Improve Your Coarse Fishing Magazine - Issue 379 (PREVIEW)

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The fun way to a netful!

MIXED BAGS MADE EASY Sarah Taylor details the simple method anyone can master

62 PAGES OF RED-HOT SUMMER TACTICS...

Carp shallow Catch inches below the surface River bream How to bank big slabs on the float Des Shipp Fish more effectively with meat

ISSUE 379

BUYERS' GUIDE TOP QUIVERTIP ROD RESTS

July 27 – August 24, 2021 £4.20

This month...

Issue 379 July 27 – August 24, 2021

Fishery Focus

30

8

River Stour

14

Birch House Lakes

Dorset

Derbyshire

Tactics 24

30 35

Pemb Wrighting

Ring the changes to bag up shallow

Sarah Taylor

Whip a beginner into shape

Paul Hardy

Stop them in their tracks

40

Matt Bingham

44

Quick fix

What is the mudline and how do you tackle one?

10 tackle box essentials 66

46 50

52 56

Dale Calvert

Pellet waggler to raid islands

59

Gary Knowles

Six edges for specimen crucians

Phil Taylor

River bream on the waggler

62 66

Tim Prosser

Open your mind with bankside photography

Jack Danby

One line to rule them all

Fish Better with Des Shipp How to fish with luncheon meat

Rig school

Rudd float rig 70 62

Q&A

Your questions answered

76

82

Tackle 76

80 82

Live test

Shakespeare Superteam Method Feeder rod

New gear

The latest tackle releases

Buyers’ guide...

Feeder fishing rod rest heads

Carp tactics 96 100 104 106

24

Dai Gribble

Time to turn to naturals

Bait edges

Your IYCF 20 84 88 90 94 110

Subscribe...

...for just £3.90 a month

IYCF Chats to...

The Winning Ways team

Your letters Have your say

Daiwa Mission Your catch shots

Puzzle break

Win a Korum Roving Pouch

Bob Roberts’ Diary

Find out what our top allrounder has been up to

Carp fishing gets active

Rig of the month KD rig

Carp Q&A

Sticky’s expert answers

84

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Birch House Lakes, Derbyshire

Sack up on silvers in stunning scenery Gary Rodgers escorts IYCF’s cameras to a tranquil complex that’s in top form for hefty hauls of roach and bream Words & Photography Tony Grigorjevs

14 IYCF | Issue 379

S

ILVERFISH are often given the cold-shoulder by commercial fans during the heat of summer.

It’s not that anglers don’t want to catch them, but more that they are afraid of carp crashing the party and trashing their finely-tuned rigs in the process!

At most fisheries, the mirrors and commons simply can’t resist swarming into a well-baited swim and no matter what you try to distract their attention, they still unsettle the roach, perch and bream.

At Derbyshire’s Birch House Lakes, however, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Ten lakes have been constructed and almost all of them hold a substantial head of silvers that are always on the hunt for a meal at this time of year.

Even in the pools where carp are also present in solid numbers, the silvers hold their own, seemingly looking for areas to feed where the carp won’t bother them.

Local angler Gary Rodgers first got a glimpse of the complex when he was invited to fish a competition in winter. Like many anglers, he felt the conditions were too mild to enjoy a day chasing silvers, convinced he’d spend most of the day with his light elastics stretched to the limit by nuisance carp. Come the final whistle though, his opinion had changed.

“It was an unbelievable day. Although I ended up with more than 25lb of silverfish I came absolutely nowhere in the match,” said Gary.

“I wasn’t remotely bothered by not winning because I’d had such a brilliant day and hadn’t been pestered by any carp in the process.”

His memorable session turned out to be the norm and even when the seasons changed from winter to spring and spring to summer, the silvers were still dominating sessions.

FISHERY FOCUS An in-depth guide to the best stillwaters, rivers, and canals that you can fish for the price of a day ticket

www.greatmagazines.co.uk | IYCF 15

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Whip a beginner into shape Summer is prime time to introduce someone new to fishing. Sarah Taylor reveals a tactic that will make them love our sport in an instant Words & Photography Tony Grigorjevs

A

NYONE with young kids will be only too aware that the summer holidays are upon us.

They’ll be relishing six weeks away from their desks, looking forward to a plethora of activities and events long since pencilled in.

But with such a long period out of the classroom, there’s bound to be periods where they are at a loose end and that is where you as an angler can step in.

