In this day and age of instant results and commercial fisheries one tends to forget some of the subtler nuances of being out in nature.
How often, for example, do you stop and think ‘Why am I fishing this swim?’ or even ‘Why I am catching a lot of fish today?’ I am certainly guilty of it and I often fish the same swims time and time again and that ‘going swim’ mentality is a habit that is hard to kick. After all, a swim which always seems to produce fish is a valuable commodity.
On one of my club lakes there is a swim called ‘Works’, it is close to the car park, commands a lot of water and is right in the centre of the lake. Put simply, it has the works, which is presumably why it got its name. Alas though, as is often the case with such a blinding swim, it is fished almost constantly from about March right the way through to the first frosts in November. It begs the question do these anglers ever actually do any ‘works’ themselves?
That’s another matter but it neatly demonstrates the fact that many anglers, myself included, are sometimes just plain lazy. If, by some miracle, a ‘works-like’ swim is free then I’ll fish it. It is only when my favoured swims are taken that I’ll move on and I suppose there is nothing wrong with that, but I can’t help feeling a trick is being missed.
There are going swims on every fishery up and down the country and it’s not just a modern thing. In the fifties and sixties people used to race each other up the bank to get the Pipes Swim on the Royalty. I have even heard of stories of fisticuffs! A fight! To sit under softly humming green pipes all day? They were mental!
If these people stopped to think about why the fish were there in profusion then they could have used that knowledge elsewhere. On a quieter beat, without a mile long run carrying fishing tackle maybe, just maybe, they would have found a swim where you did not have to fight to get.
Now in the context of this little piece I will try to stay away from the classic watercraft choices like wind direction on lakes, gravel patches/bars, over hanging bushes and the like. We all know it and there is no point going over old ground. Sometimes watercraft is more subtle and takes a little more observation then just cursory glance or a few casts with a marker float.
Location, location, location.
Firstly a little formula which I came up with for coaching kids, basically trying to stop the little angels casting as far as they could whenever possible hoping to catch a marlin. Weirdly, I liked it so much I put it into action in my own fishing – interesting how much you can learn even when teaching others.
The basic premise is: ‘You can’t catch a fish what ain’t there.’ You may think I am trying to teach you to suck eggs but hear me out, I know from my own fishing it is easy to forget the basics.
Location 1: This one is obvious: Choose your venue carefully. No point barbel fishing in a tiny pond now is it? But also there is no point fishing a stretch of river where chub do not grow to large sizes if, in fact, you are looking to catch an eight. Homework, lots of walking and many a fishy chat, goes a long way here.
Location 2: Another obvious one but by far the most complex: Swim choice. Do not fish a swim just because it is the first you come to or even pick a swim before you get there. It pays to spend a little time thinking about what you are doing as the age old adage of ten minutes in the right swim is better then ten days in the wrong one holds a lot of truth. Prior plans have to be shelved if they are not working and a move more often then not can bring a quick result.
Location 3: This one is simple if you think about it. You have chosen your venue and swim, but where do you put the bait? For the specimen hunter this can be the most important bit of the plan. An example would be sight fishing for barbel, although the fish maybe moving about the gravel patch there is often only one tiny area where they’ll feed confidently; put your bait there and you will probably catch one fairly quickly.
You may think the above points are basic, they are, but by putting in a bit of forethought and a bit of leg work your results can seriously improve.
Using Natural Clues
John Bailey wrote a brilliant book called ‘The Fishing Detective’, I like that analogy – using the clues nature gives you to your advantage; adopting a Sherlock Holmes type approach and deducing from what you can see, brings some really satisfying results.
Every fly angler, possibly every angler, has heard the idiom to ‘match the hatch’. No point in presenting a fry imitation when the fish are focused on mayfly and visa versa. Indeed, fly-fishing and entomology are so closely linked it can be hard to tell one practitioner from another. However, coarse anglers can learn a lot here too.
We maggot drowners often ignore insect hatches, although in the case of mozzies and midges they seldom ignore us. But the thing about hatches is they point to something happening under the water and that can lead to opportunities.
On still summer days, where clouds of midges rise from the surface, they literally tell you the location of the blood worm beds. These hatches can be very localised at times and often you are able to pinpoint exactly where the insects are coming off the water.
If the distances involved are too great to see the insects themselves then watch for small fish dimpling the surface or even flocks of swifts, swallows and house martins. This only really works when you have relatively calm conditions as the swarms tend to get blown about but none the less they can indicate a feature which you may not have been previously aware of. It is a sure fire bet that tench and carp will know these locations already so where better to start fishing for them?
