From James Owen;
Bob, I have seen 5 mirror carp on my local canal and am going to try and catch them but need your advice. I think they’re about 10lbs, give or take a few pounds. I fish with a match rod and 3lb line. I know I need stronger line and maybe a new rod, that’s why I need your help. I’m thinking of using 8lb line and a size 10 hook with sweetcorn. Would you agree with my choices, if not what shall I use?
Canal carp can be big and wild. There’s not much room on a canal, so heavy gear is usually needed, especially if snags are present. I’d suggest 6 to 7lb main line with a 5lb hooklength. Ledgering the far bank is often a good tactic, and for carp you’ll need a medium ledger rod. A pole isn’t usually powerful enough. Sweetcorn is an excellent bait for carp on most canals, and I’d try 2 grains on a size 12 or 14 hook.
From Ian Johnson;
I’ve been pole fishing for around 8 months and after reading several articles in match magazines regarding shotting of rigs – a lot of match anglers use styls instead of shot.
Can you tell me the advantages and under what conditions/venue types I should consider using styls rather than shot?
The main advantage of styls is that they drop more slowly, which can be an advantage when fishing a slowly sinking bait. However most match anglers, including me, tend just to use ordinary shot now that soft lead substitutes are available. This is because Styls are difficult to remove from the line.
From Nick Sheppard:
Which pole float and groundbait would you recommend for Holme Pierpoint?
Holme Pierpoint isn’t much matchfished these days. The answer depends on whether or not you can use bloodworm. If you can’t, I’d fish maggot on the drop without groundbait and just loose feed for roach and skimmers with a 2 gram or so float.
If bloodworm is allowed you can go heavier – .5 to .75 ,. in which case you can fish 2 to 3 inches overdepth and feed jokers in leam.
Bob Nudd
