Majors Lakes Newsletter
Quarter THREE 2016
(In conjunction with Country Sports)
Majors Lakes and Wallend Carp Fishery
FISHING WITH HEMP SEED.
Hemp
Hemp or hemp seed is a small black seed of about 2 or 3mm in diameter and classed as a particle bait. It is a natural bait and one of the most successful and popular particle baits available. Hemp can be purchased loose, as a natural seed, or pre-cooked in a tin ready for fishing. I have never used tinned hemp so cannot comment on it. Hemp is normally used in conjunction with Tares and is renowned for being one of the best hook baits when fishing for roach.
Hemp is not only an excellent hook bait, it is also a great bait for holding fish in a swim and brilliant attractant when added to groundbait. Prepare the hemp as below before adding it to your groundbait.
Cooking hemp.
Some anglers cook hemp from dry and others put the hemp seed into a container, cover with water and leave to soak for 24 hours which helps the seeds split when you cook them. Either way follow the instructions below.
1.Put the hemp into a pan of water and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally and making sure the hemp is covered with water all the time.
(adding bicarbonate of soda to the water, at the rate of one teaspoon per pint of hemp, will turn the seeds dark black)
2.Keep boiling for 5 to 10 minutes and while boiling look for the hemp splitting - you will see a small white protrusion from the seed - when you see this turn down the heat and simmer until most of the hemp seeds have split.
3.When you see most of the hemp has split, turn off the heat and drain the hemp and tip into a container of cold water. This will stop the cooking process and stop the hemp splitting wide open. If the hemp splits too wide, this can make it harder to stay on the hook. After an hour or, so drain and rinse the hemp again and it will be ready for using
Using a Thermos flask to cook the hemp.
I have tried this method and it works but I don't use it because you are restricted to around a pint of hemp (depending on the number and size of flasks that you use) and I use a lot more than a pint on a fishing session.
Half fill a thermos flask with uncooked hemp; add bicarbonate of soda if you want the seeds to be dark black and top up the flask with boiling water. Do not fill completely, leave some space for the seed expansion, put the lid on and leave to cook overnight. In the morning your hemp should be cooked ready for using.
Liquidised Hemp
On clear waters, rivers, canals and stillwaters, liquidised hemp can be very effective as a 'loose' feed when fishing for roach. I say loose feed but as you will find out it’s not really loose. When mixed correctly with water and introduced into the swim, it causes a cloud as it drops through the swim depositing the larger bits on the bottom. The cloud attracts the roach and the bits on the bottom hold the fish in your swim.
Half fill a liquidiser with cooked hemp (un-cooked hemp can be used but cooked hemp I find mixes better) and switch it on and give it a quick blast to smash up the hemp. You may find it sticking to the sides of the liquidiser as it is ground up. When smashed up empty into a container ready for taking fishing. The liquidised hemp will be stodgy and sticky and if thrown into the water like this it will just fall to the bottom as a lump. Mix some water with it before hand until it is 'mushy' and this will then cause the fish attracting cloud. Fishing for chub on rivers, running waters this is ideal for using in a swim feeder. Mashing up a small amount of liquidised hemp with a slice of bread makes a great hemp paste.
Hemp can be frozen.
A time saver is to prepare more hemp than is needed and to make up batches in pint sized bags and freeze them for using another time. Then it’s just a matter of defrosting the night before it is needed.
'Fishing with Hemp Seed'
When fishing hemp seed as a hook bait it is generally used while float fishing and when feeder fishing it is used as an attractor in an open end groundbait feeder. Half fill an open end feeder with Hemp and plug the ends with groundbait to hold it in. On fast running water it can be used in a closed feeder.
As with all fishing there are no hard and fast rules and if you want to try it as hook bait when feeder fishing then give it a go, although I must say I only use it on the hook while float fishing and if using it while feeder fishing I use it in a feeder. When the fish are really 'having it', try a tare on the hook. These are bigger and easier to put on the hook. Just nick the hook through the skin of the tare.
Tackle.
Light tackle is best when roach fishing with hemp.
Line: This depends if you are fishing for roach or chub. If you are fishing for chub then the line needs to be stronger but for roach, main line around 2lb to 2.5lb with hook lengths around 1lb to 1.5lb.
Hooks: A size 18 or 16, preferably barbless, fine wire hook with a wide gape to position the hemp at the back of the bend with plenty of the hook point showing.
