ASK THE EXPERTS

Dear Panel,

I am having problems with falling leaves masking the hook. In this situation, what rigs would you use, as pop-ups are banned on my water.

Hope you can help.

Thomas Austin,
London

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Dear Thomas

There are various possibilities to help improve the presentation of your hookbait over leafy, choddy lakebeds. If pop-ups are banned, why not try critically-balanced hookbait? Instead of a normal bottom bait just dropping to the lakebed, a critically-balanced hookbait will slowly sink down to the bottom and lie on top of the debris.

Foam up your hookbaits when fishing over leafy bottoms.

However, the best thing I can recommend for you is to look at the rigs you are using. For a fantastic presentation over choddy bottoms, you can use a Helicopter/Chod Rig. This rig is usually used with a pop-up, but it is just as effective with a bottom bait. The beauty of this rig is that you can adjust your presentation, depending on how deep the leaf debris is on the bottom, by pushing the locking beads up or down the leader. The length of the hooklink doesn’t matter so much, as the hooklink will always be out of the debris.

Using the Chod Rig will help to ensure your bait is not covered by debris on the bottom.

If you’re not too keen on using the Chod Rig then a normal lead clip system can be used if you use a longer hooklength, i.e. over 12ins long. Other tactics, such as foaming up the hookpoints will also keep the hookbait on top of the leaves, or use large PVA bags that will land on top of the debris. By far the best way of fishing in such conditions is to use the Chod Rig, and I would wholeheartedly recommend you have a play around with it.

A large fish caught under overhanging bushes where there was lots of leaf debris.

Good luck,

Roman