Rather than let them spend the day consumed by the TV or games console, it’s the perfect opportunity to take them fishing.

There are so many benefits to getting involved and the best way to sow the seed and get them to buy into it is provide them with instant success.

Regular feeding will soon get the silverfish into a frenzy

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A tactic that is unlikely to tangle, easy to work with and secures stacks of bites is exactly what the doctor ordered. Current Fish O’Mania NXTGEN title holder, Sarah Taylor, has just the answer. She is a massive advocate of promoting the sport to potential newcomers and believes the first session can be make or break.

“If someone tries fishing and they are catching from the word go then there is every chance they are going to have a lot of fun and take it up properly,” said Sarah.

“That means you have to set them up with a tactic that will deliver. In my eyes, the whip is absolutely ideal.

“If you combine it with the right venue then it can do the business almost instantly.”

TACTICS: WHIP SPECIES: SILVERS DIFFICULTY:

TACTICS

www.greatmagazines.co.uk | IYCF 31

TACTICS: FLOAT SPECIES: CARP DIFFICULTY:

Raid the islands with a waggler

Dale Calvert shows why putting your feeder rods aside and reaching for the float will pay dividends when targeting carp and F1s close to features Words & Photography Tony Grigorjevs

I

SLANDS are an absolute magnet for fish during the heat of summer. Good numbers of fish will almost always be lingering nearby to take full advantage of the cover.

If you’ve got one in your swim, it’ll be the first area that grabs your attention, with a rig quickly constructed to help you attack it in a successful manner.

46 IYCF | Issue 379

If it is out of pole fishing range, the feeder seems to be the obvious choice for many.

There’s no doubt that’ll produce bites, but Dale Calvert reckons going down a completely different route will produce even more action.

The Middy-backed star loves fishing the float on commercials and believes the pellet waggler offers way more versatility.

“A feeder approach only enables you to fish on the deck. Any fish cruising in the upper layers aren’t going to investigate the area close to your rig,” stated Dale.

“The pellet waggler enables you to catch fish at all depths and in my experience, it is the biggest carp that are sat just inches beneath the surface.”

TACTICS

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Ditch the feeder for bream in weedy rivers The feeder is the only choice for many targeting bream on running waters, but Phil Taylor shows why the float can often be even more effective Words & Photography Tony Grigorjevs

TACTICS: FLOAT SPECIES: BREAM DIFFICULTY:

52 IYCF | Issue 379

TACTICS

W

HEN you’re trying to lure a big shoal of river bream into your swim, the feeder seems like the sensible way forward.

A cage feeder can be used to lay down a big carpet of food and anchor a hookbait over the top. What’s not to like?

While there are plenty of scenarios where it will work a treat, there are others where your rig will be poorly presented, and you won’t realise.

Keen specimen angler Phil Taylor has found himself relying on the waggler more frequently, particularly on weedy venues.

“If there is a lot of weed on the bottom then a cage feeder rig can become buried and is effectively out of action the moment it hits the deck,” explained Phil.

“The presentation provided by a waggler is much more appropriate as only the hookbait is located on the deck and this won’t sink into any silt or weed.”

Prime the zone

If you’re going to tempt a shoal of slabs to take up residence in your swim, then you’re going to have to put in plenty of bait.

They’re a notoriously greedy species and a

handful of fish can hoover up a lot of grub in a short space of time.

Phil starts the session in a positive fashion on the feeding front, launching in a flavoursome concoction by the bucketload.

“I use Dynamite Baits Swim Stim F1 groundbait and add a generous dose of Sonubaits Groundbait & Pellet Binder to create a sticky mix. This allows me to form heavy balls that only break up once they’ve got to the deck.

“I also include lots of 2mm and 4mm pellets, corn and dead maggots in the blend.

“The variety of colours, textures and flavours definitely keep the bream grubbing around in the swim for longer,” he said.

Ten large balls go in at the beginning to create a big area for them to feed over.

It can take a while for the shoal to arrive and settle but once they do, Phil makes sure they’re not in a hurry to leave by introducing another ball after each fish he catches.

