If I was fishing the pellet then I would try to avoid fishing overdepth at all. If there is a tow on the water: Set the rig so that the pellet just rests on the bottom and hold the pole still.

As an interesting thought: While practacing for the Supercup at Barston about three or four years ago, I hadn’t had a skimmer for about an our and was just catching roach on the pole.

I then chucked a cage feeder on my pole line and had a run of skimmers.

As I was next peg to Simon Enticott who also hadn’t had a skimmer for over an hour, I got him to hold his pole over his 13 metre line and dropped the feeder in there for 5 in 5 puts!

Interesting…. always used to fish for skimmers by laying line on the deck pre pellet days so it makes me wonder if it is just an angling “fashion” to fish dead depth.
I can see it’s important for F1s but maybe we are missing a trick when the skimmers move in.

Firstly, HITL was not designed for fishing over depth. The rig was in fact designed for fishing up in the water. However, it was then found that the rig was perfect for showing bites from F1s and skimmers in particular on or near the deck. Double bulking is basically the same as HITL. The difference being that the hook can turn on the loop and potentially allow the fish take the bait better before lifting in to the bite. Both rigs can be used in the same ways. On or off the deck!

Your correct Rutilus. We use to lay on when targeting skimmers and bream. I believe it was because we where attempting to reduce line bites/foul hooking and spooking the shoal. By laying on. It gave the fish time to take the hook bait fully and reduced liners and foul hookers in the process.

In the days before pellets and commercials. Skimmers and bream where generally the bonus fish and we did not need many of them to win a match. It was all about reducing mistakes if we where lucky to have these bonus fish in our peg. Much better to get 10 proper bites and land 10 skimmers than get several line bites and foul hook a fish. Then, the shoal moves off after being spooked.

On our commercials today. There is less chance of spooking the shoal simply because the competition for feed is much higher. If you spook the shoal. Its not long before the next shoal comes along and we are catching again. We are fishing for bigger weights of these fish than in the past. So, being more positive is part of the difference between now and then. However, if i was fishing a hard venue for the odd bonus skimmer. I would still lay on and make sure that every bite results in a fish in the net.

A double bulk like HITL offers ultra positive indication. Although filmed in the summer this video gives an insight as to just how positive the method is.

He’s fishing to hand.

Although John may not be a household name, he is one of the most consistent silvers anglers in the south west and has won more silver pool matches at Stafford Moor than anybody else.

The reason I posted the link is to show how positive the rig is. Too many people look at a double bulk rig and write it off as being unethical and against the grain of traditional ultra fine presentation when infact it is one of the most sensitive and effective rigs you will ever come across.

It’s by no means the be all and end all of presentation however it’s a rig that every angler should have in their armoury