Well France like the UK has been in the grips of a cold and icy Winter since virtually the turn of the year. Many stillwaters have been frozen on and off and even on the occasions when they are clear the air temperatures and general precipitation, added to the liberal sprinkling of snow over northern Europe, have meant that all but the very brave have stayed at home.
We received an e-mail from French field tester Bruno Medou, who has turned his attentions to the rivers.
This is in fact a great way to bag the odd bonuswinterfish. The rivercarp unlike their lake bound brethren have little choice but to remain active and thus feed during the colder months. (more…)
Having had to abort the session the previous Friday after just half an hour due to high water levels and a large amount of debris being carried through, I was more than keen to get back down for another session. All seemed right, the level was only about a foot up on summer levels and the waterclarity was reasonable.
I was cast out within minutes and was more than happy with the spots as I have had a few fish from them this season. I feel that knowing the area you are fishing is vital if you are only there for a limited period and it is almost dark when you arrive. Due to this I always have my rods ready with hookbaits on when I arrive and leave my leads in a side pocket of my rucksack along with my buzzer bars. One problem you get with the river is that the topography changes over the years and snags can get moved every time the high levels and floods come. Even existing snags change and get more branches etc attached to them, so feeling the lead down is vital even if you think the spots are clear. (more…)
martin vaughan wrote:
I’m off to Spain next week to fish the river guadiana (the orellano). Being a bit of a novice I’m after any advice you can offer on rigs. What coated braid would u recommend, length of leadcore & hooklink ? Its a guided trip with Extrema Fishing and all i have to supply is end tackle so any tips or advice
would be gratefully appreciated. cheers martin
Jamie Simpson Replies
Hi Martin
I assume you will be targeting Carp rather than Catfish. Not knowing the river in question makes answering a bit vague but here goes.
I would certainly recommend a strong braided hooklink such as 25lb Silkworm or similar, if you prefer coated braid then you won’t go far wrong with Korda Hybrid. In my experience rivercarp certainly aren’t rig shy and basic heavy gauge set ups will suffice. I would use hooklinks of at least 18″ and about 4ft leadcore leaders. Assuming the reels are supplied then I would imagine they will be spooled up with line around 18lb. Hookwise I would suggest size4 minimum and would recommend either Korda LongshankX (tough as old boots) or Rigsbiz R2 hooks. There is no need for clever blowback rigs or even shrink tubing as a basic no knot knot will be fine. (more…)
It is at this time of year when I start to dust off my barbel gear and think about getting out on the rivers. After 6 months on the Stillwaters it is nice to be getting back onto some moving water, fishing for some truly wild fish. Hopefully from now onwards (as the weather generally worsens) the banks will be less crowded and as always at this time of year the barbel and chub will be in their peak of condition.
From now until the end of the season you can expect to encounter some of the most challenging river conditions and the worse that the English weather can throw at you. With this in mind I have listed a few things, which although simple have helped me put more fish safely on the bank through many previous winters. (more…)
Well France like the UK has been in the grips of a cold and icy Winter since virtually the turn of the year. Many stillwaters have been frozen on and off and even on the occasions when they are clear the air temperatures and general precipitation, added to the liberal sprinkling of snow over northern Europe, have meant that all but the very brave have stayed at home.
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