We asked Chris Currie:How much time do you ‘invest’ in to fishing while not on the bank? Pre-bait? Research? Rig and bait prep?
I spend a considerable amount of time during a working week preparing and considering my next trip. As I tend to fish short sessions, evenings and days, I tend to plan everything with military precision and keep everything simple and as easy as possible. I will thoroughly research a venue before first walking the banks, so I can ascertain if this is the sort of venue I will enjoy, as once you have shelled out your hard earned cash the last thing you want is a lake full of anglers you weren’t expecting to be there midweek!. I will spend a considerable amount of time observing the venue, checking likely spots and just getting a lie of the land, these reconnaissance trips really help me to pinpoint likely areas to concentrate and follow up on places I’d possibly earmarked as starting points.
Don’t be afraid to take a rod and lead to check the swims if quiet, as this has paid off massively in the past for me, giving me a valuable insight and the very real realisation of what I’m up against, more importantly the swim topography and gives you an idea of any underwater obstructions like weed/snags.
I would be checking stocking levels and identifying the target species I am looking to catch, these obviously need to be considered as to how I will approach the venue and what my own personal goal or target is to be from the particular venue.
Once I’ve settled on a venue I will inevitably be angling on the same venue for months at a time, so I find after a couple of sessions I can begin to whittle down the stuff I’m carrying for these short sessions.
Bait is the biggest conundrum but what I’ve tended to do is apply my bait, angler pressure and time restraints willing! for a few days leading up to a session, so when actually fishing small amounts is all that is needed to top the swim up and then apply before leaving the bulk of the bait ready for the next session.
Streamlining your end tackle can be very advantageous, on many levels, but I like many find after a few months the clutter has re-appeared in the bag and another sorting session is needed to streamline it again.
Planning time around other commitments in the week or weekends to get down to apply some bait or observe the venue can be very hard at times but the sacrifice of early mornings or lunch breaks/after work walking has been worth it and paid off many times for me personally, embarking on a baiting campaign, can be advantageous as this not only lets the fish build confidence in your chosen bait without any pressure or danger attached, but if combined with a few friends it can also be very cost effective and less time restrictive as the baiting and time is shared out equally between yourselves.
With my particle bait approach I tend to order a large sack of chosen particle at the start of the year when doing very little fishing and prepare it all up and freeze down in little 2kg bags ready for use throughout the year.
This not only saves time before a session, but also you only get moaned at for one day a year for the obnoxious smells wafting through the house or if like me you do a lot of particle fishing buy a burco or boiling ring and saucepan and do it outside!!.
The other advantage of this is you can customise your particles to suit your situation, like dying them a different colour if the birds are a problem on your chosen venue for example black chick peas!, or if a certain fish appears to be caught on a certain bait regularly try flavouring your particles too, for example strawberry maize!.
If you are someone who uses the same bait year round ordering your boilie in bulk during the quieter periods of your angling and stocking up can also be very beneficial as this not only saves precious angling time and money, but also makes impromptu trips or short notice baiting up trips much easier and can gain you some vital edges.
If you are someone like me who always uses the same rigs tying up some in advance for the rig box can be worth considering as those stressful 3am bites that wreck your hooklink can be changed quickly with ease and back out on the clipped up zone ready during the short bite time windows, this also means you can carry less end tackle as you already have the rigs tied and ready to go if you need another at short notice.
Keeping in touch with trustworthy fellow anglers on the venue can also be valuable, as their insights to where the fish have been showing or caught during their observations when you’re not there can help you pinpoint their whereabouts quicker on arrival.
This is especially useful on big low stock pits and can save you an inordinate amount of time looking around the venue in a short session.
Spending time clearing a swim of debris, like encroaching tree branches or weed, before a session can also pay off when you actually fish, meaning you can land fish safer and will also make it easier if you had clipped up to a baited mark, meaning presentation will always be spot on for my short session and all the disturbance of doing this won’t be affecting my fishing session which can only work in my favour.
The key to sustained success is being organised and observant whilst planning fishing or actually fishing. Many of the tips above can help get you fishing quickly but also effectively maximising your limited time on the bank and any fish catching opportunities can be acted on quickly and efficiently putting more fish on the bank throughout the year.
Be lucky
Chris Currie