DES TAYLOR ‘Throw away the rule book’
Fish can’t read, so why not try something different, however unlikely it may seem
EVERY riverside pub I’ve been in has its self-appointed angling expert, usually an old boy red of nose and long in the tooth.
“No good fishing for carp when it’s cold,” he’ll say, staring meaningfully at his empty pint glass. “You’d be better off going after pike, trust me, fella.”
How, then, would he explain away that 38lb-plus mirror I caught last year on an evening when the temperature was -40C?
Going by the book (which happens to be 50 years out of date) you’d imagine bream were fish of spring and summer, while grayling were best caught in winter.
Here we go again… seven of my 3lb grayling came to the bank in summer, while I’ve recently caught double-figure bream by design in February when a heavy morning frost painted the ground silver.
As for barbel only feeding on the bottom, I’ve taken shedloads of these fish on a float set at 2ft in 6ft of water.
In recent years top carp anglers have proved with the zig rig that their quarry spends more time off the bottom than on it. All this leads me to the conclusion that you should think outside the box and try something different.
Even at my age I’m always keen to find out more. Nothing beats being out of my comfort zone, trying out new methods, baits and venues.
It helps no end that I’m an all-rounder. One day I’m after roach on the float, the next I’m at sea chasing tope, maybe rounding off the week by lure fishing for perch. If I had to do the same thing week in, week out, I honestly think I’d pack up fishing. But I continue to enjoy this great sport in all its forms. Next time I’m in the pub I might even tell the old know-it-all how I got on.