A complete guide to the pellet waggler

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Introduction

In recent years the pellet waggler has taken over commercial carp fishing throughout the summer months and has resulted in some of the biggest match weights in the country.

Fished correctly and in the right circumstances this is a method that can see even the novice angler landing a huge amount of fish in a session, however it's not just a case of firing out loads pellets and casting a pellet waggler in the middle of them. Yes this will catch you fish but there is a lot to think about if you really want to capitalize on this match winning method.

So what is pellet waggler fishing? Basically this is a method which revolves around fishing in the upper layers, Mostly for carp and f1's. We use a heavy waggler float which not only makes casting very easy but also gives the float some weight for the fish to hook itself against, creating a bolt effect. By regularly feeding pellets we can create competition amongst the carp which will take our hookbait as it falls through the upper layers of the water column along with the freebies. When a fish takes the pellet hook bait it will hook itself against the weight of the float.

Tackle

Rod

Pellet waggler rods are mostly between 10 and 12 feet with a soft through action. This type of action cushions the fight of big fish such as carp and helps reduce hook pulls or line breakages.

A 10/11ft rod is ideal for most pellet waggler situations on smaller commercial waters whilst a 12ft rod is best for more open water situations where distance casting may be required.

Reel

When it comes to reels the most important thing is that the reel is small and light. Pellet waggler fishing requires constant casting in order to get the full potential out of a swim. This means holding the rod and rebcasting all day long, in this situation a bigger heavier reel would start to feel uncomfortable after a period of time. A 3000 size reel is usually perfect for most pellet waggler situations and I'd only step up to a 4000 size reel if it was absolutely necessary to reach the required casting distance.

Mainline

My mainline choice is simple. I use a 6lb Maxima for just about all my commercial fishing. This line is very strong and durable and can with stand the constant abuse from those hard fighting carp 

Float choice

There are many varieties of pellet waggler floats on the market but they all fall into one of two categories, loaded and unloaded.

The loaded pellet waggler float casts far better than an unloaded float so is ideal for fishing at long distance. The disadvantage of a loaded float is that it tends to dive under the surface on impact with the water which I believe could possibly spook fish and also means that there is a small period of time when you cannot see your float for bite indication.

The second type of waggler and the one I use is the un loaded version. It may not cast as easily as a loaded float but these floats don't tend to dive as they impact the water meaning you have instant bite detection which to me is very important as with this method bites usually occur in the first few seconds of the cast. Another advantage to an unloaded float is that I can match how I load the float to the weather conditions on the day. On a flat calm day I can have the float dotted right down or on a windy day I can have less shot around the float leaving more tip showing for extra visibility.

The rig

Below is my very simple pellet waggler rig.

Step 1

I start by sliding a small snap link swivel onto the mainline and attaching my chosen pellet waggler float.

Step 2

The float is then locked in place by the bulk shot which makes up the entire shotting capacity of the float. In this case the float shown above is perfectly shotting with 9 BB's.

Step 3

The next step is to attach the chosen hooklink. I use a hair rigged bait band to which I attach a pellet hookbait of between 6 and 8mm in size. The hooklink itself is made up of a 6lb flurocarbon and is about 4 to 5 inches in length. This is then attached by a simple loop to loop connection.

Top tip

When tying the hair rig I like to have the bait really close to the hook with only around a 1mm gap between the hook and hookbait. I find this gives the best hook holds.

Feeding

Feeding is by far the most important aspect of this type of angling. How we feed dictates how many fish we draw into the peg and how catchable they are once there feeding in the swim. By feeding to much a lot of bait will fall down to the bottom, dragging the fish down onto the deck. If you feed to little you won't draw enough fish into the swim to create a competitive feeding situation. It's usually best to feed the swim for a little while before you start fishing it. By feeding 4-6 pellets every 30 seconds or so we should be able to create enough noise on the surface to draw fish into the area and get them competing. After feeding the area for around 5 to 10 minutes it's worth having a cast to see if you get a response. If there are no signs then simply keep feeding, dropping your rig over the area every 5 minutes or so until you get an indication that fish are in the swim and competing. Once you find the fish are there and competing for the bait you can build up a huge weight in a very short time period.

How to fish the pellet waggler

Once we have the fish competing in the swim we need to make the most out of the situation and catch as many fish as we can. The best way to go about actually fishing the pellet waggler is to drop your rig in the edge whilst you feed. Once you have fed via the catapult you can then pick up the rod and make the cast into the baited area. I like to cast quite hard, stopping the line with my finger once the float is in the right area so that the rig lands in a straight line. This creates a tight line from the hookbait to the float meaning the fish will hook itself upon taking the bait. Letting the float land naturally will encourage the rig to land in a sort of pile, the slack line will allow the fish to take in the bait and then eject it before it is hooked. Once the rig is in position give it about 15 seconds for the bait to fall through the upper layers and then bring it back and repeat the process. The best way to do this is to feed around 4 or 5 pellets over the float, retrieve the float and then leave the float in the margins whilst you fire another 4 or 5 pellets out and immediately cast over the top of the loose feed. Bites will usually come instant and the fish with usually hook themselves, although I do like to strike at bites with a slow sweeping strike just to make sure the hook is set. The clutch on my reel is set lightly so that I can put the rod down whilst playing fish and continue to feed the swim. This is something that will take time to get good at and comes with practice.

Top tip

When fishing the pellet waggler don't be afraid the search out the area. Top anglers like Kristian Jones will cast behind, Infront and to either side of there baited area to work out where the fish are feeding in the swim. Casting just off the baited area can also land you the odd bigger more wary carp which may not venture into the baited area itself.

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