Hi Mark I have a method of skewering the hemp through the “flat end” that is the end attached to the plant. This is to use a long thin hat pin, you can get them from second hand shops to off eBay. If you get the longest you can (about 4”) it will flex ensuring that you skewer the hempseed centrally and the hempseed will not split allowing the hook to easily slip through the hole that you have made. I have tried all sorts of pins, needles and purpose made knot pickers but the parallel flexible hat pin is by far the best.
A very interesting topic. I find hooking hemp very tricky, so I normally use tares on the hook. In a few sessions on the Thames I would catch 2-3 oz roach on or near the bottom. Eventually I tried fishing 7 feet deep in 12 feet and instantly was getting 6-10oz fish. I was feeding hemp every cast so I guess the better fish were coming up in the water to intercept it. I should’ve fished 3 feet deep, maybe that’s where the pounders were feeding. It was great fishing!
I sed to fish the warks avon a lot and you could only catch the bigger roach on hemp. Im going back 25 years or so but i can remeber catching a big net full of roach at the manor farm leisure stretch, good net roach pretty much every cast but if you put a maggot on you couldnt catch a roach. I think a lot of it nowadays comes down to the fact that there are a lot of small fish in our rivers but the bigger roach are few and far between. On the rivers i know where there are lots of big roach they seem to get caught on all sorts.
I've preferred fishing bread (flake or paste) over hemp for some time now. I find easily varying the hookbait size allows me gauge the stamp of roach feeding in the swim, using the largest size that gets repeat takes. Fishing matches in the 80's I substituted a small piece of black rubber wire insulation for the hookbait when feeding hemp (old wire insulation used to have a white inner layer, and made a good mimic), this worked well for catching on the drop, but as you say, mainly for producing smaller fish in match quantity.
a bit of a bind but i pearce a hole with a pin straight through the middle and tie a piece of 0.08 line round it.i use grab pack preserved hemp and won a match at chippenham and won my sn on the 1st rnd of the upper thames winter league at radcot last year on that same grain of hemp...i still have that grain ready to go again this summer
I find that the trick to fishing hemp for bigger fish is fishing overdepth but not too far out & up to cover. But good catches have waned in the last few seasons.
I fish the Thames around Oxford with hemp and tares and often pick the best fish out on hemp rather than tares and usually shallow although im usually fishing the pole. My biggest fish was caught on bread though and sweetcorn can be really good as well.
Take a look at my videos on the moving feeder used with liquised bread as feed and breadflake on a 10. When there's some, not TOO much, flow it's deadly for big Thames roach.
I have had some success fishing wheat over hemp feed but not really feeding and fishing the bait, as my thoughts on seed baits require a venue with reasonable stock of quality roach to be any good.I am talking plenty of fish from a couple of ounces upwards anything smaller than 2oz or less i always struggle,the quality roach seem to have gone from my local river pollution predation lack of recruitment all playing a part.
Mark I've had massive bags of roach on the hemp and loads over 2lb + you only catch small roach because you don't have a clue how to fish the hemp ,listening to your opening comments regarding the hemp are so way of the mark ,my best roach on the hemp is 3lb4oz Regards Charlie Kemmett
Sorry I find your comment rude and arrogant. If you really knew Mark then you would think otherwise as to calling him clueless. Although he is no longer a match angler in his pomp he was regarded as one of the best around in the South West and was a brilliant river angler. Maybe you, Mr Big Bollocks, can do a video giving us a masterclass on fishing hemp seeing as you’re clearly better at it than Mark 🙄
Hello Charlie , if anyone can fish hemp you can , I know of lots of your catches and Ian’s , hope to see you on the Avon this coming season , bfn Charlie , regards Nobby Clarke…👍🏻
Hi Mark I have a method of skewering the hemp through the “flat end” that is the end attached to the plant. This is to use a long thin hat pin, you can get them from second hand shops to off eBay. If you get the longest you can (about 4”) it will flex ensuring that you skewer the hempseed centrally and the hempseed will not split allowing the hook to easily slip through the hole that you have made. I have tried all sorts of pins, needles and purpose made knot pickers but the parallel flexible hat pin is by far the best.
