River Essentials Part One

With
Dave Harrell

With the commercial fishery boom of the past decade our humble rivers have been neglected by many of us for some years but times and trends are changing. Some of our forgotten rivers have seen an increase in the number of coarse and match anglers now heading back to the big rivers like the Trent, Wye and Severn in search of the more natural sport that these fantastic waterways have to offer the angler. Over the years, arguably one of the biggest supporters and promoters of river fishing is Midlands based River Maestro Dave Harrell. His track record on the big rivers in and around the midlands area is unrivelled. So UKMA contacted Dave and asked him "in his opinion, what are the top ten float and feeder tips he would offer a first time or in-experienced river angler to assist them in improving there chances of catching fish from these majestic river systems?"

Here's what Dave had to say.

TOP 10 RIVER FLOAT FISHING TIPS

1. Always take plenty of time to plumb the depth before you start.
2. For river fishing, use a floating line spray to coat the line before starting.
3. Floating line grease applied to the line above the float aids line control.
4. Always use a float adaptor to enable you to change waggler floats quickly.
5. Always use three rubbers on stick float rigs, in case the top one breaks.
6. Always keep running line floats on winders to save time when setting up.
7. Always use a float that is big enough to easily reach the distance.
8. Carry a selection of floats with different colour tops to suit the conditions.
9. Use a marker pen to black out the float tip if the water reflection is light.
10. Always experiment between strung out and bulk shotting on deep rivers.

TOP 10 RIVER FEEDER FISHING TIPS

1. Always carry a good selection of feeder sizes.
2. Always carry a big selection of additional add on leads. For fast flowing rivers this can mean anything up to 6oz for me and I know people who use even heavier!
3. Make sure you use strong enough line to comfortably cast the feeder you are using. I often use 8lb or 10lb line these days on rivers like the Severn and Wye.
4. Make sure you use enough weight to make the feeder hold in the flow. A feeder which rolls away within seconds of casting is no use whatsoever.
5. Always use a safe rig so if the feeder does become snagged the fish won't become trapped.
6. Accurate casting is vital. Practice until you can hit the same spot every time.
7. If you are using pellets in the feeder and as hookbait, be prepared on some days to leave the feeder in for at least 15 minutes between casts.
8. For maggot feeder fishing, cast in every few minutes. Once the feeder is empty it's not worth leaving it in too long in my experience.
9. Switch sizes of feeders as a session goes on. Sometimes a change to a smaller of larger feeder half way through a session can bring a swim back to life.
10. Make sure your rod is powerful enough to cast the weight of feeder you are using. A soft action rod is next to useless for a heavy feeder!

Foot Note

UKMA would like to thank Dave Harrell for his support and assistance with the writing of this article. Later in the year, we will be heading out on the bank with Dave to put together a step by step guide on how to getting the very best from your next trip to a river, so until then watch this space.

For more information about tuition from Dave or his range of products, please click the image below