Up And Down - The perfect combo attack for catching more!

Two methods that go hand in hand are the bomb and pellet waggler. The beauty of combining the two as an approach is the fact that you can fish up in the water and on the bottom over the same spot, following the fish up and down in the water column. There are plenty of tips, tricks and tactical edges that allow you to make the most of these two fantastic commercial methods that I’m exploring right here.

When the fish are feeding in the upper layers of the water, typically on warm, sunny days, the Pellet waggler is highly effective. It allows you to suspend and fish with a bait high up in the water. On other days, fish much prefer to feed on the bottom, typically in cooler, duller conditions. This is where the bomb comes onto play. The key to both the methods in question is regular feeding, and by choosing an area out in the lake at a comfortable distance, you can loosefeed pellets with a catapult in one spot, and fish both the waggler and bomb over the top. If you can see fish swirling for the feed as it hits the water, or if you’re fishing the bomb and getting lots of false indications and line bites from fish higher up in the water column, then it’s likely the waggler will be better. At the opposite end of the scale, if you’re fishing the waggler and there is very little action, then the chances are that the fish are deeper in the water or on the bottom, so fishing the bomb over the same place on the bottom could be better. Swapping between the two accordingly allows you to catch the fish wherever they are.

Pellets are the ultimate bait for the bomb and waggler. I use Mainline Match Activated Pellets, and choose 6mms when fishing at close range, 15m to 20m, then change to 8mm versions if fishing further than this so that I can fire them out accurately with my Incredipult. By far the most important part of this is trying to be accurate and feed these in the same place all the time. This way you get a column of bait falling through the water that fish can home in on, and with regular feeding they will start competing whether it be up in the water where you can catch on the waggler, or on the deck where the bomb will be effective.

The next edge is to be accurate with your casting. You need to try and land your bomb and waggler right in the feed zone where the competing fish will be. To do this, I like to add some Pellet Enhancer Oil to my feed pellets. Just a little dousing off this not only gives the bait a fishy, oily boost, but it also means that when the pellets land, they create a nice slick on the surface for a good few seconds that create an area to aim at when casting. I don’t very often clip up using a line clip with this kind of fishing, and much prefer to ‘eye-in’ the lead or waggler. For me, feathering it to make sure the rig lands nice and straight with a neat plop is perfect, controlling the cast so it lands exactly where I want it to.

My setup for waggler is simple, and I use a Foam or Balsa Pellet Waggler on a Pellet Waggler Attachment fixed in place with Super Tight Line Stops. The Foam Wagglers are my favourite for calm days and really shallow work, while I prefer the Balsa Wagglers for further distance or in rough and windy weather as they are heavier and more stable. Below this I have a loop to loop and hooklength attached, which is a Pellet Waggler Ready Rig. These are the ultimate hook for this kind of fishing, which come with a hair-rigged Bait Band already attached. I personally like a size 16 for 6mm pellets, and a 14 for 8mms. Depth wise, it’s important to play around and change depth until you find the fish. This can change throughout the session, sometimes they come right up to just 12 inches deep, and at other times they will much deeper. I’ve had some days when fishing ‘deep-shallow’ and even at ‘half depth’ will work. The key is to keep changing and adapting.

For the bomb, I like an elasticated setup wherever this is allowed. This means the fish can bolt against the lead after picking up the hookbait. The elastic in the Speed Stem helps not only hook the fish, but cushions them when playing them too, preventing hook pulls. For short distances I use the short stem and black elastic as it offers a little more discretion, and for longer distances above 25m I like the long stems, and still with the black elastic as they cast easier and I have more play in the elastic when playing fish back from a long distance. I can easily switch between different sized leads too with this system, simply clipping it on and off a simple loop tied in the mainline and neatening it up with a tail rubber. Normally I like a 1/3oz or 2/3oz for short fishing, but will step up to a 1.1oz for longer distance or if I feel like I’m not hooking fish effectively and want to create more of a bolt rig. Hooklength for this is another Ready Rig, a 15-inch QM1 with a hair-rigged bait band. My go-to is a size 12 hook for this, to 0.19mm N-Gauge.

A great little tip for this kind of fishing is to try and make your hookbait stand out from the feed. To do this, I often do a selection of different coloured pellets, and dye them using the Captiv-8 Flavoured Dye. Placing a few in a small tub and giving them a small squirt and shake up in this stuff is lethal. You only need a tiny amount, ideally leaving them to dry out by doing this at home a few days before your session and leaving the lid off the tub indoors. I have a mix of all colours, and some days one will be stand-out better than any other.

Another hookbait that I’ve had some amazing success with over the top of pellets on the bomb in particular is meat. I punch-out a piece (8mm is ideal) and simply use a baiting needle to pull my bait band into the meat. I think the softer, oily, smelly nature of meat helps it stand out amongst the feed pellets.

Although these methods work on any venue, they are most effective in open-water situations when you can be aggressive and feed plenty of bait to bring-in fish. Anywhere between islands, or on big lakes where you can cast 15m to 30m are perfect! The great thing about both these methods is that you are always busy, and the harder you work with the feeding and casting, the more you will catch. Don’t always expect action to be immediate, often it can take a while to get fish grubbing around and feeding, especially competing in the upper layers. Normally I’ll start on the bomb and build-up the swim, switching to the waggler if I’m getting liners or if I can clearly see fish in the upper layers. Don’t be afraid to try and find the fish if you aren’t catching by trying different depths on the waggler, or casting around the feed area on the bomb too. To the sides or just past the feeding area can result in fish during quiet spells. Switching between these two methods can be a lethal approach on commercials throughout the year, and result in some superb sport on commercial venues up and down the country – don’t miss out!