Improve Your Coarse Fishing (UK)
DES SHIPP
IF YOU are new to river fishing, there is every chance you feel a little daunted by the challenge that lies ahead.
Flowing water creates the impression that rigs need to be more complicated to gain the correct presentation.
But that couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, almost all of my river rigs are based on slight adaptations of those I use on stillwaters.
As with all styles of fishing, keeping it simple is the key to getting decent results so limit the number of set- ups you rely on.
Whether you have barbel, chub, bream or silverfish in mind, these five rigs will make sure your river season gets off to a flier.
Start with 30in of 0.15mm line and shorten this if you are getting line bites. Use a size 14 Preston Innovations N- 30 hook baited with three dead red maggots
Bream feeder
If you want to catch a huge weight from a river then bream should be your sole target. They move around in giant shoals and once you catch a fish, you can guarantee plenty more will soon follow! The feeder is the best attack because it enables you to put down a bed of groundbait that the bream will happily graze over. Start the session by introducing a dozen feeders of groundbait packed with loosefeed and then switch to a smaller feeder for the actual fishing. If the bites dry up, top up again with several big feeders to entice them back
A lignum stick remains stable in fairly slow water and means you can spot shy bites. Start on a 6x4 in good conditions
Place a bulk of shot around 3ft from the hook and have three No. 8 droppers evenly spread below. Use 3lb mainline
Fire in hemp and casters before each run. Feed slightly downstream to keep fish well located
A 0.12mm hooklength to a size 16 Preston Innovations N- 10 hook will help you land roach, perch, dace and bonus chub
There are lots of fairly slow- moving rivers where it is impossible to know what you will catch next. This is the ideal rig to use on them. It enables you to dictate the pace at which you want the hookbait to trip through the swim, so you can hold it back or run through when you feel necessary.
A fairly dumpy straight waggler will remain stable in the current. Start on a 3AAA size
A 3lb mainline will handle quality chub. Place several BB shot around the float and spread three No. 8 shot in the bottom half of the rig
Feed 30 maggots and casters every time you run the float through. Feed and cast downstream to keep the fish in range
Double maggot is a fantastic bait, best presented on a size 18 Preston Innovations N- 30. A 0.14mm hooklength will rarely break
A far bank bush is always going to be home to quality fish, especially chub! A waggler is a better approach when fishing at a decent range as they cast easily and can be controlled with minimal effort at distance. Enabling the hookbait to fall slowly is essential as the chub could be feeding at any depth.
A 1g float will trip through steadily in a slow- paced swim. Even when held back, it will present the bait naturally. Use a rugby ball pattern with a carbon stem
Place an olivette 2ft from the hook with three No. 8 droppers below. This gets the hookbait past any tiny fish before slowing the fall where the shoal is
Use 0.14mm mainline to an 0.10mm Preston Innovations Accupower hooklength and a size 18 N- 10 hook for mixed bags of silvers
Cup in six balls of groundbait with casters and hemp at the start
If the fish are happy to settle in front of you then the pole is a much quicker way to catch than the stick. Feed several balls of groundbait at the start of the session and then continually run your rig over the top. Get it right and you could come back with a silverfish every chuck!
Barbel prefer a static bait so use a heavy float. Depending on the pace of river, a 3g5g round- bodied pattern with a glassfibre stem will suffice
Use 0.21mm Preston Innovations Powerline to an 0.17mm hooklength and a size 14 N- 50 hook
Use hemp, casters and chopped worms for loosefeed and hookbait. Use a baitdropper to put in six loads to get to the bottom for barbel
Fish overdepth to keep a hookbait in the same spot. Start off with around a foot of line laying on the deck
There is nothing more exhilarating than hooking a big chub or barbel on the pole. The moment you set the hook they are going to test your tackle to the limit, charging around at pace in a bid to escape. It goes without saying that you’ll need heavy line and strong hooks if you want to come out on top every time.