One rod or two on a river?

[tortoise100]

Is it trully possible to roam around rivers and fish two rods ?
Would it even be worth wile when you are fishing a river totally new to you ?
I have tried this and before you know it your light weight stalking exploring set up becomes far to overloaded with quiver ,rod rests, alarms extra bait etc and the end result is that the mobility suffers and you will proberly never even find the best swims.
I have watched lots of barbel vids and most of them have two rods but then most of them are fishing in one place carp style but on a river .
I like the idea of two rods giving you an extra chance but maybe that is actually not the case because of the bank not covered through lack of mobility.

I like to fish for fish i can see and cut my teeth small brook chub fishing so thats all about stealth and hard work just to even find the fish but then all rivers are different and so are conditions .

The best I have managed was to cover about three miles with two rods and a friend with two rods leap frogging down a fen drain after zander but it was not as fun as it should have been carrying rod rests and alarms etc ,we have already decided that this season it will be one rod each to get the distance up.

I have been atempting to plan it out two rods in one hand ,landing net in the other ,small bait bag ,korum mat bag with weighing equipment alarms and a single rod rest , all my tackle stored in pockets .But what about food and drink for me that would mean a ruck sack etc and by now it's all starting to get a bit heavy and combersome !!

This is my actual pike set up when covering lots of water is esentail but minus the bait bag .

Just how minimal do you go ?

 

[beerweasel]

I carry two rods, a twin top barbel and a fly, I think they cover most methods
but I only fish one at a time. What if you get two takes/runs at the same time ?
You strike-hook-play-land one, but the other could be seen as negligence.
Fish welfare must always come first
I own two bicycles but only ride one at a time. :w

 

[watatoad]

Is it trully possible to roam around rivers and fish two rods ?
Would it even be worth wile when you are fishing a river totally new to you ?
I have tried this and before you know it your light weight stalking exploring set up becomes far to overloaded with quiver ,rod rests, alarms extra bait etc and the end result is that the mobility suffers and you will proberly never even find the best swims.
I have watched lots of barbel vids and most of them have two rods but then most of them are fishing in one place carp style but on a river .
I like the idea of two rods giving you an extra chance but maybe that is actually not the case because of the bank not covered through lack of mobility.

I like to fish for fish i can see and cut my teeth small brook chub fishing so thats all about stealth and hard work just to even find the fish but then all rivers are different and so are conditions .

The best I have managed was to cover about three miles with two rods and a friend with two rods leap frogging down a fen drain after zander but it was not as fun as it should have been carrying rod rests and alarms etc ,we have already decided that this season it will be one rod each to get the distance up.

I have been atempting to plan it out two rods in one hand ,landing net in the other ,small bait bag ,korum mat bag with weighing equipment alarms and a single rod rest , all my tackle stored in pockets .But what about food and drink for me that would mean a ruck sack etc and by now it's all starting to get a bit heavy and combersome !!

This is my actual pike set up when covering lots of water is esentail but minus the bait bag .

Just how minimal do you go ?

1 telescopic landing net or a folding landing net
1 reel and 1 spare loaded spool - lightweight and small
1 rod
2 disgorgers - in case I loose one...hehehe
10 hooks
4 floats
1 rod rest
a swiss army knife - has scissors and a small pair of pliers and a knife
1 mixed box of weights/shot
1 lightweight seat - if I did not have a dodgy body I could get away with something waterproof to sit on on the ground
bait/lure container
sandwiches
flask
personal medication

Oops! nearly forgot a damp cloth and some medicated wet wipes

 

[dezza]

Although I often use two rods on the mighty Trent, two rods is one too many if you are fishing stalking style on small streams.

 

[dannytaylor]

I do a bit of leap frogging for pike in the winter on canals using 3 rods. Get at least 4 heavy duty rod bands using these i can lash my rods net and pole together and quickly move. If your moving any distance take the rods apart and fit butt and tip protectors, much easier than carrying a cumbersome rod holdall (hate these things) If its a short session forget the chair and use your bait bucket. I'll try and get a picture of this sett up.........................

 

[Bob Hornegold]

If you are roaming, it has to be one rod, checking out every likely looking swim.

Once you know the river and the fish holding areas, it's a two rod situation for me.

Get the bait in going in, fish one to the prime area and the onther rod either upstream or well away from the first rod.

If the swim is tight, stick to one rod.

