ARTHUR’S ARCHIVES Inside fishing history
Just observing will make you a better angler
AFEW weeks back I suggested that we all pop down to our local river to help protect it from predators and poachers.
Well, lots of anglers have taken me up on this, and it’s been interesting to hear how they’ve fared out there in nature. Many tell me that, just by walking the bank, they’ve learned so much more than just sitting watching a rod-tip or float. I’ve said for years that the more you learn about your natural surroundings, the better the angler you’ll become and the more enjoyable the experience will be for you.
On some days a river is ‘alive’ and I just know I’m going to catch because the whole ecosystem is buzzing. Insects are rising from the river bed and bursting through the surface film, where dace, trout and chub await them. That’s what causes those big splashes or, if you look more carefully, you may see the vortices being made as fish swirl sub-surface, feeding on natural food. Wagtails and flycatchers will signal when a hatch is going on, while the presence of kingfishers, cormorants and goosanders will tell you where concentrations of small silverfish are. Not far away will be zander, pike and perch.
Sometimes, as any good river angler will tell you, the reverse is true. The river appears to be ‘dead’, with no movement in or above the water. Very few birds are about, no insects are coming off, not a fish is showing and yes, you guessed it, you’ll not get a single bite.
But that’s only the start. Learn about the weather, and I don’t mean finding out whether or not you’ll need a brolly. I’m talking about wind strength and direction, day and night-time temperatures, river level and colour, and air pressure.
This may seem a lot to take in, but it’s really only a small jigsaw with a few pieces that can soon be put together to make you a much better angler.
Don’t get me wrong, when the river season starts, if you plan to make a trip with your mate then the chances are you’ll go fishing regardless of the conditions. But you can still decide on the best species to go for, where you’ll fish and where on that venue to plant your seatbox.
If you want to become a better
river angler this season, then spend as much time on the bank as possible. Every week you’ll see changes – trees coming downriver making new swims, old trees that made good swims for years washed away, deep holes filled in from a gravel bank miles upstream, and new holes made as gravel beds are ripped up. Banks may collapse, changing the course of the river.
If you see all this happening you’ll be fully in tune with the river, unlike the angler who last saw it on March 14 and now stands by the water for the first time since then. Come June 16 he’ll be saying: “Bloody hell, this has changed a bit, I hardly recognise the river.”
The more you see in and out of the water, the more you’ll see how everything is connected. This will help you become a better angler and countryman.
Oh, by the way, on your closed season walks remember to take some bait with you. Bread, cake, scraps of meat from the dinner table, a tin of corn and a few boilies, all will help make good swims come June 16. There’s no reason for you to be moaning that the start of the season is always very slow because the fish have seen no bait for three months. In fact my fish are eating some bait right now!