Master Class - The Chase!

Ben Townsend explains his tricks and tactics to keep him one step ahead of wily winter F1s!

- Ben Townsend

The introduction of F1s into fisheries has enabled a lot of anglers to catch fish all year round, thanks to their willingness to feed whatever the conditions. However, the problem with being fished for, and caught, all year round has resulted in some pretty wise fish in a lot of the well-established F1 venues. They can still be caught, though; it’s just a case of outsmarting them!

Ben Townsend has spent the past few winters targeting F1s at venues such as Decoy Lakes and Tunnel Barn Farm and has figured out, learnt, picked up and stumbled across various tips and tricks to put more winter F1s in the net. Over to Ben…

Bait

Before we get on to methods and tactics to help catch a few fish I think it’s important to turn up to the venue with the right bait. If you haven’t got the right bait then you’ll always struggle.

There are three baits I will always carry with me to an F1 venue in winter, providing they’re allowed: maggots, pellets and bread. The one thing I consider to be really important with regard to bait, especially in clear water, is colour.

Firstly the maggots, and I always carry three pints to my peg in winter. Although I rarely feed them all it’s always important to be prepared for those days when the fish do decide to feed well. Also they have to be red maggots; for some reason red maggots always perform best but one little trick I’ve found is to also carry some fluoro or bronze maggots. For some reason they make a fantastic change of hook bait and can often nick a couple of extra fish from a dying swim.