cattos - Talk Angling fishing chat and tackle advice

cattos · 19th September 2006, 06:43 PM

hi just joined the site looking for information on paste fishing ie which floats to use and shotting patterns just got hold of some drennan size 7 do we string the shot like normal pole fishing or is their a certain pattern works best and is it best to keep paste on the deck
thanks

polepot · 19th September 2006, 08:25 PM

A lot of folk use the paste to cock the float, no weight at all, if the paste comes off the float comes up

Oneabung · 20th September 2006, 09:36 AM

Geezzusss thats a complicated question!

Everyone has a view on this ... personally I think paste fishing is more about finding the correct place to fish it in your peg. I prefer to fish it on a slope then you can let the paste go in to the deeper bit of the peg and ease it up the slope till the float is sitting perfectly.

My personal choice for shotting is to put a bulk just over half way down the rig and the size of the bulk is dependant on the size of paste I am fishing - you have to play around with it to get it right - perhaps just start with say a 0.5grm float with four No 9 shot as a bulk and go from there - the best advice is to go to a venue where you know there are plenty of carp to be caught and go and practice - sometimes the most satisfying part of fishing is working this stuff out - as I say I'm sure many people fish the paste differently and different methods work better from one venue to another - just dont start off trying to fish it too far out otherwise you will be pulling your hair out!

fred · 20th September 2006, 05:05 PM

Paste fishing is a matter of confidence. As there are lots of different types of paste, methods for fishing it and types of float you need to try things out.
Most but not all my paste fishing is done on the inside. I only fish it over depth, usually 6inches, sometimes up to a foot over. I put no weight down the line if I'm fishing close in as you don't need it. Also as there are no weights on the line it brushes out of the way of the carp mooching around and stops the foul hookers. You'll never stop all of them but it helps to elimate a lot of them. If your fishing in shallow water on the inside lay the float in the water so that the bait is further out from the bank than the float. The carp then pull it into the deeper water when hooked. If you keep the line between the pole and float as tight as possible the carp will mostly hook themselves.
If your fishing deep water say at 10 - 13metres then use an electrical tie around the top sections to hold the paste. You won't be able to swing it out as it will drop off. When your out far enough just twist the pole and it will drop into the water. Don't wave the pole about and move the float as this will drag the paste off the hook. Make up different pastes, soft, medium and hard and see how they work. Put some down in front of you to see how long they take to break down as this will give you an idea of how long they stay on the hook. Some people fish a very soft paste and you will need a cut down kinder pot if you try this method so you can tip it into the swim. Try fishing it dead depth to see if this works better for you. I also find that you don't need a big heavy float. I use a 4 x 10 carp float for deep water work.
My best paste mix is simple. Get some halibut pellets, fill up a 2 pint bait box and cover with boiling water. put the lid on and leave till you want to use them. Put the soft pellets in a plastic bag and nead into a paste. Add more water if necessary. Use a big lump of paste at least as big as a 10p piece.
Another tip don't use too big a hook.
If you can find someone who fishes paste go and watch them.

Good luck with it as it can be very successful but also murder when it keeps falling off!!!!