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Ledgering upstream vs downstream pros and cons?

Jon Kennard

Jon Kennard

Senior Member
Happy new year one and all. I'm vowing to get on the bigger rivers primarily the wye but maybe the Severn to this season and coming seasons on a much more regular basis.
Anyway my question is what are peoples thoughts on ledgering upstream versus downstream? And when would favour one approach over the other? I'm guessing high water, swim features, maybe less weight needed to hold the flow? Anyway looking forward to people's thoughts cheers Jon
 
Thanks gents and great but very simple advice about the cast upstream cliff. If I'm honest I've never really thought about that. But worth an extra bit of time before a move.
 
I agree with Cliff and on the Wye I have lost count of times when upstreaming out-produces fishing downstream in the same swim. I like to allow a large bow in the line to maximise the upstreaming approach and think it can offer a superior or just different bait presentation. It’s also bought me more time when battling leaves and weed that might otherwise require more frequent casting. I’ve sometimes fished with 2 rods, one upstream and one down, but you need owl DNA to keep on top of things, so I rarely bother.
 
Thanks Howard food for thought for sure and something I'm most definitely going to give a go. It's was Neil that planted the seed in my brain answering a message from me the other day.
 
I'm haven't fished 2 rods many times but when I have I fish one slightly downstream like 1 o'clock then the other like at 3 o'clock but further downstream. In my mind at least it has a chance of picking up fish attracted to the first rod further downstream or possibly bigger fish that hang off the feed.
 
Jon Kennard said:
I'm haven't fished 2 rods many times but when I have I fish one slightly downstream like 1 o cock then the other like at 3 o clock but further downstream. In my mind at least it has a chance of picking up fish attracted to the first rod further downstream or possibly bigger fish that hang off the feed.
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I normally only fish one rod but it's a big swim and there's a lot of good looking water I'll often work the rod from upstream to downstream in a series of casts. Sometimes that might be 3 but could be 5, depending on the swim. Whether I'll fish upstream or downstream will also depend on bankside access. Sometimes in winter you have more freedom to put yourself at the angle you want to fish, where as in summer you may be dictated by bank-side vegetation and water level. I prefer the downstream 3ft twitch and generally the fight that comes with it, but as mentioned above more often than not over the last few seasons my fish have come from upstreaming. I also like a good bow in the line although be aware of doing this fishing bouldery stretches. Sometimes you can need quite a precise cast and then quite a scripted strike afterwards, a bit like backwards tetris.
 
I rarely fish x2 rods now ,i.e. one upstream and one downstream but in the days when I did I always caught more fish on the downstream rod than the upstream one , no firm answer as to why that was but looking back in my diaries it was virtually always the case
 
Not for everyone, fishing for one bite but was my preference for the last 10 years or so :

Bearing in mind I fished "intimate" rivers with a small population of barbel but fished specifically for larger barbel, and very close in. Using two rods I would make one cast upstream and one downstream, and leave both alone for up to 8 hrs. Only re-casting after a fish (or a missed bite sometimes) or being wiped out by debris but the latter was less likely being so close in.

My reasoning was that the bigger barbel would visit the bait several times in a session, but would not rush in to eat. It takes a lot of "courage" to fish this way, and yes the bait might not have been on the hook/hair for many hours, but I was happy to do this (many/most wouldn't). I didn't have mutiple catches in the main, I caught mostly larger fish, and the upstream rod was the most successful.
 
Christian Tyroll said:
I normally only fish one rod but it's a big swim and there's a lot of good looking water I'll often work the rod from upstream to downstream in a series of casts. Sometimes that might be 3 but could be 5, depending on the swim. Whether I'll fish upstream or downstream will also depend on bankside access. Sometimes in winter you have more freedom to put yourself at the angle you want to fish, where as in summer you may be dictated by bank-side vegetation and water level. I prefer the downstream 3ft twitch and generally the fight that comes with it, but as mentioned above more often than not over the last few seasons my fish have come from upstreaming. I also like a good bow in the line although be aware of doing this fishing bouldery stretches. Sometimes you can need quite a precise cast and then quite a scripted strike afterwards, a bit like backwards tetris.
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I found similar on such low stock rivers but bigger than average barbel to be expected, lone female fish who are not in competition to grab a morsel.
The temptation to reel in is often too much to deny so your patience is to be admired.
It's always good to hear your experiences hopefully this is a pre curser to a return to the river?
 
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