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Rod Position Changes

J

Jeremy Cronin

Senior Member & Supporter
I was talking to my brother who gave up coarse fishing 30 years ago. We were discussing the way barbel fishing with rods pointing to the sky and the savage takes we had on the Dorset Stour & Hampshire Avon.
Now today it’s rods into the water and back leads, he could not believe how we do it and the complete change of fishing style.
 
Jeremy Cronin said:
I was talking to my brother who gave up coarse fishing 30 years ago. We were discussing the way barbel fishing with rods pointing to the sky and the savage takes we had on the Dorset Stour & Hampshire Avon.
Now today it’s rods into the water and back leads, he could not believe how we do it and the complete change of fishing style.
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Still prefer mine up, rather than down. So the missus tells me anyway. 😁
 
Jeremy Cronin said:
I was talking to my brother who gave up coarse fishing 30 years ago. We were discussing the way barbel fishing with rods pointing to the sky and the savage takes we had on the Dorset Stour & Hampshire Avon.
Now today it’s rods into the water and back leads, he could not believe how we do it and the complete change of fishing style.
Click to expand...
i think low rods and back leads are only the norm on low density "hard" venues. You won't see that on the Trent, Severn, Wye etc
 
Many years back I was fishing the river with a lot of extra water flowing through which carried copious amounts of debris which would snag up on my line within a few minuites of casting.
I found if I cast out and used captive backleads which pinned the line down solved the problem for the biggest part.
Using captive backleads meant I could have my rod tip pointing at any angle that I prefered. I'm not a fan of having the tips pointing up at a very sharp angle as it hurts my neck watching the tips.
 
Cliff Turner said:
i think low rods and back leads are only the norm on low density "hard" venues. You won't see that on the Trent, Severn, Wye etc
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It’s more a practical thing for me. Tidal Trent there’s no chance of dipping the rods on the vast majority of it - 1) There are large rocks littering the bottom and using a backlead is asking to be snagged, and 2) The amount of line in the water would need a massive lead unless slack or margin fishing.

On my local (Yorkshire Rother) I’ll have the rods right down into the water.
 
It also depends on other river users.
On some parts of the Thames you would be wiped out by boats, rowers, etc if you had them really high.
 
I always thought it was to reduce the weed being caught on the line?
 
There is reason behind the rods pointing to the sky despite the fact that “fashion” and “trend” seems to dictate a lot of it and that is on powerful flowing rivers or flooded conditions it vastly reduces the pressure on the line if the entry point into the water is as close to where you cast as possible.

Combined with an upstream cast, 2 rod lengths of slack line and the Rod almost vertical, it is surprising just how little weight you can get away with.

For the most part of my fishing it’s not necessary and I keep my Rod tips as low as they can possibly be with at least a good MTR pinned behind the lead and often a good MTR of hook length infront of it.

Essentially my Rod position will only change if the river conditions dictate.
 
If i was to fish a large river powerful river or even the Dorset Stour or Hampshire Avon in flood i would always have my rods raised.
 
Jeremy Cronin said:
If i was to fish a large river powerful river or even the Dorset Stour or Hampshire Avon in flood i would always have my rods raised.
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Larger, rock strewn rivers demand high rod tips but on rivers such as the H Avon and Dorset Stour I always keep the rod tips low. As for flooded conditions on the Avon or Stour, I would never fish with tips high (I used to in the past) I can fish the severest floods with a 1.5tc Harrison and just a couple of ounces with a back lead of 1-1 1/2 ounce, with rods high In the same conditions I would need 4-6 ounces 😏
 
Around the mid 1980's on the Bristol Avon at Kellaways I arrived at the weir to find the pool full of barbel. The deep water was crystal clear and amongst around 30 Barbel were 3 Doubles. A rare fish back then and probably all the doubles on the stretch. I carefully worked out how I could lower a bait into a position to give me a chance at one of the doubles. I had to fish off the high bank above them. The bait was lowered into the water without a plop, the bigger fish were instantly on edge. Up from the bottom they came and round in circles the 3 biggest Barbel swam. One hit my line in midwater and all 3 went from the swim never to return. The other Barbel fed all morning, I cannot remember how many I caught. That day I realised that a tight line up in the water was costing me fish and probably the better ones. It was a fantastic section to learn Barbel behaviour and I learnt a lot by watching them week on week. These days I would have done something different and probably caught one but back then I had to learn a lesson the hard way. I fish back leads with rods low where I can. Snags, casting distance or rocky bottoms mean other methods to try to avoid spooking them.
 
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Mark Harridence said:
To minimise the risk of spooking the fish?
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I get that too but 20feet is extreme and boarding on irresponsible. A hooked fish can travel a bloody long way by the time an angler gets out the chair and gets to a rod 20 foot away.
I used to fish the g Ouse and ivel where the barbel were right under the rod tip and I’d always be practically sitting on top of the cork. Even in that situation I’ve come close to losing a rod or two when I’ve taken my eye off the ball.
 
I tend to fish my rods reasonably high, combined with a long hooklength, harks back to my match fishing days. Another thing is I think they are a bit more noticeable up higher. I'm not always watching the tips, I like to watch the river and what's happening around me as well. I don't think I'd see the rods as well if they were low to the water. I have my rod tips set at eye level when I'm sat in a chair. No neck craning then.
 
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