The art of watercraft

GoodOldBoy · Apr 2, 2009

I have a little understanding of watercraft, Things such as fish near or towards an island, lily bedetc but to a degree this is OK if your fishing lakes. Im keen to learn watercraft on rivers, again i know the same rule apply to what i have mentioned above but due to the natural flow in rivers and not always having islands or lilly pads to fish to i would like some advice on what to look for. Things like bends in rivers, Are marina's a good area to fish albeit pestered by boats.

Are there any books you can buy that explain it, I know getting out there and trying diffrent swims on diffrent stretches is probably the best way but having an idea of what to look for would be benificial i think.

Any pointers would be welcome.

Thank You.

EC · Apr 2, 2009

The books written by Tony Miles describe the features you needto look forI am sure there are others also. Look for features like trees, depressions, undercut banks,sudden changes in depth or creases (areas where there is a section of slower water eg behind wherea reed bed protrudes into the river ).

However for every 'obvious' river swim, there aremany moreless obvious ones where fish seemingly gather in open water with no obvious features.

Long story short, travel light and fish a few different swims every time you visit your chosen stretch, that way you'll soon pick up a few fish and find a few reliable areas.

LongMan · Apr 2, 2009

<blockquote class=quoteheader>EC wrote (see)</blockquote><blockquote class=quote>

The books written by Tony Miles describe the features you needto look forI am sure there are others also. Look for features like trees, depressions, sudden changes in depth or creases (areas where there is a section of slower water eg behind wherea reed bed protrudes into the river ).

However for every 'obvious' river swim, there aremany moreless obvious ones where fish seemingly gather in open water with no obvious features.

Long story short, travel light and fish a few different swims every time you visit your chosen stretch, that way you'll soon pick up a few fish and find a few reliable areas.</blockquote>

Couldn't agree more about Tony Miles books, watercraft is his middle name I would think.

That aside you are in the right place to ask about watercraft, just do a search in the articles and a wealth of knowledge is at your fingertips.

Sean Meeghan · Apr 2, 2009

Have a look at the John Wilson 'Catch' series - lots of nice diagrams.

Also walk the river looking for obviously well fished areas. Once you get more than 200 yards from the car park these will nearly always be good swims - note the features.

Derek Gibson · Apr 2, 2009

Good advice from E.C. Old stagers refer to it as ''reading the water'' and to a degree your chosen quarry will to some extent, determine what type of swims you'll plumb for eventually. The best advice is to follow the above advice. ''Travel light, explore, till eventually the picture becomes clearer. Good luck, but most of all enjoy.

Peter Jacobs · Apr 2, 2009

I couldn't add much to anything that Derek, EC, Longman and Sean have already said.

Watercraft is often refered to as that 6th. Sense that develops in line with expereince - although the Tony miles books are a damn good start.

Good luck.

Dave Slater · Apr 2, 2009

I would sudggest fishing as often as possible and trying to cover all conditions at all times of the year. You will find that sometimes things go according to the rulebook and sometimes they do not. Experience will teach you when and you will develop strong instincts which will improve the more you do. You can learn quite a lot from books but more from being on the bank. Never ignore anything as sometimes success will come by doing something which seems bizarre at the time.

slime monster · Apr 2, 2009

Walk any river and watch the flow direction c/o debris floating on the surface you soon get an idea how water behaves when it meets variants ie bends,once this is understood you will have a better idea where food introduced by you or nature will be heading.

GoodOldBoy · Apr 2, 2009

Thank you gents for your advice, Have just purchased a second hand Tony Miles book, £6 can't be bad.

Hope fully the weather will stay nice and i will walk the stretch, Do you think its worth taking a pint of maggots/ pellets along ( NO ROD ), Also had an idea of taking photos ofswims i find, What do you think?

Cheers

Derek Gibson · Apr 2, 2009

Walking the river with a camera is never time wasted, especially during varying conditions, ie, low water, or whilst carrying extra water. Eventually you will have points of reference, that will allow you to make for certain area's, with some degree of confidence. Then whatever success you achieve will be by your own efforts, and you can feel justifiably proud. It's an adventure, enjoy it.

My own rivers are subject to floods so in many respects, each year is an adventure. But previous years efforts remove much of the guess work, and enable me to make informed decisions.

Lord Paul · Apr 2, 2009

Why not take a rod, line and small weight NO HOOKS, and try a few casts to get an idea of what is below the surface - this will give you an idea where to start once the rivers are open again

Keith M · Apr 3, 2009

Hi GoodOldBoy,

I have recently re-read a good book called 'The fishing detective - by John Bailey' which is a great book to read about watercraft and describes the different features to look for for each fish and the signs to look for in different types of waters. It's a thoroughly good read and is exactly the sort of thing you seem to be after.

