A typical plan for fishing the pole on a commercial is to begin long and then think about the margins with a few hours to go – but by doing this, you’re ignoring a part of the peg that can provide the very best fishing. I’m talking about the 5m line.
Here's how I do it...
Be in control
The 5m line is famed for big carp late in the day as they move into the margins, so your elastic needs to be capable of landing 10lb fish. Middy’s pink grade Shock Core (an old No10-14) set slack and fished with a side puller kit is perfect.
Feed with a pot
I want to keep the feeding tight, so a pot is better than feeding by hand. Middy’s Grip-Flex has a lid with holes in it, so I can sprinkle a few pellets in at a time to make sure there’s always bait falling through the water.
Dig the catapult out
If you don’t get on with pots, there’s nothing wrong with using a catapult to feed – some top matchmen go for a catty over a pot every time. At short range, the feed will fall in a tight group, cutting down on the chances of line bites.
Use a stable float
The 5m line is fished where the lake begins to shallow up before the near-bank margin, so the water will be deep. That calls for a stable float such as the MW Diamond in the 4x14 size, shotted with a strung bulk so the bait falls naturally.
Balance your kit
Big carp won’t be a problem to land if you match your lines and hooks. On a lake with fish to 5lb but averaging perhaps half that, try 0.16mm line to a 0.14mm hooklength (both Middy Lo-Viz), rounded off with a size 16 KM-2 eyed hook.
Go for pellets
There’s little to beat pellets when carp and F1s are the target. I’ll feed plain-coloured brown 4mm pellets, but on the hook I want something that stands out. A red 6mm Pellet Guys Atlantic Crab is a great and highly visible hookbait.
