Cheap Session on the River

[*TQ*]

Due to numerous commitments and lack of time I haven't fished since the Winter league ended in March.

 

After pulling my finger out and renewing my license last week I've decided to get down to the river on Saturday for a bit of a session.

 

I'm skint so it's going to be cheap and I'm not too fussed about what I catch so am thinking about just getting a few pints of maggots and trotting a stick float for a few hours.

 

Does anyone have any tips to maximise my catch? I'll be fishing the Severn at Highley (BAA stretch just down river from Highley station/The Ship Inn). I've only ever fished the river once before and I think that last time I didn't have nearly enough bait (took two pints of maggots for a 6 hour session). This time I'm thinking about getting four pints, will this be enough? I only every use reds on the still waters but am I thinking bronze might be better for the river?

 

Anything which will help my first trip of the season be a success will be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks.

[Puzzled]

My idea of a cheap session on a river is a crusty white loaf for bait, a feeder rod, 6lb line straight through to a size 6 hook and weighted with a couple of AA shot running free upline of a leger stop.

I just love letting the river take the breadflake downstream slowly until it settles slowly, then wait for the tip to wrap round (well, it does sometimes!)

It's a relatively lightweight (and cheap) way to roam up and down, covering a lot of river bank which tests your watercraft.

And it's fun

[Little Roachess]

TQ, I think if you are fishing for aesthetics, why bother with tips to catch fish? LOL Pumping up the volumn on maggots may allow the fish to dance, and your rod could be singing, but surely the pleasure of being on the Severn will be a great time...let us know.

 

Linda-----------barbless size ten on 8lb line is odd but have known results.

Edited July 3, 2012 by Little Roachess

[Mark Wintle]

Bulk up your bait with a couple of pints of hemp; a pound (dry) cooks up into 2 pints and should be cheaper than maggots. It's a good feed bait, too.

[*TQ*]

Ok so current thinking is 3 pints of maggots (unsure on colour though) and two pints of hemp.

 

Going to use a stick float rig to a size 18 hook and trot one, two or three maggots through the swim feeding maggots and hemp every cast.

 

Considering also getting a bag of halibut pellets (4mm?) in case I decide to chuck a feeder rod out.

 

Any thoughts?

[lutra]

Ok so current thinking is 3 pints of maggots (unsure on colour though) and two pints of hemp.

 

Going to use a stick float rig to a size 18 hook and trot one, two or three maggots through the swim feeding maggots and hemp every cast.

 

Considering also getting a bag of halibut pellets (4mm?) in case I decide to chuck a feeder rod out.

 

Any thoughts?

I don't know the Severn or what species of fish you are after, but I often give maggot a miss on my local river in summer as you can find yourself trying to feed off a sea of small fish (dace mainly). Trotting bread or corn works well for the roach and chub and trotted pellet isn't a bad barbel bait. All much cheaper than throwing pints and pints of maggot in.

 

As for colour of maggots. IMO dace and other small silvers love bronze and most other fish don't seem to care that much apart from grayling that seem to have a liking for red ones. I usually just get a couple of pints of reds and a pint of mixed and it works fine for me and you can always play with different colours of the hook if you want to.

[Guest Chris Perch]

I think the levels will be up and a lot of colour so maybe a nice smelly bait for the barbel and chub I would opt for a couple of tins of meat and some hemp???

and maybe some maggots for a back up bait???

[*TQ*]

Well I was on the river by 6:30am Saturday armed with three pints of maggots, two of hemp, a bag of 4mm halibut pellets and a tub of 8mm drilled halibut pellets.

 

Trotting the float didn't go too well the river was flowing way too fast to be able to control the float properly so I decided to have a go with the pellets for barbel (having never caught one before).

 

I was using a 75g Korum combi feeder with the ends removed. I put the 4mm pellets in a bait box covered them in water for 30 seconds then drained them and left them to soften for a bit before filling the feeder. Hook was a size 12 with a Korum quickstop on the hair and was baited with an 8mm halibut pellet.

 

I cast down the side of the river near the bank, put some tension in the quivertip and sat back and waited. Although the tip did move a bit I think that was just the flow and as the feeder was semi fixed I was expecting any bites to result in the fish hooking themselves.

 

After two hours I decided to re-cast which is when I ran into trouble. Attempting to reel the feeder in it had apparently become snagged on something. I eventually managed to get it back, re load it and cast it back out but everytime I tried to reel it back in it was caught on something. What was I doing wrong!?

 

Towards the end of the day and with the river having risen about 6 to 8 inches I had a bit of slack water in front of me so I set up a small waggler and managed to catch two very small dace on maggot to save me from blanking.

 

Although I didn't manage any barbel I'm definitely going to try again in the near future I just need to work out what the problem was with the feeder getting snagged.

 

I walked up the bank after and bumped into a couple of lads who had had a fish each in the morning so they were feeding at least a bit.

[robtherake]

As you've already found out, it's worth casting around the swim with just a lead on the end to find any potential snags before you start. It can save you no end of grief.

 

Don't worry mate - most folks find out the hard way (me included).

[denzil]

as above you need to know whats on the bottom you also need enough weight to keep the bait where you've thrown it 6 or 8oz on a big rising river?