This is enough to replace a portion of the bait that has been eaten without spooking the shoal. Launching too much bait on to the heads of a shoal can unsettle them and lead to them drifting off.

www.greatmagazines.co.uk | IYCF 53

RHIG OOL SC

RUDD FLOAT RIG Big, golden rudd are a worthy summer prize. Try this waggler set-up for presenting baits both on and just below the surface

R

UDD have become incredibly popular among specimen anglers in recent summers. This is thanks to the heart-stopping action that they can deliver, especially when swirling at baits on or just below the surface. When the conditions are right, float fishing at close range can be productive and great fun, with a bait close to the surface being consumed with gusto.

This simple float rig is designed to present

a slow-sinking bait, such as sweetcorn or breadflake, at a fall seen as natural to fish.

Normally, the bait is fished no more than a metre below the float, with most bites coming on the drop. The loaded float has all of the weight at its base, which not only helps it cast better, but also reduces tangles. Using a short but quite thick diameter float means that it casts easily, but does not create excessive splash on the

surface and risk spooking fish.

When rudd are taking baits such as bread crust off the surface, then try attaching the line to the top of the float using a large bore float rubber that can simply be run over the hook and up the line. This keeps all of the line below the float on the surface, improving the presentation and reducing the chances of fish touching the line and spooking away.

HOW TO TIE A RUDD FLOAT RIG

Thread a Pellet Waggler Attach a dumpy, fully loaded Adjust the position of the Tie a size 12 for bread, or attachment on the mainline. 2 2g clear waggler float via float attachment and stops 4 size 14 hook for worm or 1 3 The float isn’t heav y, so only t wo its base to the clip on the float so that the float is about 90cm sweetcorn, to 40cm of 0.12mm stops are required below it

attachment

up the line

hooklength line

Tie the hooklength to the For fishing with floating Attach the float rubber to Adjust the line so that it is mainline using a double four- 6 bread, thread a large float the top of the float. Ideally, straight bet ween the float 5 7 8 turn grinner knot. This sinks at rubber over the hook and on to the float rubber is a similar attachment and the rubber at a natural rate

56 IYCF | Issue 379

the line

colour to the top of the float

the top of the float

SURFACE ADAPTATION

By sliding a float rubber over the hook and up the line to the top of the float, you can keep the line out of the water to reduce the chances of spooking fish

FLOAT

When fishing shallow, use a short, stumpy and clear loaded waggler. These won’t dive too deep when they hit the water

FLOAT STOPS

When using loaded wagglers, you don’t need any shot on the line to cock the float. Rubber stops are also easier to move to alter the position of the waggler

SLOW FALL

As there isn’t any shot down the line, the hookbait is able to fall at a natural pace through the water

YOU WILL NEED

✔ 2g loaded dumpy waggler ✔ Pellet Waggler float attachment ✔ Size 12-14 Sphere Beast hook ✔ 0.12mm Cenex Hybrid Power hooklength ✔ 6lb mainline ✔ Large float rubber

Fish better with...

DES SHIPP

Brush up on key angling skills with England International Des, to put more fish on the bank

THIS MONTH: HOW TO FISH WITH LUNCHEON MEAT

I

F I NEED a versatile bait on commercials that is just as good for quality silvers as it is for tempting double-figure carp, I look no further than meat.

It’s a bait that has produced the goods for me time and time again and it hits the peak of its powers in the warmest part of the year.

Getting a few bites on it is rarely problematic but there are lots of alterations you can make to make it even more effective.

Here’s five things to try next time meat comes to the fore.

IPS TOP T

XTRA E T E G ON BITEESAT M

SIZE MATTERS It is important to consider what species you are aiming to catch when working out what size cubes to fish with. I use 6mms for F1s and big skimmers, 7mms for carp up to 5lb and 8mm for bigger lumps. These tiny size changes may seem somewhat irrelevant but it is amazing how much difference picking the right one will make to your catch rate.

66 IYCF | Issue 379

1

2

3

THE RULE OF 10

READ THE BITES

Meat is rarely a bait that works from the word go. Regular feeding for up to two hours is vital to get the shoal settled. I will feed 10 cubes every 10 minutes and continue this until I am ready to place a rig over the top. The longer you fish elsewhere in your peg while building up this spot – which is often best pencilled in 5m out – the more bites you’ll get when you finally have a bash.

If you get a bite on meat, there is rarely any messing about! The float simply flies under and a solid strike sets the hook. A stable float is therefore best because it will sit as designed with the relevant shotting and not be dragged further down by the weight of the hookbait. My favourite pattern is a Preston Innovations Inter Diamond. A 4x12 is a good starting point.

