Expert Advice for Fishing at Redwood Park
These guides were developed as part of a partnership between one of our regular match pro-anglers, Dave Barker, and Redwood Park to bring to you a helpful set of tips for our fishery.
Watch our fishery expert catch fish and provide tips on a cold and windy day on the Arc:
dave barker fishing guide:
My way of fishing a five hour match on the Arc Lake in the summer
Baits
- 1 x tins of sweet corn
- 3 x tins of luncheon meat
- 1 kg of 4mm pellets (fishery pellets)
- 1 tin of frenzied hemp
- 2 kg of halibut method mix
Rigs
- Feeder rod – 6lb Maver Jurassic main line to 14” 0.16 Maver Genesis hook length to size 18 PR 38 hook.
- 14m shallow pole line – 0.14 maver Genesis line to a size 18 PR38 hook with a hair rig banded 4mm pellet.
- 5m pole line – float 4×14 Mick Wilkinson Diamond with 0.16 Genesis main line to 0.14 Genesis hook length to a size 14 PR 456 hook.
- Margin rig – 4×14 Dura float 6, 0.16 main line straight through to a size 14PR 456 hook.
Method of attack
Start of match (10AM)
Go straight out to 14m line and put half a 250ml pot of 4mm pellets in. Then go on 5m line and do the same with 6mm cut meat and hemp – this is my pole lines fed while I go on the meat feeder for the first hour.
Start right across on the meat feeder as tight to far bank as possible using 6mm cubes of meat on the hook and in the feeder mixed with hemp to help it come out of the feeder. Within 5 minutes, I bring it back in and fill the feeder again and cast back to the same spot, which I repeat until I get a sign or a pull on the tip. Then I start leaving it till I get a bite – no longer than 10 minutes. Usually you can put 6 to 10 carp in your net in as many casts if it is going well, I will stay on the tip until bites go off and just keep topping my pole lines up with a catapult pinging 4mm pellets every couple of minutes on my shallow line.
When bites finally go off, I will go on my 14m pole line with banded 4mm pellet on the hook and feeding 4mm pellets (5-6 at a time). When doing this I will still remember to top 5m line up every 20 minutes with a dozen cubes of 6mm meat and hemp.
About 1PM
Start feeding margin line as tight to the bank where you can find about 18” of water. I kick that swim off with 6x 250ml pot of ground bait then watch for signs of fish. I then come on my 5m line for the last 2 hours while watching for signs of carp on my margin line if at anytime any of my lines that I try are not producing I will proceed, by cast meat feeder, back across to the far bank while I keep feeding my other lines but if plan goes well I will work my way back to myself (e.g., Meat feeder, 14m line, 5m line then margin) for some big carp late on using corn on the hook or meat.
Hope this helps you put more fish in your nets.
While fishing for this article, I weighed in 150lb on peg 14 on the Arc.
By Dave Barker
Dave Barker's original My Way guide:
Baits
- 2x tins of sweet corn
- 1kg of 4mm pellets (fishery pellets)
- 1kg of 2mm pellets (fishery pellets)
- 1/2 a pint of 6mm pellets (to band on method)
- 1/2 a pint of dead red maggots
Rigs
- Feeder rod – 6lb Maver Jurassic main line to 4″ 0.16 Maver genesis hook length to size 18 PR 36.
- 14m pole line – 0.14 main line with 0.12 hook length to size 16 B911 hook, float is a 4×14 carpa chimp for fishing on the deck.
- Shallow rig – 0.14 Maver genesis to size 18 PR 36 hook and my float is a cut down carpa chimp 4×12.
- 5m pole line – float 4×14 Mick Wilkinson diamond with 0.16 genesis main line to 0.14 genesis hook length to a size 14 PR 456 hook.
- Margin rig – 4×14 Dura float 6, 0.16 main line straight through to a PR 456 hook.
Method of attack
Start of match (10AM)
Go straight out to 14m line and put half a 250ml pot of 4mm pellets in. Then go on 5m line and do the same with corn and 4mm pellets and that is my pole lines fed while I go on the method feeder for the first hour.
Start right across on the method feeder as tight to far bank as possible using 2mm softened pellets with a sprinkling of Horlicks to help bind them to the method. Hook bait I start off using 2 dead red maggots if I don’t get a sign on the tip within 3mins I bring it back in fill feeder again and cast back to the same spot, which I repeat till I get a sign or a pull on the tip.
Then I start leaving it till I get a bite no longer than 10mins. Usually you can put 6 to 10 carp in your net in as many casts if it is going well I will stay on the tip till bites go off and just keep topping my pole lines up with 4mm pellets every 20 minutes.When bites finally go off I will go on my 14m pole line with corn or 6mm expander pellet on the hook, feeding 4mm pellets through a kinder pot on end of pole.
If getting plenty of bites and signs I will look to bring them shallow by starting to ping 4mm pellets 3-4 at a time through a catapult. While still remembering to top 5m line up every 20 minutes.
About 1PM
Starting feeding margin line as tight to the bank where you can find out about 18″ of water. I kick that swim off with a 250ml pot of corn and 2mm pellet then watch for signs of fish. I then come on my 5m line for the last 2 hours while watching for signs of carp my margin lines if at any time any of my lines that I try are not producing I will proceed by casting method feeder back across to the far bank while I keep feeding my other lines but if plan goes well I will work my way back to myself E.g. Method feeder, 14m line, 5m line then margin for some big carp late on.
By Dave Barker
