Langym93 Posted October 8, 2020 Report Share Posted October 8, 2020 Hi, I have been fishing on a local lake and it's not the biggest but has some nice fish but everytime I seem to go it's fishing so badly. I went the other day and met someone there and he ended up catching 8 fish and I caught 1. He left and he shown me where he was casting etc so I did all that but I got absolutely nothing. Not even a knock. The bottom of the lake/pond is all clay but it seems rather soft and possibly covered in silt or a layer of really soft clay. So every time I'm casting I feel like the lead is sinking into the clay and my hook/groundbait is almost following the lead. So my quesiton is should I use a longer rig with my inline lead? or do a complete different setup? Maybe a chod rig setup so if the lead does sink into the clay the bait will still be visible? I have just been for another 36 hours with a friend who is pretty clued up on carp fishing but never fished this lake before so he wasn't clued up on the depths etc etc but we both blanked apart from a good size bream. Oh we used PVA bags etc as well but no carp! If any suggestions or some help with be great as when I next go I feel like I defiently need to try and change things up. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chillfactor Posted October 8, 2020 Report Share Posted October 8, 2020 I was fishing a really silty lake last in France. Had to make a few changes before I started getting takes. This seemed to do the trick though , just a couple of pva nuggets in a stick , rigs were around 12 inches long . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Langym93 Posted October 8, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2020 9 minutes ago, chillfactor said: My rigs have been quite short I think almost 6 inchs. I am thinking a longer rig may actually help present my bait better if the lead does happen to sink in the softer clay areas. The lake has so many different depths as well so trying to get your bait presented well seems quite difficult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elmoputney Posted October 8, 2020 Report Share Posted October 8, 2020 Are you using solid bags? I mean with the lead in the bag? That should slow the lead down quite a bit maybe use wide bags to act like a parachute a little more, possibly longer rigs too I might switch to a helicopter or lead clip set up if your lead is digging into the clay, it might be making your rig look unnatural, then I would either use a mesh bag or a couple of bits of pva foam to allow your rig to settle slowly on top of it, Did you smell your hookbaits when you brought them in? If they smelt nasty then it's probably not the spot you want, look for the firmer spots if you can they will be there somewhere 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmcee Posted October 9, 2020 Report Share Posted October 9, 2020 Personally I'd change over from an inline lead setup to a helicopter set up. You can then set the top bead to the depth you feel is adequate. A critically balanced hookbait or pop up for the rig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Langym93 Posted October 9, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2020 11 hours ago, elmoputney said: Are you using solid bags? I mean with the lead in the bag? That should slow the lead down quite a bit maybe use wide bags to act like a parachute a little more, possibly longer rigs too I might switch to a helicopter or lead clip set up if your lead is digging into the clay, it might be making your rig look unnatural, then I would either use a mesh bag or a couple of bits of pva foam to allow your rig to settle slowly on top of it, Did you smell your hookbaits when you brought them in? If they smelt nasty then it's probably not the spot you want, look for the firmer spots if you can they will be there somewhere 👍 Need a free running lead setup on the lake 😕 I have smelt my baits and they don't seem to have much smell left in them and they swell up! Sticky bait krill 16mm boilies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Langym93 Posted October 9, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2020 4 minutes ago, emmcee said: Personally I'd change over from an inline lead setup to a helicopter set up. You can then set the top bead to the depth you feel is adequate. A critically balanced hookbait or pop up for the rig. Need a free running lead setup on this lake unfortunately, ive tried popups but never caught on them in this lake but maybe due to lead sinking the bait still. May try longer rigs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elmoputney Posted October 9, 2020 Report Share Posted October 9, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, Langym93 said: Need a free running lead setup on this lake unfortunately, ive tried popups but never caught on them in this lake but maybe due to lead sinking the bait still. May try longer rigs. Surely a leadclip is still as much of a running rig as an inline and with the added bonus of being able to ditch the lead if needs be, sounds like a bonkers rule to me What is the exact wording of the rule??? Edited October 9, 2020 by elmoputney Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Langym93 Posted October 9, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2020 Semi running rigs/fully running rigs only is exact wording. I guess dumping the lead is more like semi running and if i’m honest they never check your lines/gear either. So i’ll switch it to a lead clip setup maybe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elmoputney Posted October 9, 2020 Report Share Posted October 9, 2020 9 minutes ago, Langym93 said: Semi running rigs/fully running rigs only is exact wording. I guess dumping the lead is more like semi running and if i’m honest they never check your lines/gear either. So i’ll switch it to a lead clip setup maybe Sounds like a badly written no fixed leads rule, which was basically to stop people tying them onto the line or fixing them on with shot, a heli set up isn't really a fixed lead set up either as long as the rig can seperate from the leader if the line breaks, then it could be the best option Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salokcinnodrog Posted October 9, 2020 Report Share Posted October 9, 2020 Lovely! Leads on a run ring, can be fished tight or slack line, tight is a bolt rig, totally slack is a running lead. Don't think about using a lead clip running, it will NOT drop the lead. If it is soft clay, find out how far the lead is sinking, and fish longer rigs to cater for it, preferably with a slow sinking hookbait so it doesn't sink in too far. Clay is often quite firm though, although carp can dig holes to get to food, which sometimes get filled in with soft sediment, leaves and silt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkey_climber Posted November 14, 2020 Report Share Posted November 14, 2020 I fish a lake similar to what you describe and would suggest the following; 1. Use a pendant lead on a run ring. The lead will often plug into the clay which, if you are using an inline, could hinder presentation. 2. The water in clay dug pits is often quite murky so you don't need to worry too much about camouflaging your end tackle. My starting approach would be a supple braid link of anywhere between 8-12 inches with a line aligner and balanced bait or a bottom bait straight out of the bag. I don't fish popups on this lake as I think one of the main benefits of a popup is its visual nature and in murky water, that benefit is lost. In terms of the rig, I find the supple braid presents much better over this kind of substrate than a stiffer material. 3. In terms of bait, scent is more important than the visual aspect, again due to water clarity and the fish needing to find the bait via smell rather than sight. I use a dark, fishy, L030 based bait which works really well and kicks out loads of smell although I have also had plenty of success with a Mackerel bait and Krill based baits too. I assume any decent fishmeal based food bait would do the trick. 4. Stealth and watercraft will be massive assets on waters like this (in fact any waters really) but on a small water, do the basics right. Things like keeping your shadow off the water, treading lightly, not thrashing the water to a foam with the marker etc can definitely win you more bites. I also find that light scatterings of bait or just a bag or stick in the right place may be a better approach than piling the bait in unless the fish are really having it. 5. Pay attention to the weather. Small, clay dug pits are often shallow and you will most likely find the fish on the end of a warm wind (or sheltering from a cold one). 6. Most importantly, find the fish first. As the old adage goes, 'you can only catch what is in front of you'. If you can, have a few laps of the lake before setting up and try and spot some fish. If it is a club lake rather than day ticket, go for a walk around it of an evening after work or at first light and start piecing together the puzzle based on sightings. You can even stack the odds in your favour by taking a pocket full of bait with you and dropping a bit of bait into some likely looking areas. Every time you come back to the lake, have a look at the baited spots to see if anything has visited. This approach of little and often pre-baiting has really upped my catch rate on my lake. I hope that helps Tight lines Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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