One of the deadliest methods for catching carp and F1s in winter is dobbing on the pole. To do this, you use just a single hookbait and explore the swim fully until you locate a ball of fish, then you catch them – something that can’t really be done when you change that scenario to having a quivertip rod in your hand. Or can it? Here are six tips for dobbing using a bomb...
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Make 10-minute casts
I won’t leave the bomb out for more than 10 minutes, whether I’m fishing for three bites or 30. This is enough time for a fish to find the bait, provided they’re in the area. Liners will tell you if fish are nearby.
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Use hi-viz hookbaits
When your bait is the only thing for fish to eat, it has to be easy for them to find. This makes corn the ultimate bomb bait, fished as a single grain or a double. I’ll also have yellow wafters as a change bait.
CARP CAN BE CAUGHT ON A HUGE VARIETY OF BAITS, READ ABOUT SOME OF THE BEST TO TEMPT ONE IN OUR GUIDE.
Fish small bombs
Small bombs make less noise when being cast whereasa heavy weight can easily spook carp out of the peg. A 12.5g Matrix Bottle Bomb will cover me for casts up to 30m, but if the wind is tricky or I need to go further, I’ll up this to 20g.
Keep rigs simple
My rig runs on the mainline, 6ins of the line closest to the hooklength being twisted to make it tougher. This is tied to a hooklength swivel over which I slip a protector bead to minimise damage from the bomb hitting the swivel.
IT IS IMPORTANT YOU ARE USING THE BEST MAINLINE WHEN FISHING FOR CARP ON THE BOMB.
Don’t go too short
Because there’s no feeder, you don’t need a short hooklength. I’ll fish 18ins of 0.16mm Power Micron to a size 16 MXC-4 hook, dropping to 0.12mm and a size 18 if the fishing is hard.
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Keep the tip slack
I want to see indications on the tip, which is why I only put a very slight bend in it. Too much tension offers too much resistance to a fish picking up the bait. A 1oz tip is just right.
A SHORT FEEDER ROD IS PERFECT FOR DOBBING ON THE BOMB IN THE COLDER MONTHS.
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