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Downstream rod

My recent Thames fishing has been with 2 rods.

Fish are few and far between so double takes don’t happen.

Both my biggest fish fell to the upstream rod.

My mate fishing the same river only uses one rod and he catches just as many as me……

Last winter I did quite a bit of chub fishing due to low water and 2 rods then were a liability. Not because of the frequency of bites, but because the fish were finicky.
 
Neil Smart said:
Certainly fishing two rods say on the Wye in its prime barbel best would be foolhardy. I remember when you could get a hook up before the feeder hit the deck...crazy stuff.
Maybe fishing a rod upstream on the bottom, and trotting a float downstream would ease the boredom? I have fished in the day trotting for silver's and at dusk settle down with the barbel rod, the thinking that any loose feed might temp a barbel.
Problem I have I get bored just sitting and waiting for the ever elusive barbel bite, I'm fine on rivers when there is some action on the tip, match style, but God the boredom drives me nuts...I start thinking, what if the bait is covered, by a mussel, or stone, or lost the bait completely...so just have to fiddle and recast! Worst thing you could possibly do, I know...😔
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Ditto, I too get bored if bites are few and far between, but being a keen "birder" as well, I always have my binoculars with me. One thing that is guaranteed to get a bite, is lifting the binoculars to your eyes to check out a kingfisher (or other birds) on the opposite bank. The number of times the barbel seem to know you're distracted and take the bait. The sight of my rod in peripheral vision swinging round and the sound of the baitrunner makes you all fingers and thumbs!
It's uncanny the number of times it's happened, or do I just remember them more clearly? 🤔
 
Paul Bullinger said:
Ditto, I too get bored if bites are few and far between, but being a keen "birder" as well, I always have my binoculars with me. One thing that is guaranteed to get a bite, is lifting the binoculars to your eyes to check out a kingfisher (or other birds) on the opposite bank. The number of times the barbel seem to know you're distracted and take the bait. The sight of my rod in peripheral vision swinging round and the sound of the baitrunner makes you all fingers and thumbs!
It's uncanny the number of times it's happened, or do I just remember them more clearly? 🤔
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So true...and the tea thing, or the call of nature, all designed by the fish to inconvenience us.
I too spend most of my time looking at the birds, and its surprising just what you see just sitting still...motionless waiting for that bite lol...we as anglers are 'blessed' in seeing Otter Kingfisher Mink swimming Grass snakes, the lot, much of which is never seen by the 'civvy's'.
So we never really 'blank' do we?
 
Very rare that I fish with 2 rods nowadays, and the one I use is always downstream ,about 2-3 rod lengths from the Bank.Over the yrs I have found that fishing to the far bank is pretty pointless as it was always the rod closer to the bank that had the fish .I can only remember one part of the Trent where it was a necessity to fish to the far bank,and that was because the bank swims were only 18" deep and dropped away to the far bank which was 6' all gravel bottom.This involved wading and placing rods high on a platform with bait in chest pouches .Dont think it would do my back any good these days🤣
 
Paul Bullinger said:
Ditto, I too get bored if bites are few and far between, but being a keen "birder" as well, I always have my binoculars with me. One thing that is guaranteed to get a bite, is lifting the binoculars to your eyes to check out a kingfisher (or other birds) on the opposite bank. The number of times the barbel seem to know you're distracted and take the bait. The sight of my rod in peripheral vision swinging round and the sound of the baitrunner makes you all fingers and thumbs!
It's uncanny the number of times it's happened, or do I just remember them more clearly? 🤔
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I have said they have a sixth sense; picking up the mobile to answer a text from my wife, lowering a bait dropper on the other rod; like you having a camera- not binoculars aimed a bird or deer on the ther bank; all are a signal for a screaming run and the centre pin howling like a banshee🤪
 
Adam Wylie said:
Very rare that I fish with 2 rods nowadays, and the one I use is always downstream ,about 2-3 rod lengths from the Bank.Over the yrs I have found that fishing to the far bank is pretty pointless as it was always the rod closer to the bank that had the fish .I can only remember one part of the Trent where it was a necessity to fish to the far bank,and that was because the bank swims were only 18" deep and dropped away to the far bank which was 6' all gravel bottom.This involved wading and placing rods high on a platform with bait in chest pouches .Dont think it would do my back any good these days🤣
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I love watching them on the Severn fishing the far bank : anglers on both sides casting to the far side. Easier to fish under your feet I reckon ;)
 
Single rod for me. As Trefor once said to me. Why fish two rods badly when you concentrate on fishing one rod well enough.

However, I do see the pros of using two rods on a new stretch, as your searching for the areas for bites. But once the venues sussed, makes more sense to fish a single.
 
Richard Parsons said:
Yeah, I think Trefor was probably fishing a prolific B Avon or Teme (as they were at the time).
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I saw a few people (I won't say "anglers") fishing the Teme with 2 rods beach-caster style ... and I saw a few rods fly through the air, tip first, javelin style, as a Teme Tiger took off downstream😂.
N.b... one guy on 'The Beach' at Eardington, lost his rod as above whilst I was checking his ticket. He drove all the way over to Tenbury, bought a new rod, returned to the same swim, only to find they'd not supplied him with the middle section of the three piece rod. Not his day :oops:
 
Richard Isaacs said:
It’s an old saying with a lot of truth in some ways, however it is possible to fish 2 rods well and also possible to fish 1 rod badly. Depends entirely on the man in the driving seat.
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I do agree with what your saying, and it's very true what you say about depends on the guy that's in the driving seat skill set & level of experience etc.
It would be my worse nightmare playing a fish, whilst the other rod goes off, I'd hate every minute of that experience! 😂
But in reality, I bet that doesn't happen a lot?
Would do on obviously more prolific waters, but not up where I am.
 
Simon Archer said:
Interesting debate about how many rods we use, when no one bats an eyelid at Carp anglers using 3 or 4 rods.
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A mate of mine once walked past a known Angler on our local, that had three out in the dark, and when quizzed about it, he claimed it was his bait dropping rod, which Incidentally had an isotope glowing and a couple of inch deflection on the rod tip pointing & moving with the flow of the current!
 
Simon Archer said:
Interesting debate about how many rods we use, when no one bats an eyelid at Carp anglers using 3 or 4 rods.
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From reading Tim Paisley's book Memories of Carp it appears that the fish hook themselves and can be safely left towing the rig around until the angler, I use the term lightly, gets around to attending to his rods. Personally I like to be on hand if not to actually set the hook, but to at least respond to it immedately. For me two rods is enough.
 
Julian Griffiths said:
I do agree with what your saying, and it's very true what you say about depends on the guy that's in the driving seat skill set & level of experience etc.
It would be my worse nightmare playing a fish, whilst the other rod goes off, I'd hate every minute of that experience! 😂
But in reality, I bet that doesn't happen a lot?
Would do on obviously more prolific waters, but not up where I am.
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A double hook up is not fun I entirely agree. It happened to me once and almost resulted in a lost rod as I don’t set bait runners. I was quick enough in this instance to slam open the bail arm and let it do it’s thing while landing fish no1.
In my case I lost fish no2 which was a blessing and due to the hook being barbless.

I also had the same thing happen this year dead baiting on the G Ouse. Struck into a pike and the other float started to go. I got lucky again and struck the second rod on the very first indication and pull the bait straight out it’s mouth. Never leave a pike run to develop if you get a double take. Hit it at the first sniff and hopefully you’ll not hook it.
I’d never fish 2 rods on a runs water unless I had friends very close by. We were getting loads of multiple runs at our last trip to Collingham but thankfully enough bodies around manning the stations
 
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