Fishing a small local river for the 1st time

Tomorrow ( Sun ) I am looking to fish a small local river. I know it contains Roach and Dace, and possibly Chub and Bream, the latter two are certainly present further down stream. I have not actually visited the stretch I will be fishing as it is privately owned by friends and have to date not taken advantage of the facility to fish it.

It will be about 5-7 yds wideand probably between 3 to 6 feet deep. It flows quite slowlythrough flat water meadows and is currently running very clear. The stretch I will be fishing sees v little fishing activity.

Can anyone please give me some advice as to the best approach as I have done very very little river fishing. eg stick float and if so what sort, waggler or light leger approach. I have maggots 1 1/2 pints mixed and will take some bread.

We have had no rain for a week and the temp for the last week has been between plus 3 -4 C and down to -4 or 5 on a daily basis. Below freezing or close to it every night and cold during the day.

Richard, given the temperature, I would recommend a static approach with a very small swim feeder taking a dozen or so maggots and light hooklengths and a small hook.Look for the steadier, deeper water and maybe give each spot about 45mins to an hour.

Good luck and let us know how you go.

Look for any bends on the river Richard, no matter how slight they are. This is where you will find any undercut banks where the river has been continually wearing it away. I would be tempted to trot maggots. A bit of tumeric on them helps a lot. It sounds very much like my stretch of the Dane.

A dozen maggots for a whole session! that is light feeding /forum/smilies/smile_smiley.gif

Seriously though I'd probably go for a similar approach with a tiny little Kamazan maggot feeder. I love maggot feeder fishing, you just never know what'll be next; I've had bream, chub, roach, dace, grayling and barbel from the Derwent with that method.

If you cast up-stream let a small bow of line out rather than being tight to the feeder (use a light enoughquiver tip for the river tow to put a slight bend in it)then watch for the rod tip to straighten out or 'drop-back' and strike immediately.

I might be tempted to take a light waggler or stick float as well, not that it's my strong suit, but if the water is gin clear thenrunning a float down-stream might find fish that moved from in front of your peg.

Without actually seeing the river, I think that's what I'd do Paul, try to find them with a float first. There are bound to be shoals of fish holding up in certain parts.

I found one such holding spot on the Dane a few years ago in winter. It was a very small hole in the opposite bank. To look at it, it was no bigger than a shoe box, bu tmust have spread further back in the vegetation. It ended up as a red letter day, as Once found, I just kept throwing a small feeder at it. And it was on the loop method with a size 18 hook, 2 maggots.

Stick float and light ledger, Richard

Feed little & often.

Try flake and and fine breadcrumb in the feeder

Maybe even stret pegging under your rod tip, if deep enough witha piece of worm tipped with maggot

Any advice as to what type of stick float? This really is foreign territory to me.

If the flow is slow a smallish waggler should suffice for trottingor stret-pegging I would have thought.

Something like thesein maybe the 2bb weight, I am certainly not an expert in the field of river float fishing though.

I have fished small rivers alot Richard and keeping mobile is the only way really ,on spate rivers anyhow.As the runs are usually very small and only hold so many fish,unless you get a good undercut as Baz says,but even then in my experience you won't get even half a day out of the same peg from my experiences anyhow.I always used very light leger or small dibbers.Keep trying different spots is the main thing .
I always just look for fast water over shallows and fish the deep end as it slows.

Bait up 4 or 5 swims when you get there with some bread. Then go back to the first swim and try each one for 30 to 45 mins. Try a small blob of plasticine on your swivel for ledgering. Try stick float 4 no 8's. Good luck.

I fish such a stream near whereI live. It is often ignored by local anglers but it does hold some good fish and in partuicular some big roach. These small rivers often hold big roach. Now I know some people do not like statistics but this is what I do on a website and statically, January is a good month for roach and Big/Roach, certainly more than other species.. They have had plenty of time to acclimatise to the winter water temperatures and they will come on the feed so, these are the best fish to go for.

Richard, be warned that learning the ropes of fishing a stick in freezing conditions may well be frustrating business!Keep your hands warm and stick to the lead/feeder.One rod and less tackle will mean you are more mobile which is vital when the fish may be shoaled up in certain areas.

Paul, in really cold conditions,I go for an even smaller feeder.I picked up a job lot of old Drennan feeder links and cut them down to produce feeders where six maggots would be a squeeze!

Fully agree with fishing across or slightly upstream with a balanced feeder and a bow in the line.Generally I have found the fish hook themselves in this scenario and you just tighten to them.Crucial if using fine hooklengths.

If it gets any colder a dozen maggots for the day will do fine!

