DES TAYLOR “Why you mustn’t be afraid to give the fish some grub on the rivers”
If you want big results, don’t hold back on your bait
NIGHT-TIME temperatures are dropping, earlymorning mist shrouds the valley as I drive to the river, and leaves are starting to fall. These things all point to one thing – autumn is on the way.
But never fear, this is the time when fish eat the most, and the season heralds some of the best angling opportunities of the year. Nowhere is this more apparent than on a river. I hear anglers talking about cutting down on the amount of loosefeed they are putting in, but I’m doing just the opposite.
Over the past two weeks I’ve alternated between my own fishing and guide days, on each session using around 4kg of pudding mix and boilies. As a result I’ve been getting up to 15 barbel to double figures and 10 chub to 6lb-plus at a sitting.
Does that sound like the fish are losing their appetites?
I start by feeding for an hour without fishing, and after that I just keep putting it in little and-often. It’s essential to carry on feeding, even if you aren’t getting bites. That way you’ll be constantly asking the fish questions, and eventually they’ll answer by feeding, and feeding hard at that!
Don’t bang in huge amounts of bait at the start, because whether you put in 0.5kg or 5kg it will all be washed down and out of the swim within a few minutes. The secret is to keep a constant stream of bait going past the fish’s noses.
This tactic will see you catching specimen fish of all species – if they are there to be begin with, that is! After all, the best baits, tackle and techniques will only catch good fish if the water holds them in the first place. That’s the first thing I make sure of before I wet a line on a new water.
Most years, I’ll carry on with this heavy feeding until the end of November, when fishing is made difficult by flotillas of leaves coming down the river.
Until recently it was heavy frosts that put a stop to sport, but nowadays these are a rarity and it’s rain and floods that do the most damage.
I favour boilies for most of my river fishing, no matter what the temperature or the height and colour of the water may be.
I will use 12mm boilies during the day and step them up to 25mm at night. I like Nash Scopex Squid and have total confidence in them.
Lots of matchmen and pleasure anglers still rate halibut pellets over boilies, but I don’t know why, because a good boilie has more attractants, flavour and catching power than any pellet. They must think a boilie is a carp bait, when in fact all fish will take them. I’ve had Severn roach to 2lb 6oz on an 18mm boilie and that’s on 15lb line and big hooks! I can only imagine the kind of roach I would catch if I scaled down my tackle and the size of the bait.
So, like I said at the start of this article, get those leaves swept up and get yourself down to the river. The fish will be hungry, so don’t stint on the bait and you’re sure to bag up.