Greeting Anglers!
This is a guide for the ones that are willing to put the effort into learning the true art of angling for big carp or even sturgeons with the Waggler's/Match Rods.
First let me introduce myself to you all. My ingame name is ZaoN and i've been fishing with nothing but match rods for the last 8 month's. Some might wonder why use a method that isn't that effective as bottom, we'll for that reason i simply answer it's more of a challenge. And you have to interact with the game when you use the waggler's and since there is no auto hooking, only a few times that can occur but it's a rare thing. The feeling of landing a big trophy carp with the match rod is a lovely feeling, and it beats the feeling of using a bottom rod anyday. Atleast it does that for me. Im no expert on this, but ive learned alot about fishing with match rods and also looking up potential spots and scan the area, with the map in hand.
IM NOT AN EXPERT. But I do my best to help other's into the float section of this game, as I find it really enjoyable.
First things first. Grab a coffee, sit back and relax and enjoy the guide.
1. Setup
The pictures below show's the current setup im using at this moment. I'm using the end game rods, combined with a Venga 10000.
All tho im using the end game Venga, you can use the other's reels combined with the rods aswell such as Tagara. If you look closely to the picture on the specific part's you'll get the understanding aswell, that you want to use both line/leader that is as close as it get's with the drag of the reel, unless you are really fishing for the other big fish like sturgeons where you are using 74+kg line.
I'm using braided line with capacity of 35kg for the carp's, and when i target sturgeons I use a 74kg braided line.
The Waggler's are the key here, some are good for long distance casting, and some are good combined with the Sandwich Bait.
But we will get to that later on.
Leader wise, that is another key feature when you float fish with waggler's. You all know how some fish spooks easily when you spin fish with steel/braided leader's. It's just the same with float fishing, and the main reason im using Flouro is just for that matter. Since you have another thing that might spook of the most cautious big fish, the float. Waggler's are another part of the setup that might spook of the fish aswell. So trying to eliminate as much of the chance of spooking of a fish as you can, is also to consider.
2. Bait and even MORE BAIT!
I can't stress enough how important it is to bait up an area. Bottom fishing has the PvA for that matter, but we only have the option of spoding up an area.
But doing so effectivly can give you the some good results in the end. But patience is always the key when you fish in any given situation.
When you make a groundbait or a dry mix, always take a moment to think. Look at the weeklys, what are they feeding on? How can you make a groundbait that will attract them into your swim where you are fishing? Is it berry? Is it fishy?
Ask around for some tips from other angler's what they were using, and then summon it up and make some test baits and try to compare them.
How do you bait up an area then? We'll my personal preference that i go for is using 2x casts with the spod, with 5 portion size. After that, wait 6 ingame hours. Then use the Dry Mix recipe into a GB ball, and shoot 3-4 of them INFRONT of the area. Use the Spod mix behind the float's, clip 1 meter behind and cast. And then clip 1 meter infront and use the GB.
This is just something that i've been using and it has worked out good on most of the times.
3. Depth Guide/Marker
Another crucial part of waggler fishing is chosing the depth. When you fish after carp you want to fish close to the bottom as possible. But how can you know the depth?
We'll here is were the Marker Rod comes into play. Knowing the depth of the area you are fishing is crucial when picking a spot. Cast out on different angles on the spot, so you know if there is a difference to the bottom, if it's going up and down or if it stays the same.
The picture below show's my marker rig setup, using this I can cast far out easily without any problems at all. When you see it land, open up the reel, then wait until you see the float pop up. Then close the reel, and set reel speed to 5. Then slowly reel in, until you see the float lift and stand. Now look at the second picture below, it show's the depth and after that reapeat it if you want to look around you even more. If you reel to fast and the float dives, open up the reel and do it over again.
When you have found the depth, now it's time to put the leader on and ADD the length to it. So it says 2.45 and you are fishing with a 40 cm leader, then the depth should be 2.85. If you don't put the depth correctly, the float may sink under the surface, or if you overdepth it the float will lay flat on the surface. By putting the depth at 2.85 the float will rise above the surface and stand up, giving you a good visible float, so you can easily see when a fish is nibbling your bait or taking it.
Look at the bottom left of the fighting bar. It says 2.45 for thoose that might be having poor eye sight.
4. Leader's
We'll we have spoken already a little on leader's and the material that is availble. When you are Carp Fishing with Match Rods-Waggler's you are using a so called Feeder Leader.
Most of the Bottom Fishing people are using Braided Leader's cause the impact resistance, but they are also forced into yet another leader, wich is the core.
When you float fish you don't have that option, wich makes it alot more easier to put pressure on the fish, and stop it from racing away.
There is 3x of length's that i mainly use. 20 cm, 40 cm, and 60 cm. The 20 cm I use when i fish really shallow areas, for example below 1m depth.
40 cm I mostly use whenever I target Carp species.
60 cm I use in the currents or river's.
But there is a downside to the different length's.
Short Leader's are great for hooking the fish, but it also has a higher chance of spooking of fish. Specially the most cautios fish species. But it also has a higher chance of auto hooking itself.
Longer Leader's has great reduction of spooking the fish from taking your bait, but it also has a harder chance of hooking the fish, and it will RARELY auto hook itself with longer leader's.
Braided Leader's are great resistance to the fish head shakes and also very stiff. Very Robust so to speak, but very visible to fish.
Fluorocarbon leader's, thanks to its zero visibility in the water, is indispensable when fishing cautious fish. It's also has a faily high damage resistance compared to other's.
I have never used Nylon line, as it's not as stiff as the other's are. You also want some stiffness when fighting big fish to resist the big head shakes, but also be able to put pressure on the fish to avoid it from racing away.
I do really hope you guys have enjoyed this little guide i made for you.
It's my first ever guide, so please be gentle with me.
I do hope I have caught your interest for some Waggler fishing with Match Rods.
I'll leave a link to one of my videos that I also explain and show when to strike the fish, and it also shows what happends when you do it wrong aswell.
It's a lovely way to enjoy the game, and also very fun.
And remember to watch that float!