Depth & Feature Finding: The Gear & Setup

If it’s a lake that you have never fished, and the distances are within your casting range but you don’t have the luxury of a rubber duck, dinghy, bait boat or a fishfinder, what are you going to do? Here’s how: There’s a wonderful array of tackle for this purpose from all the manufacturers and I’m not here to say what’s best and from whom, that’s for you to decide and how big your bank balance is. I’m just using my tackle, and I’ll explain why I use a certain type and my own preferences. So what do you need?A decent rod with a test curve of no more than 3.25lbs (anything heavier and the tip may be too stiff). I use the Sonik Sks or the Prologic C1a.A good reel (I use an Okuma Max 4 pit reel) spooled with (E.S.P.) marker braid. A marker float kit (I prefer one with a boom); the Prologic marker float comes with minesweeper leads of 85 & 125 gram. These improve the contact with the lake bed.A finger protector (braid will slice you up easy). Feather the braid by placing your index finger onto the spool and gently apply pressure to reduce the inertia of the line leaving the spool. As you can see on the image the braid is passed through the eye of the boom, through a buffer bead and tied to the float. The lead is connected to the boom via a Kwik link and swivel (this enables you to change the lead quickly). Once that’s set up you are ready to go. Kit sorted, pick your spot and cast.If you think you have over cast (especially when casting towards a tree or reed bed) you should “feather” the braid by placing your index finger onto the spool and gently apply pressure to reduce the inertia of the line leaving the spool, thus reducing the distance and stopping you getting snagged up. Repeat this till you hit your desired spot. Wind in any excessive arc you may have in your braid (or until you feel the lead’s weight), and with the drag loose pull the line away from your spool in one slow action, using the guide markings on your rod - normally it shows it in 6”and 12” distances, and count out. Keep doing this till your marker float pops up on the surface (if it lies flat you’ve over done it, so just wind in till it sits right) and that’s it, you’ve found the depth. If you notice the braid lying slack on top of the water and your marker has not broken the surface check for a snag (usually weed/grass) on the line; usually a gentle pull on the line will clear it, but if not wind in and repeat the process. Always check your set up on a retrieval and clean off any debris, which will also tell you what you are casting into and what’s on the lake bed. If you are not going to leave the marker out so that you can spod to it, wind the float down till you feel it stop on the lead, clip up and wind in. By doing this you can then set your bait rod to the same distance (either using marker sticks, or by pacing out the marker and then doing the same with your bait rod). *Important: remember to clip your bait rod up so you get the exact same distance for your chosen mark. PRO TIPSFollow the cast with your rod to eliminate any arc of your line on the bait’s descent to the lake bed.Don’t cast out like a madman as once the line hits the clip it may spring back in mid-air and you’ll miss your mark. Ex Londoner Dick Jones (49) settled in South Africa in 2014, is the owner of “Dogtroop” and a consultant/salesman for RAD Fishing Gear (Prologic SA). He was a member of the British Carp Society and has fished in France, Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany. His Common PB is 36.4lbs and his Mirror PB is 43.8lbs. He lives with his wife in Pretoria.