Very Frustrated - Think I might give up fishing

[RPM]

OK, OK, its not that bad.

 

I am a member of the Nottinghamshire Piscatorial Society and I found myself a lovely little peg on the Trent with a good head of barbel and had a great evening a couple of weeks ago culminating in a 7 and a half ish specimen. OK not great by most standards but I was encouraged by the number of runs that I had and either snagged or pulled out.

 

This was a real achievement for me as I am not the greatest river angler although I prefer running water to that of still water.

 

Anyway, I have literally just arrived home from another go in this swim fairly cheesed off having blanked and the river is up by a foot or so with the recent rain. This additional flow has completely foxed me and it really annoys me as I am convinced that with our wet summers, I am missing some of the best action. I anticipated that I would need extra weight so put on a beefy bomb to hold, which was simply dragged along and wouldn't hold. My setup is a Grey's Prodigy, Shimano baitrunner GTE5000 with 10lb to 10lb braid, simple running ledger with a pellet on a hair. A Micron bite detector is also used.

 

So, the last session, I cast and the bomb drifts a little and then holds, I can set my baitrunner and whilst I may get a little additional drift, its nothing to worry about. This time, even with a ruddy great weight attached, it simply wont hold and when I set the freespool the bait just goes and goes and goes. Goodness knows how I would have fared last year when the river was up over 2 metres looking like the Amazon.

 

My question is several fold and really stems from my inability to fish on rivers, full stop. Firstly, why is it that when I watch Wilson, Hayes et. al. on a river, their quiver tip never seems bent more than 10-20degrees? Do they fish slower flowing rivers than the Trent with less drag? When I fish with a standard tip of less than 4oz the tip seems to bend round almost 90degrees regardless of how high I have my rod.

 

Secondly, how is it that when they cast the bait never really goes anywhere. J.Wilson likes to use simply a swan shot on many occasions. If I used this approach on my rivers I would be constantly re-casting.

 

When the river is in spate, what is the best way to hold? Was my weight simply not large enough? Is the rod at the wrong angle? Too low, too high?

 

As I said, this is really annoying me as I am sure some simple changes to my technique could be really beneficial.

 

I could do with some good one to one tutoring as I am sure that I am doing something wrong. If anyone lives close to Newark on Trent, with some sound river experience and wants to fish some nice private stretches of water, PM me and I can sort a day ticket out.

 

Apologies for the essay. Hopefully, some people here will have gone through the same pain and will be able to enlighten me.

 

Thanks in advance.

[lutra]

Does that that Grey's Prodigy come with an Avon top? if so use that when the river is up.

 

Try to sit up stream of where you want to fish so that you are not pulling your lead down stream as much.

 

How big is a beefy bomb? I use anything from 1-6oz depending on conditions.

 

Gripper or flat weights hold bottom much better than round bombs which roll.

 

Get your rod as high as you can and point it at the sky to keep as much line out of the water as you can to reduce drag and leave your bite alarm at home.

Edited July 10, 2009 by lutra

[Neil G]

Also depends how far out your fishing, the further you are the more line in the water and obviously more drag

 

Have you tried using flat leads & grippers? I've found using flat leads off big feeders pretty good at holding bottom

[Anderoo]

I don't do any barbel fishing so I could be way off the mark, but I would consider whether a barbel would want to hold in a part of the river where a 4-5+oz lead can't. I think I'd look for slower water.

 

River fish (of all species) move all over the place depending on conditions, so a good swim can quite easily turn into a rubbish swim if there's more water/less water/bright sunshine/high temperatures/low temperatures/etc. And vice versa!

[Andy Macfarlane]

I don't do any barbel fishing so I could be way off the mark, but I would consider whether a barbel would want to hold in a part of the river where a 4-5+oz lead can't.

 

I think you're way off the mark. I've seen pike hit lures on the Leven where a 6 oz lead would have bother holding ground but a barbel, which is a fast flow, high oxygen demand fish won't? Think of other fast water species like salmon, sea-trout, grayling and brownies. They can hack it but a barbel...a bottom hugger can't?? I doubt it Anderoo. I think you're underestimating how much flow a barbel can take.

 

Like you though...I might be way off the mark but I'm less inclined to think so.....

[pellets]

I think you're way off the mark. I've seen pike hit lures on the Leven where a 6 oz lead would have bother holding ground but a barbel, which is a fast flow, high oxygen demand fish won't? Think of other fast water species like salmon, sea-trout, grayling and brownies. They can hack it but a barbel...a bottom hugger can't?? I doubt it Anderoo. I think you're underestimating how much flow a barbel can take.

 

Like you though...I might be way off the mark but I'm less inclined to think so.....

why do you want a baitrunner on a river cant u fish lol

[lutra]

I don't do any barbel fishing so I could be way off the mark, but I would consider whether a barbel would want to hold in a part of the river where a 4-5+oz lead can't. I think I'd look for slower water.

 

River fish (of all species) move all over the place depending on conditions, so a good swim can quite easily turn into a rubbish swim if there's more water/less water/bright sunshine/high temperatures/low temperatures/etc. And vice versa!

Yes barbel move around to find spots that suit them as the river rises and falls, but even when the river is in full flood some barbel will stay in the flow. Ive fished many a time in winter floods when Ive needed 6oz just to hold bottom next to the side and once or twice had to give up because it wouldn't hold anywhere yet the barbel would still have been feeding.

[lutra]

why do you want a baitrunner on a river cant u fish lol

I'm guessing thats aimed at RPM and not Andy Macfarlane?

 

If so RPM posted as a new river angler looking for help and i for one don't like to see people lolled at for that.

[terry t shirt]

Why Use a Baitrunner on a river???

 

 

So you dont loose your bloomin rod.

I use a bait runner when Barbel fishing set quite tight (the rod bends a lot before line is given)

Quite simply some barbel takes are like carp they'll have the rod out of the rest and into the river as fast as you can react

 

Like the others have said i would use flat leads and trying using a thinner line the same strength (pre stretched etc) I'm not a lover of braid mainlines for barbel fishing but thats just me.

[Dave Lumb]

If RPM's still looking in I'll add my two bob's worth - having caught barbel around Newark.

 

If the river's carrying up to three feet and is coloured with not too much debris coming down you've got good conditions that are easily managed.

 

Five or six ounces should be enough. If that won't hold try casting upstream and feeding a BIG bow in the line. So much of a bow that the line enters the water downstream of your rod. If that doesn't work seek out a spot where the lead will hold.

 

A good area type to look for is a crease just below the inside of a bend, with slacker water (or an eddy) close in. Fish your baits on the crease, or slightly further out, towards its downstream end - not in the slacker water. Use the slacker water to keep water pressure off the line.

 

As for tackle I'd step up the 10lb braid to 15lb mono or 30lb braid for the mainline, and 10lb mono or 20lb braid hooklinks. Set the baitrunner just tight enough to stop the rod getting dragged in. That helps set the hook and keep it in. There's no need for a quivertip for Trent barbel! A running rig and hair rigged pellet is spot on. I prefer a long hooklink - up to five feet, but three is okay - to prevent line bites and instil confidence in the fish.

 

Keep it simple and you'll do fine.

 

Hope this helps a bit.

Edited July 17, 2009 by Dave Lumb