I was sat on the bank last week watching the world go by as you do and taking note how the different anglers present were tackling the lake. I find I learn an awful lot by simply taking a mental note of what others are doing and at the times they are doing them. I find I learn more from those that don’t catch regularly than I do from those that do.

Spodding/Spombing is something which can make or break a swim. It does amuse me when anglers make the comment along the lines of ‘spodding doesn’t work here – it spooks the fish. The answer to this is something I don’t usually bother giving but usually start thinking about including a spod rod on my next trip.

Spodding/Spombing can indeed spook the fish on some lakes when carried out at the wrong time of the day. If you are fishing a water where the fish are under constant pressure then just as they are about to start cautious feeding isn’t the time to be crashing a spod/Spomb on top of them. Ideally you want to be introducing the spod/spomb several hours before the expected feeding spell or the expected arrival of fish in your swim if you know the water well.

I always beat my drum about it but one of the most important things to me is to find out what time each capture is made. Far more important in my mind than what bait or what rig. Make a note of the times of captures and you will soon build a picture in your head when it is safe to spod or not to spod.

Back to my watching the world go by last week and the idea for this short Blog.

Two different anglers on the far bank started to do a little spodding right in the middle of what could have been a productive catching time for them. That I classed as a result to myself as any fish in their area would no doubt be moving out and probably still be needing to feed.

The thing which triggered this piece really though was how they were conducting their spodding and is something I see so often. They were making it difficult for themselves by having to crouch down between casts to fill the spod from floor level which totally loses momentum in smooth accurate casting.

Much better, easier and more fluent is to build yourself a table to hold your bait at a more comfortable height. I simply carry my bucket inside one or two other buckets which then serve two purposes – no annoying liquid leakage in the car and by standing the buckets on top of each other I have a comfortable working height which allows me to get the bait out so much quicker and certainly more accurate than breaking between each cast.

I swing the spod to hand at waist level, fill the spod, swing it out on the same length line, back and cast in one fluid movement. Give it a go you may be surprised how much easier it is to cast a spod in this way rather than lining up and casting from a static position like you do your rig.

A couple of empty buckets hardly add to the weight of the gear you carry if you are lugging bivvies and beds around.

Happy Spodding and Spombing.

Shaun

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