A Wind of Change

[maverick 7]

After publicly announcing a few months ago that I must have had the worst ever season of river fishing in my living memory....I decided it was time...nay, well past the time.... that I considered serious changes to my approach to doing what I love more than everything else...........well alright, not exactly EVERYTHING else :wh

I have changed the line on all my reels with the usual 10lb Daiwa Sensor (Barbel reels)...so no real change there but I have just made up quite a lot of feeder rigs and I have done them all with a hi tech line which means less diameter. I originally used 8lb Berkeley Vanish fleurocarbon line for this purpose which was 0.26mm diameter and the one I have chosen to replace it is Preston Reflo 7.5lb which is 0.19mm.

I have changed over from my size 6 hooks for the barbel and will now use size 10 and 12's instead for a smaller bait approach....I think the barbel could be getting wary of the donkey choker bait that has been used for quite a while now.

I will also use the same Reflo line for my stick float rigs as well only perhaps in a smaller 4 or 5lb BS size for chub fishing.

I will prepare my bait in a more dedicated fashion than before having already purchased several 2Kg bags of various groundbait and pellets with a proper sieve for the groundbait too...just hope there will be an improvement that's all.

Also having some special feeders made for me too...all 4oz jobs for the Trent.....and also purchased quite a few new Korum streamlined running rigs with anti tangle booms and quick release hook link system. The only thing I considered but decided not to go with it was braid for my hooklengths.

Anybody else having an overhaul of their regular practices and changing over to different approaches for the coming season?

Maverick

 

[Lord Paul of Sheffield]

Couple of years back I changed all my reel line to Preston power and this improved my casting making it smoother as I was nit having to cast so hard to reach the same distance

 

[Titus]

I also had a bad year last year so I have decided to change a few things as well, the first thing in intend changing is my habit of not going fishing. Last year was a bit of a washout for several reasons but for the first time for ages I'm looking forward to spending a bit more time on the bank.

 

[ken more]

I also had a bad year last year so I have decided to change a few things as well, the first thing in intend changing is my habit of not going fishing. Last year was a bit of a washout for several reasons but for the first time for ages I'm looking forward to spending a bit more time on the bank.

With you all the way here, really looking forward to the new season and have many,many plans. Have also heard something like "best laid plans"mg: But, i'm gonna try

 

[peterjg]

I've been messing about for ages now, trying to find a really sensitive anti tangle leger rig for still water roach fishing. Not there yet - must try harder!

 

[john step]

Maverick,

When I want a bit of finesse for hooklengths I use Drennan sink braid which is softer and thinner than mono or flouro c. I think that is more important than invisibility.

Re the heavier feeders. I found a sheet of fine grade wire mesh at the garden centre. I cut this to make feeders weighted with strips of lead from a reel of builders gutter lead. (Enough lead on that to last a life time!!)

I also found the Trent barbel fussier of late and caught more last season on size 10s with super glued tiny pellets or casters along the hair.
I would have blanked a lot on the old big halibut pellets I think.

 

[flightliner]

Thing is John the barbel are under so much pressure these days on the Trent. Far more productive at times to run a bait downstream under a float.Static baits spell danger till maybe dusk but a moving one is looked on as a safer option.

 

[maverick 7]

Very interesting you guys.......I will attempt to try and answer all of you starting with Lord Paul......
I hear what you are saying Paul but I don't have an issue with casting with the line I use which as I said is Daiwa Sensor ...I think it is the business end where I haven't got it right but thanks anyway Paul...much appreciated.

Ken and Titus......hope things work out for you both and I am definitely with you both as I too am looking forward to this coming season like no other before.

John......you have really got me in two minds now....I always knew that braid was a good bet for presentation and I have decided to make up a few rigs with it now...but tell me John.....as I've never done this before, do I tye a seperate piece of nylon with no loop on the hook for the hair...or do I use the braid as the hair and simply glue the pellets/casters down the length of the hair?....I am without a doubt downsizing my hookbait...I will be using 6mm and 8mm pellets (or do you suggest I go even smaller, maybe 4mm?) on the hair or as you say...even casters.

Flight.....I just love stick floating myself but I have not had much luck with barbel on the stick in the Trent.....not done bad with them in other rivers like the Dove and the Don and even the Idle....but only ever caught barbel in the Trent on the feeder so I thought I would try and improve my feeder fishing first...as it is that area that needs improving most. My stick float fishing is not too bad at the moment and I had a modicum of success with silver fish so I may move on to better my stick float fishing when I have mastered this...if I ever do of course.
Thanks for that Flight.....

