Reasons not to fish a river

[daniel121]

OK guys I doubt this post will be popular however I'm going to say it anyway mg:

This notion that rivers are harder is to me a absolute load of BS. I have caught bleak on bear gold hooks before now back in the day. The notion that 'commies' are easy 100 pound easy is also BS, there are plenty up and down the country where the fish are very hard to catch because they have seen it all before.

If I want to catch 100 fish I'll go on a canal or the river soar near me, if I want to catch 100lb I'll go on a man made puddle where carp average 5lb+.

Now what really makes me despair is the modern tackle boxes that weigh a bloody tonne weight empty to sit and fish a level platform on a purpose built fishery. Really, do we really need this? I actually have a old watertank box for the river and it does me much better than my Preston on box which I use for man made waters. The fish really have no interest in boxes, why do we?

Also the trent local to me is full of fish, in the warmer weather its almost as good as its ever been in my eyes. In the winter, fishing for small slivers you'd be forgiven for thinking its fish less, very strange. However other rivers fish well in the winter. Its Horses for courses guys, pretty much as fishing a has ways been.

 

[iain t]

Why wouldn't anyone want to fish a river or stream ?. 99% of my fishing is on rivers and streams. Travel light, sitting in the foliage surrounded by nature with the birds overhead and water going past. I don't see many other people except for the rare odd rambler or the occasional canoe going pass. No traffic noise, just the swaying of the reeds and the birdsong. Overlooking the south downs Now, how relaxing is that.

 

[GT56]

I've been on a work party today and with a good turn out and tremendous planning from the club secretary, the pegs and swims are looking good for the 16th.

No reasons not to fish a river as far as I'm concerned, forget brambles, nettles and long walks carrying tackle. I'll be sitting on a box that I only need carry a few feet from the back of my vehicle to a very comfortable peg, come the 16th,

Not to everyone's taste I'm sure and if you can still manage a long walk carrying tackle, great and long may it continue but please don't think you have to be assault course fit to fish a river, look for clubs that have river fishing with civilised access and enjoy.

 

[O.C.F.Disorder]

If you are well trained in the watercraft region then nothing beats river fishing. :behindsofa:

 

[Tee-Cee]

Can someone tell me what exactly is carried in these huge boxes that require a trolley, or worse still that folk take so much gear they need to park the car next to the swim??

I fish rivers and still waters (mainly) all the year and sessions last up to 7/8 hours, yet I can manage to take all I need for the session without resorting to either box or trolley. Basic gear is a reasonable size back pack carrying all I need for the day including a rolled up unhooking mat, a rod bag which I sling diagonally across my shoulders and because this leaves both hands free, a light seat in one hand and a bait bag in the other. That's it!

I'm knocking on in years so by definition I need to keep gear to a minimum, but when I see folk turn up at a lake with a trolley that takes forever to unload and organise AND THEN they settle down to a bit of roach fishing with a standard rod, I am amazed they need so much gear!

I fully understand folk who use a pole might need a box (such as that I see in Mr Crabtree's photographs) when fishing one along a canal or similar or are involved in serious match fishing, but to cart so much gear week in, week out as a matter of course without any real need that I can see, suggests to me that some have just slipped into a rut of 'I might need it, so I'd better take it' without any thought......

I'm NOT knocking folk who carry the kitchen sink with them but more to understand why they NEED all that gear on EVERY trip out which to me reduces the opportunity to move swims for whatever reason and without too much hassle ...................

Doubtless I'm missing the point somewhere and someone will put me to rights!!


ps Overnight or longer sessions are a different matter so the facility to carry all the gear (tents and the like) one needs in a barrow is obvious, but having said that I managed perfectly well without one, back in the day.

 

[wetthrough]

1: If you take everything you can't forget something.
2: Spares. If you break something critical your day is ruined and I have. Broke the tip off my 13ft match rod while getting it out of the bag. Thankfully I had a spare.
3: Even if you don't have a lot of tackle some sort of bogey can make it easier.
4: If you fish a lot of different venues you often don't know what you're going to need 'til you get there. Even different pegs on a venue can require different tackle.

The main one for me is 1. If I tried seperating my gear out for specific venues a) There's the effort of doing so and b) I can guarantee I'd forget something. Heck, I forgot some of my bait last Wednesday!

 

[dorsetsteve]

I lack the connection with still waters, the sense of wild adventures, yes it though on the patience, the body and your tackle but I wouldn’t want it any other way. Me personally I’m never happier than up to the eyeballs in nettles, polarised glasses on stalking Chub in a gin clear glide and placing the rig in the critical spot with a sense of anticipation and frustration.
The idea of falling out the car, sitting next to some loud ****** on a preformed platform where the features include the near margin or the far margin fills me with boredom.

 

[Philip]

The OP asked reasons not to fish a river and one that applied to me just the other day in fact was simply for a change.

My fishing time is very limited at the moment & when I do get an opportunity its almost always to a river. However the other day I went out for a short evening session and just got the urge for something more sedate and decided to watch a static float on a local pond. Dusk turned to darkness and I cracked a little beta light stuck it on top of the float and then sat back and watched the glow as it sat at half cock by some reeds with the bats flitting overhead in the warm air. Twice it whizzed away and I did battle, landed one, lost the other (after a 40min battle!!!) and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I almost forgot how much I enjoy fishing stillwaters and I’m chomping at the bit to get back.