Pop-Up buoyancy, Braided Mainline, and a new Approach

5th.July 2020

Braided Mainline

For some time I've been unhappy with the mainlines I use, fishing for the Carp on Pollard. For a start, there are so many Zebra Mussels, I have been warned by more than one member they can result in cut-offs. Braided mainline offers some insurance against this possibility. There are also added advantages in terms of minimal stretch, bite indication, and casting ability to throw into the mix too.

After a lot of research, I chose Gardener Hydro-Sink in 22lbs. BS and bought a 600m spool (£60 from eBay). I wanted to make its use as economical as possible in addition to spooling it up properly to eliminate the wind knots I suffered on previous experiences with braided mainlines.

600m theoretically enables 4 x 150m spool-ups which seems to me to be about the right amount to take account of my longest cast, a running fish, and line being taken during the fight. The aim was to load the spool with just a 2mm. gap from the line to the rim. This would help to eliminate those knots.

The plan was to strip off the existing mono to achieve the gap. Measure out 150m on the Distance Sticks, and cut the mono. 37.5 wraps of the braid would then be measured on the sticks and this would be joined to whatever was left of any mono still on the spool. As it turned out, By stripping off all the mono, measuring 150m of braid and joining it with an Arbour Knot to the spool, I ended up with exactly the right amount. This on my Daiwa Crosscast 5000 QC reels which have shallow spools.

Now this line is described as only 4% stretch which is virtually nothing, so bite indication should be good although pull-outs with the fish near the bank is a risk. The line has Kevlar in its construction which not only adds weight it also confers abrasion resistance against the mussels. Kevlar is the stuff they make body armour out of. So I now have this on all three reels.

A New Approach

The conversation I had with Paul Forward on my latest session largely confirmed what I already knew - that Zigs are the way to go on Pollard because of the deep water.

Paul described catching Carp on Pollard as a 3-D problem. Pollard is a long lake so the fish could be anywhere along its length (and often are!) So peg choice is critical. There is also the issue of how many wraps to fish. The further out you fish, the deeper the water and this can be anything from six or seven feet in the margins, to nearly twenty-five to thirty feet in the middle at the deep end.

My own observations inform me that in the warmer months the fish tend to 'show' near the bank in the middle pegs. Recent experiences suggest this may be due to the presence of Eel Grass in which dwell much of the natural food on which the Carp feed. This Eel Grass is present out to about six wraps or so where it is absent as the water goes deeper. The plan is to fish at 6, 7, and 8 wraps, at varying depths, changing the depth on an adjustable zig every couple of hours or so.

In order to keep track of which rods are fishing where and at what depth I've worked out a notation which I can make a note of on my 'phone so I know exactly where I am at any one time. It goes something like this:

P38-L-W8-D6

This notation means:

P38 - The peg number

L - The left-hand rod (C and R for Centre and Right).

W8 - @ 8 wraps

D6 - fishing 6 feet down from the surface.

Pop-Up Buoyancy

Since Zig fishing with a pop-up involves the use of very buoyant baits I wanted to conduct tests to determine what the best bait to use would be. I had a rake around in the garage and managed to find several candidates which might suit:

• Essential Cell 15mm.
• NS1 14mm.
• Cell Fluoro 14mm.
• Manilla Yellow Ones 16mm.
• Cell 15mm.
• The Krill White Ones 16mm.
• Scent from Heaven 14mm.

The test involved rigging each bait on a size six Korda Mixa hook and seeing how many Number 4 split-shot it would take to sink it. These rigs would be left in a bucket for up to 24 hrs. to see if there was any change in buoyancy. Obviously, if the damn things can't sit up out in the lake they're as much use as a chocolate fireguard!

Each rig was exactly the same as I intend to use in the fishing situation:

I checked each rig after 8, 19, and 24 hrs. and recorded the results:

• Essential Cell 15mm.................. 3 x No. 4s
• NS1 14mm..................................5 x No. 4s
• Cell Fluoro 14mm.......................3 x No. 4s
• Manilla Yellow Ones 16mm.......4 x No. 4s
• Cell 15mm..................................3 x No. 4s
• The Krill White Ones 16mm......2 x No. 4s
• Scent from Heaven 14mm..........5 x No. 4s

After this initial assessment, I decided to only evaluate the NS1 and Scent from Heaven pop-ups. It has to be said that some of the other baits were rather old and may not have been at their best, which may have skewed the results somewhat. It's what I found anyway.

After 8 hours both the NS1 and Scent from Heaven still needed 5 shots to sink them.

After 19 hours, both had absorbed water and only needed 4 shots to sink them.

After 24 hours, both still only needed 4 shots to sink them. I decided that either would be suitable for my zigging.