Silt Hooklinks

[Guest andypalf]

My club water is a small estate lake and has a silt lakebed throughout. Now this is the first silt bottomed lake I've tackled and have adjusted my rigs by using a marker pen on my braided hooklinks.

 

So I'm going to try and tackle it properly but my idea is a bit contrasting. I was thinking of continuing with running rigs but using a patenoster to keep everything except the lead out of the silt. This is bound to end up with all sorts of tangles so thought a coated hooklink would work well. I'm not keen on using a coated braid in silt though. If it does get drawn into the silt it's going to stick out like a sore thumb.

 

So do you think perhaps forget the patenoster and go with a supple braid, or go for the above. Any other ideas would be great lads. I also want to start using a semi-fixed set up so I can incorporate some anchor tubing. I'm fishing 10-30 yrds and slack lines is quite hard to achieve and the back leads are getting stuck in the silt (and affecting indication I believe). Just even more for me to think about.

[dansteel]

i would use a chod rig basically. a short 2-3 inch flurocarbon d rig but instead of using a pop use a critically balanced bait like a wafter so that the bait just sits on top of the silt. i would also recommend using the new esp leadcore leaders in the silt colour. i have bought a spool myself recently and think they are an awesome bit of kit.

[Guest andypalf]

I'd only have confidence using a silt/chog rig if it was pinned to the lake bed and well camouflaged. And I understand that the ready made leaders from ESP and Fox are pretty good. But I've never used leadcore. Until someone I trust shows me on the bank exactly how to use it I think it's best I stay clear of it. Hopefully if I can get the presentation just right an use the ESP anchor rig tubing I can get everything pinned down (which is quite tricky on this lake for some reason).

[dansteel]

ok well i would try the korda silt coloured rig tubing or if esp do a silt coloured one then even better. u can still use a silt/chod rig using tubing. all i would do is use enough so you have at least 3 feet of tubing along the lakebed. so if the lead is plummetting into the silt say 2 feet then you want 5 feet of tubing if you get where i come from.

 

dont be afraid to use leadcore though as i have found the stuff to be invaluable and will never use tubing or products alike again.

 

if you need more help i can make up a diagram for you? so u can see exactly what i mean

[tonybranno]

Andy, why dont you want to use a coated braid in silt? Ive had some success using Kik Bak hooklengths about 11" in length with light 1oz leads on my syndicate and that is ALL silt bottomed.

[Guest andypalf]

I've got this image of the lead end of the hooklink being dragged into the silt. Thus with the stiffness of the hooklink it popping up as oppose to lieing flat on the lakebed.

 

I also don't really see the need for the coating. I'm casting short distances and so avoiding tangles and I'm not retrieving my rig a long way over gravel so don't really require abrasion resistance. Does that make sense?

 

With luck tomorrow I'm going to test two systems:

1) 1.5ft of anchor tube, lead clip, 1.5oz lead and my braid 10 inch hooklink.

2) no tubing, 1.5oz lead on a running patenoster and same hooklink as above. Unfortunately I've not got any coated braid at the moment, they were out of Black Silt and Dark Mantis at the tackle shop.

 

I'm starting to think I've over-thinking and over-complicating this.

[neilscatchin]

I'm starting to think I've over-thinking and over-complicating this.

 

In my opinion I think you may be,if the silt is what is deemed as "clean" silt not the horrible black stuff.What you have to remember is that one of the carp's food source,bloodworm burrows into the silt so the carp aren't at all phased by actively feeding in silt so why be concerned if your bait is in their too.

[Guest andypalf]

It would appear I have been over-thinking it. Went down for a couple hours after work and managed to bank my first carp from the water...a lovely 10lb8oz common. Straight forward semi-fixed 1.5oz lead with some anchor tubing with a 10 inch braid hooklink.

 

Cheers for bouncing ideas around lads.

[carpingod150]

Pah! Silt, not a problem. Now weed, that's a headbanger!

 

Good to hear you caught matey, always nice when a plan comes to fruition

[Guest andypalf]

Cheers CG. Less of a plan and more of putting the hours in. This was my 5th session on there and the latest I stayed at the lake (no nights allowed). But it's nice to know the fish take boilies which is something else I was starting to wonder about.

 

I've recently heard rumours of two 30's in this lake. I thought they only went up to around the 20lb mark. And it's not a deep lake and probably about 2 acres....so I'm curious how I haven't spotted them yet. Methinks I'll be down there after work again tomorrow.

