Touch Legering

I remember using this technique on the Thames one night. I fell asleep with the rod in my hand and my finger round the line - I swear I struck into a fish whilst I was still asleep.

I love this method,many a happy hour has been spent on the Ouse in search of Chub touch ledgering,KISS,how true!!

Excellent article.
Looking forward to playing about with this technique as soon as my new avon rod arrives

Excelent article Mark.
This is a method others and I use on the Ribble for Chub in the winter. However, when the chub are in that ?not having it mood? or you are forever lifting into nothing on what look like a good bite, then drop the hire rigged baits and use the finger tip method described by Mark. Also bear in mind that the idea of having a couple of foot in the loop is to let the chub have a wee bit of slack line before you strike. Like Mark said, you?ll feel the chub taking the line through your fingers and with a bit of practice you can tell the liners form the real thing. What has happened to me on several occasions is. I may have let most of the loop slide though may fingers, waiting for a bite to develop. Or I?ve not got the right tension between my fingers to compensate for the current and or bits of debris hitting the line etc. I then lift the rod to put back the foot or so of line in the loop, when BANG the chub hammers the bait and the line?s whizzing through your fingers.
Also quite a nice technique if you want to fish an hour after dark and you?ve no bite indicator.

What a great, well presented article. A good and timely foretaste of the soon to start river season, I am positively drooling at the thought of getting out in the evenings touch legering again. Theres nothing to add, everything is bang as you have written it, also the tips left by John are excellent as well. One thing I do find with touch ledgering is to make sure your seating arrangements are comfortable, I find if you dont start off comfortable, touch ledgering can soon make you tire and ache. Jonny, I have been in the same boat myself, relaxed a bit and struck into line bites caused by bats and swallows, dont half get the adrenalin pumping though when for a split second you think you have struck into a bigunn.

Very few articles have had me jump out of my chair shouting 'how could i forget that', after being reminded of a technique i had almost forgotten. All the new gadgets and toys that for some reason made me feel i needed to try them all, had only partialy blinded me from some of the most enjoyable days fishing i have had. Great article mate!

Very informative article Mark, never tried it before, but your article has given me the confidence to give it a go, thanks

i can well remember using this method on the trent many years ago(the days when the trent used to be a good river)seemed to catch a lot more fish as well,there's nothing more sesative than your finger,you can feel every little pluck and tweek on the bait,,,,,,,roll on the 16th