10 STEPS TO A BRILLIANT DAY OUT ON THE RIVERS
This week Dave highlights the ‘ten commandments’ to follow for a successful day’s fishing on the river...
1 DO YOUR HOMEWORK
SUCCESS will be much easier to achieve if you spend some time finding out as much information as you can about the venue you are going to fish. As the old saying goes – ‘Fail to prepare, prepare to fail!’
Tackle shops are a brilliant source of information, and have up-to-the-minute info on rivers from customers and, naturally, they want you to have a good day based on their info. That way, you will return and spend money with them the next time you go out fishing!
You can also use the internet for finding out bits and bobs. This involves only a simple search for relevant websites, or blogs that have been done by anglers fishing the stretch you are planning on going to.
2 BE PREPARED!
GOOD planning and preparation will result in more fish in the net, and there are many jobs you can do at home before you even leave the front door. This will give you more actual fishing time on the bank.
Make up duplicate pole and running line rigs and tie plenty of hooks, so you are covered for all eventualities. I always check my tackle box and replenish items such as shot. Why waste time that could be spent fishing?
Make sure you’ve enough line on your reels and, finally, have everything covered in terms of hardware. Even if you aren’t planning on fishing the whip, pack one in the rod bag, just in case.
3 PLUMB UP
IT ALWAYS surprises me that so many anglers don’t spend enough time plumbing up. To me it’s one of the most important aspects of the day.
I understand that we all want to get fishing as quickly as possible, but time spent learning about the contours of your swim, not just in front of you but also well downstream, will result in a better catch rate. With a good idea of the changes in depths and pace, you will then know exactly which rig suits the swim, rather than playing a game of trial and error without catching a lot.
4 USE BALANCED TACKLE
A CENTRAL part of a good day’s fishing is to have all the component parts of your tackle well balanced. On rivers such as the Severn you could be catching roach, with the odd big chub, perch or barbel crashing the party.
Having tackle that’s too light may lead to the loss of those better fish.
Your line must match the rod and the hook size must, in turn, match the line and the rod. Unbalanced kit will only lead to lost fish, and that’s guaranteed to take the shine off your day.
5 TAKE PLENTY OF TACKLE OPTIONS
BEING caught out with the wrong floats or feeders is a horrible feeling and can make the day a real waste of time, using gear that you just know isn’t right.
I always carry a wide selection of different floats and feeders to cope with any depth and flow.
It’s also worth remembering that, in winter, the pace can change, or the wind can pick up. Having the next size of float or feeder handy makes for a seamless and easy change.
6 CAST DOWNSTREAM WHEN TROTTING
I SEE so many anglers beginning their ‘run’ down the swim by casting straight out in front of them.
This is not correct. To achieve perfect float presentation on running water you should always cast downstream, as this will allow you to present the hookbait as perfectly as possible and, in turn, trick the fish into thinking the hookbait is a loose offering amid what you’re feeding.
7 KEEP THE BAIT GOING IN!
FRUGAL feeding is no good on big rivers. Even if you’re not getting many bites, you must feed the swim regularly. For me, nine times out of 10 that means introducing loosefeed or a small ball of groundbait every time I cast. If you don’t feed, you won’t catch much and, often, the better fish in the swim will respond to regular feeding.
8 FEED TO THE RESPONSE
ON cold days when the fish aren’t chasing about much, you might only need to feed a very small amount of bait. There have been many times when I’ve fed as little as two or three maggots every cast in order to tempt what few fish were feeding. Conversely, on the same swim in warmer conditions, I’ve fed as much as four or five pints of maggots!
It’s all about building up the swim, but you must take into account how the fish are reacting to the feed. If few bites are coming from feeding heavily, cut back. Likewise, if you are catching well with minimal feed, try upping the amount to see if it makes a change for the good.
9 TAKE A ‘BIG FISH GAMBLE’
ALWAYS give yourself the chance of catching something big. Quite often, this opportunity comes late in the session and usually involves the use of a big hookbaits such as a lobworms, pellets or luncheon meat.
A switch to these baits can suddenly transform the end of a day from average to incredible, with a big barbel or chub!
10 KEEP ON CHANGING
THE best river anglers will always change things until they achieve the maximum catch rate. Depth changes are critical, and even a few centimetres can make a big difference.
I will make a change and give it five or 10 minutes and then change again. This can be a faff, but getting things worked out early means that the rig will be working perfectly by the final three hours.