Trotting

[Paul Harvey]

I am quite new to River fishing and at the moment have only concentrated on quiver tipping. I am interested in trotting for Chub/Dace and I am wondering if it is necessary to splash out on a centre pin, or if my fixed spool reel will do?

 

[Dave Silvers]

Fixed spool will do nicely for starters, closed face reels used to popular for trotting but their use has declined.
The main problem with using fixed spool is tangles when it is windy, and of course they don't run as smoothly as a centre pin, but lots of anglers still use them.
You can always upgrade later if you feel the need but I would stick with what you've got for now.

 

[John McLaren]

I agree with Dave, there are enough new skills to learn (like mending your line) to have to worry about how to use a dufferent type of reel. Once you have some experience in trotting then you can decide whether you want to get a 'pin.

 

[Stu Black]

Like Dave say's, stick with your fixed spool and either backwind at the pace of the river, or let the bale arm off and keep the line spooling over your finger to control it. This time last year I asked a similar question! Use a float bigger than you would normally, so you can control its movements better, experiment with depths, and most importantly KEEP FEEDING!!!

 

[Stu Black]

The best tip I was given was use a float as heavy as you can get away with!! It makes so much difference when you're trying to mend the line etc you can be a bit heavy handed without upsetting the line too much!
Try it?

 

[Stuart Bullard]

Cant really disagree with whats been said. However after a few visits when I first started trotting (and I love it), I met someone with a pin and was instantly hooked. Bought one the next week.

If you have the cash and know you want to carry on, get a pin and start learning now, its great fun.

Mind you, that pi55ing wallis cast still defeats me........

 

[Paul Harvey]

Thanks fellas.This plus the earlier thread that I've just read have been useful feedback.

 

[Darren Smith]

I'm a new member and a new fisherman, I have just started trotting and find it a much more enjoyable fishing than sitting on the bank. I have had a few fish (chub 2lb appox hav'nt bought any scales yet and am not really bothered just happy to be catching and roach)but can find it hard to identify the bits. I am using a chubing float with the weights about half way down and have bought a second hand center pin. Am I doing something wrong or is this normal. Any tips lads. Sorry I have jumped in on your thread Paul the only thing I would say is I found it alot easyer with the c,pin.

 

[Nigel Connor(ACA ,SAA)]

Welcome to the trotting brotherhood Darren!

Given that your catching you are obviously doing something right so dont worry.

Your choice of float sounds fine but you need to be careful to match the float to the swim you are fishing. Chubbers usually carry about 1swan upwards.They are ideal for when the water in front of you is uneven in pace with boils etc as the buoyancy of the float allows it to ride through without it being continually pulled under.The relatively heavy weight also gets the bait down to where the fish are feeding which at this time of the year is usually near the bottom.It also allows you to slow the float down("holding back") by applying pressure on the rim of your Pin or even stopping it completely.This slows the bait going throuhg the swim giving the fish a liitle more time to take.It also causes the bait to rise & fall which can induce a bite.If you used a lighter float holding back would simply pull the float off line effecting presentation.This is why most experienced trotters advise using as heavy a float as you can get away with.As you are inexperienced it will also be easier to control a heavier float than a lighter one.

If , however, your swim was slow paced,not too deep & of even flow you would getter presentation of the bait by using a lighter float, such as a stick or light avon. You dont need much weight to get the bait down in the water because of the steady flow & any biting fish would feel less resistance when taking the bait.This is especially true of Roach who are shy of any unusual resistance.You might struggle to use a pin in these circumstances as most pins require a reasonable amount of flow & a decent sized float to work properly(at least in my hands!).A fixed spool or closed face would probably be better.

Your shotting pattern sounds fine,although again it depends on the swim.If you were using the chubber in a shallow swim of less than 3feet you could try bulking the weight under the float and using a couple of number 4s at half depth with a number 6 a little further below.In deeper swims of say 6ft up then you might consider bulking the shot at two thirds depth with the dropper shot underneath.

I find that rather than using bulk shot a small olivette(usually used in pole fishing) is better.It doesn't harm the line & is more streamlined than shot when striking.

Im sorry if all this is a bit technical.Ive been trotting for the bulk of my fishing for a long time & learn something new every time I go out. Keep at what your doing & try to think of how every trot down you might do something different to get a bite.Its a great form of fishing which can be deadly especially in summer when the river is low & clear.Barbel in particular will take a trotted bait in these conditions whilst ignoring a static one. Once youve hooked one of those on float tackle you wont want to fish for them in any other way.

