KING OF TIP FISHING
YIvoaun’llMhaarrkdsly ever see a swingtip in use today, but was a master of this method – and the quivertip too
SWINGTIPPING and quivertipping are similar… but that doesn’t mean you should use the same rod for both.
My quivertip rod is nine feet long, a foot shorter than my swingtipper and a shade more powerful. It’s a lighter, stiffer rod all through.
When you are quivertipping you don’t want a rod that bends right round with the tip. It would be too slow on the strike. The bend must be in the top joint and quivertip, which should form a uniform curve.
Remember that with a 12ins quivertip the total length will be much the same as the swingtip rod’s 10ft.
The swingtip rod has a fair bit of give. It has to pick up a long line and at the same time absorb the plunges of a heavy bream without the hooklength breaking.
Many anglers favour a short swingtip rod which gives a quick strike. But by using a 10ft
swingtip rod I can comfortably clear any marginal weed and cast with an extra-long tail.
The only disadvantage with this is the ‘bounce’ in the middle which can reduce the efficiency of the strike. But you’ve got to strike a happy medium.
When you are swingtipping it’s as well to remember to use three rod rests. With just one at either end, the rod will bow in the middle.
When you strike you will have to pick up that bend before the rod is working to hook the fish. This will slow your strike just that fraction of a second, and you could lose the fish.
A rod rest supporting the middle of the rod will help to keep the whole rod straight.
It’s the same with swingtips. I use a shorter tip of 8ins-9ins in summer to hit bites quicker. There’s a little less slack line to pick up.
In winter I prefer to use a longer swingtip, perhaps up to 15ins. On the Welland and the Witham, which have a winter flow, I let my bait roll along the bottom. The swingtip reacts to the current and moves with an up-and-down rhythm. If the rhythm of the tip alters it could be a fish… so strike.
You may need to replace your bomb with swan shot to get it moving slowly in an arc through the swim. If it still anchors to the bottom, reduce the shot until it shifts, making sure that it moves through slower than the current.
Too many anglers put on the same swingtip or quivertip winter and summer, lake or river. Yet they wouldn’t dream of fishing the Severn with an antenna float they used the week before on a lake! Different tips are needed for different waters. Obviously a stiffish quivertip works better on a fast flowing river, while a nice ‘loose’ tip performs well on a Fenland drain.
Whether you are swingtipping or quivertipping, one thing is essential to both – the target board.
With bites that may move the tip only one eighth of an inch, a target board is a necessity. With the swingtip a lined board is probably best, but for quivertipping a plain black board with two clear patches will work just as well.
Staring at a quivertip against a background of rippling water can play tricks with the eyes. But a plain dark background will present few problems with eyestrain.
Some anglers persist in holding their rods high in the air when they are quivertipping. I do this only when the river is running hard and I want to avoid weed fouling the line. Otherwise I fish with my rod parallel to the bank.
“If the rhythm of the tip alters it could be a fish… so strike”