River fishing presents distinct challenges and obstacles in comparison to fishing a lake. Rivers offer flowing water and varying depths, while lakes provide a more stable environment and submerged structures.
To increase your chances of success, researching the location,choosing the right bait and technique, is pivotal to your success. Below are some of the best rigs and techniques to try on your next river fishing session.
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Trotting a stickfloat
For slow-paced rivers and streams, a light floating mainline like 2-3lb is ideal. This allows for easy line mending and faster strikes.
A plastic, cane, or carbon stemmed stickfloat is the best type of float for this scenario. Attach the float with three rubbers: one under the sight tip, one in the middle, and one over the stem. Mark the desired depth with a single No8 shot.
The remainder of the shot needs to be equally spaced down the line, but most of the weight needs to be positioned in the top two-thirds of the rig, finally two No 8 droppers an inch apart above the hook-length. Hook of choice is a light, wide gape hook in an 18 or 16.
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Groundbait/pellet feeder
This versatile river feeder rig is ideal for catching barbel, chub, and bream. Choose the right open ended feeder weight to suit the flow and the bait you are feeding, something that will comfortably hold stationary in the current, select your bait and matching loose-feed, this works just as well with maggots, casters and hemp as it does with pellets and boilies, use a hair rig if using pellets or boilies.
Use a strong hooklength 8lb (0.20mm) 30cm (12”) long, and a mainline of 10lb (0.30mm), attach the feeder so it’s free running with a running swivel bead and attach the hook-link to a swivel protected by an anti tangle sleeve.
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Flat Float on the pole
Flat floats, once primarily used for big fish on powerful rivers, can now be effectively used to target smaller fish like roach and skimmers.
Set up two rigs, each with a different float shape, a ¾ size body allows the rig to run through with the current allowing a bait to be presented naturally flowing with the current, whereas a full body offers more drag and better suited to a static presentation, the use of both rigs may be necessary due to the changeable conditions and feeding habits of fish.
A bulk of shot or an olivette and two dropper shot in the final ¼ of the rig is an ideal shotting pattern to ensure that the bait gets to the bottom and is fishing quickly. Avoid overly light tackle and elastics, 0.16mm (6lb) mainline and 0.14mm hooklength is nice and positive, tied to a 14 to 16 wide gape hook, paired with a 8-10 elastic.
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By mastering these versatile rigs and techniques, you'll be well-equipped to conquer the challenges of river fishing. Whether you're targeting large specimens like barbel, chub and bream or smaller species like roach and skimmers these methods offer a solid foundation for success. Remember to adapt your approach based on the specific river conditions and fish species you're targeting. With practice and experimentation, you'll discover the perfect combination of rig and technique to maximise your catches and enjoy unforgettable fishing sessions.