Key fishing spots

[Derek Gibson]

I guess these are chosen for having a feature. ie- the bend in the river, over hanging bushes, or where there's a ditch or a drain entering the river or drain. All obvious features to you, but also to everyone else.

I know I slavishly followed that particular path in my formative years, but not for many years now.

Are you seduced by the obvious choices?

 

[no-one in particular]

Mostly yes Derek but not so slavishly. I have found out if really learning a stretch to maybe fist head for those features but then not to ignore the less featured spots. Its is sometimes the case that they turn up as being better sometimes. Fished over a longish period try it all several times is woth doing, not just be slavish about it.

I remember a very good angling buddy who I fished with for years who one day walked a bit further than we usually walked and found a nice lily pad on the river. He caught a few very nice tench there and was over the moon as they were not common in the river. He headed for that lily pad every time for about the next two years and never caught another tench or much else either. It took me many many months to persuade him off it. Mind you I did sneak a few goes myself!

 

[steve2]

I did have one on the Suffolk Stour at that time because of power lines it was the only part on the section not dredged. I took many good pike catches from that one small section. I haven’t fished it now for over 20 years.
Looking on Google maps the power lines are still there and the river looks the same. If I can face the 150 plus mile round drive I may take a trip and find out if the fish are still there.

 

[barbelboi]

I also spend as much time as possible during the C/S familiarising myself with the topography when the water is low and clear. This then sets me up for later in the season when the the water is carrying colour - it's amazing how many fish gather together in the slightest indentation to the the river/stream bed....

 

[103841]

Car park swims have their attractions ?

 

[john step]

car park swims have their attractions ??????

Nooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Peter Jacobs]

As my fishing time is rather restricted I tend to stick to well known and productive swims whenever possible, and they do tend to be like those you described Derek.

Occasionally however, usually after a bad flood, the well known features may have been washed away so it is back to basics to find a new swim but even then there are typical hunts to cover . . . .

 

[terry m]

For me it is a mix, a large degree of reliance on proven swims, but also happy to try new areas that seem neglected by others. Last summer on a syndicate lake I fish, there are a handful of swims that are fished very regularly, and although the overall pressure on the lake is very low, it is very unlikely that you will be able to get into these popular swims with any degree of regularity. So, I decided to pick a couple of 'neglected' adjacent swims, and throughout the summer I was always able to get into one or the other. That resulted in plenty of bait (my bait) going into the same area regularly and the results were more than satisfactory.

 

[sam vimes]

I can take or leave known hotspots. Sometimes they genuinely are good spots, but sometimes they are simply self fulfilling prophecies. They get fished more than other places and become more productive because of it. Sometimes they just seem more productive in comparison to neglected spots that see less angling.

 

[Philip]

On a new water I think its normal to go to feature swims but as you get to know a water then you start to discover other areas as well.

Trotting is a good way to search out supposedly less productve areas away from feture swims. I have stumbled across some fairly banker swims in areas that look featureless by trotting.

 

[no-one in particular]

Not forgetting where people feed the ducks, feature or not often a good spot but if off bridges- bingo, double bubble. Around bridges usually very good especially in winter. Someone told me once its because the concrete holds heat and the water is slightly warmer, same along concreted stretches on canals.

 

[Derek Gibson]

Not forgetting where people feed the ducks, feature or not often a good spot but if off bridges- bingo, double bubble. Around bridges usually very good especially in winter. Someone told me once its because the concrete holds heat and the water is slightly warmer, same along concreted stretches on canals.

As Sam says, it's a self fulfilling prophecy. Popular swim's are often found near to access points, so they are fished with regularity and baited with the same enthusiasm.