Insects can also help tell you what depth the fish will be at. For example, during a big mayfly hatch the carp are more then likely intercepting the insects as they rise from the bottom. Time for a zig rig possibly?
On rivers localised hatches are also a clue, albeit the cast of fish is different. If you want to catch a perch in the summer then they are going to be where the minnows are and a deep pool with a midge hatch is an ideal place to start, even if that is just to catch some bait for later on.
Similarly the same can said for larger insects. A good mayfly, caddis or even damsel hatch will definitely have attending dace, roach, chub etc. You do not have to know your Ephemeroptera from your Plecoptera, you just need to bear in mind that almost all fish are insectivores so any hatch is worth investigating.
The way to look at it is that insects are your natural ground bait and can help point you towards where the fish are. At this point I’ll make an admission: I am a bird watcher.
It is an awful habit and akin to such geeky behaviour as stamp collecting. Many a time I have found myself saying in my best John Major voice: ‘Oh, look at that rock pipit!’ or ‘Wow! A spoonbill!’
Other then making my girlfriend think I need help, watching birds can be quite useful for my other obsessive pastime and believe it or not I think birds are one of the best pointers an angler can use.
For a long time sea anglers have known about sea birds diving for prey; a big flock of gannets diving into the surface means a LOT of fish are about. The same is true in freshwater, just on a smaller scale.
One of the best examples of this is finding the silver fish when pike fishing. Grebes, herons, kingfisher, goosander and even the evil black ones are your clues. If you see a bird fishing then you know there are small fish about. The small fish are there for a reason, so it stands to reason the pike will be there too.
It has worked too often for me to be mere coincidence, in fact recently I had a 16lb pike from a swim I would never have fished if it were not for a dabchick and cormorant. Both were fishing and catching repeatedly, so if one predator knows where the food is then others will too.
Weirdly, this also works for other species too and I have fished swims just because a dabchick or great crested grebe is in residence. Indeed, little grebes are such a good way of locating winter chub I am surprised no-one else has noticed it before. Sounds mad I know, but it seems to work for me. Maybe, the bird is feeding on minnows or insects, which, in turn, so are the chub.
Other birds to watch out for are tufted ducks, particularly in spring and summer. Tufties, as every carp man knows, are diving ducks and can dive down several meters. They eat water snails, Gammarus (water shrimps) and various other invertebrates as well as some weeds, particularly young shoots. It is a diet which is effectively the same as that of a carp or a tench. If you see lots of tufties feeding then that is going to be a good fish holding area too.
Interestingly, tufties also help you guess the depth of the water without having to use a marker float. If you watch them they tend to dive straight down and pop up pretty much in the same place. By observing the time they are underwater you have a fair guess as to the depth of the swim, or at least to the top of the weed.
As I write this I am starting to think of other things I have not thought about before. For example, what can the various plant species tell us? or does the commotion of feeding water fowl attract curious carp? The whole thing is a fascinating subject for me and one I am looking forward to expanding on.
Mobility
The final point I want to make is not really one about watercraft or fish location but more about our ability to react to changing conditions.
A number of times when fishing I have been presented with an opportunity but have not taken it because I am too entrenched in one swim and cannot be bothered to switch and the main thing that holds me back is too much tackle.
Much to my long-suffering girlfriend’s chagrin I believe an angler cannot have too much tackle. I keep telling her that every rod, bag, chair, float, hook is needed and I will not throw any of it out. However, that does not mean I have to take it all with me every time I go fishing.
It’s an easy trap to fall into: ‘I’ll take that just in case. Oh and that too. Better take those as well. Phew! That’s a big pile of gear, I’d better take my trolley…’
Be strict with yourself and only bring the minimum amount of gear you can get away with and then make do. Do I really need that big comfy chair? My umbrella? This enormous rod carrier? My stove?
You’ll end up with a smaller bag and just the bare essentials. What it means is two things: One, you won’t be half dead and needing oxygen by the time you get to your swim and two, if you want to move it’s easy.
During the summer, I often go fishing with just a rod, landing net and the smallest bag for bits and bait. It is a liberating experience. Suddenly if I want to see what’s around the next corner I can just pick up my rod and go. By doing this you will learn more, see more and find more fish.
To sum up an article which was not meant to be as long as it is – sorry about that, it appears I waffled off on one there and this is a much bigger subject then I first thought when I planned this piece – so well done for making it this far!
Anyway, as I said earlier I hope that doesn’t sound like I am teaching experienced anglers to suck the albumen. The ideas which I have detailed above have certainly helped me and I am sure they will help you too.
