Improve Your Coarse Fishing (UK)
River Trent
Nottinghamshire
NO MATTER where you live in the country, you’ve heard all about the mighty River Trent. At more than 170 miles long, this is far from a ‘ one stretch wonder’, with dozens of areas capable of scintillating sport.
It’s up there with the most versatile running water in the land. Whether you fancy putting together 100lb of bream on the feeder, fishing the float for a big net of roach and chub or rolling a lump of meat for a double- figure barbel, there’s dozens of pegs with your name on them.
Such thrilling action has led to it becoming much more than just a haunt for local anglers, with tens of thousands of miles clocked up every year by those unable to resist its allure. It’s hardly on the doorstep of keen specimen enthusiast Phil Taylor but that doesn’t stop him making frequent journeys in search of new personal bests.
“It’s arguably the best river in the land at the moment and you are spoilt for choice in so many ways,” explains Phil.
“The Collingham stretch has several miles that are nowhere near as busy”
“There are so many different stretches, species of fish and tactics that work to keep you gripped for quite literally years on end.
“Big fish are on the cards but by no means guaranteed and the sense of achievement anglers feel when they crack the code is what keeps them coming back for more.”
Hidden treasures
Every major river has its famous hotspots that attract more than its fair share of visitors.
Bob’s Island, Gunthorpe Weir and Collingham are just a handful of the Trent’s star performers and it is the latter that Phil pays a lot of attention to.
“The pegs by the weir at Collingham are up there with the busiest in the country in terms of river fishing – they’re that popular you need to prebook them!
“But the Collingham stretch is more than just the weir and it has several miles of tidal water that are nowhere near as busy.
“That is down to the fact that a little effort is needed to get to the swims and certainly nothing to do with the fish stocks – it is home to stacks of big barbel and chub.”
Fairly wide and pacey, watercraft definitely comes into play. There are no noticeable snags to launch a bait towards and every swim looks pretty much identical.
Meeting up for a session with the IYCF cameras, a couple of rods and the essential tackle were loaded on to a barrow. The controlling club certainly seem to treasure the fishery, making sure an even path is left clear at the top of the banking to aid accessibility.
Having walked around half a mile, Phil dropped into a swim that had produced for him during previous sessions. Well cut out with the steep banking adapted, it was easy to get down to the waters edge.
To the untrained eye, it looked nothing special compared to the rest and only time would tell whether any Trent giants had remained in the vicinity.
Pellet power
Both rods would be rigged up to simple cage feeder set- ups and launched anywhere between half and three quarters of the way across.
That would lead to the hookbait being sat in fairly pacey water which would be well oxygenated – perfect for both target species.
Past experimentation with lots of different baits has led to Phil turning to pellets as his first choice bait.
“I dampen some 6mm or 8mm halibut pellets so that they turn into a mushy consistency which can be packed into the feeder. The hookbait is a pre- drilled 14mm halibut pellet which is presented on a hair rig while luncheon meat is my back- up.”
A 3oz feeder was used on the day due to the energetic flow, with 12lb mainline to a 8.2lb hooklength and a size 8 hook finishing off the approach.
The rods were cast into position and placed on the waiting pod, with both pointing almost skywards to keep as much mainline out of the water as possible.
“If you kept your rod low the rig would be dragged out of position in no time at all and unless you received a really savage bite, you would miss subtle indications.”
This was never going to be a frantic style of fishing and Phil soon sat back to take in the surroundings. Hares were darting around on the far bank, a herd of cows trundled through the shallows and countless dragonflies accurately weaved in between the reed stems – it wasn’t a bad place to be sat waiting for the action to begin.
Trigger a response
As Phil waited, it was clear his mind was constantly ticking over as he tried to spark some action.
The catapult frequently fired in a few halibut pellets to try and stop any fish in their tracks, with recasting undertaken every 15 minutes.
“The flow is quite pacey today so you never know for sure where your loosefeed is going to end up and it is best to keep a bit going in one way or another.” Rummaging in his tackle box to tamper with a few items of terminal tackle he was soon disturbed by a tap, tap, thud on the rod tip – fish on!
From the word go, the fish used the full power of the flow to make life difficult for Phil. Keeping the rod high, he managed to guide it out of the sternest current, creeping it closer to the net.
A silver flash in the clear water negated the guessing game and it was apparent a big chub was attached to the other end. Minutes later a 4lb plus specimen was in the net – a blank avoided in fine style. “It’s a stunning fish but there are stacks of that size in here and plenty even bigger.”
It didn’t take long for the other rod to rattle into action and once again the quarry wasn’t giving an inch. This time it seemed even angrier than the first culprit!
“It feels even more powerful and I’d place my money on this being a barbel.”
Taking no chances, he allowed the fish to strip line at times, gently guiding it towards him with every opportunity.
Even when it seemed as though the most arduous part of the dual was over, it would dart off at a rate of knots – this definitely wasn’t a chub.
Around 10 minutes after receiving the bite it was over and a barbel of 8lb- plus was beaten.
It was clear we were fishing on a tidal stretch of the waterway as within a couple of hours the water levels had changed, with the rocks clearly showing there had been a drop of at least a foot since the first cast was made. One more of each species came in the next couple of hours before time was called on a very satisfactory session in the warm and less than ideal weather conditions. “Big- fish action is never about bites every chuck but when the tip goes round on the Trent, something very special is often attached to the other end of the rig. “It’s a river that has been through plenty of ups and downs over the years but there is little doubt it is now at the peak of its powers.”
“When the tip goes round on the Trent, something very special is often attached to the other end”