4

5 STRING IT OUT A lot of bites come just before the meat touches the bottom.

I am convinced it flutters down slowly and as soon as a carp sees it, they make their move to snap it up. By evenly stringing your shot over the bottom 3ft of your rig, you enable the hookbait to sink slowly and increase the chances of gaining the desired reaction from fish in your peg.

PICK THE RIGHT BRAND Some types of luncheon meat can be extremely fatty which causes a large proportion of your loosefeed to float. It is therefore important to be quite particular when selecting a brand of meat. Tulip is my favourite because it has a lower fat content and it’s available in most supermarkets.

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YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED BY EXPERTS...

My local lake is home to lots of roach but I can’t catch them in any numbers. What pole rig could I try to improve my catches?

ASK US A QUESTION...

Email: IYCF@bauermedia.co.uk Write to: IYCF Magazine, Bauer Media, Media House, Lynchwood, Peterborough, PE2 6EA www.facebook.com/iycfmag @iycfmagazine

FLOAT

Use a slimline float with a carbon stem. This helps produce the slow fall that is required. Go with a 4x10 in calm conditions or a 4x12 if there is a breeze

MICHELLE DURRANT, EMAIL

A

Roach are renowned for investigating every layer of the water column and the shoal can often be spread throughout several feet of water.

With that in mind, you need to use a rig that enables the hookbait to fall at a really slow pace, giving fish at all depths the chance to spot and attack it.

SHOTTING

Spread your shotting throughout the rig to help achieve that slow fall of the hookbait

TACKLE

Light terminal tackle will produce the best results for roach.

Go with 0.14mm mainline and a 0.10mm hooklength to a size 18 hook

70 IYCF | Issue 379

LOOSEFEEDING Keep the bait trickling in every 30 seconds.

Feed a dozen maggots to maintain the interest of the shoal

Q

How much bait should I feed when targeting the margins for carp on a commercial?

BEN HAUGHTON, EMAIL

A

Q

Should I use a bulk of shot or an olivette when using a heavy pole float?

The fish are unlikely to be sat in the margins from the word go, so you need a reasonably large bed of bait at the start to entice them in.

Use the biggest pole pot you own and use it to dump in a couple of doses of your chosen bait.

Once the fish arrive it is time to go down a different route as piling it in will create too much competition and lead to line bites and foul-hooked fish. At this point, fish slightly off your main bed of feed so you aren’t among the hungry shoal that will cause commotion. Use a much smaller pot to feed a few morsels.

That will be enough to draw just one or two fish off the main area and help provide a clean bite and that will lead to the hook setting in the mouth.

AARON GIBSON, EMAIL

A

A combination of the two is often best as this will give you more flexibility when adjusting your presentation through the session. For example, if you were using a 2g float, a 1.5g olivette can be backed up by several No.8 shot below it. Some of these can be pushed up to ‘extend’ the olivette to begin with and just a couple can act as droppers. If you want to slow the fall of the hookbait in the bottom layers, some of those shot that are bunched up in a mini-bulk can be used as additional droppers. Using an olivette on its own removes this flexibility and means you are restricted with how you can present the hookbait.

Q

What is the best way to catch a big rudd from my local drain?

MICHAEL BURTON, EMAIL

A

Big rudd won’t be in every swim. Locating them is therefore vital if you want to stand any chance of getting a bite. Walking along the bank while wearing Polaroid sunglasses and scouring the water is important and, if you are patient enough, you’ll eventually stumble across fish.

Once you have located them, start introducing small slithers of floating crust to get them feeding confidently. With the shoal settled, cast a light waggler with a long hooklength in their direction, using a piece of floating crust on the hook.

As long as the float lands a few feet away from where they are sat, the minimal commotion caused shouldn’t spook them and a bite should soon follow.

www.greatmagazines.co.uk | IYCF 71

DAIWA N’ZON FEEDER REST RRP: £12.99 & £14.99

GURU REAPER FRONT REST HEAD RRP: £13.99

Available in 30cm and 50cm models, the N’ZON Feeder Rest has ribbed EVA which you can place your rod anywhere along and retaining ears at either end stop your rod getting pulled in on a savage bite. Great for use on commercials when carp are the primary target. www.daiwasports.co.uk

Ideal for all types of tip work, the distinctive Reaper front rest was developed by England Feeder Team internationals Adam Rooney and Steve Ringer. It has 11 rod positioning grooves and the ends can be adjusted 360 degrees. You can also position the long arm one side and the short on the other for unimpeded striking. www.tackleguru.com

A GUIDE TO...

