not wet

Starting point

Paul never begins a sessioncasting tight to an island. He always startsthree or four metres short in deeper water, where it is far easier to cast to.

He reckons youcan always try and tempt a few fish away from the islandto your bait, but if you go straight in tight to the islandinshallowwater and spook the fish, you riskruining the session before youve even started.

Also, once youve put bait close to the island, it will be a lot more difficult to cast shorter and pullthe fish away from the island.

Fishhooked a few metresaway from the islandbank can also be played with minimal commotion so they dont spook fish layingtight to the island.

As the day progresses, the fish will naturally becomemore cautious and retreat to the island where they feel safer. This is wherethe angler with the knowledge and casting ability to follow them tight in will continue catching while other anglers sit without a bite.

If hes not catching fish, or getting linebites (where fishare accidentally swimming intothe line), its time for him to cast closer tothe island bank.

Paul told us: Thereare dayswhen you have to be really close to the islandbank to catch youalmost have to put the feeder up arat hole before theyll have it. If you learn to cast this accurately, you could be the only bloke on the lake catching consistently!

Doingthe creep

The best way to cast close to an island is to do the creep. Simply cast an empty feeder towards the islandbut deliberatelyundercast, allowingthe feeder to fall five or six yardsshort. (The feeder hasto be empty so that youdon t spreadfeed all over thelake!)

Now open the bail arm and pull off an extra yard of line. Trap the mono under the reels line clip at the point where it comes off thespool and recast. Use your finger to feather (slow down) the reel line just before it splashesdown. This will prevent the line hittingthe line clip with asudden, jarring impact that could weakenthe line, or even cause a crack-off.

Keep repeating the processuntil youve crept rightup to the feature. Your last coupleof casts shouldadvance by a foot at a time,not a yard.

Now when youcast, your feeder cannot travel further than the line clip, so youcan t tangle in the overhanging vegetation.

The lifesaver

Now youve crept up tight youll be okay catching small fish. But, if a big carp runsyou have a problem. Because the reel lineistrapped behind the line clip, youcan t give line and will get snapped. So, youneed to master the lifesaver.

Thisis a way of casting tight to the island, yet gettingthree or four turns of mono back on the reel. This extra line is often enoughto save yourlife.

Once you ve done the creep and clipped up, pull off an extra 2m of line and re-clip. Use the picture sequenceabove to learn thetechnique.

Ittakes somepractice but its a top skill to master .

The lifesaver method to avoid crack-offs


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1. Bring the rod squarely behind yourhead at this angle and aimat your chosen far-bank marker

2. Follow the cast throughwith the rod to this angle and begin tofeather the reel line with your fingers to slow it down

3. Now, bring the rod back up, all the time still feathering thereel line as the feeder hits the water

4. Continuebringingthe rod back to this angle where youwillfeel it hit the line clip. Now quicklydrop the rod tipand reelsurplus lineback on to reel

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