The river fishing season is now in full swing. To ensure you have the most successful fishing sessions, here are some of the most effective river fishing tips to implement on your next trip.
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Try smaller hooks
I'm a huge advocate for smaller hooks in all my fishing. Barbel are remarkable warriors of the river! But don’t let this prowess deceive you into thinking that larger hooks are essential for landing these fish.
In truth, smaller sturdy hooks can prove to be remarkably beneficial, especially during daylight hours when barbel may display more cautious feeding habits.
Reducing your hook size can mitigate the risk of startling the fish and allows for the use of smaller hookbaits.
There are various small hook options at your disposal, use hooks which possess ample strength in sizes 14 and 12 to contend with larger barbel. Use alongside smaller baits, including 8mm pellets, mini boilies, and single grains of corn, by all means step up hook size if using larger baits such as a big cube of meat or 12/15mm boilies. I find that a balance in hook size to hookbait size results in far less hook pulls.
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Get those tips up
Given the usual downpours we experience in the UK at this time of year, rivers are brimming, carrying flood water.
This calls for an adjustment in your fishing technique - it's time to get those rods high. By doing so, you're minimising the drag caused by the strong currents, enabling you to maintain a firm position on the riverbed with lighter leads and feeders.
This results in a more responsive setup that offers superior bite indication. Plus, the use of smaller leads and feeders creates less commotion, lowering the risk of startling our finned friends when you cast your line into the water.
THE BEST FISHING CHAIRS WILL KEEP YOU COMFORTABLE ON THE RIVER BANK.
Have a choice of feeders
Stock up on a variety of feeders, each with its own weight and size, to ensure you're always ready for any given situation.
The feeder you'll need will depend on the conditions of the swim you're fishing in — the depth and current will dictate the weight, while the size will dictate the amount of bait you feed into the swim.
From my own experience, the heavier the feeder, the more likely it is to hold bottom, especially when I'm casting into deeper, faster currents. The goal here is to have your feeder hold its position once it's settled.
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Feeding rates
Having a variety of feeders on hand - different shapes, sizes, and weights - will significantly enhance your presentation.
Consider this: the rate at which your feed disperses from the feeder can influence your success. A mesh feeder, for example, releases bait faster than a traditional feeder, which only has a few small holes.
If you find you’re are getting bites shortly after casting, a mesh feeder is the way to go, as it will ensure your bait is rapidly released. Using a solid feeder in this instance might cause your feeder to stay full, spilling feed into the river and washing away from your swim along with the feeding fish while you're busy reeling in a barbel.
On the other hand if the bites are coming slowly, a slower-release solid feeder with fewer holes will keep a steady stream of bait drifting past your hookbait for a much longer period. You can even tape up the holes to further reduce how quickly bai is released into the swim.
BARBEL CAN BE CAUGHT ON A VARIETY OF BAITS, CHECK OUT SOME OF THE VERY BEST HERE.
Always running
A free-running rig kit is ideal for barbel. With this rig the ring holding the feeder or lead is semi-fixed which provides a great bolt effect when a barbel takes the hookbait. As it is only lightly fixed it comes free instantly a fish is hooked.
Combined with an anti-tangle sleeve this rig is easy to cast without tangling as the feeder or lead stays in place and there is no possibility of it sliding up the mainline when the feeder hits the water.
WEARING THE BEST FISHING WADERS CAN MAKE MORE OF THE RIVER ACCESSIBLE TO YOU.
Take care of your catch
As passionate anglers, it's our duty to place the welfare of these fish at the top of our priorities, especially during the summer months. The warmer water temperatures mean the water has a lower capacity for holding oxygen therefore it’s less oxygen-rich, therefore a hard battle can be stressful for them.
There's a number of ways we can reduce our impact on the prince of the river.
For starters, give your catch a breather in the landing net for a couple of minutes before hoisting it from the water. If feasible, attempt to unhook the fish in the shallows and let it swim freely as soon as you can.
Take a moment to consider - do you genuinely need a snapshot to remember your catch, or is it necessary to know its exact weight?
If it's teetering close to a weight goal, by all means, get the scales out. But if you're on the hunt for the big ones, does it really matter to know how much the smaller ones tip the scales at?
THE BEST LANDING NETS WILL ENSURE YOU TAKE THE BEST CARE OF YOUR CATCH.
