THE NORTHS PREMIER FISHERY \\ HOME TO MAVER MEGA MATCH THIS
HAYFIELD LAKES
TEL: 01302 864 555 \\ MOB: 07484 918414 \\ rgoforth1@aol.com
ADAM'S LAKE
"Adam's lake is known for producing great sport all year round, especially on pole & pellet waggler. The margins are fantastic! Was home to the televised Fish O' Mania final for years" - Andy Kinder, Maver (UK).
Suitable Tactics:
Pellet waggler:
The pellet waggler is usually fished at around 25-30 yards whilst constantly loose feeding 8mm or 10mm pellets with a catapult. Fishing low diameter mainlines (0.16mm-0.20mm) combined with hooklengths of around 0.18mm-0.20mm is ideal and will give you a great chance of landing much of what you connect with. A low diameter main line is key for several reasons including casting and presentation, etc. Wagglers are chosen to suit conditions mostly. Bodied wagglers are great for when the water is a little rough or choppy. These, combined with low diameter main lines, improve presentation and reduce tow and drag ,etc. They also make the strike much more direct offering less resistance.
Target depths can be anywhere from 6 inches in the warmer months to 10ft deep during the winter. It's a real active method - if you're not constantly busy, you're not doing it properly. The key is to keep making minor adjustments and reacting to any indications that suggest a change may be needed, ie, increases or decreases in depth or adopting a more finesse approach. It is sometimes worth a cast a few yards left, right and beyond of your feeding area as the fish are intelligent and keep clear of obvious danger. Feeding & casting accuracy are both advantageous for this style of fishing.
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Terminal tackle:
4g-12g pellet wagglers (bodied when conditions dictate).
0.16mm-0.20mm low diameter, high stretch, reliable reel line is key.
0.18mm-0.20mm hooklengths.
Slow sinking bomb / bubble:
A less common method generally speaking, but one that is lethal if done properly. Adopting a similar setup to normal straight lead fishing, it is a method that can out smart intelligent fish, especially in deep water. The carp at Hayfield have become wise to common methods of attack, particularly shallow fishing and / or on the deck. As a result, they quite often sit mid water at around 4ft-10ft deep, making them difficult to target. This is where a slow sinking bomb / bubble can offer an edge by presenting an active bait all the way from the surface to the bottom.
Get the feeding right and get that bomb / bubble in amongst the loose feed pellets, and it's a lethal tactic. Beware though, the bites can be violent.
Ensure you're making a mental note of the depth and repeat the process shortly after the bait reaches the bottom.
Straight lead approach:
Reliable mainlines of around 0.20mm combined with a variation of hooklength diameters and lengths should suffice. Also a variety in lead size (weight) can be needed.
Bomb & pellet can be a hard method to compete against if the fish are a little out of pole fishing range, but confidently feeding on the deck. It's usually fished hand in hand with the pellet waggler, directly over the same line. The aim, ultimately, is to imitate a stray loose fed pellet which, more often than not, the fish deem safe to intercept. Usually a different feed rate and amount are needed to keep these fish pinned to the bottom. This is an area where some anglers make mistakes causing fish to leave the peg or come off the bottom.
A variety of target hookbaits work well such as boilies, corn and wafter. Colour variation can provide an edge. Length of hooklengths can also provide an edge if the fish are sitting just off bottom but intercepting the active bait. If an off bottom static approach is good, then pop up baits can be lethal. Again, colour can play a huge part when using pop up baits - bright colours if the fish are looking down on the bait, darker colours if the fish are intercepting from below looking up. It is sometimes worth having a double pop up on a hair with a bright flouro on top and black boilies on the underside. Just remember though, when in the water the hair is above the hook. It's important the order is correct.
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Terminal tackle:
10g-30g bombs.
0.20mm mainline.
0.16mm-0.20mm hooklengths.
Feeder fishing:
Feeder fishing can be prolific on Adam's lake! Wether it be a method Feeder, hybrid feeder, pellet feeder or a more conventional type of feeder, they all work on their day. Obviously method / pellet type feeders remove a lot of variables that can go wrong in feeder fishing. They are a fantastic invention and have revolutionised feeder fishing on commercial type venues. Still, there's lots of skill involved in fishing a method / pellet type feeder well.
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By casting often and accurately, you'll gradually build your swim. Sometimes, casting as often as every few minutes is necessary. Also, take into consideration the size and weight of the feeder you're using.
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Robust mainline is a must with something around 0.20mm-0.23mm being the norm, combined with 0.18mm-0.22mm hooklengths and strong and suitable hooks to match target species and hook baits.
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The method feeder can work well on the short line too, especially in the later stages of the match if the line has been primed. This can be a great tactic when pole fishing is out of the question due to weather, etc.
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Terminal tackle:
0.20mm-0.23mm mainline.
0.18mm-0.22mm hooklengths.
Strong hooks.
Long pole fishing:
The long pole line is usually fished at 14.5m-16m. Floats from 1.0g-3.0g for full depth fishing are recommended with smaller floats of around 0.2g-0.6g for shallower work between 1ft-3ft or if fishing deeper than half depth, ie, 4ft-8ft in most places. Ideal rig mainlines range between 0.16mm-0.20mm with hooklengths between 0.14mm-0.18mm. Regarding elastic choice, there isn't any need to go heavier than a 10-14 or similar equivalent.
This is a line where a minimum of three rigs are usually needed, especially in the warmer months. These being: shallow rig, mid-depth rig and to depth rig - the full depth rig being my personal favourite.
This rig works nearly all year round, but it's worth noting it's important to have a good feel about your swim with a plummet. Plumb up a 2ft square area, near, beyond, left & right. Also, using the plummet, check the lake bottom for silt, etc, and find a good area to target.
This line is usually fished with 6mm-8mm pellets, loose fed via a catapult (pinging). Try to keep the feed as accurate as possible, pinging between 4-6 pellets regularly. Normally, when fishing pellet, you would plumb dead depth, but sometimes it pays to have a little line on the bottom. A top tip for any pole fishing here at Hayfield is to always leave a long lash of line between float and elastic connector, as sometimes laying line on the bottom can reduce foul hookers.
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Terminal Tackle:
0.2g-3.0g floats, depending on depth and conditions.
0.16mm-0.20mm mainlines.
0.14mm-0.18mm hooklengths.
10-14 elastic is ideal, or a suitable equivalent.
Margins:
This is the line where colossal weights can be had! Ideally, you either need to be an end peg, or have plenty of room between you & the next angler to entice those larger fish down the edge in the latter stages.
Ideal approaches are feeding either micro pellets or groundbait via a pole pot during the final stages of a match whilst offering a combination of hookbaits. Ideal choices are dead maggots, worms, corn and paste. It's important to find the right depth so foul hookers are kept to a minimum. Typically, 18"-36" of water fishing to the next platform, or beyond, produces the best results.
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Terminal tackle:
0.3g-0.6g floats for stability.
0.20mm-0.24mm mainline.
0.18mm-0.22mm hooklengths.
Strong hooks are a must!
14-18 elastics or black hydro equivalent is ideal.