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By Dave Wright

O’Sullivan, Pickering and Rig…  what are we babbling on about? Famous Ronnies of course! And that is exactly what we are talking about today.  Just to kick off the Ronnie knowledge, Mr Pickering, star of such internet phenomena’s as ‘DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM!?” is actually a keen carp angler, although he is not the inventor of the rig we are going to talk about today.

The Ronnie Rig itself has jumped to popularity in recent years, with dozens of different variations to cover different situations, all based around the concept of attaching the hook via a quick change swivel giving all the benefits of a ‘360’ rig, i.e loads of movement but without the potential mouth damage associated with that rig in the past.

It was during a chance conversation with #TeamFin’s Dave Wright whilst fishing at the stunning Virginia Water lake nestled in stunning Windsor Great Park, that we got him to give us a run down of exactly what he has been doing with the rig…

Virginia Water is absolutely stunning!

Spotted Fin: So first off we can’t go any further without commenting on the size of your putty… It’s huge! What’s the thinking behind this?

Dave Wright: Your right mate and its not just me sticking a lump on and hoping for the best, its evolved as the use of the rig has increased in my fishing. For me I have found that by placing a large amount of putty on the rig (within reason) it really helps set the hook on the pickup, before the fish come into contact with the full weight of the lead.

Bigger is better in Dave’s opinion!

I used to use just enough to slowly sink the bait but as time has gone on I found that the bigger the size of putty I use, the less fish I lost and the hook holds tend to be mid bottom lip and nailed, so I continue to do it this way. 

SF: So next up is the hooklength choice, generally people are opting for a really stiff material to act as a boom section, what is the thinking behind going for an uncoated braid?

DW: As with all rigs its rare to be able to take it straight out the box and it works with no tweaks! The other lake I fish a lot is very weedy so by having the boom section soft it lets the lead drop through, and the bait comes to rest on top of the weed and not pulled through into it.

Fooled using the supple Ronnie variation…

Here on Virginia water it’s a big old estate lake so the bottom is very soft silt or sand, rather than the weed problem like on my syndicate lake. So by using a soft boom section it allows the lead, that due to the size of this lake and distances needed to be cast I use a 4 or 4.5oz lead, the ability to sink into the lake bottom and not leave the rig sticking up in an unnatural way that would happen with a stiff boom section. By using a soft material, the lead can dig in and the hook will still gently come to rest on the bottom and not be left poking up in the air 2 or 3 inches off the bottom.

SF: Is that the thinking behind fishing it on a helicopter set up rather than a lead clip?

DW: Yes! I have a lead around and feel the lead down to see how soft the bottom is on my chosen area. The less of a thud I get the softer the bottom must be, so I move the top rubber bead on my heli-leader up so that the rig can travel, then come to rest sitting just right on my chosen spot. For me the things that make the difference in your catches are the attention to detail, the rods and reels may get you to your spot but if its not right on the bottom you reduce you chance of a pick-up, and the number of fish on the bank.

By combining a supple rig and helicopter set up Dave can fish confidently over soft bottoms.

SF: Finally, give us the run-down of what you are trying to achieve feed wise, are you fishing it over a tight baited area or something a bit more spread out?

DW: It’s a big lake! The fish move around looking for natural food as fishing on here has only recently become a regular thing, the fish aren’t tuned into just anglers bait so I like to scatter 15 and 18mm baits over a large area, then fish two or sometimes three rods in that location. I want the fish to pick up a free bait eat it and want to find more, I find that the takes then are more aggressive as the fish has no idea it has just picked up a hook bait and swims off to find the next one.

Catalyst Pop-Ups… Naturally!

I will generally use a Catalyst Natural Pop-Up as my hook bait so it matches the free offerings exactly once they have washed out after an hour or two, by being a pop up it will suck up and into the carps mouth that bit easier and then the rig comes into play. I do sometimes fish a washed out pink or yellow, but I tend to do this when I’m doing over-nighter after a quick bite or when the water is murky due to rain to help my chances of a pick-up.

Dave Wright Uses…

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By Matt Bingham

A single hookbait can sometimes fail to attract the stamp of fish you crave and the obvious alteration is to double or triple it. Maggots, casters and corn are regularly used in twos and threes on the hook and there is no question they can be the solution to getting amongst the bigger lumps lurking beneath the surface. But for some unbeknown reason pellets are never given the same treatment.

