Middy Consumer CATALOGUE WEB - Flipbook - Page 43
POLE
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TIPSACCESSORIES
& ADVICE
ROB WOOTTON’S TOP 3 TIPS
FOR FISHING THE MARGINS
As a former champion of Match This, Rob Wootton knows a thing or three about every element of match and
coarse fishing. In this exclusive article, Rob gives you his best tips for catching more out of the margins.
1
FEED, FEED, FEED!
The margins are a natural place for fish to visit for a free meal.
We all know that, as the day draws on, more and more fish enter
the margins on the lookout for any bait that might have been
thrown in by anglers who have packed up. It stands to reason
that fish in the edge are hungry so don’t be shy with your feeding.
The timing is really important though. It’s not all about feeding
loads of bait when you arrive at your peg - I don’t want piles of
bait in the swim before I start to fish. Usually a better time to
start feeding the margins is around mid-afternoon.
3
SET A TRAP
With big fish I always like to set a trap every time I lay the rig
in. So what I mean is I’ll always feed before putting my hookbait
in the swim, so I know there’s always bait in the peg. I don’t
like feeding lots of bait to create a bed of feed - I’d rather feed
a decent quantity after each fish, to set the peg up for the next
bite. This will see you get through a lot of bait and it’s a great
way of building the peg gradually throughout the day. Sometimes,
feeding two or three times per fish is needed, so on days when
the fish aren’t playing ball I like to feed a decent amount of
bait before I lay the rig in and then rattle a few samples of my
hookbait over the top via a Grip-Flex pot. By using the lid on
the pot with a single hole, I can feed two or three times really
accurately per cast and the noise combined with bait falling
through the water can spark a fish to take your hookbait.
3
USE STRONG GEAR
Rob prefers a float with a thick
tip/bristle, like this MW Signature
pattern, so that it can support
bigger baits.
Rob recommends using a Grip-Flex
pot with the single-hold lid, to allow
really accurate feeding.
Margin fish are usually big and quite often they feed for only a
short period of time, so it stands to reason that heavy tackle is
essential. Not only will you be in more control when you hook a
proper lump, but you will be able to land fish faster and capitalise
on that golden period of the session. However, your rig should
still have some finesse - I prefer to dot my float right down so
each bite is magnified and the fish feel very little resistance. It’s
best to use a thick bristled float that can support a bigger bait
and I’d much rather use a dotted down thick bristle than a thin
float tip with a lot showing.
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