FEEDER RESTS MIDDY TOP NOTCH QUIVER REST ADVANCE RRP: £6.99 The angled slot design prevents the rod getting pulled off the rest on savage takes while also allowing for smooth and unhindered strikes.

The Top Notch fitting enable easy and precise adjustment of the rest head by simply pressing the button on the side. www.middytackle.com

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KORUM ANGLE ADJUST TACKLE QUIVER REST RRP: £5.99 Perfect for use on rivers when quiver-tipping for species such as chub or barbel, as well as on stillwaters when carp and bream are the target. By pressing the central button you can adjust the angle of the rest so it can be positioned perfectly no matter the angle of your bankstick or feeder arm attachment. www.korum.co.uk

PRESTON INNOVATIONS ROD SAFE MULTI RRP: £9.99 Part of Preston’s new Rod Safe range, the Multi is the perfect commercial feeder rest, with 11 sections to enable you to tension the tip as required. Each section has a line groove so you can make tiny adjustments to the tip and the high walls prevent the rod being dragged in on violent takes. www.prestoninnovations.com

Pinpoint rod placement is often crucial for spotting bites while using a quivertip rod. Here’s some of our favourite rod rests for this style on the market...

W

HEN you’re fishing with a quivertip rod, whether from a chair or seatbox, you need to set yourself up on the bank so that you can see and react to a bite.

Spotting bites requires having a small amount of tension in the rod tip so you can see any movements as fish investigate the bait.

Unlike a standard rod rest, which often has a wide flat area to place the rod, a specialist

feeder fishing rod rest has multiple grooves into which you can place your rod. This makes it easy to make small and accurate adjustments to the tension in the rod tip without dragging your rig out of position.

You also need to take the venue and type of species you are targeting into account. If bream or silverfish are your primary focus, bites tend to be nothing more than the tip

pulling round. If, however, you’re fishing a commercial stillwater for big carp, the bites can be pretty savage. Having a feeder rest with an upright at one or both ends is recommended in this scenario because they can prevent your rod from being dragged in if you’re not quick enough to react to a bite.

So, have a look at the examples we’ve picked out this month and see which will suit you best.

MIDDY QUARTIX FRONT FEEDER REST RRP: £10.99

DAIWA N’ZON CURVED FEEDER REST RRP: £14.99

This brand new rest from Middy only has the upright on one side for ease of rod placing. The narrow size also means that it can fit inside a holdall without being detached from the bankstick. It has soft rubberised non-slip channels and you can adjust the angle of the rest through 180 degrees with the simple press-button system. www.middytackle.com

This 50cm curved EVA feeder rest is perfect for a whole host of feeder fishing purposes. The ribbed EVA securely holds your rod in position and a 360-degree locking attachment enables level positioning at all times. As with all the rests in the N’ZON range it features Daiwa’s unique swivelling locking centre ABS block. www.daiwasports.co.uk

NEXT MONTH: MARGIN POLES

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C H AT S T O . . .

‘Winning Ways’

T

HE Internet is awash with fishing videos. But when a trio of anglers gain more than 7.5 million views in less than four years, you know something special is bubbling away.

Star names Andy May and Jamie Hughes teamed up with talented cameraman Rich Chapman to create Winning Ways in 2018. With a colossal amount of knowledge between them, it would have been easy to follow the status quo and concentrate heavily on the technical elements of fishing.

Yet they shunned that well-trodden path, stripping back much of the tactics and making their mission to show just how much fun fishing can be to anglers of all abilities.

IYCF caught up with the lads at Staffordshire’s Cudmore Fisheries to watch their latest challenge unfold and find out more about how Winning Ways became such a success story.

To watch their videos head to the Winning Ways Youtube channel!

Andy briefs the cameras on his tactics for the day

364 84 IYCF | Issue 379

Gap in the market The three met while working with top tackle company MAP. Rich was involved in the marketing team, with Andy and Jamie both sponsored.

They eventually went their different ways but having became good mates during that time, they put their heads together and looked at how they could develop a working collaboration.

“We felt that there was a gap in the market for some tutorial-based fishing videos that were a little less ‘dry’ than what was out there. We wanted to appeal to a wider audience rather than just the die-hard match anglers,” explained Andy.

