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It’s interesting to look back on many venues, especially big wild waters, where decade by decade and often year by year they evolve, and the species we target within can change as much as the techniques we use. Well, Worsbrough Reservoir, situated just on the outskirts of Barnsley, is exactly that. This venue was once classed as one of, if not THE, most prolific bream waters in the country during the 1970s ,1980s and early 1990s, where consistent match weights of skimmers/hybrids and roach were recorded throughout the yearly packed out match calendar.

For this reason, this beautiful venue was also the breeding ground for some of the world’s best anglers, like Alan Scotthorne, Denis White, Tom Pickering and of course Dick Clegg, who formulated the formidable Barnsley Blacks team, which is arguably still one of the most consistent match teams in the world in my opinion. I maybe a little bit biased though, being part of the team for the past 13 years!

But I suppose it makes it more special in a way as I remember as a teen sitting behind the likes of Alan, Tommy, and Denis at Worsbrough, watching them fish on methods such as the slider in a majestic kind of way. They allowed me to drill them for information and they were my heroes, and then eventually I finally got to fish for the same team as them. However, during the so-called transition in the mid 1990s where commercial venues started showing up, this pulled a certain percentage of anglers away from these natural wild waters and it was at this point when Barnsley & District Angling Association decided to start a stocking program, and that meant the introduction of carp into the reservoir. Since then they’ve thrived and as a result this has turned Worsbrough into what I would class as a ‘crossover’ venue; plentiful with both silvers and now carp.

Natural Food

Now when it comes to an “eco” balanced water, Worsbrough has to be near the top of the list as this venue is riddled with natural food, which in turn results in prime conditioned fish. But, from a match angling perspective, it can be very challenging as there are days where you can witness hundreds of carp jumping out of the water at distance, but literally struggle to get a bite from one of these wary fish. That alone is enough to make me love this venue; you just never know what lies ahead for the next five or so hours.

However, if there’s one thing that’s blatantly obvious it’s that these carp, and especially the larger strain of carp, much prefer to live out of casting reach the majority of the time. In my opinion this isn’t necessarily down to bankside pressure, but more to the fact that this is where the main natural source of food comes from. The main feeder stream for this 60-acre reservoir is situated at approximately 180 metres (a fair old chuck!) and let me tell you this is a bloodworm haven and that’s why the fish congregate there. On calm days I’ve often witnessed hundreds of carp all in a line at 200 metres feeding on a ‘hatch’, and for this reason, why would they even entertain moving on to our ‘match distances’ to feed on a less inviting food supply!

However, this is even more of a reason to test your wits as a match angler by inviting these clever fish to A) attract them into your feed zone and then B) entice them to take your hook bait. These two factors are the main reason why I love the challenge of Worsbrough, as in my opinion there’s a lot more to distance fishing than casting a long way.

The Peg

To explain my approach on this wild water I met up with Match Fishing editor Dave Wesson in the ‘shallows’ on the Sheffield Bank. It’s only when I plan to do a feature that I ever get the chance to sit myself in Peg 1, as in all the years I’ve fished Worsbrough, I’ve never drawn this peg in a match! Especially during the warmer months this particular area is the perfect spot to target carp, as for the first 10 pegs in the shallows the average depth is around four feet, which is ideal carp territory. When it comes to a match approach on this venue, taking into consideration everything I’ve mentioned, I nearly always place all my eggs in one basket because in my opinion, fishing at range is the most consistent match winning approach on this venue, regardless of the season. I’m not saying it wins every match, as often skimmers also play a big part in your weight but, potentially, every peg on this reservoir provides the opportunity to catch carp and by devoting your match plan to this approach you can also catch a bigger strain of bream as well as carp.

Over time, through trial and error, I’ve realised that there’s a specific way I need to approach this venue to stand a chance of catching carp. First and foremost is distance, as I’ve already mentioned, as more often than not it’s the distance that gets you among a larger percentage of carp. However, as with all feeder fishing, accuracy is just as important and I quickly realised that it was often the case that ‘laying a trap’ was the most effective way to get a Worsbrough winning weight. This is where the tricky bit comes in. There’s a fine line between what distance you decide to comfortably fish and how far you can cast, because in my opinion it’s completely useless if you decide to fish at a specific distance that’s out of your comfort zone. That results in a loss of accuracy, but more importantly a loss of control with each individual cast.

