What's your favourite feature to fish to?

[Aknib]

Islands, channels, gravel bars, submerged trees, drop-offs...

The list goes on but I'm guessing we all have a 'favourite' when it comes to features, be it an overhanging tree or the course of an old riverbed running through a lake.

Mine is as simple as they get... The margins, especially where deep water comes right up to them.

I'm convinced that just as we are attracted to water and will often have a walk over to investigate, fish behave in a similar manner especially where they feel there is no threat.

The advantages are there too as they offer pinpoint feeding accuracy and easy presentation, everything is as good as magnified and it's incredibly simple compared to, let's say, leading around but I do tend to catch more than my fair share of fish at silly close range.

There will always be general exceptions where distance becomes a factor, such as big Bream fishing, but even those have been caught literally off the tip where the depth is there.

I guess much of this might have something to do with what you're fishing for but species aside what's your favourite feature to fish to and why?

 

[John Keane]

Lily pads, lily pads and then lily pads!

 

[mikench]

Not lily pads as I invariably come a cropper sooner or later. I too like the margins and as an old guy once said to me as I tried again to cast up to the opposite bank on a snake lake, " what's up with this side , the margin your are sat on" he was right and fish found almost under your feet are exciting to catch particularly if they can be seen mooching around.

 

[rich66]

Lily pads for me too, the shelf of an island if it’s on the sunny side and not too far out. I can’t cast accurately too far out. Lol

 

[The Runner]

A nice big weed raft on the far bank of a small river

 

[nottskev]

They're all good. it's probably a relic of my canal fishing days, but I'm especially fond of fishing against moored boats, far bank reedbeds, willows that trail in the water and masonry - the older the better.

On the Shroppie in Chester, there are swims with a far bank of high sandstone, and on the Leeds -Liverpool around Burnley you could fish up to old factory walls of millstone grit.

I also like fishing right in the edge - preferably with a flat-topped float like a dibber shotted down flat to the surface - another old canal habit.

 

[Philip]

I am a big lover of the margins. I would go so far as to say that probably 90% of my fishing is an underarm lob from the bank.

Hard to pick just one feature. in rivers anything that diverts the current gets my attention. If it coincides with a downstream drop off in depth & cover then I would just have to cast to it.

 

[john step]

I am a drop of man as well ( oo ar). Bottom of the shelf especially if it coincides with a reed bed or overhanging tree.

Trouble with this thread is it has got my juices going thinking of a long rod /pin/pole float and a lobworm and its only been 9 days since my last outing. mg:

 

[Another Dave]

On a small river, a temporary foamy sh1t-raft.

On a stillwater, any feature in the margins that helps me keep the feeding accurate, ideally some pads but usually a reflection.

 

[xenon]

In no particular order-the crease, underarming into weed rafts, trotting hard up against far bank reed beds.

 

[barbelboi]

Water...................

 

[Keith M]

Two of my favourites are: Undercuts on the outside of bends, especially if they have a lot of undergrowth cover over them and not too many roots; and undercuts directly under weir sills; unfortunately a lot of our weirs have been replaced with concrete runoffs so undercut weir sills are becoming a thing of the past.

Keith

 

[markcw]

Mudline up against island on commercials along with overhanging foliage, also margins but prefer shallow margins around 2' then a top2 plus 2 which will put me on the channel on commercial.
On a canal, like Kev says up against moored boats, I fish the front end of boat, that way wont get taken around propeller at back end, Along the edges of canals whether brick or tin, again down theme track of canal.
Also if fishing margins on a commercial, I will prod along it to see if undercut, if so will position float as close as can to it,

 

[flightliner]

My all time favourite amongst many is an underwater " hump" on the riverbed on the river Trent.
It's a Barbel anglers dream if they float fish it with trotting gear.
The fish lay immediately behind it and seldom need to bat a fin to hold position in the heavy flow overhead and food particles that run up and along it simply fall down into the Barbels lie.
Watching a float run down towards it sees it lean forward as the leaded line hits the rise then as the line clears the rise the float corrects itself .
That when the baited hook as fallen into the Barbels lie and it's uncanny how the bait is taken at that point.
I've taken loads of fish from that swim , often on the first run down with no free offerings to get the Barbel into a feeding mood, plenty of big ones, doubles up to 14-1.
Anyone fishing a lead rig from the other bank will get the odd fish if their bait happens to land in the correct spot but I would doubt they would have any idea why.
Swims like that on the river are like hens teeth to locate but they are superb holding spots.
Last year I found another purely by accident when fishing hemp and tare for roach in a swim I hadn't fished since the early seventies in a match.
My other favourite is the old willow tree with trailing branches that hold back drifting debris on a small river setting, usually home to good Chub and Barbel.

 

[rob48]

A wide, fairly deep, steadily flowing, open river, the crease and drop-off about 2-3 rod-lengths out, with NO obvious fish-holding features at all.
This gives you a chance of drawing fish into the swim with sensible feeding instead of having to get on "feature" pegs where the fish are comfortable and hardly ever move.

 

[nottskev]

Just thought of another - more for clear vision than finding fish, though: Anything on a far bank that puts a solid reflection on the water and the luxury of seeing your float with ease. Conversely, an open swim where you can see a black tip perfectly. All things being equal, I'll often pick a swim just for those reasons.

A pet hate is having to fish against "mixed "reflections, such as bare trees, or trot through swims where you float goes through light, dark and dappled patches.

Guess where the fish always choose to sit on these pegs





But this peg, on a slow river, couldn't be more helpful to highlight your waggler

 

[rob48]

That first photo's the top of the pride water just below the Derwent isn't it Kev?

 

[nottskev]

That first photo's the top of the pride water just below the Derwent isn't it Kev?

That's right, Rob. Well - nearly; you're just above where the T+M comes in, and then below that is the Derwent mouth. That footbridge takes you over to the start of the canal towpath.

 

[rayner]

Anyone would think I've never seen a photograph before, coz I mark nearly all I see as like. It's true I love fishing related photos.
Where features are concerned, I prefer shallow margins up against a mud bank. Casting to an island second.
Nothing new in both but they do hold fish.

 

[tigger]

Very often when out with our kid or my m8's, and if one of us was catching their float was the feature we all cast to!