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A brief guide to
fishing gravel pits in the Fens – by Mark Phillips Gravel pit fishing is not something many would
associate with the Fens, it may however surprise some that there are in
fact a number of gravel pits within the Fenland area that contain pike,
and some even have a fair head of zander in them as well!
The pits in the Cambridgeshire and Fenland area have been a
hunting ground of mine for some time, and have rewarded me with a number
of good fish. They offer
very diverse fishing and come as a welcome retreat when the rivers and
drains are out-of-sorts due to flooding.
Many are open all year, so for people like me who like to pike
fish through the seasons, they offer a place to fish when the
traditional close season is in-place on the rivers and drains.
Most of the pits I fish are very mature and it’s amazing how
different each pit is, even when they are just yards apart.
Some are shallow and reed fringed, others are deep with many
features, such as bars and gulleys, sunken tress and so on.
The sizes can vary a lot too, from a few acres to well over 100
acres. So how do you select
your gravel pit? Doing your
homework first is essential to finding a good water.
Many pits will contain pike, but some will be prolific for
smaller fish and others will be harder to fish, but may well throw up
some very big pike for those who put the time and effort in.
My first piece of advice is to get out the relevant Ordnance
Survey maps and mark-out the gravel pits you fancy.
Be warned that some waters are private and as such you should
check with local tackle shops who controls the water before you set foot
on the bank. Some will also
be Nature Reserves and again you should check with local tackle shops to
ascertain if fishing is permitted.
The Internet is another good source of information; the various
fishing Forums that exist can be put to use and you’d be surprised how
freely people will give information up on waters.
Contacting the local PAC regional organiser is another good
source of information. The
hardest part is separating fact from fiction on the information you have
gathered. Gravel pits, like
a lot of waters, blow hot and cold.
What I mean here is that the pike fishing may have been great in
1996 but once people start to find out about a good water the fishing
pressure increases and the pike fishing nearly always declines.
Just remember that many waters have a habit of coming back on
form if left alone for a few years! OK, you’ve found a
gravel pit that contains some pike and you have permission to fish.
The first thing I would do is to walk the banks of the pit very
slowly. Study the water
carefully and start thinking about where to fish.
The actual banks themselves will often give a clue to underwater
features, for example if the bank slopes steeply it’s a fair bet that
the water adjacent to it will be quite deep.
I would draw up a sketch map of the water and then mark as many
features as possible on the map. Get
the plumbing rod out and get an idea of depths and also where weedlines
are. I would always want to
survey a water in summer, as come winter you’ll then know where the
weed beds were thickest and these areas are of course prime spots to
focus on for pike in winter as they will still afford shelter to prey
fish, and hence the pike won’t be too far away.
I’d be looking for a number of features that will attract the
pike. The primary thing to
keep in mind is that pike eat fish, not gravel bars!
Think along the lines of ‘where are the bait fish going to
be?’ and you’ll be on the right tracks.
Drop offs, weedbeds, gulleys, bars, points and plateaus are all
good areas to try. I’d
always start with the northern shoreline as well, as this is where the
prevailing winds will push food for the baitfish. Other factors in
location are less obvious. It
can take a few years of experience to get a feel for where pike might
be. Unlike big carp, pike do not like to show themselves, so
location can be a very difficult thing to master.
Don’t always assume when you see others on a water fishing the
same old swims that they know their onions!
More often than not people will fish the nearest swim to the car,
or the most convenient swims to set-up in.
I stick to looking for the features I’ve mentioned and narrow
down swims by process of elimination.
Wind direction can be vital on certain days.
A strong blow will move fish into areas that are not always
favoured by the baitfish. I
would always look to have the wind in my face wherever possible.
The only exception to this rule would be if it was a cold
northerly or easterly wind, then I’d look for a more sheltered area as
this tends to be where the baitfish move to under these conditions.
Time of year also plays a big part in location.
In summer you’ll find pike everywhere with the bigger fish
tending to opt for deeper, colder water.
Come autumn the pike will remain close to any remaining cover and
will tend to be in shallow water. Once
temperatures start to drop in November you’ll find the baitfish
starting to shoal-up and the pike become more concentrated in deeper
water. One thing that many
people do not realise is that on warm days in winter the pike often move
to very shallow water for short periods. There are a number of reasons why pike do this which I
won’t elaborate on here, suffice to say that it happens and placing a
bait in three feet of water on a nice mild day in winter can produce
some very good fish! Once
the winter starts to ebb into spring the pike will move to spawning
areas. The fish will become very concentrated and big catches can be
made if you find them and time it right!
Look for shallow weedy or marshy areas; if there’s a stream or
cold water inlet nearby, so much the better.
