"This method can work so well for Roach, Skimmers and Bream that it may become addictive, warns an angling match star."
When Roach, Skimmers and Bream are the target on still waters, drains and slow rivers, Long Pole/Short-lining can be unbeatable, simply because it allows such good Bait presentation.
Ideally you need two Poles: one very light, the other as stiff as possible.
A notable match man says "One mistake that many anglers make is trying to fish past their Pole Tip. This destroys good Bait presentation. For better Float control, always fish with your Float at a 'right angle' to your Pole Tip."
You rarely see British anglers using Flick-tips for Long Pole/Short Line work - but for Roach to 8oz (230g) and Skimmers to 2lb (0.9kg) a Flick-tip is much more positive than Elastic for hooking the fish and landing them quickly.
The only drawback with Flick-tips is that they don't cope very well with bigger fish on fine Line and small Hooks. Where Roach over 8oz (230g) and Bream of more than 2lb (0.9kg) predominate, or where such bonus fish are a strong possibility, you're better off using Elastic.
Many anglers use far too much Elastic inside their Poles. Years ago, before the advent of internal elastic, you used a crook at the end of your pole, with 15-30cm (6in-12in) of Elastic attached to it. This handled fish with no problems, so why go over the top with yards of internal Elastic that hinders hooking, stretches all over the place and makes landing fish difficult?
You rarely need more than 45cm (18in) of Elastic. Tighten it up by about 8cm (3in) so that it doesn't hang loose out of the end of your Pole after you catch your first sizeable fish.
It's no good using light Elastic with a 2g Float in 3.5m (12ft) of water - it won't set the Hook properly. Equally, it's no good using heavy Elastic when fishing 1m (3ft) deep with a 0.25g Float - you just 'bump' fish after fish.
As a guide, when fishing shallow - in, say, the top 1m (3ft) of water - with light Floats up to 0.5g or so, use a No.3 Elastic. With Floats from 0.75g-1.25g in swims up to about 3.5m (12ft) deep, use a No.4 Elastic. When stepping up Float size for deeper water with a strong tow, use No.6 Elastic.
Each time you Bait up dip the end of your Pole into the water and gives the Rig a quick pull. As well as lubricating the Elastic, this tells you if the Line is twisted around the Pole Tip. There is nothing worse than hooking a fish and not having the Elastic come into play.
1. Styl Rig for fishing 'on the drop'. Use with regular loose feeding for Roach and you can often catch up in the water.
2. Olivette Rig for fishing on and 'near the bottom'. It can work very well when fishing with Ground Bait for Skimmers and Bream.
The more bulbous Float sort (1) is for Olivette Rigs.
The slimmer Float kind (2) is
for Styl Rigs.
Never fish too tight to your Float. The more Line you can get away with the better. Fish have good eyesight and can see your Pole in shallow water if it is too close overhead. Also, the longer the Line, the fewer sections of Pole you need to unship and so the faster your catch rate. Try not to have less than 1m (3ft) of Line from Pole Tip to Float, going up to 2m (6 1/2ft) or even 3m (10ft) if conditions allow.
The right shape of Float for the conditions is essential for good Bait presentation. A Float that is too slim rides out of the water, but one with too round a body rides with the waves.
Match the size of the Float to the conditions. Say your swim is 2.5m-3m (8ft-10ft) deep and you want to fish the full depth. A 1g Float is adequate when there is only a slight surface ripple but in windy conditions you should step up to as much as 2g to combat swell and undertow.
You can get excellent bait presentation with a pole but it counts for nothing if you don't feed your swim correctly
Shotting for the two basic types of Rig - Olivette Rig and Styl Rig - should be kept simple.
Two dropper shot below the
Olivette are plenty, giving you the option of
catching fish on the drop in the last 60cm (2ft) or so of water or presenting a
steady Bait on the bottom.
In good conditions use no. 10s as droppers but step
these up to no. 8s or no. 6s when there's a strong bottom tow.
Once used exclusively by match men, these small but dense weights are also favoured by specimen anglers for trotting bigger floats. They get the Hook Bait down to the bottom quickly in deep swims.
Number 7 Styls spaced 15cm (6in) apart do the job well. Towards the hook, use no. 7 Styls cut in half to give the hookbait a slower fall.
The styl is a form of long, thin split shot with a groove along its length that’s used extensively by continental pole anglers. In recent years Stotz have overtaken styls in terms of popularity, but they certainly still have a place in many tackle boxes.
Hooks can be argued about forever. Certainly, when using Maggots with the Long Pole and Elastic you lose fewer fish with Round Bend Hooks than Crystal Bend ones. Perhaps this is because a Maggot hangs farther below the point on a Round Bend Hook, allowing Hook deeper penetration.
Elastic tends to kill the fight of a fish quicker than Rod and Line so use this to your advantage. Steer the fish away from the shoal, keeping the Pole Tip low to the surface and pushing the Pole back at the same time, then unship the Pole to the required length to swing the fish in or net it.
Don't raise the Pole and bring the fish to the surface until the fish is in netting range. If you get the fish to the surface too early and far out it thrashes about and the Hook can bounce out of its mouth.
Keep the Pole Tip low or the fish surfaces too soon - and don't cross hands or you risk jerking the fish off the Hook
Glue a small piece of silicone
tubing in place 4cm from the end of the Flick-tip.
Thread a second piece of
tubing on to the Line.
Tie a loop in the Line.
Pass a second loop through the first (1), slip it over the Tip and draw it tight behind the glued
tubing (2).
Spiral the Line round the Tip and trap it with the second piece
of
tubing (3).