Fishing The Top Kit Line - The EDGE You’re Missing - Match Masterclass

At first, it feels completely wrong fishing this close and it's definitely only the right tactic if you are feeling confident enough to do it. Years ago, most anglers would instinctively ship out long to catch fish as the angling pressure on commercial venues had always driven the fish into the centre of the lake. Modern commercials are packed with carp and F1s that are far more comfortable with people, nets and noise than they have ever been before. Fish are now drawn close to the bank as they compete for food and this means that fishing the margins are often the best places to catch them.

A massive part of success when fishing the top kit line is finding the correct depth. When I am fishing the top kit I use multiple short lines around the peg to work out exactly where the fish are sitting in the water. Sometimes they want that slightly deeper water just off the slope, while later in the day they can push right into the margin where the sun warms up the water the most. By understanding how depth changes around the peg, you can quickly stay on the fish and keep bites coming consistently throughout the session.

Bait choice is another huge factor, and throughout the session I compare maggots and pellets to see which produces the best response. Maggots provide loads of attraction and are a brilliant starting bait, but pellets soon started producing cleaner bites and slightly bigger fish so after a short trial period between a maggot line and a pellet one I changed all my lines over to pellets. As always with these baits I add a bit of extra attraction using Dynamite’s Shake and Catch on the maggots and their Tiger Nut Oil to the pellets. 

Resting lines for short periods helps improve bite times and avoids too many foul hooks or missed indications. It’s a simple adjustment that can make a massive difference over the course of a session or match. So rather than sitting on one line waiting for bites to dry up, I regularly rotate between multiple short lines to keep the fish settled and feeding confidently. You don't need to move far, in this session my two deeper lines were literally just one meter apart from one another, but even that tiny change can make all the difference.

The rig I use is very similar to most of my pole rigs but with a few tweaks specifically for top kit only fishing. The first change I would advise you to make is to use a slightly lighter elastic than you usually would for any given scenario. This enables the fish that you hook close in are able to swim away from the area where you hook them and you are then not fighting and landing fish directly on top of your baited area. 

Then I use my usual single backshot to keep the rig stable, below that I use a stubby slim 0.2 from Matrix and then my standard shooting pattern of a spread out bulk to give a slow fall in the last foot or so. Finally I use the ready tied hookings from Matrix, they’re the 4inch size 16 MXC3. 

Throughout this session, the action was really hectic, with plenty of carp, F1s, and even a bonus tench, showing just how effective fishing short can really be.
Whether you're fishing matches or simply looking to catch more fish on commercials, this is a tactic that can seriously improve your results so I urge you to give it a go!

Check out the full video to see everything in action, and don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more Match Masterclass episodes coming soon!