Jump to content

How do you decide where to fish when the rivers are up?


The Flying Tench

Recommended Posts

How do you decide where and how to fish when the rivers are up and coloured? Do you play safe and go to a lake? The problem for me with the rivers is partly that it's hard to get accurate info on what the river will be like. Also, I guess, I've little experience of catching when it's up and coloured.

What species do you target, what method?

john clarke

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It depends on what you mean by 'up', some conditions like we've had recently, are not only almost impossible to fish, but often too dangerous as well. A river carrying a few feet of water, is much easier, and I think I wrote a reply to an earlier post of yours about find roach when the rivers up. Although I'm not as mobile as I used to be, walking the bank and dropping a bait in each small slack is the method I usually prefer. It will surprise you how small, and how shallow a slack can be, and still hold fish. I've always fished rivers like this when they are carrying a few feet of extra. I tend to avoid the classic 'look for a big slack' advice, (not that they don't sometimes hold fish, but they also tend to have debris floating about in them). I prefer to work a bait down the near bank. If you can find a steadier stretch of water, downstream of a bend, and work a bait down it, you'll find 'hot spots' where the fish naturally feel comfortable, concentrate on them and you'll be surprised what you can hook.

John.

Angling is more than just catching fish, if it wasn't it would just be called 'catching'......... John

Link to comment
Share on other sites

+1 for the above. 

You could depending on how fast the water running through, heavy feeder with maggots or chopped worm. Just enough weight to hold bottom, when (if) you get a bite the feeder is dislodged and the rod pulled over. Point your rod skyward to keep as much line as possible out of the water.

Used to be a very popular method on the Trent in the 70s & 80s.

Just keep an eye on the water levels and safety first.

If all else fails, follow the intructions.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tench,

 

You're being overly concerned.  Not one time in my 80 yrs have I seen a fish reading the river reports.  It's been my experience In rivers fish often feed near current breaks, where the flow is deflected or slowed. In truth,I believe this is more of an aid to the level of expertise the angler has.

Conditions have to be near catastrophic to bother the fish.

 

Phone

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Find the slackest water you can & drop a worm in with a bomb down the edge - sit back, enjoy the scenery (but not too much) & wait for the rod to slam round. It WILL happen!!

Edited by Martin56
  • Like 1

Fishin' - "Best Fun Ya' can 'ave wi' Ya' Clothes On"!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I usually try to find large boils on the surface usually indicating underwater obstructions which have often caught me a Barbel in flood conditions, and creases In the flow which have also caught me a few bonus fish as the fish often seem to hold out in the slightly slacker side of the crease darting in and out of the faster water to pick up food as it washes past; and also in backwaters or slacks, but you have to expect It to be a lot harder until the colour has started to drop out of the water.

Keith 

Edited by BoldBear
  • Like 1

Happiness is Fish shaped (it used to be woman shaped but the wife is getting on a bit now)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I presume that you are aware of the river monitoring data that is made available  - and you seem to have lots of local gages.

As above, I'm generally looking for a break from the flow - a cutting, the confluence with a side-stream that backs up, a lock, docks or structure like a tree.

Pike are an obvious target but for general fishing, I tend to bait and wait with a couple of rods set up with worm, meat or cheese on the bottom and fairly close in to the bank or other structure..

It's also a good idea to scout out possible spots when the water is low - I've wasted far to much time in the past dropping pike baits directly into a submerged bush that I should have known was there.

Species caught in 2020: Barbel. European Eel. Bleak. Perch. Pike.

Species caught in 2019: Pike. Bream. Tench. Chub. Common Carp. European Eel. Barbel. Bleak. Dace.

Species caught in 2018: Perch. Bream. Rainbow Trout. Brown Trout. Chub. Roach. Carp. European Eel.

Species caught in 2017: Siamese carp. Striped catfish. Rohu. Mekong catfish. Amazon red tail catfish. Arapaima. Black Minnow Shark. Perch. Chub. Brown Trout. Pike. Bream. Roach. Rudd. Bleak. Common Carp.

Species caught in 2016: Siamese carp. Jullien's golden carp. Striped catfish. Mekong catfish. Amazon red tail catfish. Arapaima. Alligator gar. Rohu. Black Minnow Shark. Roach, Bream, Perch, Ballan Wrasse. Rudd. Common Carp. Pike. Zander. Chub. Bleak.

Species caught in 2015: Brown Trout. Roach. Bream. Terrapin. Eel. Barbel. Pike. Chub.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks everyone for helpful thoughts.

Ken, yes, thanks I check the EA data. The trouble is, unless I know an area well I'm not always sure what a particular level will mean in terms of flow and colour. But I've started to make notes which will pay off in due course, I trust!

john clarke

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, a lot of the gauges still don't have details of he typical range for the location and I agree that knowing the datum is key to how useful the information provided is.

Some (like my local one on the Severn), do currently have typical range data but I've used their site feedback several times to tell them that it's disappeared and requesting it's return - so it might just be a case of berating them periodically to get the data you need.

As for turbidity, I know they measure and record it, along with temperature at most gauges but there's no sign of them making this information public. You can however get some idea of the colour of the river from some of the webcams that are dotted about - and I believe there's one at Culham Lock, although it doesn't want to play on my browser.

 

Species caught in 2020: Barbel. European Eel. Bleak. Perch. Pike.

Species caught in 2019: Pike. Bream. Tench. Chub. Common Carp. European Eel. Barbel. Bleak. Dace.