A single expander will catch stacks of fish but when the going gets tough it is rare to see anyone adding a couple more to the hook. Instead, they turn to a completely different bait rather than stick to the tried and tested with a tweak. I say nobody uses multiple pellets as a hookbait but that isn’t strictly true. Matt Bingham has caught hundreds of big fish using the approach and is adamant anglers are missing out.

“The fish in commercials have seen almost every trick in the book but this is something that is never used and has the ability to fool those big wary F1s and carp when all else fails,” explained Matt.

“Everybody knows how much difference switching to more maggots or grains of corn on the hook can make and I’d say that doing the same with pellets is even more deadly.”

Pellet Pulling Power

When you consider that literally thousands of pints of pellets are introduced into commercial waters every month, it is no wonder the fish see them as their number one food source. They are likely to get you bites from the off but as with any bait or tactic, you often need to make amendments as the hours pass to keep the bites coming at the same hectic pace. When the fish smell a rat and back off, it is time for Matt to triple up.

“I will always start the session on a single expander pellet and you should catch a few fish before they start to wise up.
Although the amount of bites will reduce, the chances are there will still be lots of fish in the area, they’ve just worked out what to avoid when feeding over a bed of bait.”

Using the right type of pellets and hook size is also very important if you want this tactic to succeed. When fishing for F1s at his favourite venue Tunnel Barn Farm, he will use a trio of 3mm expanders on a size 16 hook.

Three expanders on the hook can bring you those bonus bites…

“It is important that you don’t cover the point of the hook or you will miss lots of bites because it won’t penetrate the mouth of a fish. I slide one expander half way up the shank, the second on the back of the bend and the final one at the front of the bend. This leaves the point showing and means fewer bites are missed.”

Focus On Feeding

Although you may have now found a hookbait that is attracting more bites, all of your good work can be undone if you feed the swim incorrectly.

“What, how much and when you feed will have a huge impact on the amount of fish that go in the net and I have four different styles of baiting up to suit what is happening on the day.

Getting the feeding right is essential!

Loose Pellets – “I always start the session introducing a small cupful of loose micro pellets after every fish. I will keep doing this if I am getting regular bites and not foul hooking fish.”

The 50/50 – “If the number of fish in the swim reduces then I will half the amount of micro pellets and add a small nugget of Milled Expander groundbait. This cuts the food content and gives the fish less choice of what to eat when they come back.

Groundbait Nugget – “If 50/50 hasn’t worked it is time to cut out the pellets altogether and add a slightly bigger nugget of groundbait. This will have lots of attraction but the only food in the peg will be your hookbait, forcing any fish that turn up to eat it.”

Pellet Balls – “Foul-hooking can be a nightmare when too many fish come in your swim. When this happens, fish will rise up in the water – even in the margins – to intercept food first and this causes line bites. In order to get all your bait to the bottom, form a ball of dampened micro pellets so it sinks to the deck and takes the fish with it.”

Tunnel Barn Tactics

New Pool at Warwickshire’s Tunnel Barn Farm is home to a big head of F1s that range from a few ounces to 5lb. It is these bigger fish that seem to go ‘missing’ at times but Matt believes it is just the fact they are cautious of clumsy rigs. Plumbing up down the margins, he found just under 2ft of water and lowered in his rig and a single expander pellet hookbait before trickling a few micros over the top.

Around 10-minutes later the float dipped and a 1lb fish was banked. That was repeated around 10 times on the bounce with similar stamp fish before the action died. The feed was cut back and a double expander hookbait came into play. The fish certainly hadn’t disappeared and the bites resumed almost instantly.

Keep changing and keep catching…

“It just goes to show the fish wise up to the same hookbaits and loosefeed. It’s important to keep changing as the day goes on.”

Another lull led to a switch to three on the hook and the elastic was out again shortly afterwards although this time around 6ft of blue Preston Innovations 9H was out.

“This is a much better stamp,” predicted Matt. And that turned out to be bang on, with a 4lb chunk added to the net.

Switching how he fed the swim and how many pellets were on the hook kept the fish coming but it was blatantly clear that the bigger samples all fell to either double or triple expanders. Adding a couple of extra pellets might seem like a minor change but it can have a very big effect on your results.

Plenty of these for Matt throughout the session!