On these wild waters every cast you make at range is crucial, especially during the colder months where only a handful of casts may be made. For this reason every compression needs to be efficient and from the minute you let go of that line you need to be in full control of the direction, but more importantly hitting your distance/clip positively. This allows you to land the feeder correctly on the surface, which in turn gives you better bait presentation and will result in lot more bites.

Balanced Gear

This is without doubt one discipline of angling where choosing the correct setup is paramount as you need a balanced setup to do the job. In this division of fishing those ultra-fine tweaks make a huge difference between your ability to cast 90 metres or struggling to reach 70 metres. My distance setup for ranges between 70 and 100 metres is the 13ft Aero X7 Distance Feeder 100g, as this particular rod has a thin blank but loads of power in the butt section, which makes casting at range effortless. Combined with a Shimano Ultegra 5500XTC, I’ve got what is in my opinion the best long-range casting combo I’ve used to date.

Line choice is equally important as minimising drag is paramount; after all, you might have the correct rod/reel combination but if you’ve not used the correct main line then this could seriously hinder your distance and control. Over the past year I’ve started using the Aero Float line (0.17mm) for all my distance Method work and I’ve never seen a line that peels off the spool so smoothly. As soon as I used it for distance work I was instantly impressed as it immediately added metres on my cast. The diameter of your main line is crucial and what puts a lot of people off from using a thin main line is the instant thought that carp are the main target species, but as bizarre as it sounds it’s amazing how strong even 0.17mm line really is under stretch at distance.

Shockleader-wise I use two and half rod lengths of Shimano fluorocarbon as the stiffness and minimum stretch allow me to compress the rod with less power, as opposed to a mono line which has more stretch. The shockleader knot is definitely a subject that a lot of anglers struggle with, but in my opinion there’s only one for me and I use it on both braid and mono setups. I favour the traditional main line loop to a half blood knot as this connection is ultra-strong and reliable, but more importantly it’s really quick and easy to tie.

Feeders And Weights

Are are you using the correct weight of feeder to hit your required distance? For this particular rod setup the optimum casting weight for fishing at ranges between 70 and 100 metres is about 60g to 70g with a loaded Method. The X7 Distance rod can cast heavier weights but I’m on about balance, and finding the optimum weight to gain distance from your specific rod blank is crucial. My feeder choice is either a 50g or 55g Hybrid for this rod and once it’s been loaded with pellets it will weigh between 60g and 70g. With the above setup I feel I can maintain fishing at range even in adverse conditions and, as I said before, it’s those small tweaks that make this this style of fishing a whole lot easier and more pleasurable.

Bait Preparation

Bait choice and preparation is crucial, like everything else, especially with Hybrid feeder work. I’m a massive believer in preparing my bait the day before, especially when fishing with micro pellets; you get the best out of the pellets if you allow them to soak in moisture at a low temperature, so soaking them overnight in a fridge is the only way for me. First of all I use Dynamite Swim Stim 3mm pellets mixed with the same 2mm pellets, but over the past couple of years I been using ComplexX-T as a food hydration because as soon as I started using this it made a big difference on the amount of carp I was catching. Why? Well, I believe, after being influenced by Dynamite Bait gurus Mark Baker and David Spence, there are particular products on the market that really do help draw fish into your zone and this hydration liquid does exactly that.

For my pellet prep I use four caps of CompleX-T to one pint of micros, which I then fill with water to just below the level of pellets before leaving to soak for 40 minutes. I then place them in a bag and keep them overnight in the fridge. You end up with the perfect spongy pellet that pushes itself out of the feeder after being compressed for the cast.