I shall try and give it a go.
I used to bag up with quality Roach on the Gt Ouse with Hemp and Elder Berry
I have always found that I have caught my biggest roach on hemp rather than tares, interesting topic though to find different opinions.
A very interesting topic. I find hooking hemp very tricky, so I normally use tares on the hook. In a few sessions on the Thames I would catch 2-3 oz roach on or near the bottom. Eventually I tried fishing 7 feet deep in 12 feet and instantly was getting 6-10oz fish. I was feeding hemp every cast so I guess the better fish were coming up in the water to intercept it. I should’ve fished 3 feet deep, maybe that’s where the pounders were feeding. It was great fishing!
I sed to fish the warks avon a lot and you could only catch the bigger roach on hemp. Im going back 25 years or so but i can remeber catching a big net full of roach at the manor farm leisure stretch, good net roach pretty much every cast but if you put a maggot on you couldnt catch a roach.
I think a lot of it nowadays comes down to the fact that there are a lot of small fish in our rivers but the bigger roach are few and far between. On the rivers i know where there are lots of big roach they seem to get caught on all sorts.
I've preferred fishing bread (flake or paste) over hemp for some time now. I find easily varying the hookbait size allows me gauge the stamp of roach feeding in the swim, using the largest size that gets repeat takes. Fishing matches in the 80's I substituted a small piece of black rubber wire insulation for the hookbait when feeding hemp (old wire insulation used to have a white inner layer, and made a good mimic), this worked well for catching on the drop, but as you say, mainly for producing smaller fish in match quantity.
a bit of a bind but i pearce a hole with a pin straight through the middle and tie a piece of 0.08 line round it.i use grab pack preserved hemp and won a match at chippenham and won my sn on the 1st rnd of the upper thames winter league at radcot last year on that same grain of hemp...i still have that grain ready to go again this summer
I find that the trick to fishing hemp for bigger fish is fishing overdepth but not too far out & up to cover. But good catches have waned in the last few seasons.
Overdepth. Isnt that stret pegging.
I think Dave Howes used to do it at ibsley for good Roach.
😊
I fish the Thames around Oxford with hemp and tares and often pick the best fish out on hemp rather than tares and usually shallow although im usually fishing the pole. My biggest fish was caught on bread though and sweetcorn can be really good as well.
Take a look at my videos on the moving feeder used with liquised bread as feed and breadflake on a 10. When there's some, not TOO much, flow it's deadly for big Thames roach.
Stewed Wheat?
I have had some success fishing wheat over hemp feed but not really feeding and fishing the bait, as my thoughts on seed baits require a venue with reasonable stock of quality roach to be any good.I am talking plenty of fish from a couple of ounces upwards anything smaller than 2oz or less i always struggle,the quality roach seem to have gone from my local river pollution predation lack of recruitment all playing a part.
Mark I've had massive bags of roach on the hemp and loads over 2lb + you only catch small roach because you don't have a clue how to fish the hemp ,listening to your opening comments regarding the hemp are so way of the mark ,my best roach on the hemp is 3lb4oz
Regards Charlie Kemmett
Just out of interest ... could you suggest your approach on hemp fishing so we could all improve ...
TIA
Link us to your massive bags and huge roach, modest one?
Sorry I find your comment rude and arrogant. If you really knew Mark then you would think otherwise as to calling him clueless. Although he is no longer a match angler in his pomp he was regarded as one of the best around in the South West and was a brilliant river angler. Maybe you, Mr Big Bollocks, can do a video giving us a masterclass on fishing hemp seeing as you’re clearly better at it than Mark 🙄
Hello Charlie , if anyone can fish hemp you can , I know of lots of your catches and Ian’s , hope to see you on the Avon this coming season , bfn Charlie , regards Nobby Clarke…👍🏻
Do tell us how to do it Proper Charlie! Maybe Nobby Knows too!
Only hemp I can find is tiny, not at all good for fishing really
The good stuff is hard to find and even more expensive than I mentioned.