Which is Hardest - River or Stillwater?

[GrahamM]

I've just been asked the question so I thought I'd post it as a new thread for it got me thinking a bit.

I know there is no one answer to the question, and there are numerous qualifications to numerous answers, but, generally speaking, which is easiest - river or stillwater?

I said it was a river.

 

[DAVE COOPER]

Stillwaters are easier to fish. They don't move as much. Whether they are easier to actually catch fish from is debatable and depends on the venue and time of year etc etc.

 

[Ryan Turner]

Dave's right, rivers are really the ultimate challenge for anglers, apart from the fact that they never stop moving, fish location is much more important. After all, on a stillwater you can grounbait more effectively, in a more concentrated, precise area and draw the fish in. On a river, if the fish are upstream then no amount of grounbait is going to attract them, or is it?

 

[Nigel Dalton]

On the wrong day, in the wrong conditions,both rivers and stillwaters are as bad as each other. If the conditions are equal and you're likely to catch either on a stillwater or a river, I find it more satisfying to catch on a river. I think its more of a challenge to keep the fish there. Anyone else?

 

[GrahamM]

I said that rivers were easier to catch fish from because, once you know what you're looking for, location of the fish (on a river with character anyway) is easy.

Location is the one thing you HAVE to get right, anything else, bait and method, has a chance when it's not the ideal choice.

You can walk a river which has features and pick out where the fish will be, even picking which species could be in which swim. The chances of picking the right swim on stillwaters is much more difficult.

Therefore, if locating the fish is much easier on rivers, the rest, for a reasonably competent angler, shouldn't be a problem.

Also, there is always much more chance of river fish feeding, considering they have to be expending energy more often to maintain station even in the slackest current.

 

[mark tullett]

Got to agree Graham, as an ex match angler I've always found it much easier to find and catch on a river. It's far easier to blank on a stillwater.......particularly a large pit!

 

[mark tullett]

Got to agree Graham, as an ex match angler I've always found it much easier to find and catch on a river. It's far easier to blank on a stillwater.......particularly a large pit!

 

[Ryan Turner]

I s'pose it depends on where and how you've fished before and also how prolific the waters have been. I definitely think it takes a lot less time on the bank to get a good understanding of any particular stillwater, but I'm sure there are anglers who will disagree. The question could well be unanswerable, like the "which is the hardest fish to catch" question.

 

[DAVE COOPER]

I agree with what has been said and will clarify my first post. It is probably easier for a competent angler to catch a fish from a river, generally speaking. However, in my opinion a bad angler can catch fish on a stillwater, but would really struggle on a river with any kind of flow. To actually fish a river properly is far harder than fishing a stillwater.

 

[Nigel Dalton]

My thoughts as well.
Just to introduce another element though, how do we feel that canals rate in the discussion, more or less dificult than the other two?

 

[DAVE COOPER]

To fish, I think they are even easier than stillwaters. You know that the features are more or less constant, a shelf either side and a deep bit in between. It's just a case of finding the exact contours of your particular canal.

As for actually locating and catching fish, they can be far too much like hard work for my liking on most canals.

 

[Jonathan Faro]

Good question
So I picked a fight with both adn the rivewr was harder but not as hard as me of course. The lake just stood there and took it even though it looked bigger. The river ducked and dived and changed it's moves and was really quick

Jon

 

[Carp Angler]

A very general answer would be, considering that location is the most important aspect,
easiest - canal
next easiest - river
hardest - lake

Rivers, once you can read them, are reasonably easy for location.
Canals are similar to rivers except they have less features, so are easier to read.
Lakes also have their features to read, but are more affected by wind, cold etc.

I agree that river fish need to expend more energy thus need to feed more often, meaning more chances of catching them.

This is all very general and not that deep, as I have fished stillwaters where the fish have followed the rule book to the letter and are stupidly predictable and I've fished rivers (the bloody lower Severn) which breaks all the rules of location.
e.g. 10 foot of flood water with trees and dead coews flowing down mid river and the barbel are rolling around in the middle of it all.