Catch22 Rudd challenge
ARGUABLY Britain’s most beautiful freshwater fish, a big rudd is a sight to behold. With its gleaming gold flanks and blood-red fins it’s a worthy prize for any angler.
Rudd fishing is at its finest in midsummer, when on certain rivers, lakes and drains you’ll see shoals feeding on insects at the surface, using their protruding bottom lip to suck items up from below. But how do you go about catching a big one?
Well, your first task is to find the fish! Big rudd are elusive creatures, and they’re not everywhere.
If you’re lucky enough to live near a secluded canal or drain, take a walk along the banks in the
evening. Watch carefully for signs of fish at the surface – big swirls will almost certainly be from feeding rudd.
Meanwhile, many stillwaters will hold a shoal or two of rudd, and the chances are some of them will be big ones.
One way to tempt a big rudd is with simple waggler float tactics,
loosefeeding maggots and casting with the float set just a couple of feet deep.
Another is to use the rig shown below. Again it features float tackle, but this time with bread crust at the surface.
Once you have found the fish, spend a bit of time firing out pieces of bread with a catapult, and when you see the fish taking the offerings at the surface, cast your rig carefully in among them.
Better still, on flowing water, cast the rig upstream of the feeding fish and let it drift down towards them.
With any luck, seconds later you’ll be able to add a clonking summer rudd to your Catch22 2019 tally. Good luck!