Cold weather paste fishing - Hallcroft

Alright folks,

So i'm going to be doing abit of cold water paste fishing tomorrow. As we all know, you wont get the stamp or the amount of fish like you would in the summer months, BUT dont let that stop you trying it. I'll show you the differences in rigs and allocations of bait which should help you get the better out of a bad situation.

So check back soon and i'll have it up for you.

Nathan
@ Fish4Thought

Excellent Paste Margin rig.

Alright Folks,

So i am just in the process of making a good few rigs for my big tournament on Friday and i thought i would show you my very basic VERY SHALLOW paste rigs. I have fished this with various methods including with bubble floats and other such round poly balls but this seems to be the best way i have found.

I start off by changing the stem on my float to a much shorter one. (Save the stem instead of chopping. Comes handy later on sometime).

Get your line sorted first. In my opinion i use a 8-9lb direct as the fish in the lower than ft deep regions of water kite off like a steam train, match this to a 17-19H elastic or 16 Solid.

 For my rigs i have used 0.21mm Power line or 8.15lbs in old money, I couple this with a .8g customised Garbo Dc8. Then add a bulk of 4 number 6's, Always easiers going large on a beefed up bagging rig.

I then proceed to put a no.8 or two (dependant on weather) 3 inches away from the hook ( Size 10 Middy T8). I use this number 8 on the deck. To pin the line down. This really does help stop spooked fish and will no doubt help in reducing liners and bringing in a higher catch rate. I have even gone up to 1ft over depth in some instances.

This is how it acts in the water. Its a very good Method. I used to use it a lot in the opens at Wisby Garden Centre and won a good few matches with it. Its like any method. It has to have the right swim for it, I wouldn't go much deeper than a ft or 1.5 with this rig, but i guarantee you can go as shallow as you like.

Try it out, It'll get you some decent lumps!

Nathan,
@ Fish4Thought

Ze Paste

Hi Folks,

 

Before i start here is some key notes to keep in mind:

1. Keep a small amount of line between float - pole.
2. Plump up well. You ideally want to be 2 inch over depth on Margins and a little less in open water - It'll stop you getting so many foul hooked fish and Liners.
3. Never move your float once its in. Your paste will still be effective. 
4. Unless your feeding a margin swim for later on in the day - DONT feed anything.

As i have said previously the idea is to have a simple but effective approach, this starts with the Paste contents...

My Paste mix always consists of these two key items. Dynamites Green Swim stim & Water. Its basic but works. A lot of people use this mix now a days. Its more consistency than mixture in my view.

Basic mixing pattern is all you need. A pinching motion with a circular motion works for me.

You want it pretty much like slob. Sort of thick pea soup consistency or semolina if that's a better description.

It'll not stay on the hook. Its not meant to. As long as your hook is within the paste when its on the bottom you'll get bites. The carp will come and actually suck it up with the ground bait particles.

Another key piece of kit is a cup. You don't want these daft  little ones that they sell in packs of 3 for a fiver! Aerosol lids do the job or my fav - playdo tubs! You want some bait out there. But you don't want to introduce a second bait into the swim. So going for a volume of around a golf ball of paste is about the right idea.

That's the sort of paste specimen your after, a good amount is always best. Simply flatten your pate' paste, put your hook in it, and softly push it over the hook then put into your cup! Simple. Another hint for fishing in shallow swims is to use a whited out top 1 on your kit. Try it and see the difference for your self. 

So once you are all plumbed and picked your spot. Your ready to go, use your cup to take your paste out.drop it in, and slide your pole back so its level with your float (If your have your cup to close to your bush, you will tangle easily).

If your fishing close in on paste and suffering hook pulls. Instead of sticking the top 2 straight into the air. Try pointing it directly to the fish (Top 2 only, don't try it with multiple sections, you may lose one!), it'll help set the hook, obviously only a good idea in open water.

Your pretty much ready to go now. I practiced this today on Canal pond at Hallcroft and banked well over 100lbs of Carp to 5lbs. Once you start on paste, its very hard to catch on other baits in the swim. So make sure you get everything right.

Hope you have as much success as me on the tips i have given you.

Good luck,

Nathan

Perfect Paste Rig

Hi Chaps,

As promised. A little 101 in paste rigs. Some will agree with the follwing rigs, some may disagree, all i am giving you is a method i have used on 100's of occasions to win matches and catch over 200lb of Fish in one sitting.


Tip 1:

The float, as you may know - its good to have a long float for stability in the water. It helps masses for the float to have a fairly long stem to. I personally prefer the Preston Innovations PB22 - I like its slim body and i use sizes between .5 - 1g.

A long stem helps a lot to detect liners over real bites and it also keeps it stable in the water. The above float is all i uses for Paste fishing. (I also use it for Chop worm on occasions too).

Tip 2:

So we have our float sorted. Its time to actually make the rig its self. The next stage is to pick our line. I personally don't use anything other than PowerLine, I stick to what i know works for me and this has over the years. I carry a wide range of sizes but for the carp i will be targeting on these specific rigs are within 2-10lb region so i reckon 6lb will suffice for open water and 8lb for marginal swims. I will twin this with 13 & 15 Hollo Elastic from Preston Innovations. *Quick tip* I avoid using hook lengths while paste fishing as you don't want anything within 2ft of the hook if possible.

Probably the second most important item in the rig is the Hook. For paste specifically try to use the biggest hook possible (Whilst keeping to venue rules). I personally like Middy and Drennan Wide Gapes in the larger sizes - Around 8 - 12.

Be careful with silver hooks with picky fish.

Now we have our hook, its time to sort the weights and the shot pattern out. I opt every time for a mid shot pattern. Meaning if its a 6ft rig. I'll have my weight @ 3ft above the hook, just keep an open mind whilst setting up and try to keep your shot in the mid range between your float and hook. It'll save you striking and liner after liner.

Leave a small gap in your shots and you wontget the curly wurly effect as above!

The finished article should look something similar to this.....

Just like to thank the bit of Banana peel for acting as bait.

In my experience, i have found paste fishes well up to around 6ft of water. What I have also found paste fishing is that your hook doesn't stay sharp for too long. So the wise idea would be to tie several. I tie 2 Up to go on spare top 2's and 1 to stay in my box. So i have an immediate back up and a 3rd if need be.

Its also good to label your floats. In order to get the right one at each time. I only put simple info on my labels, such as hooks, line etc...

4ft Deep, 1Gram Float, Drennan Wide Gape 10 and 6lb Power line.

Paste fishing is an art form. Once you have mastered Paste you will improve your catch rate wonders. Its a bait that produces when no other baits will, Its also very effective when the fish are very lazy and basking. One of the bad point in paste fishing is the amount of fish you have in your swim at once. Its difficult to monitor but one thing i will mention and stick to every time is *****DO NOT FEED ANYTHING******

you WILL get liners and most likely foul hooked fish, but if you follow your tips above. You WILL catch more fish. Stay aware of your hook. Don't be afraid to change hook if you feels its not as sharp as it could be.

Come back tomorrow and i'll show you my ingredients, mixing, Tactics & Cupping the bait in.

See you tomorrow,

Nathan.