Dave Harrell takes us through his tricks for catching river fish faster
How to catch bigger weights… faster!
“Some days you just can’t compete in terms of speed fishing if you adopt rod and reel tactics”
OVER the past few river seasons, more and more match anglers have come to realise that long whips are a must for competing in certain events where big numbers of fish are the target.
It’s certainly been the case on my own circuit, and there are matches coming up on rivers like the Severn and Wye where on some days you just can’t compete in terms of speed fishing if you adopt rod-and-reel tactics.
On these rivers there have been some huge weights of dace, roach, perch and chub taken on long elasticated whips, so with the ‘bagging season’ fast approaching I thought I’d take you through what is needed to achieve your best ever silver fish catches using this relatively underfished method!
LONG WHIP OR ROD?
Why use a long whip instead of a rod? That’s a question you must address every time you are on the river from this month onwards.
If you’re having to run a rig a long way down the river before you get bites, a long whip is not the way to fish, but if bites are coming quickly you can catch much faster with a long line tied to the end of a 7m or 8m whip.
Some of these fish – mainly dace – go three and four to the pound, so you will need a lot of them to catch 40lb to 60lb weights.
Last season I had 61lb of dace in the Wye Championships, and I have had weights up to 114lb of dace in the past.
The Severn also produced 60lb dace weights and one of 70lb last winter, so the long whip is a tactic you can’t afford to ignore.
TIPS AND TACTICS
Always start with the rig set at dead depth. As the session progresses, try fishing off the bottom and shallow up by an inch or two at a time.
Another useful trick on colder days is to fish over depth and slow the rig down. This is where the bigger size of float really comes into its own.
Think carefully about where your groundbait is ending up on the bottom. Don’t put it in too high up the swim or you won’t be able to control your rig over it.
Single or double maggot tends to be my favourite hookbait, but from time to time I’ll slip three grubs on. This can often result in a chub or big perch!
Also, try single or double caster from time to time, as big roach love these.
If your budget allows, it’s worth investing in at least two long whips, as this will enable you to fish at different lengths and/or have rigs set at different depths.