Float and shotting: The float will depend on the water you are fishing. The shotting should be strung out shirt button style. Fishing with hemp, when you get fish feeding on it the bites can be pretty fast and you may find fish mistaking the shot on your line for hemp and start going for that instead, if this happens try doubling up the shot down your line. After every bite check your hook as the hemp can be taken off very easily.
Feeding Hemp.
This is an individual choice and depends on the water you are fishing and fish you are targeting.
As with balling in groundbait at the start, when bream fishing in Ireland, if you are fishing for carp on stillwaters 2 or 3 kilos of hemp thrown in at the start may not be out of order. Fishing for roach or chub on rivers would be loose feed little and often.
2016 MATCH AND WORK PARTY DATES
MATCHES 2016
OCTOBER 9th
NOVEMBER 13th (Secret Santa)
WORK PARTIES 2016
DECEMBER 11th Starting at 8.30am
All Majors Lakes matches in 2016 are sponsored and supported by Maidstone Angling Centre, by way of a £10.00 gift voucher given to the winner of each months match to be spent in their shop
MATCH RESULTS QUARTER THREE 2016
SPONSORED BY MAIDSTONE ANGLING CENTRE
MATCH WINNER FOR JULY 2016
1st PLACE.Ivan Noakes WEIGHT.12lb 14oz
2nd PLACE. Colin Chapman WEIGHT. 12lb 2oz
MATCH WINNER FORAUGUST 2016
1st PLACE.Dale Tye WEIGHT.6lb 9oz
2nd PLACE. Steven Redding WEIGHT. 6lb 7oz
MATCH WINNER FORSEPTEMBER 2015
1stPLACE.Mike.S.Andrews WEIGHT.19lb
2ndPLACE.Allan Withers WEIGHT9lb 6oz.
DON BIRD MATCH SHIELD
2016 MATCH RESULTS BY ANGLER
ANGLERS / POINTS / POINTS / POINTS / POINTS / POINTS / TOTAL / ADJUSTEDNAME,DATE AND / MATCH
6 / MATCH 7 / MATCH 8 / MATCH 9 / MATCH 10 / POINTS / POSITIONS
MATCH POINTS / 10.07.16 / 14.08.16 / 11.09.16 / 2018
1 / ALLAN WITHERS / 13 / 15 / 18 / 128 / 1
2 / COLIN CHAPMAN / 18 / 16 / 12 / 124 / 2
3 / PETER CURD / 17 / 17 / 15 / 124 / 3
4 / IVAN NOAKES / 20 / 11 / 16 / 112 / 4
5 / STEVEN REDDING / 9 / 18 / 17 / 106 / 4
6 / IAN BEDFORD / 11 / 13 / 9 / 100 / 5
7 / DEREK SHIELDS / 16 / 12 / 14 / 100 / 5
8 / MIKE. S. ANDREWS / 15 / 0 / 20 / 95 / 6
9 / DALE TYE / 0 / 20 / 10 / 93 / 7
10 / MIKE. D. ANDREWS (S) / 12 / 0 / 13 / 92 / 8
11 / GRAHAM WEBB / 10 / 15 / 0 / 90 / 9
12 / RICHARD JONES / 8 / 10 / 11 / 77 / 10
13 / STEVE TAYLOR / 14 / 0 / 0 / 30 / 12
14 / MARK WHYATT / 0 / 0 / 0 / 17 / 13
15 / 0
OUR 2016 CHARITY MATCH WINNER
Congratulations to Peter Curd for winning the 2016 Majors Lakes charity match.
Pete's win makes him the first recipient of the
John (Johno) Osmer, MemorialCharity Match Shield
As one of our clubs longest serving members, it was one of Johno’s last wishes that a shield, paid for by him prior to his passing, be awarded in his name.
FISHING WITH CASTERS
The Caster
The Caster is the pupae of the blue bottle fly (Calliphoravomitoria) (also known as the blow-fly). It is an ideal bait for all fish, especially Roach, Bream, Chub and Barbel. The Caster is known for sorting out the better fish but exactly why this is a mystery. Many specimen fish have been caught and many fishing matches have been won using the Caster. Fish do not always respond immediately to Casters and it may be from a few minutes to an hour or so before they do, but when they do you could be in for a great day, picking off the larger specimen fish. Roach love Casters and many an angler will tell you that the best bait for catching Roach is Casters. The Caster varies in colour from a light, creamy colour in the early stages to almost black just before it hatches. Personally I like my Caster to be a light golden brown colour. As well as changing colour the Casters buoyancy also changes. As it gets darker it starts to float making it useless for fishing unless used as hookbait only.