Much less resistance when they pick up the baited hook than if the line is tight between the feeder and the rod tip.

The moment they take the bait and dislodge the feeder the tip drops back and you have time to strike or wind down before they feel the weightorknow what's happened.

I have Woody to thank for a lesson in feeder fishing on the Thames a couple of years back. It increased my catch rate for sure and stopped me getting frustrated with never being able to hold bottom when I kept tightening up to the feeder after casting.

I was amazed how little weight you can hold with, just by letting a bow of line form.

use the smallest feeder you got and either tape up the holes with electrical tape to slow the feed rate or justdon't fill the feeder right up never discount a large single bait such as paste because you will probably have to move after you catch one or two decent fish

Paul, thats exactly right.Its especially useful when fishing for cagey resistance shy fish such as big roach.

This thread and some cancelled plans have inspired me to go fishing tomorrow.

A pint of mixed red and whites, a small maggot feeder and a walk along the river Derwent will be the order of the day.

Good luck Richard, I'll race you to a 2lb roach /forum/smilies/smile_smiley.gif

Small rivers aren't really the best place to start a learning campaign on the art of float fishing and choice of baits. As Nigel has suggested a very light feeder set up or alternatively a light link ledger set up (1 or 2 AA shots is usually sufficient) is much easier to get to grips with and think natural baits if it isn't regularly fished, maggot, worms and breadflake is a good starting point. A semi static approach would be my suggestion starting at the furthest point and working back downstream giving each swim about 30 minutes and if you are lucky enough to get a couple of fish out of a swim don't flog it, move and let it rest leaving it either for later or maybe even the next outing.

Fish it often enough and you will soon learn the natural holding spots and the best times to tackle it and you will learn more from actually fishing it than you will ever learn reading tips on here even though it is good advice, practice is always better than theory.

Maybe in the coming new season you could get yourself on a bigger river and practice the art of various types of float fishing i.e. waggler, stick and balsas and once again only practice will make you proficient but once learned it is never forgotten and you will have a tool for enjoyment for the rest of your fishing life.

Richard,i fish a small river/brook close to myself called the Ise.My approach to your water and indeed any such similar place would be basically the same.

Tread carefully when approaching the water,you`d be amazed at how many folk just ruin a days fishing by just stomping up to their chosen spot and scare fish away,also take advantage of any bankside cover to break up your outline.

Look for features to fish to.....an overhaging bush etc is probably the most obvious.Bends are good as well because there are often undercut banks that fish hole up in waiting for food to trundle past.Polarized glasses are a helpbut you probably know that /forum/smilies/big_smile_smiley.gif.

Try baiting a few areas.......a few maggots,a bit of hemp orsome bread mash perhaps ??? Don`t go throwing in bucket loads though,just enough to gain the fishes intrest.In some of the stretches i fish,a carefully lowered/cast baitdropper at the head of a swim is quite usefull.

You don`t need oodles of tackle either....in warmer/mild conditions i wear a stalking vest or jacket.In the winter time i carry a small game or shoulder bag with enough room for my flask and a packet of biccies as well.A cup of typhoo and a bourbon often revitalizes the soul and re-focuses the mind!!!

In the last edition of "Chevin" which is the Chub Study Groups magazine,there is an article by myself,entitled "My Ise Odyssey".It`s the first of a three part yompwhich details how i go about fishing such a water etc.... i explore new swims and revisit the places a fished as a nipper.It`s not designed to set myself up as some sort of expert but more to get folk giving such places a try......you never know you might be plesantly surprised.

Hope you get on ok richard and report back to us /forum/smilies/big_smile_smiley.gif

Sad to say I blanked. River was actually a bit wider and deeper than I thought upto 9-10 yds wide in parts and upto 12 ft deep in places no real shallows or riffles. Tried a small maggot feeder with 18 hook and fished some 6 swims for 30 - 40 mind each not a single knock. Had a word with my friend who owns the place and he recommended leger and and a couple of swims. When he bought the place the previous owner had a large display case of stuffed fish that had been caught from the stretch in years gone by, nice Pike, Roach, Dace, Perch and Bream. Also said I should have bought Pike gear with me as stuffed with Pike, he has had them to 14lbs, most in the 7-8lb class with sprinkling of smaller Jacks.

Stretch also has a resident Otter which has a Holt just in the neighbouring property?

Water also had a lot more colour than I thought it would, visibility 18 -24 ins and moving very slowly. Temp -2 when I arrived and cold Easterly wind.

NEVER MIND. BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME. TAKE 1 PIKE ROD AS WELL AS YOUR NORMAL KIT.