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River Stalking

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James 'Speci' Swinford 16/07/2009 06:43:00

'Speci' stalked this chub

What started out as a challenge to catch a specimen fish from all the rivers in Oxfordshire, turned into this, an article by 'Speci' on being mobile on small rivers.

I’m not claiming to be an expert just a beginner who can get you started.

The two rivers I fished were the Windrush and Evenlode both west of oxford. I had decided to fish these rivers with a mobile approach, so my tackle and tactics had to be simple and light.

So I had all the tackle and bait I needed for a day’s
roaming. I don’t use a rod rest and the pole is for my camera.

My rod is a Greys Prodigy with a 2oz quiver tip with an Okuma Epix Pro with 6lb Daiwa Sensor line which had a link swivel at the end. I used 4lb Drennan hook link to a size 14 hook and 2 or 3 AA shots attached to a running bead. Casters were my chosen bait.

The Korum Method Mix Bag My rig is a simple running rig, the boom helps to
stop the rig tangling and also great to change rigs

I was using the Korum Method Mix bag to carry my tackle and bait, which just so happen to be perfect for the job. It has three sections though I only used two, the top section for my hook links, swivels and other rig bits in their Rig Manager and the bottom for bait, scales and sling, shots, towel and other odd and sods I needed.

The flow is from right to left

Armed with the korum Power Stick and landing net, to keep my rod and landing pole together during transit I used their rod bands to keep my rod and landing pole together and with the Prologic unhooking mat, I was ready to go. To help with spotting the fish I was wearing ESP polarised glasses.

I know I’m having a bad hair day that is what hats are for

The Windrush

After two failed attempts to find some fish on different stretches of the Windrush, I decided to move on to the Newlands Hayfield lakes which had the river running behind it after missing out on a few chub a bit further upstream and a little walk down stream, I then found five chub in this swim.

The flow here is from left to right At least my hair got better!

After I got settled I fed a few casters to see if the fish were feeding. Then I cast in, hooked one after a few attempts, and after a quick fight I landed my first chub from the Windrush at 2lb and my first fish of the river season.

The Evenlode

After that I moved on to the Evenlode near Cassington on the Abingdon and Oxford club book. I fished a few swims to no joy then on my way back to my car I found this one full of chub.

After 10 minutes of watching chub swimming around and disappearing and with the flow being quicker I added an extra shot to get my bait down faster. I then fed a few casters to my right and had a missed bite, so I re-cast to the same spot, fed a few more casters, then got a big take which ended up being this 2lb 2oz chub.

Can you spot the chub in these pictures?

I learned from both rivers

1. Walk around see if you can spot any fish, if not try looking for swims with vegetation (weeds, reeds and cabbages) overhanging trees, undercut banks and bends.

2. Don’t waste your time in one spot, if they aren’t there after a few minutes move on as you're only wasting your time and bait.

3. Take your time, there is no need to rush.

4. Throw in some bait first, that will tell you if they are feeding.

5. Don’t strike too early, wait till the fish is on the hook, the first chub I watched take the bait and struck after five seconds, the second chub I waited till the tip wrapped around.

6. Once you have caught move on as the fight will have scared any other fish away.

7. Tackle-wise never take what you don’t need (something I’m still learning) for this style of fishing all you will need are split shot, hooks, line, disgorgers and a few odds and ends.

8. Your tackle bag needs to be small enough to travel but big enough to hold all your kit.

9. Do not take a chair as it will only slow you down - you want to cover as much ground as possible.

10. Both my catches came from shallow and fast flowing waters, try them first as you don’t need long to spot them.

11. Take a good pair of polarised glasses as you won’t see many fish without them.

12. Be quiet as you don’t want to scare the fish away.

13. Bait-wise, unless you know they will take pellets or boilies, go for the more natural option such as casters, maggots or worms, as the fish will take these more freely than man-made baits.

14. Set up at the car not at the bank. Not only does it save time but cuts down on noise and more gives you more chance to catch.

15. In tight swims take only your rod, landing net and bait, leaving all the rest outside until needed.

This was fun and not a bad start to the opening day of the season. I’m looking forward to doing it again but more thoroughly as I have yet to scratch the surface on both rivers and I have a lot of water to fish. I hope this will encourage you to have a go at this method.

A Kylie Minnow I made sure my hair looked OK this time round

My Secret Stretch

On Saturday morning I decided to go to a stretch where I saw a load of chub sitting there from the 16th and to my surprise the chub were still there.

Can you spot the chub in this photograph?

Having got set up and settled I started to flick some casters in to get the chub feeding and having got them to feed I flicked out my caster and after a few minutes I caught the little Kylie Minnow.

I was hoping that the fish didn’t kill the swim. I got the chub back on the feed after watching the a few chub around my bait I had a good take and landed this chub weighing 2lb 12 oz.

This fish killed the swim

Hoping that this chub didn’t kill the swim dead I let it settle I switched my rig over to a longer one to try and tempt one out from under the tree. Once I flicked out my bait and chucked out some casters few came swimming over then this one decided he wanted a photo taken weighing in at 2lb 2oz.

This one did kill the swim so I decided to move on. But I did enjoy it. Now I’m after the barbel that I have seen in the swim. Till next time..........

I hope you have enjoyed reading and this has inspired you to try this style of fishing. Like I said I’m no expert at roaming or stalking but by reading magazines and other articles and watching fishing programmes will give you the basics. It can be both exciting and frustrating.

