Any swim with an island will prove attractive, but so many anglers make the mistake of focusing too much on the feature itself. Fishing tight up against it will work, but at times the carp will push down the slope into deeper water.
It’s your job to stay in touch with them, fishing at different depths throughout the session to make sure that your hookbait is never far away from where they are sat.
Feed your swim correctly, don’t get lazy, and you’ll put more fish in your net from swims with an island in front.
Steep slopes are best
You need to work out how steep the slope is from the far bank down to the deepest water. Plumb-up close to the far bank and inch back towards you, noting how quickly it’s dropping off. A fairly steep slope is best, as that makes it easier to locate the fish. If it drops off slowly, you’ll have more depths to cover, and it will take you longer to relocate the shoal once they disappear.
THE BEST FISHING POLES WILL HELP YOU PRESENT YOUR RIG PERFECTLY WHEN FISHING ON A SLOPE.
Work the depths
I’ll have several rigs set up for the far bank slope, covering it in 1ft intervals. The depth could change rapidly, and you may ship back just 6ins and find it has changed by a foot on a steep slope. Use tape markers on your pole to remind you where you should be holding the section with each rig. If you aren’t getting indications, pick up a deeper rig. Liners suggest a shallower rig.
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Use the catapult
The catapult gets a thorough workout with this style of fishing. You can feed the whole of the slope with just one shot. Aim to get the 6mm pellets to land in a line, so the bait ends up at different depths. This keeps fish in your swim, regardless of where they are on the slope. Always use a cup to feed over the
top of your rig, to create a tight pile around your hookbait.
THE BEST FISHING CATAPULTS WILL HELP YOU FEED MORE ACCURATELY!
Tie the winning rigs
I plumb up so my hookbait just touches bottom, with a pimple of the float-tip on show. I’ll use a 4x12 slimline carbon-stemmed float and 0.17mm mainline to a 0.15mm hooklength and a size 16 hook, shotted evenly throughout the bottom third with No10s. Ship out with the rig trailing behind the pole-tip, then lift the float once you’re over the target zone to get it sitting correctly.
TRY ONE OF THESE GREAT VENUES TO PUT JAMIE'S ADVICE INTO PRACTICE.