Matt Uses…

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By Simon Willsmore

Over the past couple of years, feeder fishing has undergone a massive boom in the UK, as a results natural venues are seeing huge turn outs in open matches. But with a renewed interest in feeder fishing, more anglers are tapping into the bream fishing potential of carp venues. With the bream stocks growing large on the boilie and pellet based diet served by the carpers, there are huge match weights to be had.

One such venue is the stunning Albans lake, which recently has been hosting sell out open matches being won with near 100lb bags of bream. We joined Spotted Fin’s resident bream expert, Simon Willsmore to find out exactly how he has been getting the best on these sorts of venues…

“One of the styles of fishing I really enjoy is deep water feeder fishing for bream, it’s not something I get the opportunity to do that often, especially in the UK, but Albans is one of the exceptions and I’m lucky enough to have it almost on my doorstep.

Being up to 20ft deep and stuffed with big bream, this venue offers massive bream potential, but does require some thought to get the most from it. Contrary to popular belief, bream spend the majority of their time off bottom and although they maybe in your peg and you maybe getting liners they can be very difficult to catch.”

Mix It Up

I’ve played about with mixes for venues like this, due to the fact that they have seen a lot of boilies and pellets over the years I’ve tweaked a few things and finally settled on equal parts of the GO2 Sweet Super Blend and Carp Super Blend. This is a quite a fine, inert mix but at the same time quite pungent and packed full of fishmeals. To finish it off I like to add a good ‘dollop’ of the Catalyst Food Dip (from the carp side of the company), this really gives it an extra kick, which the bream on these ‘carpy’ venues are really tuned into.

Sweet and Carp Super Blend mixed 50/50…

I mix this with some softened micros and pinkies through the feeder, then couple this with bunches of pinkies or maggots on the hook.
I’ve always found that worms are a bit of a strange one early in the year, often they can be the kiss of death so it always pays to go cautiously if you are going to use them. If you do find that it slows up once you introduce some worms through the feeder then don’t be afraid to re-clip a couple of meters further out and cut them out all together.

Feeder Choices

It really pays to swap about with feeder choice during the session, especially when faced with a deeper water like we are today. Although I carry a few variations of each you can split them down into two distinct categories.

First up is the traditional cage feeder, which is generally my starting point, as it will release a cloud of bait as it falls which helps to draw bream into the area.

Next up is the solid plastic style which is great when you are looking to force the fish down to the deck and maximise bites. I will swap and change during the day, when I start getting bites I’ll switch to the solid feeder, once it slows down get back onto the cage to try and draw them back in.

With both creating a different feeding situation I tend to vary the length of hooklength. For the cage feeder I keep it relatively long as you will get fish following it down, then with the solid feeder by shortening it up you tend to get more bites as they are attacking the feeder.

It pays to change during the session…

Tackling Up

For bite indication, you can’t beat braid, but on venues where you are likely to come across the odd carp you do need to weigh up the pros and cons. With the lack of stretch it is all too easy to get snapped up, especially using relatively light gear like we are today, I’ve opted for a Guru Feeder Special tied to 0.128mm Flourocarbon.

In my mind it is essential to couple this with a nice forgiving rod to cushion any lunges, so the Rive F6 11ft Feeder with it’s lovely soft action is perfect as I proved earlier landing a rogue 6lb carp with no issues!

A soft rod reduces fish losses…

Simon Uses…

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By Colin Scott

For me the number one factor in fishing is location, if you are not on fish, you simply cannot catch what is not in front of you. That said if you are lucky enough to get that dream draw in a match or the peg you really wanted on your chosen venue, the very next step is presentation, presenting a bait so that the carp can locate and feed is paramount!

You have done the homework in locating the fish now is the time to keep things simple and take your chance. Now do I go down the root of thrashing the water to a foam with a marker rod to find what I am trying to present over or do I play it safe?

I generally take the latter option of playing safe, and for me I have a presentation that can offer what I need in nearly all circumstances, and that presentation has to be the solid bag! I have ultimate confidence that the rig will always be presented and ready for that bite, whether that would be presented over low lying weed and debris or up to islands, the confidence knowing that I have a rig perfectly presented waiting for that bite is paramount.

The GO2 8mm Wafter make a great hookbait for solid bags.

Now people often associate solid bag fishing as a small fish tactic and this could not be further from the truth, I have caught fish to 32lb using this tactic and I have certainly lost count of how many fish the solid bag has actually caught me in my carp fishing. 

