Quiver tips - how flexible?

[The Flying Tench]

My experience of ledgering has mostly been with very flexible quiver tips, and having found even those give too much resistance for some species I've wondered how on earth anyone catches roach, perch etc on a feeder rod at a distance . Can I keep to still waters to avoid the thread getting too complex? The answer I think I've got in past threads is that the loss of sensitivity in the kind of tips needed to cast a feeder is compensated for by the bolt effect which, even if not self-hooking, produces a firmer bite. It's left me wondering if there's a danger of the tip being too sensitive in some instances, meaning I've been uncertain what sort of tip to use, specially if I'm using a short tail in the hope it will produce a bolt effect. I shave my feeder tips down to make them flexible, but I notice most of the anglers have quite stiff tips for feeder fishing, and some of them seem to do well.

 

But I was reading an article by Alan Scottherne in this week's Angling Times and I was surprised to read he uses a 0.5oz tip for casting up to 30 yds, and a 1 oz tip for 30-45 yds. If I'm right in thinking a 1 oz tip is one which needs a 1 oz weight to bend it 90deg, those are very sensitive tips - very different from what other anglers on my local lakes use, and much lighter than the tips sold with my 2 feeder rods. In fact it would be quite hard to cast a feeder with a half oz tip, which shows how important AS considers sensitivity.

 

It's almost as if there are 2 approaches - the sensitive approach and the firm approach, which partly relies on bolt effect.

 

There's an additional issue. It's common sense that, fishing at a distance, particularly with stretchy mono, having some bolt effect has it's advantages. And I've occasionally got the impression that fish will bite more boldly at a distance from the bank also, I don't know if others would agree? Certainly, in my limited experience, the sensitive approach works better close in.

 

So how sensitive a quiver do you use for still-water feeder fishing? Do you use 0.5 oz tips like Scottherne? If not, why not?

[Steve Burke]

So how sensitive a quiver do you use for still-water feeder fishing?

 

I don't!

 

For my styles of fishing quivertips have no place in stillwater fishing whatsoever, although they do in rivers.

 

Sorry to be so flippant, but hopefully it'll kickstart this interesting topic! I can't believe it's had no replies!

[nomadpaul]

I don't!

 

For my styles of fishing quivertips have no place in stillwater fishing whatsoever, although they do in rivers.

 

Sorry to be so flippant, but hopefully it'll kickstart this interesting topic! I can't believe it's had no replies!

I do use quivertips on stillwaters but the sensitvity of the tip itself has never really been a consideration on my part . I always use a running rig on a quiver so i'm not looking for a bolt-rigging effect , and will generally use the finest tip i can get away with .

Saying that , i now use a 'sidewinder' in a lot of circumstances and find these even more sensitive than a quiver tip , with the advantage that you can use a 'non-quivertip' rod to fish the same way .

Edited May 27, 2007 by nomadpaul

[A Worm OOE]

Personaly i always use a soft quiver for still water fishing even when there is a tow. I can think of countless ocaisions where I have fish pulling the rod round one moment , )in which case the sensitivity does not matter) and the next cast providing a 1/4 centemeter pull for which a fine tip is essential. The only circumstamnce in which I would err on a stiffer tip is when fishing a river looking for drop back bites where a springy tip is of an advantage.

One thing I have done is to find or adapt tips so that they have a gradual curve rather than a fast taper. That way if a curve is put in the tip by any tow there is still some flex left.

[Dick Dastardly]

If fishing a tip indicator on stillwater I much prefer the now dissued by many swing tip.

[kleinboet]

Steve, An interesting point. I used to wonder when to strike as some bites are quite violent causing me to lift into (never strike!) the fish.

 

I have found that using a "Slider" rod rest and fishing with the rod paralell to the water, solved this problem. Now I wait and even when the bites are violent the rod is not pulled round, but when the fish takes the bait the rod will swing round, giving a "wrapround" take.

This method is so sensitive I have caught 2oz Skimmers and even a Perch thet must have weighed about half an ounce!

To see the slider, imagine a cotton reel on the trouser section of a double coathanger with the one end facing the water. the "reel" is pulled back from the waters edge and the rod placed in it. when the fish takes the bait, the whole rod swings toward the water with very little resistance.

 

Try it and see, maybe it will help!

Edited May 27, 2007 by kleinboet

[Steve merlin]

Saying that , i now use a 'sidewinder' in a lot of circumstances and find these even more sensitive than a quiver tip , with the advantage that you can use a 'non-quivertip' rod to fish the same way .

 

i've got to agree with you there. I started using a sidewinder about three years ago and i've got to say it's the best change i've made in my angling in quite some time, especially when used in conjuction with a braided mainline.

 

Cheers

SM.

[gozzer]

It's not often I disagree with Mr Burke, but I do on this Steve.

 

I often use a parallel, or straight quiver tip, as opposed to a tapered one. This exaggerates the bite when the fish are biting shy. Like Budgie I also use a swing tip on occassions.

Having said that, I don't fish 'the modern way'. I prefer to fish within say, 20 yds of the bank,(more often a lot less). I like the least amount of weight on the line as I can get away with. (Sometimes it's just one swan shot on a link, very rarely more than 3/4oz). When there is an under tow, I like to fish, along the bank, as I would in a river.

This is probably because I was brought up on moving water, although almost all water has a 'flow' to some extent.

It also might be to do with my early match fishing, and I use scaled up match methods.

The bites vary from, slam round 'lose your rod, type, to very fine twitches, and drop backs, depending on the fish and conditions.

I will also add that I try to choose a water with a small, or nonexistent carp population.

 

John.

[Steve Burke]

It's not often I disagree with Mr Burke, but I do on this Steve.

 

It's purely down to the styles of fishing I do.

 

I don't fish waters where you get lots of bites, and so concentrating on a quivertip would be too tiring and not let me look around for signs of fish or at nature. Certainly it's rare to get bites on these waters immediately I've cast out!

 

For predator fishing, including perch when using big baits, you've often got to let the fish run a fair way before striking. I've found in fact that quivertips and perch rarely go together. Even on rivers I prefer other methods of bite indication when legering downstream for perch.

 

When ledgering on stillwaters I'm usually using either a Fox Pike Swinger (including for a lot of carp fishing), or a home-made bobbin for species like bream and roach. For a picture of the latter see post 86 on this topic: http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/forums/index.p...80&start=80

 

As you've probably guessed though I phased my reply the way I did to get a response on a topic that seem to need a kick start. It obviously worked!

[gozzer]

It's purely down to the styles of fishing I do.

As you've probably guessed though I phased my reply the way I did to get a response on a topic that seem to need a kick start. It obviously worked!

 

I did guess Steve

And you are right, in that it depends on the style you like, or prefer to use.

That's one of the things that worries me, there are so many that use the one method, without trying any other.

I know it's the river closed season, but the number of posts on here asking about, (what I would class as carp based methods), seems to be on the increase.

It points to a very narrow approach to angling, that (he's off again ) doesn't bode well for the future.

 

John.