I was asked a question how to catch rudd on the drop.

cheers george

George , Yes Rudd and all fish like feeding just below the top and trust me its great to see in your swim when you are fishing As you can build up some good weights in a short time
But I would always start up fishing on the bottom and change things around during the day depends on how the fish are feeding which you can tell by the bites you are getting and just by watching your swim!!!!

But you have to also get the fish feeding this way to.
I have done very well on a few matchs fishing this way more in summer months where some match anglers have been going for carp on the pole then Me just bagging up on Big roach and rudd ( Sometimes it pays of)
best to try floating maggot: Put some water into the bottom of a clean bait box (enough just to cover the base of the box) add a handful of maggots and leave for about 15 minutes. The maggots gulp in air which makes them float, making them ideal to balance the weight of a hook for on-the-drop fishing.
Alwasy best to leave the lid on or find a old lid and just cut the centre out to stop the maggots crawing out everywhere
Ref float rigs Its all about spaceing out your shot down the line so it drops down nice and slow or you can slide all your weight up or down the line depending on HOW QUICK OR SLOW YOU WISH THE BAIT TO DROP .

I will take you out George and show you a few simple Rigs , As for me I like using a 4m whip with a 4 x 12 style pole float 2 lb main line 1lb hooklengh with size 20 , 22 hook great fun

Justin

Ok here another question......I got a 3AAA peackock waggler float I want to use to catch silver on the drop....what's the best way to spread the shot to have a slow(ish) drop

Claudia if I am aiming to catch fish on the drop I would use a smaller float 2 bb or under unless I am fishing 16 m out or so or fishing a very deep water.
But if the float is going under straight away as soon as the bait hits the water then I will try to bring the fish up even higher by using the floating maggot method then move all my shoot up the line or shallow right up to about 1ft if needed which can be great fun if you want to catch lots of fish plus big roach and rudd but you also need to be thinking about the bigger fish moving in the swim and feeding on the bottom sometimes
So in that case just move all your shot to the bottom so the bait is getting down quicker plus never stop feeding keep a pattern going that you are happy with depending on the lake
Just remember in your head what depth the lake is before you start fishing so you can always go back to fishing the bottom and also look for shelfs or deep holes
For a 3AA float then I will use 2 bbs around the float plummett the depth then just space the shoot down the line exp - no 4 n0 6 then 2 no 8 or 10s so it allows the rig to drop though the water more slowly plus you could add a back shoot about 2 foot from the float if fishing long distances or windy

Justin

Thanks Justin, great advice.....I'm not planning t fish far out....2-2.5 rodlength out...the lake is only between 4-5 ft deep where I'm planning to fish