This particular rig was our main attack that helped myself and Andrew Mundy win the UK Carp Championships at the fabulous Farlows lake, we tempted 8 out of our 11 fish on the solid bag that weekend. When you recast to a showing fish with only 40 minutes to go in a major final, you certainly want to know that the rig is sitting pretty, that was proved by catching this lovely last gasp 19lb common carp to win us that title.

A last gasp common to clinch victory!

Now there are occasions when a solid is not the right presentation for the job in hand, and on this occasion I was catching far too many bream and skimmers on the open water swim, so a change was in order. Again thinking along the lines of presentation, making sure that rig can present, My choice was always going to be the ‘Combi Rig’.

The combi rig is a rig that comprises of stiff boom section that is attached loop to loop style to supple section of braided material, now the reason I have chosen the combi rig is again confidence that the rig will be presented.

I’m sure we have all been in the situation, turning up to a lake after work, rushing to get the rigs out in excitement and that big cast to your spot you felt the rig down with a donk, the confidence is high with fish showing over your baited spot and you are constantly getting liners, tucking yourself up in your sleeping bag in anticipation of that rod going into melt down but nothing happens. You question why, and it gets the better of you so you real in to find your rig is tangled, your heart sinks knowing you missed that golden feeding spell and that missed opportunity, and your head is spinning why oh why!

Colin has ultimate faith in the combi rig…

I have done it on more than one occasion back in the day, but not now! I have carried out so many tests with this combi rig and every single time the rig is presented. We’ve all seen the underwater footage of carp ejecting rigs out of their mouths, every time this happens it is another chance for the rig to become tangled. With a more supple hook length that thought sends shivers down my spine, but the stiffness of the boom on the combi rig means it will always reset itself back to the perfect position, this giving me ultimate confidence whilst I have my rig in the pond, I have a chance of the take because again the rig is presented.

Again the versatility of this rig is fantastic and it can be used over a spodded area, as a single hook bait or even over a spread of boilies, on this occasion a spread of 12mm and 15mm Catalyst boilies was the choice which got me them extra three bites to help make up that 11 fish 211lb 14oz tally.

Solid Bag Tips

  • Use small 2mm/4mm pellets in your mix to ensure you can compact the bag correctly, because air will get trapped between large particles.
  • A mixture of 2mm/4mm Smokey Jack pellets, 2mm/4mm Betafin, and 2mm/4mm Halibut pellets with a small amount of salmon fry crumb is my go to mix.
  • Add a small amount of groundbait to your bag mix, again this helps fill all those little gaps and makes the bag aerodynamic.
  • Use a small solid bag for normal circumstances, however if heavier weed is an issue, use a large solid bag, your bag will cover more surface area and allow the bag to sit on top of the weed.
  • Place the lead at the bottom of the bag, this allows the bag to flight straight on the cast, gaining them extra yards with greater accuracy
  • Inject some of your chosen “PVA FRIENDLY” liquid into the solid bag to give it that extra pulling power, my choice is the Finamino, it has a lovely sweet smell that is full of stimulants and attractants
Injecting Finamino into the bags gives them a real boost.

Colin Uses…

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By Dan White

Your face lights up as you spontaneously plan a trip to a prolific fishery that is showcased in a magazine only for your hopes to be dashed when you find out access is restricted.

Waters holding huge specimen fish are often the culprits for installing the ‘closed shop’ mentality but numerous commercials have also moved to reserve pools solely for match anglers.

In fairness to the owners of these venues, almost all of them make sure pleasure anglers have plenty of other options where the action is just as good but that won’t remove the feeling of discontent once you had set your eyes set on that particular lake.

Somerset’s Viaduct Fishery is made up of six beautifully landscaped waters, with Campbell Lake put aside just for competitions.

Viaduct was the venue

The 200lb plus carp hauls that are regularly flaunted in the headlines are what many anglers wish they could get a piece of but the lake has uncovered a very special secret that the management are allowing pleasure anglers to take advantage of for a limited period.

Garbolino and Spotted Fin’s Dan White enters numerous events on Campbell each year and while mirrors and commons make up the mainstay of the action, there is another species that makes a surprise yet very welcome appearance.

“You can be catching lots of carp and then all of a sudden the float will dip and a giant perch will be in the net minutes later,”explained Dan.

“Fish of 2lb are caught in most matches, 3lb plus specimens are not out of the question and the biggest ever landed was over 4lb!”

