3 replies to this topic

[davedave]

Hi all,

I am ashamed to say I haven't been out on the rivers since the start of the open season. No excuses really apart from the weather has been pretty crap and i've been quite nackered from work. As a month from the 16th grows near I feel it is long overdue to get a day on the river.

My main three local rivers are the river Parrett, river Isle and river Tone. I was thinking of fishing the Tone (Taunton, Somerset) either tomorrow or Sunday, but the river is really quite high, although it has dropped a little from when I last looked at it on Monday. It's moving quite fast and is the colour of coffee, but i'm still confident as I saw what I believe were small roach and dace waiting at a small inlet and were picking at the food, so that gives me hope that at least some fish are feeding.

My knowledge of river fishing is limited and my main questions are how is it best to fish a river in flood, if at all, and how best to fish it as the water levels are dropping?


Thanks, Dave

[wunwetfoot]

Hi Dave,
as you've already said, look to the side streams/feeders/ slacks, anywhere that the fish can get out of the main current, even ditches running into the mainstream. You'll find most of the species tucked up there. Over the years I've fished a number of these types of places and immediately head for them when we get a drop of "fresh" as they generally "fish their socks off" in these conditions!
Stick to a float with bread and maggots and search every depth from the surface to the bottom. Check as far up these side waters as far as it's reasonable because you can find high concentrations of fish up them (and usually some very large specimens among them!). Also bear in mind that on occasions where you have shoals gathering, you will also have the predators not far away! These places will fish best anytime from the first rainfall onwards but the fish will rejoin the main river as the colour starts to drop out, so don't hang around for too long. Let us know how you get on.
Tight lines.

Edited by wunwetfoot, 14 July 2012 - 04:45 PM.

[willsmodger]

Hi all,

I am ashamed to say I haven't been out on the rivers since the start of the open season. No excuses really apart from the weather has been pretty crap and i've been quite nackered from work. As a month from the 16th grows near I feel it is long overdue to get a day on the river.

My main three local rivers are the river Parrett, river Isle and river Tone. I was thinking of fishing the Tone (Taunton, Somerset) either tomorrow or Sunday, but the river is really quite high, although it has dropped a little from when I last looked at it on Monday. It's moving quite fast and is the colour of coffee, but i'm still confident as I saw what I believe were small roach and dace waiting at a small inlet and were picking at the food, so that gives me hope that at least some fish are feeding.

My knowledge of river fishing is limited and my main questions are how is it best to fish a river in flood, if at all, and how best to fish it as the water levels are dropping?


Thanks, Dave

I love a river in flood,particularly the Severn when you can watch things going by, like somebodys house.
Yep,the confluences where the river divides or is joined by a side stream are your best bet, if not its a bit of watercraft reading the surface of the river for infornmation,boils indicating snags and what have you, fish also gather in the quiet waters at the edge,even if they are quite shallow, might be worth having go at stret pegging.
Fishing the main flow is usually a mugs game, depends on whats coming down the river, usually its dragging out weed and leaves and allsorts but I have heard of blokes uzing 6oz sea weights to hold bottom on the severn with some success, same with float fishing,a big chubber,taking a large amount of shot is perfect, so dont be bothered about using heavy tackle.
all the best, tight lines.

[watatoad]

You have already answered yourself to a large point I would say keep off the bottom more than usual or have a longer length between last shot and hook so the bait will move more naturally with the movement of the current.