After spawning the pike will become very active and for those who
like to lure fish this is the time of year to pike fish. Now to actually
fishing these waters. Most
places will allow you to use multiple rods and this is a Godsend.
I would always look to place at least one rod in the margins,
you’d be amazed at how many people think that the further you cast the
more and bigger you’ll catch! It’s
a load of naggers believe me! Big
pike will come within inches of the bank, so never ignore the margins. I will then place my other rods against the features I have
found. It’s always better
to float-leger wherever you can. This
allows you to understand the swim better, as you are effectively
plumbing the water every time you cast out.
It also means that you know that you are putting your baits in
the right depth of water and right in the pickle barrel as far as
features go. Casting distances as
I said is not always necessary, but sometimes sadly it is. Usually it’s because there’s a feature such as the point
of an island, or a deep drop-off, that you need to get close to.
On other occasions it can be simply that fishing pressure has
driven the pike out from the margins, something I’ve seen on one or
two waters. To be honest if
I find this happening I tend to leave and fish another pit.
To get a bait over sixty yards you’ll need some specialised
tackle. People who claim to
be able to cast pike baits over 100 yards are usually the type of people
who tell you they’ve had 130 mph out of a Lada!
Realistically, with the right set-up and no head wind, you should
be able to place deadbaits at around 80 yards.
If you cut right down on bait size (use a small eel section for
example) and use a big lead, then you can hit 100 yards. If there’s a strong wind on your back of course you can get
bigger baits to work in your favour and hoist them up into the wind and
get a few extra yards! I’d recommend a 12 foot rod of around 3 pound
test curve with the action confined to the top third of the rod; couple
this with a reel with a wide spool (the Big Pit reels available come
into their own for this job) and a line of at least 15 pounds.
Leads should be three to four ounces and baits should be cut down
to a smaller size than normal, say five inches for a half mackerel. Keep rigs simple and traces to around 18 inches are all
should be fine. Bite
indication is very important when fishing at distance.
You must ensure that you keep a very tight line and use a set-up
that will show drop-backs as well as runs. Another option to get
baits out further, or to place a bait accurately against a feature is to
cheat! Well, I’m joking
about the cheating, but there are ways of doing it besides casting.
The drifter float is one method I use a lot. So many anglers own one yet they never seem to use it.
I use 50 pound braid that floats and either lives or dead baits
can be sent-out to distant features with ease.
The only problem is that you need the wind to be blowing the
right way! One advantage of
using drifters is that you are constantly covering new water as you bait
drifts out, it’s a great way of getting some action when the fish are
proving difficult to tempt. Another
secret weapon is the bait boat. Not
all waters allow their use, but most do.
You can place a bait exactly where you want it, and of course you
can use soft baits or lives without worrying about them flying off the
hooks on the cast! Do not
be tempted to drop baits too far out, you have to remember that once you
get 150 to 200 yards plus out you still have to play the pike to the
bank. Dragging fish in from
that kind of distance does them no favours and of course if a fish kites
badly you can end-up with all sorts of problems in terms of landing the
fish. Bait wise most waters
do not allow the use of livebaits.
This is not the end of the world as dead baits are very effective
on most pits I fish. Try to
vary your baits by having a different offering on each rod.
You’ll soon learn which baits the pike prefer on the water you
are fishing. Lures can be
devastating on some pits; this is a method I employ a lot, and my
results have now out weighed those that I get to fishing baits.
It’s a very specialised method to use big lures like jerkbaits
on these pits, but if you want to experience the ultimate thrill in pike
fishing then I’d thoroughly recommend giving it a go.
Using large lures will produce results in-line with bait fishing
in terms of the size of fish you catch, it’s certainly not a method
that produces only jacks! Other tips I would
offer are to be on the water at first light and fish until dark. Many pits start to show a marked feeding period after a few
sessions. Once you work out
the best times to fish you can actively manage your time and be in the
best swims at the right times. It’s
even possible to find one water that fishes best early morning and then
move to another water that fishes well in the afternoons.
Besides putting the hours in, how else can you improve your
catches? I would advise
re-casting baits every hour or so.
Do not cast them out, leave them in situ all day then reel in and
go home. By re-casting you
are effectively moving your baits around and not fishing exactly the
same spot all day. There is
another advantage to this in that the splash of the bait hitting the
water is often enough to alert a pike to it’s presence.
Many times I’ve had a fish straight after re-casting. I hope this brief article has given some pointers to those who are looking to fish the pits in the Fenland area. While many people travel to the Fens to fish the drains and rivers, don’t ignore the pits. Some of the biggest pike and zander in the area live in these pits and the rewards are there for those willing to put the effort in! |