Bow on the line

[mikench]

Can someone kindly explain how this works to keep your weight/ feeder on the river bed in a strong flow. I assume the line is floating in the surface tension but doesn’t the feeder get pulled out of position eventually anyway?

 

[rob48]

You just pay enough line into the bow and have the rod top high enough to critically balance the feeder. If a fish moves the bait and dislodges the feeder it becomes effectively self-hooking so the top drops back and you just wind into the fish without striking.

 

[spenbeck]

It's all to do with the angle of the line across the waters current.

When your line is tight the angle is more across the current and catching more drag.

When the line is fed out a bit, the angle of the line goes down river catching less drag from the current.

The bow in the line from your rig will also be laying low to the river bed where there is generally less current.

Bites will generally show up as 'drop back' bites. The rod tip pinging slack and then tightening again.

 

[nottskev]

As said above, Mike. When your feeder hits the bottom, instead of tightening up to it, you feed out some line (variable according to the circs) allow the resulting bow to settle. It won't be in the surface film. It allows you to use a lot less weight and creates a mechanism that makes a lot of fish hook themselves. When you've got the balance between weight and amount of bow about right, you can tune it by raising or lowering your rod rest (raising holds more line off the water/lowering puts more in) to find a position where it's just holding.

You can see this Trent expert do it in two ways. From 13.00 you can see him cast out then feed in a few feet of line and let the flow tighten up the bow. And a bit later he uses the baitrunner to let the flow take off what line is needed, to let him watch for bites better the while. He also shows how to tie the rig that has them hooking themselves.

YouTube

 

[ian g]

It also allows you to use less weight to hold bottom , which is something I like . I found on the Severn I will cast out and count to 20 and then put the bale arm on , makes a decent bow and allows plenty of time for the weight to hit bottom

 

[mikench]

Thanks for all the replies so far. I’ll watch the vid Kev when er indoors shuts up.

 

[John Keane]

It’s exactly how uptiding from a boat in sea fishing works. Big bow pulls on the anchor wires of the weight and digs the weight in. Cod takes bait, swims off, pulls the lead out and the bow in the line and the bend in the rod tip acts like a spring and hookS the fish. Don’t strike just wind like f**k to get the weight up in the water and away from snags like mussel beds.

 

[108831]

It works extremely well for roach and bream in still waters too,when you get a good tow these fish give small plucks because they feel the resistance building in the rod,just face the rod the direction the tow is going,feed enough line to straighten the quivertip to a slight bend and away you go,the small plucks turn into slow wrap rounds....

 

[no-one in particular]

It’s exactly how uptiding from a boat in sea fishing works. Big bow pulls on the anchor wires of the weight and digs the weight in. Cod takes bait, swims off, pulls the lead out and the bow in the line and the bend in the rod tip acts like a spring and hookS the fish. Don’t strike just wind like f**k to get the weight up in the water and away from snags like mussel beds.

It works similarly on the beach with a grip lead, big tide/big current; cast and let line out so the wind/current pull the wires into the sand/mud and then tighten into it. Often you can get away with approx a two ounce lighter weight.

 

[John Keane]

It works similarly on the beach with a grip lead, big tide/big current; cast and let line out so the wind/current pull the wires into the sand/mud and then tighten into it. Often you can get away with approx a two ounce lighter weight.

Braid helps with using a lighter weight too, but mainly from the boat. I’ve never fished braid off the beach and don’t intend to start any time soon.

 

[no-one in particular]

Braid helps with using a lighter weight too, but mainly from the boat. I’ve never fished braid off the beach and don’t intend to start any time soon.

I have never tried it full stop, I am so used to mono probably best i stick with it now,

 

[John Keane]

I have never tried it full stop, I am so used to mono probably best i stick with it now,

It’s a must when wrecking though. You are fishing in 300+ft of water with up to a dozen other anglers all using braid and 12oz then some numpty fishes 50lb mono that gets pulled everywhere by the tide and keeps tangling everyone up. Seen it happen too often and it ruins an expensive day out.

 

[108831]

I prefer mono,though too many swear by braid for it to be wrong,the only issue I have with it is you are fishing a tighter,straighter line,which equates to quicker resistance on the rod tip,so if they are feeling it baits will/could be rejected.