We hope 2016 is the year you finally bank a personal best or get that catch of a lifetime. Here are 10 things to help you catch more fish this winter!
You cannot fish properly if you are soaking wet and shivering, so every angler should invest in a set of quality waterproofs.
The latest arrivals in our best-selling range are Quilted Jackets, Quilted Trousers and Quilted Salopettes. These all feature rip-stop fabric with a high 25,000 waterproof rating and 10,000 breathability for maximum comfort against the elements. They are also available in a wide range of sizes from Small to XXXXL.
Switching from a traditional mono hooklength to fluorocarbon could be the edge you are after this winter. One of fluorocarbon’s biggest advantages is the fact that it almost invisible in water. It is also surprisingly strong with high abrasion resistance. Being fractionally stiffer than mono also helps to reduce line twist and spin ups. It sinks really well, too, which makes it just as useful as a shock leader when feeder fishing.
Supplex Fluorocarbon is available in a wide range of sizes, from 0.075mm (0.9lb) right up to 0.30mm (10lb), making it equally useful for match, pleasure and specimen anglers alike. Try it!
03 Maggot Hooks
The humble maggot can buy you bites when all other baits have failed. Everything from roach to carp respond well to maggots at this time of year and two Drennan patterns you must try are the Silverfish Maggot and the Carp Maggot. These are both spade end, barbless designs with a modern, swept crystal bend that makes them perfect for presenting anything from a single maggot to an attractive bunch of wriggling grubs.
The fine-wire Silverfish Maggot is ideal for silverfish and winter F1s on commercials. The Carp Maggot is much stronger with a lovely burgundy tint that lends itself to fishing with red or flouro maggots in particular. Don’t let the name put you off, though, as this super-sharp hook is great for big perch too!
If you are after micro-barbed equivalents, look no further than the Carbon Match and Red Maggot – great for canals, rivers and natural stillwaters.
A maggot feeder really comes into its own in winter, particularly when fish shy away from groundbait and pellets. Vari-Weight Feeders take the humble block-end a stage further. These feeders are tough and really compact. They also have a flattened and textured base that offers extra grip in tow and flow and also copes really well on sloping bottoms.
Vari-Weight Feeders are also virtually snag-free, as the loading is all neatly encased within the body. A really clever part of this design is that you can swap and change the loadings to create the optimum weight you require for casting and holding bottom.
Fishing a waggler has to be one of the most satisfying ways to catch fish and will keep you busy and active on cold days. When fish are being particularly finicky, a more sensitive insert waggler will transmit bites you would never have spotted with a thicker-topped design.
Loaded floats also cast arrow straight and are kinder to the line as they don’t need to be locked either side with large and cumbersome shot. A Crystal® body will also help to ensure the float is as discrete as possible in clear water.
Glow Tip Carp Inserts are available in six sizes from 1.5g to 4g and are a great choice when targeting cautious fish.
Bread and winter go hand in hand, so a good set of quality bread punches is a must have accessory. Two sets of Drennan Brass Head Bread Punches are available – Small (2.5mm to 7mm) and Large (7.5mm to 11mm) – to cover everything from the tiniest roach and gudgeon to quality bream, chub and carp.
The brass heads cut cleanly through a slice of bread and a side slot means you can quickly bait up without blunting your hook point.
There are now five designs in the Alan Scotthorne pole float series and the AS5 is the very latest. This float is available in a wide range of sizes from 0.1g right up to 1g, which makes it extremely versatile and perfect for lots of venues and species.
The slim ‘pencil’ body is this float’s most obvious trait and helps to reduce resistance to a biting fish as well as lifting cleanly out of the water on the strike. It also has a durable carbon stem and a sensible diameter 1.5mm hollow Glow Tip. This means it is highly visible and will help present a multitude of hook baits from bread and pinkies to pellets and sweetcorn.
Adding extra attraction to your feed and hook bait can buy you those all-important extra bites at this time of year. This is where Yum Yum Bait Booster comes in.
Available in natural Shellfish and red Crab & Krill flavours, both contain liquid krill protein. This is a well established appetite stimulant used in the big-carp world. It has the perfect viscosity for clinging to your hook bait and leaks off attractants in the water.
This PVA-friendly glug is equally effective on loose feed and can also be added when you are soaking your pellets or groundbait.
09 Aqua F1 & Silverfish Bungee
Scaling down your hook sizes and line diameters can buy you those extra bites when things are tough. This is when fitting a softer elastic like Aqua F1 & Silverfish Bungee in your top kits also becomes vital. This will help to reduce the chances of breakages and hook pulls and create a perfectly balanced setup.
Rated 4-6 (1.5mm) this double-walled hollow elastic is currently the lightest in the Bungee family. As the name suggests, it is a great choice for silverfish, F1s and small carp. It stretches exceptionally well to cushion fish of all sizes and usefully comes with a free Dacron Connector.
We have deliberately saved the best til last, as we believe Acolyte Feeder rods set a new benchmark in terms of quality and performance. These super-slim rods have an exquisite action and make casting accurately and playing fish of all sizes a real pleasure.
The slim blanks slice cleanly through the air and the stand-off SiC guides enable your line to flow effortlessly, casting bombs and feeders with maximum precision. Special attention has been given to the super-slim Acolyte Feeder Tips, which blend in almost seamlessly with the blank and can transmit the shyest of bites.
The Acolyte Ultra Feeder is available in 10ft, 11ft and 12ft lengths. Each has a two-piece construction so that they can be stored in a Rod Case and assembled or put away in seconds.
Acolyte Ultra Feeder Rods are designed to perform well throughout the year but they certainly excel in winter when bites are at a premium and every fish counts.