Maverick

 

[peterjg]

Re previous post. For many years when carp fishing with two rods I used a nylon hook length on one rod and a braid hook length on the other. On the water I fished it was rare to get more than around 20 runs a season (over approx 60 days and nights).
I keep a detailed angling diary and at the end of each season the number of runs would usually work out to be the same, nylon to braid.

Where things differed was on the rivers. Martin Hooper in his book recommended braid hook lengths so I tried them on the rivers Lee, Colne and Thames. Nylon hook lengths, I found for me, were better than braid.

 

[john step]

Maverick,
I use the braid as a hair. I cannot be absolutely sure what the colour of the bottom is where I fish on the lower Trent.( Tidal and Non tidal).
However what I can see, I feel that the sink braid would be a good match.
Plus the fact it is softer and thinner.

I have had only very limited success on the float when the flow is low enough for me to cope.

I had barbel,chub and bream on a line of small 4 mm pellets glued on the hair.
Also casters worked well. I also had barbel on a hair rigged Dendra worm with a dead maggot threaded on the hook as a hook disguise.

I was put onto smaller hooks and bait by a couple of Sheffield lads I met on the lower Trent. They were catching well on hooks loaded with masses of dead maggot or a string of dead maggots threaded up a braid hair on a needle.

I am going to try plastic casters when the river opens again using a feeder of hemp and caster and maggot.
I rigged up 3 plastic ones on a hair yesterday to try for tench tomorrow. I am mentioning this because the plastic casters I have from Enterprise
would not stick with superglue. I had to use a needle.

 

[maverick 7]

Re previous post. For many years when carp fishing with two rods I used a nylon hook length on one rod and a braid hook length on the other. On the water I fished it was rare to get more than around 20 runs a season (over approx 60 days and nights).
I keep a detailed angling diary and at the end of each season the number of runs would usually work out to be the same, nylon to braid.

Where things differed was on the rivers. Martin Hooper in his book recommended braid hook lengths so I tried them on the rivers Lee, Colne and Thames. Nylon hook lengths, I found for me, were better than braid.

Again Peter......very, very interesting, just shows you that it seems to work for some people but not for others.....I must confess that I have never really had any problems with mono hooklengths myself ...well, apart from last year that is......but because I am convinced that something is afoot as far as barbel fishing with biggish baits is concerned....I am looking for all kinds of improvements in my current set ups. This would include for feeder fishing... hooklengths, hooks and hook bait...and feeder bait.

Up to now.....I have decided on starting with size 10 and 12 hooks with maybe 2 x 4mm pellets superglued to the rig...with the possibility of rising to 6mm or even 8mm...these will probably be Sonubaits Spicy Meat pellets or Garlic Cheese pellets The same pellets and others will be soaked in water until they get sticky and then squeezed into the feeder....well it sounds good to me....let's just hope it works. Only got the type of hooklengths to sort out now....Braid or Mono.

Hi John.........thanks for that info.....I will try the Drennan braid (8lb) and seeing as I use two rods for my barbel fishing ....I will use the braid on one rod and mono on the other. As a bit of info for you John....I can tell you that I have quite a few of those plastic casters and never caught anything on them.....yet as soon as I change over to the real thing....I start to to catch so I don't have an awful lot of faith in them...hope I haven't dampened your spirit or confidence in them John.mg:

Can't wait for the coming season .......and I am looking forward to trying all my new rigs and ideas out too....God, I hope they work....

Maverick

 

[theartist]

Maverick, it sounds from this thread that you are double guessing your tried and trusted and going for a complete re tune, if not overhaul of everything.

Good luck for the new season but if it doesn't go as plan don't be too disheartened as what worked before will work again. It could be a case of finding just one thing that worked that can ad to your armoury and that after all wont be a bad thing.

The smaller bait approach however is definately is one worth sticking to

 

[arthur2sheds]

Three years ago I decided that my 12' rods were not needed as I was fishing waters no bigger than 5 acres.... I got rid of my 3 Warriors and big pit reels and use a pair of Dwarf's with Wychwood 5500qd's.... (I can get to all points with the 9 footers)I've not looked back

Everything got downscaled (except the bivvy and bedchair... I'm a big lad)

Match wise I've got a new box, new pole (downsized from 13m to 11m) and I spend much more time in preparation,

From a purely self indulgent point of view I have taken to playing with vintage cane and reels over the last couple of years.... (not a cheap option I tells thee.....) BUT....! for some reason I find their use somewhat cathartic, you fish with no pressure, no worries, and with a carefree attitude, that engenders a feeling of peace and tranquillity that fishing is supposed to bring....

