We have all been there in the summer months when our trotted baits seem to get instantly devoured by minnows and bleak, a frustration that can leave most anglers knowing what to do next.
One man who encountered and solved this issue on a recent session is Daniel Bouskila, who switched his tactics and caught this amazing 1lb dace as a result.
Fishing a small stretch of river in the south of England, Daniel's primary targets were large roach and dace, but quickly found his float fished maggots were getting hammered.
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"Whatever I tried - upping the feed, bulking my shot - I simply couldn't get through the minnows and tiny chub to the better fish below," he told us.
"The best solution I've found normally is to get out the tip rod, but I didn't have one with me.
"I therefore had to use an improvised leger set-up, 4lb line straight through, with an AA shot 18-inches from the hook.
"On the very first cast, the tip of my 15ft float rod banged round and I connected with a small barbel - a sign my tactics were working."
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After a quiet spell, Dan then switched to casters, another great bait for avoiding the smallest fish in the swim, and this time connected with one of his target species...
"I thought it was a chub initially, but when I got a proper look, I realised it was a dace and a big one too!," he said.
"It's the biggest dace I've ever caught and I was absolutely buzzing.
"It just shows how you need to be adaptable to the situation and make the most of any opportunity whilst out fishing."
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