Species caught in 2018: Perch. Bream. Rainbow Trout. Brown Trout. Chub. Roach. Carp. European Eel.

Species caught in 2017: Siamese carp. Striped catfish. Rohu. Mekong catfish. Amazon red tail catfish. Arapaima. Black Minnow Shark. Perch. Chub. Brown Trout. Pike. Bream. Roach. Rudd. Bleak. Common Carp.

Species caught in 2016: Siamese carp. Jullien's golden carp. Striped catfish. Mekong catfish. Amazon red tail catfish. Arapaima. Alligator gar. Rohu. Black Minnow Shark. Roach, Bream, Perch, Ballan Wrasse. Rudd. Common Carp. Pike. Zander. Chub. Bleak.

Species caught in 2015: Brown Trout. Roach. Bream. Terrapin. Eel. Barbel. Pike. Chub.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would opt to play safe and go to the lake :)

Stephen

 

Species Caught 2014

Zander, Pike, Bream, Roach, Tench, Perch, Rudd, Common Carp, Mirror Carp, Eel, Grayling, Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout

Species Caught 2013

Pike, Zander, Bream, Roach, Eel, Tench, Rudd, Perch, Common Carp, Koi Carp, Brown Goldfish, Grayling, Brown Trout, Chub, Roosterfish, Dorado, Black Grouper, Barracuda, Mangrove Snapper, Mutton Snapper, Jack Crevalle, Tarpon, Red Snapper

Species Caught 2012
Zander, Pike, Perch, Chub, Ruff, Gudgeon, Dace, Minnow, Wels Catfish, Common Carp, Mirror Carp, Ghost Carp, Roach, Bream, Eel, Rudd, Tench, Arapaima, Mekong Catfish, Sawai Catfish, Marbled Tiger Catfish, Amazon Redtail Catfish, Thai Redtail Catfish, Batrachian Walking Catfish, Siamese Carp, Rohu, Julliens Golden Prize Carp, Giant Gourami, Java Barb, Red Tailed Tin Foil Barb, Nile Tilapia, Black Pacu, Red Bellied Pacu, Alligator Gar
Species Caught 2011
Zander, Tench, Bream, Chub, Barbel, Roach, Rudd, Grayling, Brown Trout, Salmon Parr, Minnow, Pike, Eel, Common Carp, Mirror Carp, Ghost Carp, Koi Carp, Crucian Carp, F1 Carp, Blue Orfe, Ide, Goldfish, Brown Goldfish, Comet Goldfish, Golden Tench, Golden Rudd, Perch, Gudgeon, Ruff, Bleak, Dace, Sergeant Major, French Grunt, Yellow Tail Snapper, Tom Tate Grunt, Clown Wrasse, Slippery Dick Wrasse, Doctor Fish, Graysby, Dusky Squirrel Fish, Longspine Squirrel Fish, Stripped Croaker, Leather Jack, Emerald Parrot Fish, Red Tail Parrot Fish, White Grunt, Bone Fish
Species Caught 2010
Zander, Pike, Perch, Eel, Tench, Bream, Roach, Rudd, Mirror Carp, Common Carp, Crucian Carp, Siamese Carp, Asian Redtail Catfish, Sawai Catfish, Rohu, Amazon Redtail Catfish, Pacu, Long Tom, Moon Wrasse, Sergeant Major, Green Damsel, Tomtate Grunt, Sea Chub, Yellowtail Surgeon, Black Damsel, Blue Dot Grouper, Checkered Sea Perch, Java Rabbitfish, One Spot Snapper, Snubnose Rudderfish
Species Caught 2009
Barramundi, Spotted Sorubim Catfish, Wallago Leeri Catfish, Wallago Attu Catfish, Amazon Redtail Catfish, Mrigul, Siamese Carp, Java Barb, Tarpon, Wahoo, Barracuda, Skipjack Tuna, Bonito, Yellow Eye Rockfish, Red Snapper, Mangrove Snapper, Black Fin Snapper, Dog Snapper, Yellow Tail Snapper, Marble Grouper, Black Fin Tuna, Spanish Mackerel, Mutton Snapper, Redhind Grouper, Saddle Grouper, Schoolmaster, Coral Trout, Bar Jack, Pike, Zander, Perch, Tench, Bream, Roach, Rudd, Common Carp, Golden Tench, Wels Catfish
Species Caught 2008
Dorado, Wahoo, Barracuda, Bonito, Black Fin Tuna, Long Tom, Sergeant Major, Red Snapper, Black Damsel, Queen Trigga Fish, Red Grouper, Redhind Grouper, Rainbow Wrasse, Grey Trigger Fish, Ehrenbergs Snapper, Malabar Grouper, Lunar Fusiler, Two Tone Wrasse, Starry Dragonet, Convict Surgeonfish, Moonbeam Dwarf Angelfish,Bridled Monocle Bream, Redlined Triggerfish, Cero Mackeral, Rainbow Runner
Species Caught 2007
Arapaima, Alligator Gar, Mekong Catfish, Spotted Sorubim Catfish, Pacu, Siamese Carp, Barracuda, Black Fin Tuna, Queen Trigger Fish, Red Snapper, Yellow Tail Snapper, Honeycomb Grouper, Red Grouper, Schoolmaster, Cubera Snapper, Black Grouper, Albacore, Ballyhoo, Coney, Yellowfin Goatfish, Lattice Spinecheek

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We and our partners use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences, repeat visits and to show you personalised advertisements. By clicking “I Agree”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit Cookie Settings to provide a controlled consent.