The initial format was a million miles away from where they are today, using hosting platform Vimeo to go into detail on different tactics. All three of them agreed it wasn’t the way to go

Jamie Hughes, Rich Chapman and Andy May make up the Winning Ways team

Andy celebrates winning the day’s challenge at Cudmore Fisheries

and a fun challenge was pencilled in.

“Our first fun instalment was the ‘Slightly Late Christmas Challenge’ in January 2019 where we went head to head using a £17 Amazon fishing kit,” says Jamie.

“Even though it was snowing and we only caught half a dozen small roach, the video gained tens of thousands of views on YouTube.

“It proved to us that it wasn’t just about catching loads of fish or being really technical. It appealed to a much wider audience and at the end of the day, we go fishing as a hobby and it should be fun. The world of match

fishing seems to forget that so if we can help combat that, then we’ll be very happy.”

The format is now two-fold, with the regular challenges and some instructional content from the duo free to watch on YouTube. Paying subscribers are treated to live match action, with Rich filming one of the lads from start to finish of an event.

“That side is a little more serious, but we still show all of their errors and exactly how the day unfolds. It would be easy to edit out anything that went wrong, but what’s the point? That’s not how fishing goes,” Rich tells us.

Jamie prepares to go into battle with his co-star

“Regular challenges and some instructional content is free.

Paying subscribers are treated to live match action” www.greatmagazines.co.uk | IYCF 85

YOUR NEXT BIG EDGE

CARP FISHING GETS ACTIVE! We take an in-depth look at the hookbait concept which has taken the carp fishing world by storm

Photography Tom Gibson

LAYER E T S A P ique The un kin s outer out pumps ion attract

100 IYCF | Issue 379

S

TICKY’S Active bait concept, originally created by The Krill Active and backed up

by Manilla Active have been a massive hit with anglers far and wide since introduction.

Using a secret, highly effective method combined with industry leading ingredients, each individual Active boilie comes wrapped in a layer of incredibly attractive paste.

Made using highly soluble liquid foods and fine, powdered attractants, the paste is designed to breakdown around the boilie at the core, leaving a pile of food particles and a smoky haze of liquid attraction behind.

Throughout the testing period and since the release, each bait in the Active range has accounted for hundreds if not thousands of captures, cementing themselves as one of the biggest steps forward in commercially available boilies for some time.

As you’ll most likely be aware, Sticky has recently taken the concept even further, by creating a range of hookbaits to complement the highly successful feed baits.

First up in the range are the Tuff Ones, which are modelled on the original super robust hookbaits that have been available for years.

However, the Active Tuff Ones undergo the same unique coating process as the regular bottom baits. This introduces extra liquids to

Even with their new outer covering, the boilies are easily penetrated by straight or gated needles

CARP

Extensive R&D has given Sticky’s successful Active boilies an even greater edge for carp

the baits, before applying a powdered coating to form the paste layer. The finished product perfectly matches the freezer baits but is much tougher in nature and can withstand the attentions of nuisance species.

Krill and Manilla Active Tuff Ones are ideal for fans of traditional, straight bottom baits but they have the added advantage of being a little more user-friendly. They are the ultimate match-the-hatch style hookbait, best used on areas of clean bottom amid a wide spread of matching Active freebies.

For the subtlest of presentations, Active wafters are the number one choice. A hell of a lot of thought and science has gone into making these hookbaits behave exactly how Sticky wanted them to when fished on a multitude of different rigs. The nature of a wafter creates a conundrum. To waft with critical buoyancy is one thing, to do this with a paste wrap is a completely different story!

In order to make this work, Active wafters feature a semi-buoyant paste, that breaks down in a similar way to the Tuff Ones and standard Tom Maker with a cracker caught on an Active hookbait

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Week one...

If there’s anything that has the potential to disappoint it has to be June 16. Folk get so worked up about it; thousands camp out from the 15th, some even earlier.

Everywhere is rammed, and for what?

Yes, a few catch, but most go home somewhat disappointed.

That’s why I wasn’t too worried to be stuck in my dialysis clinic on opening day missing all the mayhem. Instead, I rocked up 24 hours later and had the riverbank pretty much to myself. Three days earlier I’d hosted a pre-season barbecue for some of my dearest fishing friends. Most had the same instinctive feeling. It’s been a cold, wet spring that turned into a sudden heatwave leaving the rivers crying out for rain so it would be a tough start. They weren’t wrong.