Bob

 

[904_cannon]

Sadly roaming anywhere is out for me. At least they will never have to send out 'men in white coats' looking for me

Over the last 15 years or so Ive mostly only used two rods, a leger type with a put over quiver/standard tip ring and a barbel trotter for float/free line fishing
I should have said though (I must read the post properly) I never use two rods on a river at the same time.

Ive long since given up using a rod quiver/holdall, I use bag that the cheep tatty (£5-00) folding chairs come in and secure the rod tops/middles with a couple of velcro bands.

Having said that I just cant shake off my match fishing days, taking everything but the kitchen sink.


Ive only ever used one of those cheep folding chairs, and that was on Northallerton market when a stall holder overheard my wife saying that they would be ideal for fishing. He insisted that I give it a try, I said it wouldn't take my weight (about 21st) he said it would - it didn't, and every single bit of plastic/graphite holding it together shattered

 

[andreagrispi]

I tend to take an avon rod with an extra quiver tip top section and a 17-20 foot float rod for mainly laying on. You can get away with moving up to 4 times in a 5-6 hour session.

For out and out roving I just take the avon rod ready made up with a small tackle bag and a net bag which holds my chair (this sits nicely on my back). I also carry a bucket with all my bait in.

 

[tortoise100]

To put this another way how many people who own an avon twin top type rod actually carry both top sections and regularly swap between them ?
I have just got a ron thompson godfather avon quiver and that is the rod I have in mind for the one rod but still to work out how to transport the other top without damage or inconvieniance.

 

[no-one in particular]

light and simple

.It was interesting a little while back; a member was talking about finding it hard to walk as far as he used to through disability and age. I suggested lightening his tackle as much as possible. I did the same some while ago and one thing I had to get over was taking spares of everything. I am sure we all do this in case of breakages etc. However, since I stopped doing this I have never had a problem and I can get all my rods and gear into a small bag that was designed to carry a fold up fishing chair and it is made of nylon. I just carry a smallish fold up chair to sit on. Beats lugging loads of gear any day.
One of my nicest times roving fishing was on the Hampshire Avon just a rod and reel free lining a lump of cheese in between the reeds. Just a landing net. Haven’t done it for a long time but caught plenty of fish; often more than the static anglers with thier gallons of hemp and maggots and a ton of gear. Nothing against that but, just shows that keeping it light and simple is just as good if not better sometimes

 

[Paul C]

For me 2 rods for barbel can never be right or safe.

I've seen so many on the ribble get two takes at once and get in a proper mess. Only someone else coming to save them has normally prevented disaster.

However, many who carryout this practice claim it's safe. I've yet to hear a blow by blow account of how a double hook up should be dealt with though and I've never seen anyone deal with one alone and thought, yes, he handled that well without dangering either fish...

The main reason I fish one rod on the river is simple. It's far better to fish one rod well, than two rods badly.

My catch rate is far better with one rod than it would be with two, so there's really no need. It's a false economy!

 

[sam vimes]

Depends entirely on the circumstances. If I were going for a mobile approach then there's no way I'd even attempt to use two rods. I also play it by ear when I do use two rods. If I feel that there's enough activity to suggest that a double hook up is likely then the second rod goes back in the bag. I've never had a double hook up yet, chance would be a fine thing anyway.

Generally speaking, when I'm fishing with two rods I'm chasing one bite per session and maximising your chances is no bad thing at all. Both of these rods will be fished in the same style with both butts in close proximity and to hand. If I'm ledgering for chub and barbel with two rods and fancy a change to running a float down the swim then both the ledger rods come in, not leave one out as I see some folks do. I can't do both properly, even with the ledger rod on a bite alarm with a baitrunner.

I pretty much object to people bandying words such as "irresponsible" and similar about with regards to the use of two rods. Sure, it can be irresponsible but it isn't always. Only circumstances can dictate whether the use of two rods is irresponsible.

 

[barbelboi]

One rod. I mainly fish small rivers, the Loddon and Colne, and prefer to travel light and keep on the move. I wouldn’t like to visualise trying to play two barbel clear of two rafts, all the tree roots,etc. and through the streamers at the same time. However, when fishing from weir pools in a static mode, I still only use one rod.

 

[Paul C]

I hear alot of people say they'd remove one of the two rods if they have a problem.

Well by then the horse has already bolted and the problem has occured. It's a bit late. Quite how you'd remove one rod predicting a double take is even more of a mystery.

You should be able to take immediate control of a rod. How can that be possible if you're holding one already and there's barbel on it, stripping line??

It may well be rare on some rivers, but on the ones I fish the barbel push into swims in numbers and feed aggresively. Double hook ups a very common.

