This entry was posted on by Steven Crowe
Casters Shallow is a method that has recently taken over the match fishing world especially on the big match scene, where in my last 5 or 6 qualifiers, the winner has used this very same method in 4 of them and to compete in matches at this time of year, it is a tactic that you simply cannot ignore!
In this months ADTV Match Masterclass, I have bought the cameras to the lovely Reepham Fishery in Norfolk to run through how I would approach a match using this method, passing on all the edges, in which I use to keep fishing coming to accumulate match winning weights at this time of year!
To make this method into a match winning tactic, you need to be aggressive with your feeding, because in comparison to pellets, which are quite selective, everything will eat casters. This is one of the main advantages of casters as it creates a feeding reaction different to any other bait, with so much competition that they will easily take your hook bait.
So you need to ensure you feed enough bait so there is enough in the swim at any one time. Therefore I will normally take between 5-8 pints of casters with me, and although it can be quite expensive, you will need this amount to make the most of this tactic!
To make the most of this tactic you need to ensure your casters are in tip top condition throughout the session. So rather, then just emptying them into a bait tub where they will become crispy and start to float, I will keep them in water, which keeps them cool and prevents them from floating.
Although many people think you cannot keep casters between sessions, they are incredibly easy to keep and the ones am I using today have been kept in my fridge for almost 6 weeks! To store them, all I do at the end of a session, is riddle the casters to dry using a riddle and then empty them into a bottle or sealed container. As long as there is no air in the bottle or container, the casters will not turn and keep their colour, ready for your next session.
When fishing shallow with casters, you will not need to fish over 30 inches in depth, and I have 3 rigs to cover everything I need. The first is for fishing really shallow in depths less than 12 inches, and this uses a 0.2g Matrix Dibber Pole Float with a small bulk of 3 no.10 shot, a 4 inch hooklink to a size 16 eyed hook, with a super soft bait band. This band is important as it will prevent the caster from popping once in the band.
My second rig, is for any depths from 12 to 30 inches, and for this I prefer a bristled float such as the Matrix F1 Shallow Pole Float, as it allows me to read bites easier. My last rig, and my favourite uses a jigger float, this allows me to fish multiple depths, but most importantly keep the line tight at all times, with the bites being so positive that the elastic will stream straight out of the pole.
Elastic choice for shallow fishing is another important factor, as you need something soft that will let the fish swim out of the swim once hooked, but strong enough to quickly land fish at the net. My favourite elastic for this is the Matrix Slik in a 12-14 size threaded through a short kit.
As you can see from my rig choice, I like to cover my options in terms of depth, as to make the most of this method you need to be fishing the right depth at the right time, because I have lost count the amount of times I have been struggling for bites before changing depth and I have started catching a fish a chuck.
I normally like to start on my shallowest rig, and if I am not getting bites on this will drop onto my deeper rig, and keep changing the depth until I start getting and connecting with bites. If I start missing several bites on any rig, it is an indication to start fishing shallower or to give the jigger a go!
One of the biggest edges to make the most of fishing shallow with casters is to use backshot on your rig. Today, I have got 2 no.8 shot between my pole tip and float and the purpose of these shot is to keep you in contact as much as possible with your float, as the lash between pole tip and float is straight at all times.
This will lead you to hit more bites, with many fish hooking themselves, especially with f1s where the bites are incredibly fast and if you are fishing a longer line with no back shot, you will struggle to hit most bites.
Even when the fish are feeding incredibly aggresively, there are ways you can get bites even faster and this tactic will reward the angler who is constantly busy throughout a session.
My favourite ways of triggering a bite are to slap my rig in a windmill motion onto the water 2-3 times before letting my rig settle. Every time, I slap my rig, there are 3 plops, the first the float, the second my bulk and lastly the caster. This mimics the sound of bait hitting the water drawing fish in, with only your hookbait for them to eat. If this does not work, I will then lift and drop my float in a jigging motion, with several fish snatching at the bait, with that extra bit of movement being too much for them to resist!
On some occasions, the biggest advantage of fishing casters can be its biggest weakness, especially on venues with loads of nuisance fish such as roach and rudd, which make fishing casters on the band almost impossible.
In these situations, I always carry some 4 & 6mm red pellets with me as they look really similar to a caster and will give me a durable hookbait that the roach and rudd will struggle to eat, leaving my bait in prime position for any carp or f1s in the swim.
Todays session has been perfect for showing how devestating this method is, as after building the swim for around 10 minutes before starting, the fishing has been hectic from start to finish. By using all the tips and tricks outlined in this blog, I have been able to have a great days fishing and miss minimal bites with most bites simply pulling the elastic straight from the pole tip!
Hopefully, I have shown you that if you want to win matches at this time of year that this tactic cannot simply be ignored and whether you are targeting a large open water lake packed with carp, or a small snake lake fishing for f1s, this tactic is what you need to be fishing! So, give it a go on your local venue and see how good this method can be for yourself!