 

[peterjg]

Maverick; I think you are right to change to smaller baits for barbel. I now fish mainly for roach, I did a lot of fishing last season on the Kennet using roach sized bait - by accident I caught a few barbel and lost some? Some barbel anglers were apparently struggling for bites using bigger baits. Also fluked barbel from the Thames.

As an aside I used to fish a clear, shallow reach of the upper river Lea (for roach). The response from barbel to hemp was amazing - they absolutely go potty for the stuff.

 

[maverick 7]

Maverick, it sounds from this thread that you are double guessing your tried and trusted and going for a complete re tune, if not overhaul of everything.

Good luck for the new season but if it doesn't go as plan don't be too disheartened as what worked before will work again. It could be a case of finding just one thing that worked that can ad to your armoury and that after all wont be a bad thing.

The smaller bait approach however is definately is one worth sticking to

Thanks for that artist........and you are bang on as far as I'm concerned, it is a complete overhaul of what I have done for the past 10 years or so. I just feel that with my kind of fishing....there is some kind of change in the air and I could do with a new approach altogether. I hear lots of stories of barbel being caught on much smaller baits than my 14mm Halibut pellets...and I have even seen it for myself quite a few times but my faith in my method was unshakeable at that time ..I really believed in it, when really I reckon I should have taken that on board and jumped on the bandwagon early last year.

Well, now it's time to do what I should have done last year and that is a completely new perception of what I love to do. The rods will remain the same and so will the reels it is just the terminal gear that will be changed. I remember the times when caster and hemp was all you needed to catch barbel practically anywhere....and baits don't get much smaller than that.....but it could have come full circle now because it seems fairly well accepted that the fish are definitely wary of big donkey chokers like I used to use last year.

Let's see what I am writing this time next year.......hope it turns out better than the last one.

Maverick

---------- Post added at 03:10 ---------- Previous post was at 03:06 ----------

Three years ago I decided that my 12' rods were not needed as I was fishing waters no bigger than 5 acres.... I got rid of my 3 Warriors and big pit reels and use a pair of Dwarf's with Wychwood 5500qd's.... (I can get to all points with the 9 footers)I've not looked back

Everything got downscaled (except the bivvy and bedchair... I'm a big lad)

Match wise I've got a new box, new pole (downsized from 13m to 11m) and I spend much more time in preparation,

From a purely self indulgent point of view I have taken to playing with vintage cane and reels over the last couple of years.... (not a cheap option I tells thee.....) BUT....! for some reason I find their use somewhat cathartic, you fish with no pressure, no worries, and with a carefree attitude, that engenders a feeling of peace and tranquillity that fishing is supposed to bring....

That's how it should be......it certainly was when I started fishing some 50 years ago.....

What a nice thought eh Arthur?

Maverick

---------- Post added at 03:12 ---------- Previous post was at 03:10 ----------

Maverick; I think you are right to change to smaller baits for barbel. I now fish mainly for roach, I did a lot of fishing last season on the Kennet using roach sized bait - by accident I caught a few barbel and lost some? Some barbel anglers were apparently struggling for bites using bigger baits. Also fluked barbel from the Thames.

As an aside I used to fish a clear, shallow reach of the upper river Lea (for roach). The response from barbel to hemp was amazing - they absolutely go potty for the stuff.

That really gives me confidence in what I am trying to do......it just shows you how things change so swiftly in this sport of ours....thanks for sharing that Peter.....it is good to know.

Maverick

 

[dorsetandchub]

I have to concur with what Arthur was saying. A while back, I snapped up a load of reels from twenty odd years back (examples of which I'd had stolen) often for peanuts (ebay can be great for this, demand is far less than for new Shimmys and the like).

Most of the reels were, performance wise, showing their age but I did rediscover an absolute gem, the Browning 810 match.

It's now first out of the bag fairly frequently so, to round up, I don't think it does any harm to stand back and assess one's approach, tactics and kit.

It may or may not improve results but, for me at least, it was a darned enjoyable exercise.