 

[S-Kippy]

On rivers only ever one rod. I dont even like two on stillwaters but I will do that occasionally but only if I expect to have to wait for a take. I get in enough of a 2 and 8 dealing with one let alone two on a river.

 

[Ray Daywalker Clarke]

Can't see the point of two rods on a river, well not the way many fish the rivers now anyway. I can see them now, 2 rods, set up on alarms, angler half asleep, and two Barbel take his bait at the same time.

Result, well it could be two lost rods, or one lost rod and one fish.

One rod on a river and not on alarms, tried it once myself, took all the fun of fishing a river away, never again.

 

[flightliner]

DGF, Two rods are ok in many situations fished at the same time. However, one at a time is often much more preferable. When I go up to the yorkshire rivers I always have two set up, one with float gear the other with a bottom rig, its my way to try the float first for a while and then the bottom gear afore moving on, its the one way to be sure that you have covered all eventualities before moving going elsewhere, speaking of, if you want to carry some of those 'xtras you speak of without to much inconveniance then I suggest you try one of the British armys PLCE (personal load carrying equipment) bit of kit. Amazing the "extra" they allow you and you hardly notice its there.---- Check em out on E- Bay.
ps, in no way do I feel inconvenienced carrying the two rods.

 

[Berty]

It all depends on the situation,it's also a personal thing, sometimes two rods and alarms is the way to go and sometimes a light single rod and a pocket of bits is all that is called for.

I tend to do whatever my mood and the situation dictates and never rule out any method............including self hooking rigs

 

[walney1956]

Good post Watatoad. I cut everything down a couple of seasons back and use a Korum Bait and Bits bag, a small Shakespear folding chair, an avon rod, one rod rest and my Drennan super specialist net. The avon rod is so versatile, leger, freeline, float why take more. But you have taken it to another level must declutter my tackle even further.

 

[watatoad]

A couple of years back I was targeting very good Roach in a floodgates pool, fortunately for me the pool has at the edge of it a ford very regularly used by farm vehicles, the pool is also a popular area with mum's and their children plus dogs and many many dog walkers, other walkers, couples, bird watchers, greenies, photographers kayak's, youngsters and cattle drinking. So with the additional fun of dogs jumping into the water after sticks and balls, children splashing through the ford. You can imagine its not the most popular of fishing spots for serious anglers.

While happily fishing a lot of people stopped and asked me about starting angling attractive young mums...hehehe couples walking dogs and so on, one of the things they asked most about was the cost and the basic tackle needed so after explaining to the first person that I would find out but would have some details in a day or two when I would be fishing again as I did not want to put anyone wrong. So after a good bit of searching including a few visits (any excuse) to some local tackle shops. I came up with the following little list and offer it to all you experienced anglers as a reminder of those long almost forgotten days of when you first started angling.

TACKLING UP THE CHEAP WAY FOR BEGINNERS

Fibreglass Match Rod 12’ 3.6m £10.00
reel 1 get 1 free £10.00 for 2
Line about 3lb x 100m £2.49
4 division double cut shot £2.49
Packet barbless hooks size 16 to nylon 10pack £0.99
3 floats at about 85p each £2.55
1 disgorger plastic £0.39
60cm round net with telescopic handle £10.00
A plastic box for the tackle £0.99
Maggot box £2.11
Reel pvc electrical tape for backing on the large capacity reel saves spending too much on line £0.25
SUB TOTAL £42.26

Sold one of the two reels - minus £5.00
TOTAL £37.26

You could add a rod rest or 2 or cut a forked branch clean the bark off, a wire coat hanger can also be adapted stuck and or whipped into the end of a garden cane.

bait
You can use worms from the garden I usually cut mine into 3 or 4 pieces,
slugs,
wasp grubs,
a can of sweet corn,
a couple of slices of bread,
the cheapest cheese paste is a spreadable cheese triangle sandwich with the crusts cut off needed into a ball then pull bits off just big enough to cover the hook what you don't use after a days fishing pop in a plastic bag and put it in the fridge it should keep for 10 days to a fortnight and the fish wont mind if it gets a bit smelly in fact they like it smelly.
Spam
1/2 pint maggots

TIP for those in a relationship;
'Don't put worms, slugs, wasp grubs, or maggots in the fridge, the other half will go mental' hehehe

EDIT:
After looking down the list I had made I then looked at the mass of tackle I had been carrying and considered as I was always struggling just to get to the bank I decided in that moment to go light, I swop floats and weights to feeders and legerweights when deciding to go legering.
END EDIT: