Dark into light

[Robert Edwards]

Hi chaps. Been pulling my hair out recently on a fairly low stock tricky river. Due to work and family I'm limited to short sessions. The venue is local to me so this is handy. All my sessions so far have been around 3-4 hrs after work until the off time wick is a couple of hours after dark. It seems to be a very stereotypical way of fishing, most people like myself turn up around 5 or 6 get in a swim, trickle in some loosefeed and introduce the rig just on dark. I'm going to have a go at a few dawn raids so to speak. And fish from an hour before into daylight, which appears to be a neglected time on this stretch. Have any of you had any success fishing at this time of day? I've found it a good time when up on the tidal trent, and although off topic I'd say at least 75% of all the big carp I've had have been a couple of hours either side of day break.

 

[Paul Cahill]

Hi chaps. Been pulling my hair out recently on a fairly low stock tricky river. Due to work and family I'm limited to short sessions. The venue is local to me so this is handy. All my sessions so far have been around 3-4 hrs after work until the off time wick is a couple of hours after dark. It seems to be a very stereotypical way of fishing, most people like myself turn up around 5 or 6 get in a swim, trickle in some loosefeed and introduce the rig just on dark. I'm going to have a go at a few dawn raids so to speak. And fish from an hour before into daylight, which appears to be a neglected time on this stretch. Have any of you had any success fishing at this time of day? I've found it a good time when up on the tidal trent, and although off topic I'd say at least 75% of all the big carp I've had have been a couple of hours either side of day break.

I'm interested in this subject, having been brought up many years ago with dawn fishing. About ten years ago I used to fish The Dane for barbel, always with a dawn start, and I used to catch plenty of barbel and carp. Great time to be by the water.

I've fished many other rivers, now mainly the Ribble, and practically everybody fishes into dark. I don't hear of much been taken at dawn and I do wonder whether it's because they don't feed or because no one fishes then.

 

[Dave Taylor]

I enjoyed a memorable session on a hard venue on a mild Feb morning not long ago.
l started two hours before first light and was fishing two rods to the far bank.
As the venue had a reasonable head of carp and chub I opted for two landing nets.
An hour before dawn the upstream rod lurched over and I eventually found myself admiring a good fish in the net through the beam of my head torch....then I heard the downstream bait runner whirling and was into another one!
Not long after I had two barbel in two nets ...the first weighed 13.07. and the other 12.01......fished on to lunch time and didn't get another bite!
Happy days
dt

 

[Steve Banham]

Always fish just before dawn & stop till dusk my catch rate last year was 231barbel & 12 doubles I'm more than satisfied with my results.As far as I'm concerned barbell fishing isn't always a night affair.

 

[Andrew Boyne]

I'm going to have a go at a few dawn raids so to speak. And fish from an hour before into daylight, which appears to be a neglected time on this stretch. Have any of you had any success fishing at this time of day?

Yes, plenty. I actually prefer the early morning on my local Ribble, as Paul said nearly everyone fishes into dark so I usually have the stretch to myself. I've often found it more productive than the evening, particularly at this time of year and this was also the case when I lived in Nottingham and fished the Trent. I prefer to get on at first light, rather than in the dark waiting for daybreak as this negates the need for head torches and such like which might alert the fish to my presence, particularly when the river is low and clear like it has been most of this season. Interestingly the majority of big fish of 10lb's or more have come between 9am and 11am - even in the summer when it's blazing sunshine by then. I hear anglers saying they can't catch Barbel in daylight so often on the Ribble as it's a night venue!! Barbel are not nocturnal! In many cases during evening sessions I've found the fishing actually dies off once darkness has set in, with the peak of activity at dusk as the light starts to go. Same at dawn so if you fancy a few morning sessions before work I'd be tempted to arrive just before first light and look to put a bait in as soon as you can see what you're doing without the need for a light.

 

[Alex Gowney]

Barbel aren't nocturnal Andrew? Don't you mean they're not specifically nocturnal? I think the many thousands of barbel caught at night would suggest they are very much a nocturnal fish just as they are also daylight feeders.

Dawn and dusk are traditionally know as hot times for fishing for all species but not necessarily guaranteed to produce. I have found the slightly better sized fish come out at dawn with first light being an excellent time for pike in particular.

 

[David Maddison]

Most of the night sessions i fish i need to leave at 5am, which is when i would expect to be getting some interest

 

[Andrew Boyne]

Barbel aren't nocturnal Andrew? Don't you mean they're not specifically nocturnal?

No I mean they are not nocturnal and used that term to highlight the fact that those that claim Barbel can't be caught in daylight are wrong. Barbel are probably best described as cathemeral. Studies have shown most of the time they exhibit crepuscular behaviour although at certain times of year, such as the late winter, they are more diurnal.