Care of your Caster
Casters are usually sold in an airtight polythene bag. The first thing to do when you get your Casters is to empty them into a container of clean water. The good Casters will sink to the bottom and the floaters can be removed. Drain the Casters and place them in a plastic bag with the air expelled in the fridge at a low temperature. To prevent 'burn' marks on your Casters which are caused by being against the side of the bag, check them daily by opening the bag and giving them a shake. This will also allow fresh air into the bag. Again exclude the air from the bag, re-seal and replace in the fridge. If you want your Casters to be all the same shades of brown the way to do this is; Empty your Casters onto a shallow tray and spread them evenly so that you have a single layer of Casters. Cover them with a damp cloth and place the tray somewhere cool with an ambient temperature checking regularly as to the colour change of your Casters. The warmer the temperature, the quicker the change in colour. When they are the colour you require put them back into a plastic bag with the air expelled in the fridge at a low temperature. Fresh Casters can keep for up to a week in the fridge if looked after, although they are at their best if used within 2 or 3 days. For each pint of Casters you will need approximately 1 and a half pints of maggots and many serious anglers turn their own Casters by riddling the maggots 4 or 5 times a day to catch the maggot at the turning stage. I have turned Casters myself but I find it time consuming and the Casters I have bought from fishing tackle shops have always been good Casters anyway. Only once was I given old Casters and on that occasion the delivery to the fishing tackle shop had been cancelled for some reason and the shop owner told me the Casters were old. In fact he gave me them without charge. Maybe not all fishing tackle shops sell good Casters and I am just lucky in the respect that I have always received fresh Casters.
Fishingthe Caster
When going fishing remove your Casters from the fridge and give them a rinse in clean water. Drain them off and put your Casters in a bait tub and cover the tub with cling film and replace the lid. When you get to your peg open the tub and fill it with water to immerse the Casters. Keep the Casters submerged in water for the rest of the day, changing the water frequently to keep them cool. It is vital that the Casters are kept submerged otherwise they will dry out and turn to floaters, although you can leave a handful of casters on a tray to become floaters and use as hookbait. The floating Caster will help to counterbalance your hook. On warm days casters can turn into floaters in a couple of hours or less if they are not kept cool in water. Skim off any floater and put to the side for hookbait or discard it. Floating Casters introduced into the water can be a disaster as the wind or flow will take them away from your swim and entice the fish away. As I have said, the Caster is an ideal bait for all fish, especially Roach, Bream, Chub and Barbel and is known for sorting out the better fish. Caster fished with Hemp is a deadly combination and is known for producing for large catches of summer Roach. Fish Caster on the hook and loose feed Hemp with a few Casters mixed in. If the bites become less, then cut back on the loose fed hemp and try feeding a few more Casters. You can also try a red maggot on the hook if bites are slow. Casters are a great ingredient to add to any groundbait. Use in plain groundbait or continental groundbait. All fish like Casters and unlike the Maggot or Pinkie that crawls away and buries itself the Caster stays where it's put.
Hooking Casters
The hooking of a Caster is different than the hooking of a maggot. The most common method of hooking a Caster involves burying the hook inside the bait. It is best to use a barbless or a fine wired hook when fishing Casters as they are easier to insert into the Caster and will not spoil your bait when you place the hook inside. Use a fine wire spade end hook of size 18 or 20, push the point into the blunt end of the Caster, rotate the hook inside the Caster until just the spade is showing, then push the spade into the shell of the Caster to end up with a totally hidden hook. The bigger the caster is the easier this is to do. If any of the internal white juice of the Caster is showing after hooking it, discard the Caster and start again because it is unlikely that you will get a positive bite or even get a bite at all. (Don't ask me! I don't know why). The disadvantage with burying the hook is that the Caster gets 'shelled' more often (shelled means; after a bite, which in the case of Roach is super quick, you are left with just the 'shell' of the Caster on your hook). Another method of hooking a Caster is to simply hook it through the blunt end like a maggot and leave the hook visible. Try this if the fish are competing for food and you are getting lots of bites.
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL TACKLE DEALER
West Malling Angling
58, High Street
West Malling
Kent
ME196LU
Tel: - 01732 875515
Nicks Tackle
10, Knightrider Street
Maidstone
Kent
ME15 6LP
Tel: 01622 67389
Maidstone Angling Centre
15, Perryfield Street,
Maidstone,
Kent.
ME14
01622 200000