ASK THE EXPERTS
Dear Iain Macmillan,
I have recently started fishing a local pit, and have found some huge gravelly bars and plateaux out in the middle at about 100yds. The best place to cast to is just beyond them, but whenever I hook a fish it cuts me up on the bar. I have tried using longer leadcore but it reduces my cast too much. Can you give any advice on how to overcome my problem and land some of these elusive carp?
Thanks very much,
Jack Hamper.
Dear Jack,
You are very much correct in the fact that ONE of the best places to present a bait is just over the back of the bar you mention, but don’t get blinkered into thinking that this is the only place you’ll get a bite from. I’ll go onto my advice about leaders shortly, but you didn’t say how wide these bars are. I only ask because if the slope at the back of the bar is 100yds, then it may be a better option for you to fish on the slope, or at the bottom of the shelf at the front of the bar, that way you’re going to get a much better line lay, and you’ll totally alleviate the problem of being cut off.
The main feature in Pit 3 is this carp magnet of a gravel bar. As you can see, there's more of said bar out of the water, than in it!!
I’m adopting this method of angling down on Frimley Pit 3. There’s a huge great gravel bar that runs for around 70yds in length. A lot of it is actually exposed in places, but due to the fact that there are posts in place to stop anglers casting over the back of the bar, the only option is to fish the slope on the front, or the bottom of the shelf. What I’m trying to get across to you here, Jack, is that I’ve had a shedload of carp from the front of the bar at Frimley, so I can’t see why you can’t do the same, and I would suggest that if you’re catching well from over the back, then try one rod on the front, it may just do you a few bonus bites.
In my opinion one of the best shockleader materials on the market; it's both tough, and very abrasion-resistant.
Moving onto leaders, what you need is some form of shockleader tied to your main line. This has to be a minimum of 30lb breaking strain, but ideally, as a guide if you’re fishing with a 4oz lead, you need to use a shockleader of 40lb, (5oz = 50lb, and so on). The shockleader is obviously used to take the brunt of the force whilst giving it the big cast, but in your case it will be perfect for keeping you in contact with the fish after the initial bite. Due to the make-up of the heavy-duty leader material, any sharp gravel or mussels and suchlike, will not result in the main line being cut because the leader will be taking all the punishment.
There are loads of different types of leader material available, but the one I always plump for is Arma-Kord from Korda. It comes in both 30lb and 50lb. I’ve never found it necessary to use the 50lb as the 30lb has always served me well, and has never let me down. My chosen knot is the back-to-back 4-turn Grinner, which is very easy to tie, and also, once bedded down, leaves you with a lovely small and neat knot which flies through the rings with ease – and, again, as a guide you’ll need around three turns on your reel with the material just to be on the safe side during the cast.
This Frimley peach of a mirror was nailed from the front of the bar at the bottom of the shelf, a perfect place to present a bait.
Many thanks for the question Jack, and by the sounds of what you tell me about the bar, and its location, you’re hitting the 100yd cast, which is a feat in itself, and your feature-finding is all tip-top, so with the addition of the shockleaders, you should be well on your way to actually banking all the carp you are hooking.
Good luck Jack, and be lucky,
Iain Macmillan 
