Big problem with foul hooking!

[Mr Maver Man]

Hi all,

I fished a match today on Wood Lake at Colemans Cottage. I did OK on the day with 89lb of mostly decent sized carp. The problem was I must have lost at least as much again from fish that were probably foul hooked!

I was fishing at 14.5 metres to a small sedge type tuft and I had about 2' 6" of water close to this. I fished a 6mm expander straight on the hook, hard on the bottom as I was maybe 1" overdepth. I constantly had indications on the float and lots of sail away bites but far too many of them were foul hookers which eventually came off. One of my team mates suggested that I should have hair-rigged the pellet and this wouldn't have happened but it seems to me that I would be more likely to accidentally hook a fish if the hook was exposed on a hair rig!

If I could have turned even half the foul hookers into a landed fish i would have won the match as it was won with 121lb. Any suggestions as to what I might be doing wrong, or what I could change next time.

Graham

[cartersdad]

Hi Graham, It sounds like the fish were shallow not on the deck. Or that the fish were moving around the sedge patrolling the island/bank, the sail away bites will have been liners caused from the fishes movement. I would have shallowed up at 4-6" at a time until the liners stopped and then worked back down at 1" a time until i started getting bites. Or feed more to try and force them down onto the deck but that could have its downsides as well.

[Brian G]

Did you try coming up in the water as it seems that was maybe where the fish that you foul hooked were given the recent good weather we have been having, or you had far to many fish in your peg. Did you try fishing a metre or so away from the area you were catching from, there by taking fish from the edge of the shoal. Did you try altering your feeding pattern, what and how were you feeding, if it was micros maybe try upping the feed to 6mm pellet or even dumping a pot of corn.

[Mr Maver Man]

Hi Graham, It sounds like the fish were shallow not on the deck. Or that the fish were moving around the sedge patrolling the island/bank, the sail away bites will have been liners caused from the fishes movement. I would have shallowed up at 4-6" at a time until the liners stopped and then worked back down at 1" a time until i started getting bites. Or feed more to try and force them down onto the deck but that could have its downsides as well.

I forgot to mention that I did try going shallow but got nothing at all. I did feed quite heavily as well but I think it made things worse! I think that maybe I shallowed up too much in one go and maybe if I had done what you said and just gone up a few inches at a time it might have worked better. Something to try next time!

[BIG COL]

If you were fishing tight to the tufts & having loads of foul hookers then the Best way is fish a section or even 1/2 a section shorter!!
You will find you hook loads more as the fish will be @ that level even though you are abot 10" off Bottom!!
Thought all the Locals knew that & would have told you .

[andrew65]

feed less and more precise is worth having a look at.....Cup all and very little..........Go well over depth and give them time i have found all to work for me in the past!!

[kkingfishers]

To many fish in the peg its not just a carp thing i get it with roach up in the water if i get 1 in 10 iam doing well.

[Mr Maver Man]

If you were fishing tight to the tufts & having loads of foul hookers then the Best way is fish a section or even 1/2 a section shorter!!
You will find you hook loads more as the fish will be @ that level even though you are abot 10" off Bottom!!
Thought all the Locals knew that & would have told you .

Good advice this. Thanks for that. Unfortunately none of the locals were there as this wasn't one of their opens it was a Police pairs match, but all the above advice makes good sense and are things to try next time. Thanks all. Graham

[Frisky Fish]

Could of been one of those days where you just had too many fish in your peg. Try feeding 2 lines, feed one then go in on the other. hook a couple of fish feed and have a drop in on the the other line and visa versa.