Also there is stacks of info in the features on this site (fishingMagic).

NB. This may interest you--> Choosing a swim for barbel on a small stream

Janet (AT) · Apr 3, 2009

Hi GoodOldBoy,

I'd agree with Keith M - that John Bailey book is excellent. If you have a look on Amazon, there are copies going for under £3.00, including postage. An absolute bargain.

Derek Gibson · Apr 3, 2009

Once again, good solid advice. However it will still need ''Goodoldboy'' to put the advice into practice. And I know of no better way than time on the water. If not actually fishing, then watching and developing a feel for the place.

By the way G.O.B. you haven't said, do you have a target species or is your aim general fishing. Moods of the river will dictate that too.

Gav Barbus · Apr 3, 2009

Not wanting to throw a spanner in the works here ,Tony Miles books are good but I found reading about it taught me very little about rivers or watercraft and I read and read ,but when you get out on a wide river with a wind on it the book becomes next to useless in my experince.You dont say what types of rivers you are after fishing either because the Trent is not like the Stour or Avon which his books are mainly based upon.
Good look Old boy rivers are special places .

Gary Dolman · Apr 3, 2009

Unfortunately watercraft cannot be learned from a book, videos or tv programmes, and what constitutes a good swim on one river may not hold true on another.

I was very fortunate to match fish rivers when this was the norm, and the best way to find good swims was to follow the weigh in. Once you have found the swim you then have to discover the best method, and contrary to belief the ideal method is not always a pellet hair rigged below a bolt rigged 5 oz feeder.

But don't despair river fishing is the most fascinating, varied and sometimes rewarding branch of the sport. Sean's comment of looking for the fished pegs away from the car park is a really good starting point, and so is walking the river and watching other anglers fishing. As long as you don't make too much noise, and keep off the skyline, most anglers will generally be helpful.

Features on smaller rivers are easier to see, but even with 40 years of river experience I would find the Thames a difficult river to read, and would probably start with walking the river at dawn & dusk where there is the best chance of seeing fish moving on the surface. In fact walking the river at these times & noting where you see fish moving, can be carried out extensively in the close season. Good luck, this is really the most rewarding type of fishing when you get it right.

GoodOldBoy · Apr 3, 2009

Thank you guys for all your words of wisdom and advice, I have just purchased the John Bailey book from amazonfor £2.24 BARGIN!

I will be fishing the thames around the Maidenhead,Berkshire and whilst i mainly pleasure fish i hope to get a few night sessions in and target Bream and possibly even pick up the odd Carp.

I have in the past (not on these stretches though) taken a rod,reel and weight and tried to feel what the riverbed is like and any other underwater features, To be honest i could not really seem to find anything, The line retieved with little or no movement on the tip. Maybe i was doing it wrong or more my luck there where no underwater features.

I will take a walk down the various stretches soon and utilise the information you have given me, Reckon a pint of maggots and a catapult could help as well for some swims that look good. Will report back my findings and hopefully some pictures you guys would not mind looking at to tell me if imfinding the right sort of swims as such.

Have a good weekend,Sadly i won't be wettinga line myself. /forum/smilies/sad_smiley.gif

David Rogers 3 · Apr 3, 2009

Were you using mono line when you were searching for underwater features? If so, try again using braid on your reel and you'llnotice quite a difference - the natural stretchiness of mono makes it harder to feel what's going on. You could also try a heavier weight, maybeabout 2oz, which should also help.

GoodOldBoy · Apr 3, 2009

Ahh, Ok. I used 10lb mono last time, I have 15lb braid on the other spool and as you say you feel so much more with braid.

Why did i not think of that! Thanks David.

G.O.B

Mark Wintle · Apr 3, 2009

Looking for features is one thing but there are other important factors.

Firstly, different features attract different species so an ideal roach swim on a big river may be very different from where chub, barbel or perch are found. Understanding each species' likely swims on that river takes time and experience.

Secondly, seasons and conditions can make a big difference. On the Dorset Stour there are a couple of areas that I only target in winter when conditions are right for roach; that means extra water and at least a tinge on a dropping flood plus a favourable temperature and wind. Both areas are where the river is 50 yards wide, hardly a small stream, but in normal conditions at any time ofyear these swims produce little. So knowing when to fish a spot is important.Through experience of actually fishing those areas for more than 20 years I have some idea when to go and how to fish them but don't always get it right.

Although rivers do change, some more than others, it is often the case that the same areas/swims do produce year after year, taking into account time of years and conditions. Sometimes there are good summer swims and different good winter swims. On the Stour many slower areas are unfishable in summer due to weed that only goes from late October onwards after a couple of floods (never frosts, which have no effect at all).

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