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ledgering for roach in deep, wide river


The Flying Tench

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I have always struggled with this. The current puts such pressure on the line, and hence the tip, that I can't see how I will notice a shy roach bite. It will make very little difference to the tip position. I know that I have to let out some line so the line is in a bow, and that helps a bit, but so far I've never felt this solves the problem.

 

I know that one option is upstream feeder, but I have never made this work in a wide river with weed. Maybe I'm missing a trick?

 

Has anyone tried bolt rig in this context?

 

Thanks

john clarke

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You could try a "Back Lead" with upstream feeder (a lead above the feeder) can then hold bottom with the lightest of feeders upstream!!

 

This should show as a drop back bite - when the bent tip straightens out/slackens, (or starts to) - Strike!!

 

Experiment with the distance between the feeder and the back lead.

Edited by Martin56

Fishin' - "Best Fun Ya' can 'ave wi' Ya' Clothes On"!!

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Tench,

 

How far do you have to cast.? Fluorocarbon line (as light as you wish) with a hook tied straight to the mainline. Often fish(ed) the wide Missouri River. 5.5mph. A tip. If I wanted to fish a rather distant spot I used ice cubes for weight. The hollow ones, I use big hooks but I'd bet you wouldn't even have to re-tie. Bait is tracking toward the bottom but Ice floats so you have to overcast the target area a bit.

 

Phone

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Is this the Thames by any chance, John? We did some feeder fishing on the Thames last year, there is a knack to it, but it's workable. Cast upstream, let it settle on a slack line and don't tighten up too much. Expect drop-backs. You might need to fiddle with the weight of the feeder or lead to get it to work. Trial and error.

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I've tried bolt rigs in similar situations with mixed success. It seemed to work best in flooded conditions when desperately scratching for bits.

All I did was put a rubber float stop and a bead on the line before the feeder. Slide it a foot up the line and everything works as a standard feeder rig but slide it right down and it's a semi fixed bolt rig. Give it just a couple of inches and it will self hook but allow enough movement for bites from small fish to show on the quiver tip.

Species caught in 2020: Barbel. European Eel. Bleak. Perch. Pike.

Species caught in 2019: Pike. Bream. Tench. Chub. Common Carp. European Eel. Barbel. Bleak. Dace.

Species caught in 2018: Perch. Bream. Rainbow Trout. Brown Trout. Chub. Roach. Carp. European Eel.

Species caught in 2017: Siamese carp. Striped catfish. Rohu. Mekong catfish. Amazon red tail catfish. Arapaima. Black Minnow Shark. Perch. Chub. Brown Trout. Pike. Bream. Roach. Rudd. Bleak. Common Carp.

Species caught in 2016: Siamese carp. Jullien's golden carp. Striped catfish. Mekong catfish. Amazon red tail catfish. Arapaima. Alligator gar. Rohu. Black Minnow Shark. Roach, Bream, Perch, Ballan Wrasse. Rudd. Common Carp. Pike. Zander. Chub. Bleak.

Species caught in 2015: Brown Trout. Roach. Bream. Terrapin. Eel. Barbel. Pike. Chub.

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Thanks, Steve

Yes it's the Thames. Did it work for roach? I understand the principle of fishing a balanced feeder, but my problem in practice is that I've balanced it on one cast, and then the next cast the bottom isn't quite the same, maybe there is weed, and it isn't balanced. It worked OK once on the Kennet where I was only fishing a rod length or two out and the bottom was uniform gravel, but ol' Father Thames isn't so easy. I admit part of the problem is confidence. With other ways of ledgering I can start with maggot and catch a few tiddlers to prove the rig is working, but the tiddlers don't dislodge a balanced feeder for me.

 

How far upstream were you casting?

 

John

Is this the Thames by any chance, John? We did some feeder fishing on the Thames last year, there is a knack to it, but it's workable. Cast upstream, let it settle on a slack line and don't tighten up too much. Expect drop-backs. You might need to fiddle with the weight of the feeder or lead to get it to work. Trial and error.

john clarke

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Martin, thanks but I don't quite understand this. Presumably the back lead is a running lead? So for a drop back bite the running lead still needs to be dislodged. What is the advantage over just a heavier feeder? Probably I don't understand the rig.

You could try a "Back Lead" with upstream feeder (a lead above the feeder) can then hold bottom with the lightest of feeders upstream!!

 

This should show as a drop back bite - when the bent tip straightens out/slackens, (or starts to) - Strike!!

 

Experiment with the distance between the feeder and the back lead.

john clarke

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Thanks, Ken

I note the bit about the conditions. When I experimented with bolt rig for roach in a lake I found it only really worked for the bigger fish (say over half a pound, can't quite remember) with bigger baits, not maggot.

I've tried bolt rigs in similar situations with mixed success. It seemed to work best in flooded conditions when desperately scratching for bits.

All I did was put a rubber float stop and a bead on the line before the feeder. Slide it a foot up the line and everything works as a standard feeder rig but slide it right down and it's a semi fixed bolt rig. Give it just a couple of inches and it will self hook but allow enough movement for bites from small fish to show on the quiver tip.

john clarke

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It was here, John, fishing for (and catching) roach. Chucking maybe 2/3 - 3/4 of the way across. Flow was right to left and I was aiming for the tree that's half in shot on the right.

 

42003691645_9d4a63da7e_k.jpg

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