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When is the best time to fish meat on the short pole?

Meat is not a bait that dominates all year on commercials, but in spring and early autumn it can be one of the best ways of catching carp, F1s and bream on the short line.

by Jonathan Longden |

Updated on13th March 2026 at 1.47pm

There are two periods in the year when meat really is effective on commercial fisheries. The first is in spring, when the water begins to warm and fish start to wake up properly. The second is early autumn, when they are still feeding hard but the first signs of cooler conditions are creeping in. In both periods, meat can be a brilliant bait, especially on the short pole line.

In summer, pellets tend to take over and on a lot of venues they are hard to beat. But once you move away from that peak spell, meat often comes back into play. It gives fish something different, and for carp, F1s, skimmers and bream it can be exactly what they want.

That is what makes the short line so interesting. Get that right and it can be one of the best lines in your peg.

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Hooking meat properly

Meat is soft, so if you hook it badly you will soon know about it. I like to bury as much of the hook as I can, but still leave a little bit of the point showing. That keeps everything neat without costing you hookholds. My usual choice for this is a wide gape hook in a size 14, which is about right for the sort of fish you are likely to catch on the short line.

CHECK OUT THIS GUIDE TO THE BEST MEAT BAITS FOR FISHING.

Fishing it at the right time

This is the main thing with meat short. It is not always the line I want to start on, but it is very often one I want to move onto later in the day. The last few hours are usually when it gets stronger, and from around 1.30pm or 2pm I would be thinking seriously about putting more effort into it. By then the fish have often settled, and that short line can really come alive.

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Working the rig

A bit of movement nearly always helps with meat. Leaving it still can work, but I think you get more by making the rig do something. All I do is lift the float about six inches out of the water and lower it back in every minute or so. It is not dramatic, but it is often enough to get a response from fish that are there and just not quite committing.

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Use the right size cubes

A meat cutter is worth using simply because it saves time and gives you neat, even cubes. That makes feeding easier and presentation better. For a mixed bag, 6mm is usually spot on. It is small enough for skimmers and bream, but still more than enough to catch carp and F1s as well.

IN THIS GUIDE DISCOVER HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT HOOKBAIT.

Try colour if you need to

Most of the time I stick with plain meat, but coloured meat can definitely have its day. Yellow is always worth a look for bream and skimmers, while red can also work well. It is not something I would overthink, but it is useful to have the option there when you want to show them something a bit different.

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Find the right short line

Six metres is a good guide for this sort of fishing and usually works out at around five sections of pole, but the actual line is more about depth than distance. I am looking for somewhere between 4ft and 6ft of water. That tends to be about right for fish to settle and feed confidently, and it is where this tactic often works best.

SIT COMFORTABLY THANKS TO OUR BUYERS GUIDE OF THE BEST FISHING SEATBOXES.

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