 

[papa lazarou]

I do a lot of trotting for grayling and use a fixed spool reel with no probs.However a couple of guys i know swear by the centrepin.This is ok if you are fishing a narrowish river or are wading and on top of of the fish,however if like me you hate wading(dodgy)or fish bigger rivers that sometimes need a fair cast to the far bank where the fish are then a fixed spool is as good as anything.

 

[Peter Jacobs]

Darren, I think that Nigel's post is very much to the point and I would endorse it totally.

With regard to which reel is the best, then this is a matter of personal preference. There are three main choices, fixed spool, closed face and centrepin.
Unless you have either large hands, or long fingers, I find that the distance on most models between the rod handle and the spool is a little too great for my hands. Also, the only way to control the line flow is to use a finger to trap the line. This to me, gives a very jerky movement and is not very natural as you trot down a swim.
A centrepin on the other hand is far more smooth and natural as you can control the speed by a little pressure on the circumferance of the 'pin.
As for closed face reels these are my second choice. A little tip here is to open the spool cover and turn the handle noting where the handle is when the spool is at the top of its spindle. Mark this point on the reel body and when you cast try to make sure that the handle is always there. This will allow the line to flow smoothly off of the spool and not to "bed" down at the bottom of the spool's travel.
As for rods, then try to use the longest one you have, or can get away with given the conditions you are fishing. On the Avon I typically use a rod of 15 feet and sometime step up to a rod of 20 feet.
For the best float control, and thereby best bait presentation try to fish off of the end of your rod, hence the need for longer rods. Vary your shotting pattern from time to time and the old matchmen's addage of "feed to your bites" is good advice.
Good luck with your experiments.

 

[Darren Smith]

Cheers Nigel and Peter,
Thanks for the advise, I went the week end and tried bulking the shot under the float and various other things. Unfortuantly did not get any joy a few tangles but still enjoyed trying. Just one other question, when there is a good flow the float when holding back starts to waggle from side to side. Will this put the fish off and what can I do to cure it. And one more thing, when using a lighter float in slower condition should you feed the line off the reel or should you always let the line pull of the reel.

 

[Rodney Wrestt]

Hi Darren,
When the float is waggling in the flow try moving the bulk of shot closer to the hook, if this doesn't help try a larger float which will let you add more shot down the line. As for your other question, I would say that if the flow is strong enough to pull the line off then let it and slow it with thumb pressure occasionally, otherwise feed line off a little at a time but remember to make sure it stays behind the float and as straight as possible, the water moves faster on the surface than the bottom so the line can overtake the float if let out too quickly and it will pull the float off course. I rarely use a float of less than 4BB as I find it gives a comfortable weight to flick out and easy to control, I will use 1BB for each foot of water in the swim, this will increase depending on the current, more for stonger flows, and the 4BB for normal conditions.

 

[Peter Jacobs]

Darren,
What was the depth of the swim you were fishing when you had the "waggle" problem?
It sounds like the effect of bulking the shot under the float in deep swim. Nigel was absolutely correct with his tip, but only in shallow (3 feet or so) swims.
Do try his tip about using a small olivette though. I saw him using this technique on the Avon last year. It does present the bait really well, and almost no resistance against the strike.
Another possible cause for the "waggle" could be that the line is not coming off of your spool freely, maybe you are holding on a little too long, and don't forget we are talking about fractions of a second.
As for "feeding line" versus allowing the flow to take line, well, I nearly always use a centrepin and allow the flow to take the line. I use the same technique if I am using a closed face reel.
What part of the Country do you live in, and which Rivers are you fishing?
Tight lines.

 

[Darren Smith]

Thanks again for your advise Peter and Rodney.
I live in suffolk right on the boarder of Norfolk, And fish mainly locally at various river. The waggle effect was more notiable when the shot was under the float but I was in a swim with moderate flow of about 2 to 3 ft, I had caught sight of some dace so I tried to fish for them but they soon disbersed after a while. Possible to much commotion as they were close to the edge and I had to walk pass tight to the bank.
What is a small Olivette, A float ? As you can see this is all new to me.
Could my problem be my reel, it is a shakespeare Lincoln which is a plastic bodied modell. I have not seen any one else fishing with a pin to ask them any Questions or see how freely they should spin.
Cheers

 

[Rodney Wrestt]

Darren,
in such shallow water I would try spreading the shot evenly from just above the hook length to about half way to 2/3's up the line to the float (shirt button style)and run through after using some loose feed. An olivette is a small weight which can be used instead of a bulk of shot look HERE