[ellisdj]

Hi guys

 

I have been fishing a pure silt lake this season and have had some really good results.... 3 pbs!!

 

I have been using the Korda Safe Zone Heli Leader in silt with light leads 1oz 1.5oz

 

these have been mustad and they are the easiest things to use.... you simply tie them to your main line and off you go.

 

they are not cheap £5 a go, but if you dont snag deep in any trees/bushes they last ages.

 

I have had loads of fish inc 3 pb.s 16lb, then 18lb (2 actually same session) then last weekend a 21lb.

 

I am using short rigs Korda braid something in stiff. you peel back the coating so there is some soft then stiff, simple knotless and away.

Best to drop your rig in still boiling water and rub your fingers down the plastic coating as it cools to straighten and stiffen

I have also had some really good success with the Gardner Talon tip hooks non barb and mouth snaggers (the white ones) I had a few hook pulls using the 1oz lead, but with the snagger they stayed in all the way to the bank.

 

Some new ideas maybe maybe maybe not. They are working for me!!!

[nick12345]

the best hooklink in my opinion 4 your situation is braid ie Silk worm etc

these fine diameter supple hooklinks follow the lake beds contours perfectly and will be presented fine with abit of thought. Silt feeders will use sense and touch more than eyesight.

A supple braid can be beneficial over a weighted coated braid, silkmorm is a neutral bouyancey and actually seperates in water making it less noticable and more natural when the carp feed. it is also lighter so will be sucked up with more ease and hopefully not noticed.

 

Whereas with coated braids they will sink into the silt abit.

This will be alot more noticable for the fish when they have to pull up the bait out of the chod. this weight and drag issue makes the hook bait alot easier for the fish to recognise and can hinder the entrance of the hook into the carps mouth. Silkworm and others are also alot finer and suppler than most of the inner braids in the coated varieties and will be less conspicuous 4 the fish.

 

This materail with fish any lead, ive founds flat inlines the best and they dig nicely into the bottom but not too much and will amplify the bolt affect. this isnt possible with alot of coated braids as they stick up and even the softer ones can lay funny if positioned on a stick or another alien object. the lead digging in will camouflage the rig and as the detrius settles it will cover most of the braid leaving afew inches and a half submerged bottom bait.

if you use a piece of foam and squeeze it slightly this will help to position your bait on top of the silt, and will still ensure your rig isnt in a heep as it will sink under the weight of the bait and lye straightish.

always use a straight pointed hook as they will not blunt in silt and will catch hold fatser than a beaked one also use as small/light a hook as you are confident in as again this add to natural/less noticable properties of the rig.

[nick12345]

ellis if you are loosing a couple try lengthening the hooklink slightly and/or the hair length a 1oz lead shouldnt cause you hookpulls.

 

Chods are great in the sense that its quick and easy and will guarentee you a decnt presentation however the fish may view them as alien as most off the food lives on or just beneth the silt.

 

ive caught 30lb + fish with silt to the eyeballs so they musyt be munching atleast 5 inches into the silt so you may wanna experiment where you present the bait ie on top just beneath or well into it.

 

Also remeber standard boilies catapulted at range will or even dropped in will sink in and be barely visible. so a hookbait their might be a good idea. if you crack your boilies into 2 they will waft and sink slower and will rest on top of the silt better than whole ones.

If you use particles they will always sink into the silt and cause the fish to feed deeper into the silt so a pop-up or chod can be a bad idea over this baiting technique.

 

if you use boilies try coating them in paste as this will protect the bait from the silt and keep it more attractive and maybe help the fish home in on it better. as they cant see much with all the disturbance and silt washing around when the feed. Also rehydrating baits may help to stop silt soaking into the baits.

 

just some thoughts, as posted earlier most boilies and natural food will be buried and eaten so dont worry too much about your hook baits its just confidence.

 

 

 

 

if wana try stiffer links try them on lead clip systems with light leads the lead will dig in to the clip and hopefully leave the rig flat on top.

[vikingboy]

You can always use a standard set up with a lighter lead, a pear shape would be ideal so it doesn`t dive into the bed too far. keep your hook links long , you can go to about 15 inch with no probs ive found. Also a pva foam nugget on the hook to gently lay your bait on the top of the silt is a good choice too.

[ouchthathurt]

when i fished in silt, i used to hammer my 1.5oz leads flat so they sank slower, instead of crashing into the silt. i lengthen my silkworm hooklinks to 10-12" and put a PVA foam nugget over the hook. still, each and everyone of us will have found something that works for them.