I chatted at length with my dear old friend Archie Braddock, he was going to

do exactly the same as me and fish for perch. Perch are one of the first fish to spawn, often as early as February, so no issues with gravid fish.

I headed for a favourite stretch of the Trent where I knew the main flow would be close in, intent on fishing a stick float for roach with a livebait rod positioned next to where I would hopefully feed a few small fish into a frenzy, thus attracting a marauding perch or two.

It quickly became apparent that there’s been an explosion in the smallfish population. Bleak and dace galore mullered every bit of loosefeed that I introduced in the top two feet of water.

The surface literally boiled when I fed.

Sorting out better quality fish was going to be tricky and I had to resort to fishing hempseed but I was no match for the lightning fast dace. It was lovely to be back, but it was frustrating. I really should have taken a couple of pints of

tares as it looks like this might be the only way forward this season.

Two hours in I had a smash hit on the perch rod and a decent fish came grudgingly to the net. Not the monster I was hoping for but a good start. It was this initial success that caused me to persist with an experimental stiff hair to the livebait. I had several abortive takes that day that didn’t hook up and I put them all down to what was a faulty rig. I suppose I had to persist for a full session just to eliminate the rig from my future armoury and now I won’t make that mistake again.

At least I know the cause and will return to put matters right. Let’s see how I get on.

A decent perch got th off to a reason e river season able start

ploded The Trent has ex sh with small fi

110 IYCF | Issue 379

My return to the Tr ent full of varied actionwas

Week two...

With a bit of leftover bait I sneaked a couple of hours on the Don hoping for a few bream. The peg I fancied was occupied so I set up just upstream. Bites came almost every cast from small chub, roach and several chunky perch until I eventually I caught a bream. Not a monster but who cares. I will be back on my local river when things settle down.

Thing is, I can have a quick session here in pretty much the same time as it takes me to drive to the Trent and back.

So, I returned to the Trent full of enthusiasm for another roach and perch session. Same routine as last week but this time with a flexible hair. What a difference this made. I was catching perch regularly, not monsters but welcome nevertheless.

It’s amazing how a 10oz perch can tackle a 2oz livebait. And then the rod hooped over and something big rolled on the surface.

Was this the four-pounder I would so like to catch? No, it was a pike. A big one at that and one I would welcome. At least I would like to have. It screamed off into mid-river and the single size 6 hook pulled out.

Not that I saw it. Maybe it was a monster perch? I will never know for sure, but my money is on a big pike.

For some strange reason I was struggling and bites started to dry up on the stick

float. Don’t get me wrong, I was catching steadily but I’ve grown accustomed to getting a bite every cast in this area. Today was much slower. And then the float dragged under on what I suspected was the bottom. In fact, so convinced was I that I struck three or four times to try and free the hook – and then the bottom moved!

This was no roach, it was obviously a barbel. Suddenly my 1.8lb hooklink to a size 20 hook seemed rather inadequate. Of course, the perch rod decided to hoop over at the same time so I had a fish on both rods.

Now for some fun! Alas it wasn’t a perch, it was a small pike which I managed to net whilst still playing the barbel. Good job I take two landing nets.

By taking my time I also netted the barbel. Just a smallish one, thankfully.

But from then on things got a bit silly and I never managed to get the perch rod out again. Why? Because my swim was now full of barbel. The very fish I try to avoid at the start of the season to allow them to fully recover from spawning.

Honestly, I lost count of the number of barbel I lost to hook-pulls. Probably a dozen. And I also landed four. It was mental. Even abandoning the hooklink and stepping up to a size 16 hook direct still left me way undergunned.

In reality I should have switched to a straight lead on my quivertip rod and

fished for them, then I would have landed most, if not all of them, but remember, I didn’t want to catch them. It’s too soon in my book. I don’t believe in having to nurse fish back to life for 15 minutes. Plenty of time later on in the year to catch them.

Folk will tell me I should have moved but I could easily have found myself in exactly the same situation. It’s the hemp and maggots going in every run through that barbel like, not necessarily the swim.

My resolve to leave barbel alone early season might be sorely tested.

ugh ese, even tho em th f o s d a lo th catch I hooked n’t want to I really did www.greatmagazines.co.uk | IYCF 111