Dave Harrell
River fishing secrets to try this weekend
LAST week we looked at pole rigs for rivers at normal level – but what do you do if you arrive at your favourite stretch only to find the river is carrying extra water, with more flow and colour?
This is a problem that could be faced by the river angler many times, but unless the conditions are extreme, the challenge of catching can be an interesting and rewarding one.
This week, we’re looking at the pole rigs you’ll need to cope with situations like this.
You don’t need loads, but you do need a range of sizes in order to ‘boss’ the river and not let it pull your rig about all over the place.
FEEDER, BOMB OR POLE?
When a river is carrying extra water, the first thing you need to ask yourself is: ‘which methods will give me the best chance of catching in these conditions?’
Years ago we always used to reach for a feeder or bomb, but now we have specialist floats that enable us to present our bait perfectly under a pole-tip.
As a result, we can also feed the swim more accurately and also hit more bites as the rig is much more direct.
FLOAT SHAPES
If there isn’t too much extra pace in the river I prefer to use a ‘squashed rugby ball’ shape in the form of a DH12. This is a great float for laying on, and I’ve had some very big weights using it in sizes up to 6g.
Once the pace of the river gets too much for a DH12, I switch to using Cralusso flat floats. The Ray pattern is a great float for slowly easing the hookbait down over a bed of groundbait or baitdroppered chopped worm and caster.
If I want to hold the rig totally still in the flow, I use a Cralusso Torpedo. These floats have been around for years and they are perfect for holding still in strong flow. As an extra precaution, I glue thick bristles into my floats so there is never a danger of them pulling out.
LINE CHOICES
As with the lighter rigs I discussed last week, I use Pro Rig for all my big floats. The only difference is, the lines for these floats are much stronger as I never know what I might hook!
I always try to get away with the strongest line possible, so as long as I’m still getting bites, I will gradually go heavier. This way of doing it has won me plenty of
money on days when barbel have put in an appearance.
If I hook a big fish, I want to land it and I’ve landed plenty of barbel up to 10lb on these rigs.
OLIVETTES AND SHOT
For these rigs I always use in-line olivettes stopped with shot or a piece of bristle. The whole rig is geared up to be strong! ELASTICATION For this sort of fishing, I favour a
Daiwa Air Z with elastic through the No2 and No3 sections, and use a tensioner bung to get the correct tension.
If there is enough room in the river to play fish I have found that Black Hydro is best, as it will allow fish like barbel to run but cope with them during the fight without the hook pulling out.
If you’re fishing in a weedy or snaggy swim you might need to use Red Hydro to apply a bit more pressure on the fish.
RIG LENGTHS
All my heavy-duty rigs are made up on lengths from the No2 to the No5 section. The No1 section is never used for this type of fishing.