river wye piking

[nicky]

Hi Guys been a while since i posted last but could really do with some advice on how to tackle the wye.

I have never caught a pike from the wye in about 5 attempts.

Went with a mate today who has fished it a bit more than me and he had one pike less than a rod length out straight under the rod tip in a nice slack.

He said this is the way he has been shown to fish the wye just find slacks close to the bank and try each one for ten to fifteen minutes at a time.

Now the thing is the stretch im a member of doesn't seem to have many of these slacks from what i can see and many of the swims are just uniform and fairly fasts close in to the bank.

Now im sure there are pike in the area but how do you guys go about fishing it is close to the bank with a large float with the bait on the bottom the only sensible way to fish it as im at a bit of loss?

 

[nicky]

no one fish the wye then?

Im not asking for swims just a few tactics

 

[keora]

From your description of the water you are fishing, it might be not be that good for pike fishing.

I fish a fast flowing river with grayling, trout, barbel, chub, pike and perch. The key to catching pike is to find slow moving water close to the bank. Suitable swims include slack water behind willows or fallen trees, places where streams join the river, swims where the flow cuts diagonally across to the other bank.

Stretches where the river flows quickly, with no obstructions to provide shelter, don't seem to hold many pike.

You could try a different approach and lure fish, which is a good method for locating any pike present. When lure fishing, I avoid days when the river is up and discoloured, because I don't think pike can locate the lure very well.

Alternatively, have you considered other parts of the Wye?

 

[nicky]

Thanks keora

sounds like pretty much what my mate was trying to teach me although i'm fairly experienced at pike fishing i have never caught a river pike, he had one within seconds on the first swim from a spot he had caught from before whilst i was still setting my rod up but this was from a different stretch of the river.
I know there are pike in this stretch of river but i cant seem to find the features im looking for.
Yes and maybe wait until the river is back down and try lure fishing instead.

A new stretch opened on the 18th on my ticket so think ill try there next time.

 

[john step]

I have never fished the Wye( I can only hope to one day)
However generally it can be surprising the speed of water pike can be found in.
Think of weir pools for instance. There is one particular stretch of a Trent weir bypass that has some very long pike for their weight. I think they adapt and can lie up in depressions out of the main flow a bit like barbel.
As already stated a lure can be good at locating them even if they follow and don't strike.
I used to use that old favourite the Big S to cast downstream and slowly inch it back. As it floats it can be made to hover in the current downstream of the rod and by lifting the line higher it can be stopped going too deep if needed.
Watch out for chub though!!

 

[denzinho]

I know the wye is nothing compared to my local rivers, but if you have a river full of so many predators (Trout, Perch, Chub....) they may be able to phase pike out. My local small river has some cracking fish in it. not big by any stretch but big enough to pick off fry etc (Chub 2lb-3lb, Perch 1lb-2lb).


I had a cracking rainbow out last year at over 5lb and I am sure I have never been hassled by pike before is because of all the other predators such as those mentioned.

Maybe its an eco thing, Just go for the Barbel it's famous for ;-)

 

[keora]

Thanks keora

sounds like pretty much what my mate was trying to teach me although i'm fairly experienced at pike fishing i have never caught a river pike, he had one within seconds on the first swim from a spot he had caught from before whilst i was still setting my rod up but this was from a different stretch of the river.
I know there are pike in this stretch of river but i cant seem to find the features im looking for.
Yes and maybe wait until the river is back down and try lure fishing instead.

A new stretch opened on the 18th on my ticket so think ill try there next time.

I've found that on certain rivers, deadbaiting for pike in a big flood can be very effective. This is provided the water is still fairly clear. This is more likely in rivers at the upper end of their course, where the river bed is mainly gravel, rock and sand. I've never done well deadbaiting in a big flood in rivers running through the flood plain. I think because the river bed is mud silt and sand, it's stirred up by the water flow and becomes too opaque.

I occasionally get takes by reeling back the bait a foot or so - had a fish using this technique last week. Regularly recasting to different parts of the swim and changing swims every half hour or so, increases your chances of finding a pike.

 

[mick b]

Hi Nicky,
Ive never fished the Wye but will do later this season.

My fav method on an unknown section of river is to always floatfish a big herring on my first visit, and this is what I will do on the Wye (Im already building up a stock in the freezer).
My method is to set a sliding float to stop at around 3/4 depth and add another stop or swivel at 1/4 depth, with a 3ft trace and some weight near the top hook (2xtrebles 4" apart) bait fished head up.
Cast out around 10-12' and trot it down the current, keeping it close to the bank, stopping at every lightly looking spot or surface crease.
When stopped the float will slide up the (greased) line and this lifts the bait to the lower stop, when the trot continues the line slides back thro and the bait drops down again.
This is an active method and will find the holding areas better than anything other than lure fishing, which can be damn costly on an unknown water.

Mid river areas of rocks are also worth fishing by letting the bait swing over, but first be sure they are rocks and not sunken trees.

If you try this method never just bring the bait straight back and out of the water, big fish will drift along behind the bait and sometimes only take it when you make it 'nod about' (sink and draw style) in the margin, I hooked my biggest ever doing this but lost it on a mid river boulder!

And remember when you find one, there is usually more.

Keep us updated on your progress.

 

[nicky]

Excellent advice guys im determined to get one got all winter yet so sure it will come sumeone told me they had a 28lber out of this stretch wouldnt that b nice

 

[nicky]

a picture of that rig would be nice mick ?

 

[russell_bush]

Try a live bait, they outfish deads on the Wye by a good margin.

 

[nicky]

I have already tried live baits no joy

 

[mick b]

a picture of that rig would be nice mick ?

As I cannot send you a pm I will try a technical description.

Line, Mucilin greased clear mono 14-17lb.
Float, Hole thro middle, cigar style sea floats with a small bead Arraldited into the top.
Line stops, short pieces of doubled reel line, uni-knotted.
Traces are homemade from -
Berkley 50lb black barrel, 30lb Sevenstrand trolling wire, Partridge outpoint 4or6s.
Weight, SSG shot, barrel or drilled bullet (home produced).

Set-up -
Stop knot on line - line down thro float - stop knot - line attached to swivel.
Weight attachment - 2-4 shot gripped onto trace above top hook, all other on section of doubled line passed thro bottom ring of swivel.

Depth setting - top stop knot at 3/4 depth, bottom stop knot at 1/4 depth.

An addition I use these days is a Roberts ledger bead between the lower stop knot and the trace to which I attach a short section of 4lb mono - onto this goes the weights Im using, but if I know/see/swirl a fish the weight can be transferred to a longer paternoster link to present a static bait deeper in the area.

If its a v snaggy river I will also use dried and varnished sections of Reed Mace stem* held onto the line with elastic bands.
*cut in winter, dry over following summer, very buoyant, cheap&cheerful

Pm me if you have any problems.

.