To me this approach is all about having a vast amount of confidence in your tackle, your bait choice, and last but not least, your presentation. When you’re sat there for sometimes 45 minutes per cast, you have to have complete confidence in your approach and that there’s always a chance of that tip going around at any minute. When it comes to the business end of hooks, hooklengths and hook bait choice I’m very particular. However, if there’s one bait that is like night and day in my results it has to be the Dynamite Washters. During the development of what I regard as a wonder bait, we used Worsbrough as the main testing ground as every bite is so rewarding on here, which from a testing point of view really did add clarity to certain popular colours. Without doubt the yellow Washter with the specific attractant always produced the most fish, hence the birth of the 5mm and 7mm ESL Speedy Washters. Since that point three years ago it’s been the only hook bait I’ve used for my Method work (apart from maggots) and not just for all my long range work, but more importantly across the whole venue board.

Again, there are some facts there with bait choice, but the bottom line is: confidence is key. If I’m sat there believing that my hook bait choice is correct this gives me the patience to sit there with confidence. The next balancing trick is hook and hook bait combination. When using critically balanced baits the correct hook pattern is essential, especially for long range work where a lost fish can be very costly on a tough day. At present I’m using the Preston circle hook size 12, tied to four inches of 0.19mm Aero Slick Silk which for a 7mm Washter is the perfect balance.

Loading The Feeder

Again another crucial process and for this style of feeder work I like to create a flat table for my hook bait to sit on. I therefore compress the base pellets right in as this not only helps to protect your bait on impact with the water surface, but it helps slow down the process of the micro pellets expanding back out of the feeder. Once it’s settled on the bottom, this ensures that I’m creating a tight feeding table, which I believe invites the fish to intercept your hook bait quicker. The feeder is finished off with a cap around the hook bait and as long as you cast correctly and feeder enters the water correctly, you will have a perfectly presented Method feeder.

The Session

My main aim, especially with this venue, is to pick a distance I can comfortably reach, but of course taking into consideration the weather forecast, paying particular attention to wind speed and direction. So armed with that information I chose to fish at 82 metres, which then allowed me to fish a line to my left against the tree line, where there are always a large number of carp roaming about, and straight out in front with the same clip.

Timing is a massive part of any feeder session as it’s the first few casts that often provide an insight into how the venue’s fishing and, more importantly, are the carp having a chew? For at least the first two casts I will leave the feeder in for up to 30 minutes as it’s at the early stage of the match where the carp seem to be spread out more before they tend to back away to their ‘safe haven’. How I look at Worsbrough is if I’ve had a carp within the first four casts then this is usually a good sign. In an ideal world, my main aim with the first four casts is to be as accurate as possible, as I’m a big believer that fish often settle over your feed zone early in the match, and by getting it right you can often be rewarded with a few crucial early bites. Which was exactly the case on this day, as on the first two casts out in front I was rewarded with two stunning mirror carp, which both took the bait after 10 minutes. Once I’ve caught a carp, I then stretch out each cast. What I mean by this is that I add a bit of extra time on to each cast, especially when there’s every chance you might get a bite.

However, during the middle hours of the match, I’m a big believer in cutting down my cast times to build up my swim and on this particular venue this approach works really well. So, in the middle two hours I often cut my cast times down to 10 minutes. This is exactly what happened during this session and after two fish on my first two casts, I then experienced no bites on my next five casts so I did exactly that, and after a further five shorter duration casts I finally had my third bite. To be honest this is what I love about this style of fishing as you’re always thinking throughout each individual cast.

I can remember on many situations in past matches where I’ve planned to retrieve my feeder after let’s say 12 minutes, but then the 12 minutes elapsed with no bites. My natural reaction is to leave it in for one more minute, and then I start counting down when all of a sudden it goes round! To me this is a rewarding bite!

As bizarre as it sounds, although I was the only angler on the lower numbers, how and when the fish fed were so similar to match conditions when every peg is in. The final two hours of the session produced the most bites; there was an attracting area for the fish, so for the final two hours each cast was planned to be left in for 15 minutes as the average bite time was around seven to 10 minutes. This isn’t hectic fishing, it’s fishing that tests your patience, confidence and knowledge. Let me tell you a net of beautiful fish like this is a truly rewarding day’s fishing.