Whats your favourite swim feature?

chub_on_the_block · Oct 3, 2011

Overhanging tree on far bank..deep pool below a riffle...fishing next to lily pads at close range ...long-range casting to an island or gravel bar...fishing where two rivers meet..casting up to moored boats or from a boat ...the list is endless

But what is the most enjoyable feature to fish?

For me i think it would be a deep pool with some overhanging trees, probably at a bend in a river, where i could trot or ledger for roach, chub barbel or river bream. Preferably never fished, remote from noisy roads etc and difficult to find.

kidfisher · Oct 3, 2011

you cantgo wrong with the margins easy and lovely to fish

KF

sam vimes · Oct 3, 2011

After careful consideration I've come to the conclusion that it's probably water.

However, that's only because I suspect that a few tons of hungry fish would probably be an inadmissable answer.

Simon K · Oct 3, 2011

kidfisher said:
you cantgo wrong with the margins easy and lovely to fish
KF

Agreed.

flightliner · Oct 3, 2011

I have a swim on the swale, it has a distinct hump at the end of it and by holding back a float as it approaches it in order to lift the bait then letting go to allow it to drop on its far side I can usually tempt a chub or two that are holding behind it-- fishing magic!!

chub_on_the_block · Oct 3, 2011

flightliner said:
I have a swim on the swale, it has a distinct hump at the end of it and by holding back a float as it approaches it in order to lift the bait then letting go to allow it to drop on its far side I can usually tempt a chub or two that are holding behind it-- fishing magic!!

That sounds like my sort of river...pity it must be nearly 200 miles away!

Sean Meeghan · Oct 3, 2011

Made me think this! My favourite feature is a negative image of Flightliners - a fast gravelly shallow with a depression or scour at some point. Hold the float back hard until it reaches the scour then let it run at river speed. Deadly for grayling.

I can think of three such swims, one on the Aire, one on the Wharfe and one on the Calder. Roll on Winter!

chub_on_the_block · Oct 3, 2011

The one swim i get nostalgic about sometimes (now living too distant from it, the feature of interest now being gone and the rights to fish now being syndicated!) was on the Thames at Romney Island Windsor. The river here is about 60-70yds wide, 8 ft deep, with overhanging trees on far bank (Eton college grounds no less). Theres a a bay or two, several weirpools, etc but one swim had a fallen old dead tree in the water at the far bank lying pointing downstream..probably in about 8ft of water. It was a long range feeder swim, and the closer you could get to the tree the higher were the chances of chub, barbel bream and good roach. If you landed within a yard or two, the sense of anticipation was often as priceless as the result.

I should emphasise that this swim information is at least 25 years out of date, but I'm sure theres some out there who would remember it.

it is why i am chub-on-the-block!..."Any Luck mate?..".."couple of chub on the block" (you could also trot near in for roach on hemp/caster/tares)

Ric Elwin · Oct 3, 2011

On rivers where you have a long deep stretch: The faster, shallower water at the start or end of the stretch. Most anglers will go for the steady water towards the middle of the deep stretch but 4 years flyfishing on rivers taught me that this is usually not the best place.

watatoad · Oct 3, 2011

Fish of the species I am after at that time.

dezza · Oct 4, 2011

There is a bend on the little River Leam that runs under trees and has the most beautiful crease where faster water meets slow.

I caught 40 roach for 35 lbs from this spot one mild November day; the best catch of roach I have ever had in my life. On other days I have had chub to 5 lbs 3 oz.

A most classic swim which for some reason other anglers avoided. But it had it's downside, a pike of 18 lbs. I caught it twice.

Chevin · Oct 4, 2011

I guess that Walker's stretch of the Upper Ouse had to be my favourite swim for many years though I guess that at over a mile long it might be stretching things a bit to call it a swim. However, a trip to that fishery meant fishing a number of different places which meant that ion a day one could expect to catch chub, roach, dace and perch. Bream were often in a swim, but Upper Ouse bream were notoriously difficult to tempt. In more recent times however, the coral reefs in the tropics about a 12 hour drive north of home have become my favourite. I fish differently to most and instead of fishing near the bottom, I work a sardine as I used to work dead baits for pike. The variety of fish I catch is impressive and by using relatively light tackle I have some marathon fights with fish much heavier than my rigs are designed for. Most of the fish I catch at top quality eating fish, and by vacuum packing the fillets just after I have caught the fish, they are in superb condition when I get them home.

Bob Hornegold · Oct 4, 2011

I have a favourite swim at the Green !!

It's where the water narrows up a bit and there's a slightly deeper channel running through the middle.

It's a Muddy Swim and I have ended up on my " behind " many a time in the winter.

Oppersite is Bush where a raft of rubbish gathers every winter, which has held fish for all the years I have fish the place.

There's a tatty old Elderberry to the left of the swim, which has claimed many a lead over the years.

But because of the narrowing of the river, the flow is greater here than on any other part of this stretch and the increased flow, means that the silt, which has affected this river badly for 40 years, since the construction of the Relief Channel has never built up.

Which in turn means a Clean Hard Bottom and the Barbel love it !!

I have know idea how many Barbel I have caught from this swim, but it runs into hundreds and would be The Swim I headed for before looking at any alternatives.

Bob

agamemnon · Oct 4, 2011

my favourite swim on the local lake i fish is in a corner with lilly pads at around 40 yrds a nice over hanging tree on the far bank at around 50 yards and the wierd thing is most of the fish or takes i get are from a small bait with a little bag of pellets cast into open water away from any known feature. though my new pb carp did come from the edge of the lilly pads
its the same when i fish linear, i find a gravel bar or hole and spod up then cast 2 rods to this feature then my 3rd rod is chucked to the horizon with a small offering of pellets, the majority of good fish come to my single rod

S-Kippy · Oct 4, 2011

Always loved a tree on a river or pads on a lake but I also like a line of rushes on a river too...normally because it means nobody can sneak in below you. There was a swim on the Kennet like this...a right hand bend dropping into deeper water after shallows,tree on the far bank and a lovely glide and crease near side along a bed of rushes that ran for maybe 30 yards or so. The tree never seemed to produce but I had countless barbel from that glide along the rushes.Never let me down and despite it being such classic swim I always seemed to get it.

Probably 3 foot deep in crays now. I miss that swim.

Mr Cholmondeley-Corker (PaSC) · Oct 4, 2011

I choose my swim based on what is behind me. There needs to plenty of undergrowth and cover to provide a nice spot for a good dump- I can't go all day without one.

dezza · Oct 4, 2011

You must then carry my latest invention the seatcrapper box whic includes a commode for those with perpetual shits like you.

bigchub · Oct 4, 2011

Mr Cholmondeley-Corker (PaSC) said:
I choose my swim based on what is behind me. There needs to plenty of undergrowth and cover to provide a nice spot for a good dump- I can't go all day without one.

And I thought it was only me that had that problem!

:wh

Harvey · Oct 4, 2011

..........

little oik · Oct 4, 2011

Margins with lilies overhanging trees .It depends on what you are targeting but they would be my favourite.

Whats your favourite swim feature?

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