I love fishing large, natural lakes for silverfish, venues that allow you to really attack the way you feed and fish – but there is one small problem, and that’s the sheer size of the place!
Local venues to me in the West Midlands include Patshull Park, where I am today. It’s a huge, sprawling estate lake that’s popular with match, pleasure and big-fish anglers alike.
Skimmers are the dominant species here, but when you look at how much water’s in front of you, it does raise the question ‘how on Earth will I get them feeding in front of me to catch on the pole?’
The answer is to be very positive in how you feed. Here's how I do it.
THE BEST FISHING POLES WILL HELP YOU CATCH SKIMMERS ON BIG WATERS
Ball it in!
The fish could be anywhere, so you need to attract them quickly. I’ll throw in 10-12 large balls of groundbait at the start to pull the shoals in.
OUR ARTICLE 5 WAYS TO FEED GROUNDBAIT WILL ENHANCE THE WAY YOU USE GROUNDBAIT
Add some leam
My groundbait mix is half Mainline Pro-Active and half damp leam. The leam adds weight for deep water and also helps create a cloud.
KNOWING YOUR GROUNDBAITS IS ESSENTIAL TO FEEDING THE RIGHT MIX
Fish positive rigs
Catching skimmers in 10ft of water needs a big rig – a 1g Garbolino SPM 43 pattern with an olivette and three No9 dropper shot is perfect.
PICKING THE RIGHT POLE FLOAT IS ESSENTIAL FOR EFFECTIVE PREENTATION
Fish worm baits
Maggots would be my starting bait, but once the skimmers arrive, I’ll be quick to change over to worms on the hook. A dendra tail is a superb bait.
FISHING WITH CHOPPED WORMS WILL CATCH ANY FISH THAT SWIMS OUR EXPERT GUIDE REVEALS THE SECRETS
Top up regularly
Because the balls I’m feeding aren’t rich in feed, the fish can soon eat everything. Topping up is important and this is done to keep bites coming.
TOPPING UP CAN BE ACHIEVED USING THE BEST BAIT-UP RODS
Balance your kit
I’d use a size 18 Garbolino Medium Match hook to an 0.10mm hooklength. If the fishing is good, I’ll change to a bigger hook, up to a size 14.
USING THE BEST POLE FISHING LINECAN ENHANCE YOUR PRESENTATION
