Pressure

[Martin Stevens]

The stretches I fish are hardly heavily pressured. However even though I tend to fish for 24 to 36hrs at a time (a day and a night or two days and a night), most of my captures come at night or twilight. Maybe this is just because of the way I fish, maybe because the fish feel safer.

When I fish in a more traditional way or with smaller baits such as maggot, my daytime catch rates do go up. However, I rarely catch anything over 8lb during daylight hours. Maybe the older fish are more wary, no matter the method.

 

[Alex Gowney]

The stretches I fish are hardly heavily pressured. However even though I tend to fish for 24 to 36hrs at a time (a day and a night or two days and a night), most of my captures come at night or twilight. Maybe this is just because of the way I fish, maybe because the fish feel safer.

When I fish in a more traditional way or with smaller baits such as maggot, my daytime catch rates do go up. However, I rarely catch anything over 8lb during daylight hours. Maybe the older fish are more wary, no matter the method.

The increase in otter numbers has also possibly led to more fish feeling safer feeding at night. I'm sure otters hunt at night too but obviously the fish would be a bit harder to see.

 

[Richard Longmuir]

Following on from recent threads re pressure but also pellets,its all to do with size and amount(no "Carry On "puns intended) if you were to bait up with catfish pellets then that obviously would be determental to fish however using a mix of pellets with the largest no bigger than elips, putting in 4 droppers on a summers day within 20 mins most of the bait would have been eaten by fish or insects or flushed out of the swim.

Having done numerous experiments with breakdown time mainly in the kitchen sink,smaller pellets get lighter and take on air ,ditto with hemp-have a look at Bob Roberts dvd and you can see it drifting downstream.

Maybe matchmans technique of little and often is the way to go ?

 

[Graham Elliott]

Richard, Surely it depends on the flow regards washing the bait out of the swim, and the water temperature for the melt down speed. You did mention in your example - In summer though.

Also a very important factor is the amount of fish present in the particular water being fished. Some rivers, especially this way, are pretty devoid of all fish except mainly larger barbel and chub.

A statement like "pile it in" or "most barbel anglers need to feed more" without any qualification is IMO, a disgrace, that needs to be challenged, however important the person saying it thinks his words are.

Again, IMO more trouble has been caused to our fishing through too much bait being used than the other way around.


Graham

 

[Richard Longmuir]

Hi Graham,

As you correctly mentioned I did say summer which obviously has a major impact on breakdown time,I also stated that the size of the pellet is equally important and using mix of pellets many very tiny will have bait moving in a swim with moderate flow pretty quick.

The worst culprits are those who hump in shop bought boilies or large sized pellets ie 14mm and above when they fail to get a response within an hour or so.I also mentioned hemp which I feel is a great attractor for barbel and chub,I honestly feel that 4-6 pints fed in over 5-6 hours isnt alot of bait.

The rivers around here arent as devoid of fish as many think,its just that nobody fishes for anything except barbel.Ive often trotted for a bite with my centerpin and on Upper Benyons its been a fish a cast till the odd pike moved in,catching good sized dace,roach(beautiful fish,most the only the size of your hand) chub and perch.

 

[Albert Watkinson]

to start with i do not like throwing money in the river.my best 3hr session on the small Dane was 7 barbel on single hookbait in the afternoon.some nice fish as well.i dont think they knew i was there.so much for the pile it in merchants
albert

 

[Alex Gowney]

Hi Graham,


The rivers around here arent as devoid of fish as many think,its just that nobody fishes for anything except barbel.Ive often trotted for a bite with my centerpin and on Upper Benyons its been a fish a cast till the odd pike moved in,catching good sized dace,roach(beautiful fish,most the only the size of your hand) chub and perch.

A lot of the Kennet is pretty empty of average sized/variety of fish though Richard. I have never fished a river before using maggots or caster on a size 12 or 14 all day and never even had one crushed. This has happened nearly every time I fish the Kennet. If that doesn't signify hardly any fish I don't know what does.

 

[Richard Longmuir]

Alex,

Sorry to hear this depressing news indeed,i can only base by thoughts on what Ive found and I guess this is only a "snap shot" of the whole picture.Guess eventually we will all have to find something else to do!!

Ive started another thread which might cause greater alarm and more immediate impact.