bomb and maggot whats the secret ?

[TF_AnthonywatersParticipant]

Deadly winter tactic where I’m fishing at the moment yet all I seem to get is liners, I’ve got fish in front of me I can catch on the pole but what am I doing wrong with my bomb set up which comprises of 6lb Diawa St mainline 0.12 silstar hooklength with a 18 b911, I don’t fish a tight line and I have the hook length around 12 inches fixed with a micro swivel so the rig is tangle/twist free I’m also using bombs as small as 7g bomb to keep noise to a minimum my set up seems tidy enough and I’m only on about fishing 14 . 16 m out I know I can get em on the pole but should they back off as they do or get spooked with the pole I need to nick a couple on the bomb thanks Anthony

[TF_stevied]

my good man, have you tried changing the side you strike?
it my seem wrong, even daft but striking the wrong way has worked for me in the past.
good look hope you sort it out soon.

[TF_david07]

Hi mate, a couple of things spring to mind about bomb and maggot for ANY species.

Firstly, it’s a light bait and in clear water especially, fish will watch it all the way to the bottom so i would definitely try longer hooklinks. It’s not like fishing a feeder where you use a shorter hooklink to keep the bait nearer the feed. I probably wouldn’t go less than 18 inches and would certainly try longer 3ft or more on occasions.

Second, why fish 6lb sensor to such a light hooklink 3 or 4 pound max I would have thought?

Just my thoughts 🙂

[TF_AnthonywatersParticipant]

appreciate any comments given lads fact is that tips not going round with a fish on when other peoples tips are going round with fish on, 6lb mainline stems from I haven’t scaled down from summer laziness really what’s a good low diameter 3lb reel line to use also should I be striking at indications I wait for the tip to pull right round am I missing out on fish ?thanks Ant

[TF_cormorant]

anthonywaters,
you do not say what species and weights you are after.
if you are after silvers -skimmers, roach etc- then as advised above go down to 3 – 4 pound maxima with a long 2 to 3 feet hooklength especially if the depth is over 5 feet.
do you use a pva tea-bag set up or plain maggots -on-the-are they deads or alive? whichever, then try the other method and see if you get an improvement.
good luck,
cormorant

[TF_Tommo]

Anthonywaters, I’m no expert at this method, but a couple of things spring to mind if you are targetting carp.

If you’re getting liners it could be for a couple of reasons as follows:

1. Fish are actually closer to you and you’re casting past them so try chucking shorter or,

2. Fish are up in the water. In this situation I would chuck a waggler over the top and fish from third depth down searching the water column. Alternatively if you insist fishing the bomb then as has been previously suggested fish with a longer tail of 3 foot or more, but also try a floating maggot or two (if allowed) to have a very slow fall through the water column.

Hope that helps!

[Anonymous]

Shorten the hook length to as short as 4 inches. This depends on if the fish are backing off the bomb or not. Think of the way the method feeder works. Use a tight line to the bomb or use a fixed rig and definately use a bigger bomb. Your casting out and sitting on your hands for at least 15 minutes between casts unless your getting proper bites (15 minutes X 5 hours = 20 fish. Match won!). At the moment. Your allowing the carp to pick up your maggot hook bait but your not getting a bolt rig effect. The fish are simple rejecting the hook bait before the bite develops enough for you to pick up your rod. Your probably getting bites but your only reading them as line bites. However, be very careful in attempting to lift the rod to connect with these indications before the rod tip goes around properly. If your getting loads of line bites. Fish closer. No point in fishing at 14 meters if the fish are sat at 6 meters! Agreed about using 3lb reel line but this should have very little difference in how your bites are developing.

[TF_AnthonywatersParticipant]

Thanks for the replies plenty to think about here some good posts.

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