river colour

[The Flying Tench]

As i understand it

 

Very coloured - barbel

 

a bit of colour - roach, probably bream - and most species to a degree

 

low and clear - chub, grayling (at least, not coloured for grayling). Also clear is good for lure fishing

 

Is this right? And what about dace and perch?

[Worms]

As i understand it

 

Very coloured - barbel

 

a bit of colour - roach, probably bream - and most species to a degree

 

low and clear - chub, grayling (at least, not coloured for grayling). Also clear is good for lure fishing

 

Is this right? And what about dace and perch?

Some of my best chub fishing has been in bank high soup!

 

I find that some of the best fishing for a lot of species is as water is dropping and fining down. I'm looking forward to such conditions over the next week or two (hopefully) to get at the grayling in particular but also chub and barbel.

 

I suppose rivers may fish differently depending on whether they have urban or rural catchments and what food comes down in the high and coloured periods (worms and sheep from farmland or plastic bags, Ford Fiestas and Mcdonalds wrappers in towns ). I tend to find that natural baits such as lobs fish better than even very smelly baits such as halibut pellets in the stretches of the rivers I fish, which are decidedly rural.

 

Legered lob in bank high soup has accounted for my biggest barbel and roach (2lb 1oz ) on the Teme. I have also had decent dace in such conditions but the best dace fishing has been in clear low water. Perch are not too common around my neck of the woods but I know of a couple of perch specialists around here that might be able to point you in the right direction .

[Kappa]

And what about dace and perch?

 

For perch I like clear water. My favourite conditions are when its really cold and the water is crystal clear. Extra water can help with finding the fish but I find colour puts them right off.

 

This is based on my fishing the Thames but don't take my word for it. JV44 likes the opposite conditions on the Thames and I know Anderoo likes high water and colour on his perch stream!

 

Rich

[Chris Plumb]

For perch I like clear water. My favourite conditions are when its really cold and the water is crystal clear. Extra water can help with finding the fish but I find colour puts them right off.

 

This is based on my fishing the Thames but don't take my word for it. JV44 likes the opposite conditions on the Thames and I know Anderoo likes high water and colour on his perch stream!

 

Rich

 

I like a BIT of colour in the water for perch - they have good vision in the red spectrum so can see quite well in murky conditions. Dace I'd agree on clear water.

 

 

C.

[Alan Stubbs]

Bleak have been caught in profusion in very coloured water.

[Anderoo]

Low, clear and cold conditions can be very hard work, which is why I think they are associated with chub - chub can always be caught in any conditions! Pike are also on the cards. In my experience, apart from grayling, this is scratching time for most other species. Deeper water and cover are the things to look for.

 

High and coloured is hit and miss as the fish will be grouped up in certain areas, with much of the river empty. Find the fish, and they are catchable. Slow/slack water is where they'll be (except maybe barbel, but I've no experience of them). I've had some nice roach and bream from tiny near-bank slacks in these conditions on the Thames (fishing bread) and had some big chub from another river last season in similar spots on cheesepaste.

 

In both cases above, fishing into darkness is a good idea at this time of year.

 

For dace I would definitely prefer cold and clear. For perch I would say some colour is definitely a benefit, but not properly coloured water. If it's like strong tea I would forget about perch, but I do much prefer some colour (same as with zander) to clear. However, as Rich says, he has done extremely well for big perch on a cold and clear Thames!

 

In all cases, the time to get on the bank is when a river is fining down from high, swirly, coloured water, with the levels dropping back and the colour beginning to clear, especially if it coincides with a mild spell. I was looking back to my winter fishing last season and all the bigger fish (chub and perch) I caught were from the same 3 weekends when the conditions were absolutely perfect and it was difficult to put a foot wrong!

 

I like fishing at this time of year for that reason - it's all about watching and waiting, and when it all falls right, dropping everything and getting out there asap (Damn job!)

Edited December 1, 2009 by Anderoo

[Rusty]

chub can always be caught in any conditions!

 

Would you mind pointing that out to the chub in a certain stretch of the Kennet near Newbury? I don't think they're fully up to speed.

[Anderoo]

Would you mind pointing that out to the chub in a certain stretch of the Kennet near Newbury? I don't think they're fully up to speed.

 

I'll let Chris Plumb do that!

[weirwulf]

Barbel and chub love coloured water and locally anglers have caught both with the river carrying an extra 8 feet of water. On the same river I have found grayling totally disinterested until the water clears whereas the dace and roach will be tempted whilst it is still fining down. The perch just seem to feed at irregular times and much harder to define

[JV44]

For perch I like clear water. My favourite conditions are when its really cold and the water is crystal clear. Extra water can help with finding the fish but I find colour puts them right off.

 

This is based on my fishing the Thames but don't take my word for it. JV44 likes the opposite conditions on the Thames and I know Anderoo likes high water and colour on his perch stream!

 

Rich

Richard i do prefer the prolonged flood murky conditions as they will feed once acclimatised to the grit and murk going over there gills but takes a good 10 days or so in my experience and when they do once you have found a big slack its difficult not to catch and often multiple big fish from that spot are on the cards ,When its clear we tend to troll lures to find fish and then try baits on that spot at the killer dusk time or dawn the next time out if its still clear as that is another situation where more than one big stripey is possible,Edges of weir pools can be good at dawn/dusk in clear conditions .

I suspect that small streams like Anderoo`s fish much quicker in flood conditions than the Thames ,Not sure why as presumably some of the big stripeys move in there from the main river yet seem quicker to switch on to those murky conditions.

Thames is on Red boards all the way down at the moment so this weekend will be borderline time wise but if its still up the following week then it could well be game on in these conditions .

Think that everyone's preference for species and conditions can depend on the type of venue they fish to a degree Steve.