Now is the Time to Fish Our Rivers

As the clocks went back an hour on the 26th October I smiled with satisfaction, I can now visit one of my many favourite rivers for a few hours of fishing in the darkness. These days I often spend a few days at a time in my quest for another fish. With so many venues to choose from it’s often a difficult choice. I certainly love being on the river banks during the hours of darkness at venues like the Kennet, Thames, Loddon, Teme, Wye, Ribble, Wharfe, Urr just to name a few, I mustn’t forget the delightful River Bain in Lincolnshire which has so many memories for me, and its given me so many surprises. I’ve caught quality chub, trout, bream, pike, perch and roach, in fact thirty years or more ago; it was once one of the great roach venues producing its share of 2lb plus fish. During the next few months I usually arrive at my chosen venue an hour or two before dusk, where my first job is to walk the bank putting a few hook baits into various swims that take my fancy. Back in the car park it’s on with the kettle while I rustle up some food, I then sit back and enjoy the last few minutes of day light, and the first of darkness. Its even better when there isn’t a moon, but lots of cloud cover. What I don’t understand is how people feel threatened when darkness arrives.

I well remember an event some three years ago, when having caught a double figure barbel and knowing Brian was fishing upstream I went up through the woods to ask if I could borrow his weight sling and scales as he jumped up with fright saying “Where have you come from you don’t even have a light” Ten minutes later when I returned his scales and weigh sling, I noticed he was packing up. You going home early tonight Brian? His answer was, after having you come out of the woods like that, I’m not fish in the dark any more. Its too frightening it could be dangerous. From that day Brian has never fished on into the darkness. At dusk you will find him in the car park. I will just say there is nothing you need worry about as regards wild animals, they will quickly move away when a human is about. The only problem might be the Homo sapiens species in other words modern man.

Being a pensioner I’m lucky I can get out fishing at a moments notice, fishing in the darkness, or being out on a salt marsh in winter after wildfowl is a great experience. It’s a magic time in the darkness; ones hunting instincts and concentration are heightened. It was even more so when I was deep in the Amazon jungle hundreds of miles away from civilisation. Just sitting on the river bank holding the rod waiting for a tap or small pluck on the rod tip is as god as most things in life, waiting for the line to tighten over my index finger is an experience only anglers can understand. As I sit waiting for a bite I will probably hear owls hooting in the nearby trees. Often I have been lucky to see a Barn owl quartering a riverside field, perhaps perched on a nearby post. In the undergrowth I hear the distinct rustle of water voles, perhaps see the deer, fox and badger come to drink.

Often I am joined by a hedgehog that has smelt the sausage or luncheon meat; field mice will scamper in search of other tit bits. Sometimes I am unlucky and see a brown rat. In my book, the only good ones are dead ones. I often carry some rat poison, then should I see one of these horrid rodents I put some food down in a small dish. At the end of the session it goes into an extra strong plastic bag then sealed ready for another occasion. On most occasions I will now have most of the river to myself where I can rove about in freedom. Often it’s gone midnight before I leave the river for home, though there are occasions when I will sleep in the car then grab a couple of hours fishing at dawn. Of course if the weather deteriorates and the fish aren’t biting I will leave early.

Float or Leger

While most of my river fishing companions usually target barbel, I go in search of other species and not just barbel, if the river is low clear and cold, chub would be my first choice fishing with legered crust as bait. Given the chance I will seek the roach especially after dark, I find fishing a float in the darkness, just as easy as during daylight hours. Why not give it a try; there are three styles of fishing you can practise, trotting the stream, laying-on or stret-pegging all three styles will work depending on the water and weather conditions. Stret-pegging is one of the nicest ways of fishing for roach. Let’s not forget all our freshwater fish will be willing to take bait if it’s presented correctly, many times when roach fishing I have caught bream chub barbel and when using lobworms. Sometimes I have had some cracking perch; even the occasional pike has been hooked and landed fish into low doubles.

How many times have you been on a river during daylight targeting the roach, struggling for a bite, then come dusk and into the darkness you see fish swirling and rolling in many swims? Without doubt roach are one of my favourite species and one of the nicest to catch on float tackle. They will often feed avidly during an evening session. There are two ways of illuminating the float; one is using a torch beamed on the float, which is ok when-laying on or stret-pegging. Another way is to use a Beta light or the Starlight fixed to the float by a short length of rubber tube. In fact today you can buy a Drennan float with an insert, which can be replaced with Starlight. The latter is much brighter, but only good for an evening session. The Beta light will if it’s a good one last for several years. If you plan to trott the swim then I suggest Starlight.

Baits for Roach

Ask the majority of anglers what bait they use when roach fishing, and the answer would probably be gentles, casters, bread, red worms and corn. In my book bread in various forms would be my first choice bait, a piece of bread flake between the size of a ten to fifty pence piece on a size 8 or 10 hook has accounted for a lot of big roach over the years, by big I mean pound plus fish. A roach of 2lbs plus is a huge fish while those over 3lbs are giants. Bread is a bait that will also take fish in coloured water. Crust is excellent which has accounted for lots of big roach. When fishing crust remember to use a shot large enough so the bait is fished at the depth you have set the float. Otherwise the crust being buoyant bait will and does float up above your bulk shot.

In cold water conditions I often pinch a shot within an inch or two of the crust. Over the past sixty odd years I have read many thousands of word where the author has said the bait for coloured water is the tail of a lobworm. Yes, it’s good bait. Where I disagree with the authors is when they say it’s the only bait, also why choose the tail end, when a pound roach is quite capable of swallowing a whole lobworm on a size 6 hook with ease. Many write about keeping worms in moss to toughen them up. What nonsense, the roach doesn’t look at a lobworm and think I can’t eat that one its not been toughened up. The only reason I keep worms in moss or damp newspaper is to keep them alive and nothing more. Another good roach bait is soft cheese paste; remember cheese isn’t just for coloured water it works exceedingly well in clear water. Why not have an evening on your favourite water after work for a few hours. You will probably be surprised at the fish you catch and how enjoyable it is in the darkness. Just you and the wildlife but hopefully a good fish to pull your string