With fewer match bookings in the depths of winter, owner Steve Long has now temporarily opened the water up to budding perch anglers on week days when no competitions are taking place.

To celebrate the decision, Improve Your Coarse Fishing caught up with Dan to find out just how special the untapped perch fishing is.

Carp avoidance

Rectangular in shape, many of the pegs on Campbell have a very similar feel to them although there are a few that will probably catch your eye.

These likely looking spots are either located in the corners or have shrubbery protruding into the margins. There is all a large ‘spit’ on the far bank that pushes several metres into the water and it’s easy to see why you’d think large perch would linger close to the vegetation at the end of it.

But the best way to pick a peg is to look at the match results…and then head to the pegs where no fish are being caught!

“If you fish a peg that has lots of carp in it you won’t stand a chance of catching any perch as they will just get bullied out of the area.

“The perch tend to sit in areas where there are no carp so a peg that looks like a no hoper on paper will probably have stacks of potential for your target species.”

With most of the carp tightly shoaled at the end closest to the entrance, Dan deciding to get as far away from there as possible and headed to the final swim at the bottom end.

Weeds and branches congregated in the corner making it look ideal for predators but this spot would only come into play later in the day.

  • Add prawns and a glug of GO2 Liquid Red in the bag.
  • Blow in some air and give it a good shake
  • Leave for 15 mins,

Target zones

In many waters perch would permanently hug any overhanging cover but in Campbell Lake they have developed a completely different routine that is driven by the match anglers.

Find the perch in snags

“Most matchmen would start fishing either on a long pole or feeder and then work their way in as the day goes on, finishing in the margins late in the session.

“As a result, the perch have worked out they have to sit further out in the lake during the day if they want to feed and come in the margins from 2pm or so which is usually the final hour or two of a competition.”

Three lines would be attacked on the day – a maggot feeder, long pole and the margins – and Dan expected to taste action on at least one of them.

“You have to remember that it isn’t going to be a bite every chuck as there are maybe a couple of hundred big perch at best so you need to be patient and wait for them to turn up.”

A small maggot feeder packed with casters, maggots and small pieces of chopped prawn was launched out to the middle, the rod went on the rest and Dan sat back, almost certainly daydreaming about what he could add to the net in the coming hours.

Patience tested

Despite being confident that he could perform for the cameras, the early stages didn’t provide much encouragement, with the tip not even trembling in the first hour.

Chucking to a few different spots with half a prawn hookbait didn’t work and neither did switching to maggots or caster hookbaits.

Surely a change to the long pole that had been primed with a few freebies would kick-start things? Nope, not a sniff!

“It’s challenging today but when it is like this you just have to keep in mind that one bite can bring a very special fish.”

Three hours in and Dan was staring down the barrel of a blank but he still hadn’t enquired what was down the margins.

Shipping 13m down to the snags, he dropped his rig in. The instant bite we had our fingers and toes firmly crossed for didn’t materialise though.

The grimace on Dan’s face suggested even he thought we were bang out of luck and he stated: “I’d have bet money I would have…..”

It all came good in the end

But before the sentence could even be finished, the float dipped and around 5ft of Garbolino 1.8mm Fighter elastic zipped out of the tip.

It sounds like something a journalist would spin up to create a bit of drama but hand on heart that is exactly how the moment unfolded!

Stood on top of the bank, I watched on as Dan tentatively shipped back, fully aware a big perch was on the other end.

“I think this could be a real lump – let’s hope everything holds in place.”

As it rose to the surface with the pole almost at full length, its size became clear and a few expletives came out of my mouth before I uttered the words under my breath “Please don’t lose this mate”.

It’s head nodded side to side, doing its best to rid the hook. But Dan’s rig was more than up to the test and a full framed stripey was soon beaten.

“What a relief!” exclaimed Dan.

“I had a horrible feeling we were in for ‘one of those days’ but this fish is typical of what the lake can produce.”

Weighing in at 3lb 1oz, it was followed by three others around the 2lb mark in an action-packed half hour period, with the dipping light seemingly switching the fish on to the feed.

“We’ve gone from absolutely nothing to having four big perch in no time at all.

“A lot of pleasure anglers thought they would never get a shot at Campbell Lake but now is the time to take advantage while they are allowed and catch some amazing fish that other venues can’t provide,” concluded Dan.

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