Tight Lines

Speci

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Comments (14 posted):

Mark Wintle on 17/07/2009 18:18:18

I'd like to add a couple of tips: I've fished the Windrush and other small Oxfordshire streams as well as ones closer to home. I think a light float approach (standard match rod + small fixed spool) would easily outscore the leger approach. The chub are small and easily handled on standard match gear - I'd have no qualms about using a 2lb main line with a 0.12 hook link with size 20 or 18 Drennan Carbon Chub hooks with casters. For floats I'd use small alloy stem sticks (4 no 4 but shotted with no 8 or 10 shot), or very small wagglers or Trent Trotters. I'd feed until I had the chub confident and competing for the bait then would hope to catch ALL of the chub in a swim. These 2lb-sized chub are easy meat in relatively snag free water. To give an example my best bag on an Oxfordshire stream early season was 34 from the same swim and repeated it the next day on the main river Thames. They're hungry and far from wary at the start of the season. Second tip is to simplify the leger approach if that is your preferred method. Does the boom add anything? Apart from a cumbersome bit of unnecessary kit that prevents bite detection, scares fish and could get snagged? A very simple link leger with shots pinched on the link line will do the trick.

Paul H on 17/07/2009 18:35:11

I have used the John Roberts ledger booms but only with large, heavy feeders on big rivers like the Trent and Severn and with fairly long hooklengths. If the flow will allow you to hold bottom with SSG shot then I'd just tie a weaker link of line onto my mainline for the shot and fish straight through with no seperate hooklength. Some nice looking bits of river there though and you managed to take much less kit than I ever do!

Paul Williams 11 on 17/07/2009 18:48:23

Well done Specy, a real honest article.........i could reduce your gear even more, get a fly fishing jacket and a couple of small tackle boxes.........and try to collect a few slugs......they can be a devastating bait for chub, even in low water conditions, and freeline them, leave the boom rig for other situations.

Specihunter ( the Korum Kid) on 17/07/2009 20:26:10

Mark the boom helps to keep the shot in place and if I need let line out and the bites i had where big takes. the swims I was fishing were no more than 6" deep so float fishing was out of the question but i will keep it in mind as there are a few spots I think trotting will work. You will have to show me paul. I know my rigs aren't perfect and need improving so I'm open to critisim.

slime monster on 17/07/2009 20:45:45

Nice little article Speci, Re float fishing really shallow water a method used by the Stafford lads was to use a very bouyant ultra short dumpy waggler shaped like the bottom of a spring onion 50 mm long 12mm wide at the "bulb" end and about 8mm at the tip made of balsa wood with a mini swivel glued in the base this float should take a couple of heavy shot to lock it to the line and it is fished well over depth and run down the far bank at river speed with no other shot on the line. Credit for this superb float goes to my old mate Bertie Bunker . In 6 " of water 2 -3 foot depth would be right and really fast broken water can be tackled with it Dave

Paul H on 17/07/2009 22:21:53

Not so much a criticism, more of a suggestion. Straight through rig. Just replace the lead with your SSG pinched onto the link of weaker line. The rig is safe as if the mainline breaks the link with the shot on will slide off easily or the shot will come free as it does occasionaly anyhow.

Robert Woods on 18/07/2009 02:05:47

Wasn't the dumpy float one of Billy Lanes ie: Trent Trotter. Peter Drennan made them with polystyrine bodies. Used them on shallow River Dane swims.

slime monster on 18/07/2009 06:24:21

Wasn't the dumpy float one of Billy Lanes ie: Trent Trotter. Peter Drennan made them with polystyrine bodies. Used them on shallow River Dane swims. I have no idea ,all I know is Bert made these floats in the 70s and they where spot on for the Blythe and as said rivers such as the Dane ,

Alan Tyler on 18/07/2009 06:42:05

Another point worth making is that on clear waters, time spent watching fish is seldom wasted. The way a roach shoal moves, the way six excited chub will rummage around above and below a bait, looking for potential trouble, until one picks it up gently in the tip of his lips and slowly reverses away... loads more, and all pieces in the great jigsaw.

Specihunter ( the Korum Kid) on 18/07/2009 19:06:33

nice rig paul I will change the knot with a float stop

Neneman Nick on 19/07/2009 10:47:20

A good read mate..... like alan says,it`s a jigsaw with loads of pieces. Without doubt this style of backbrook type fishing has to be my favourite,especially on the Ise (a little sister of the Nene). The use of a stalking jacket was mentioned....i have a ron thompson one,with loads of pockets and zip on/off arms and a foldaway (in the collar) hood.I picked mine up for less than £20 on line last year. My only complaint about these jackets is that you tend to rattle and clank a bit when walking up and down the bank because of your hooks and shots and bits and bobs being packed away in little plastic boxes etc.... not so much of a problem though when carefully placing your feet when watching/stalking your quarry.

Paul Williams 11 on 19/07/2009 11:18:09

Specihunter ( the Korum Kid) on 19/07/2009 19:21:40

nick get a magnetic box for your hooks and 2 hooklink cases 1 for hooklinks the other for your shots plus a box for odds .

Paul Williams 11 on 19/07/2009 19:29:26

nick get a magnetic box for your hooks and 2 hooklink cases 1 for hooklinks the other for your shots plus a box for odds . And sponge in the boxes prone to rattle.....;)

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