I think most people have a 5-6 metre line, sometimes that’s the bottom of the first shelf but in most cases not. It’s far enough away from your margin swim as well as your long lines, the longer the day goes they normally come closer so if bites dry up on your 5 metre line they have probably come to the bottom of the first shelf OR gone back off the feed, just don’t be feeding past it as they will keep backing off

for some it means as far as you can loosefeed accurately by hand. 😎 😎

I would think by saying ‘five sections’, they mean they’re holding the number 5 section, regardless of what the top kit arrangement is.

Gazer,

I recently experienced this at Woodlands, Thirsk, where I was asking the same question as you have asked and got several different answers.

I have found that plumbing up until you find that first shelf and fishing directly over it will pay dividends as I believe the fish lie around this shelf as it is a natural holding place for food.

Just my personal thoughts.

DG

@gazer wrote:

not a total numty then 🙂 three replys and three different answers its not just me that thinks its not as straightforward as reports seem

No not a numpty at all because first of all you need to know the venue and the profile of the bottom,
Some have canal type shelves some have slopes down to a level bottom.
my local venue has slopes down to a level bottom and if this is the type of venue that you fish I would agree with loda and fish a distance that you can feed by hand accurately.
The debate over how many sections can be a bit off putting but as a general rule a power top 2 is the same length as a match top 3 which would be around 2.6mtrs my sections are around 1.5mtrs and my short line would be number 4 and 5 so that would give me 5.5 ish mtrs.
I would plumb up with 1/2 a section behind me and feed to this line this then gives the option to go past your feed a catch the big fish that sit back and pick up the feed that has drifted down the shelf.

kerryd 😀 😀 😀