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Touch Ledgering - is it worth it?

Great stuff I must admit to have only tried touch ledgering in a half hearted way, but I do have a Ray Walton Rolling Rod which to date I have not used and was going to sale/swap, do you reckon this would be a reasonable rod for this method?
 
Neil - I love my Ray Walton rod - really soft action and I use it for touch ledgering quite often.
 
Simon Lush said:
Yeah, good mate, thanks.

The point in a nutshell ;)
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Because someone uses hair rigs (how else are you meant to fish boilies?) it does not automatically follow that they also use 2 rods, bivvies, bite alarms etc and care only about what they catch and not about the fishing. Believe it or not it is possible to enjoy the fishing when using boilies or pellets on one rod and maybe roving about the river. It is only a different bait and presentation to a lump of meat or a lobworm impaled on the hook. It's very shortsighted to assume everyone who doesn't stick to "traditional" methods has no feel at all for the sport
 
Alex Gowney said:
Because someone uses hair rigs (how else are you meant to fish boilies?) it does not automatically follow that they also use 2 rods, bivvies, bite alarms etc and care only about what they catch and not about the fishing. Believe it or not it is possible to enjoy the fishing when using boilies or pellets on one rod and maybe roving about the river. It is only a different bait and presentation to a lump of meat or a lobworm impaled on the hook. It's very shortsighted to assume everyone who doesn't stick to "traditional" methods has no feel at all for the sport
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Lobworms, bleedin LOBWORMS, nah I reckon he's more a 6 pints o maggots and t'gallon o hemp kinda man...:) :D
 
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Alex Gowney said:
Because someone uses hair rigs (how else are you meant to fish boilies?) it does not automatically follow that they also use 2 rods, bivvies, bite alarms etc and care only about what they catch and not about the fishing. Believe it or not it is possible to enjoy the fishing when using boilies or pellets on one rod and maybe roving about the river. It is only a different bait and presentation to a lump of meat or a lobworm impaled on the hook. It's very shortsighted to assume everyone who doesn't stick to "traditional" methods has no feel at all for the sport
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Alex, first things first, you could side hook one if you liked :p secondly i don't think i mentioned bivvies and bite alarms, that leaves two rods, and that is more than usual, even on tiny rivers.
Ok, i will concede that they probably enjoy what they are doing, and that is their right, its just that there is so much more to the sport than that IMO, Holding a rod and touch ledgering being just one example.

Shortsited view ? maybe, i can live with that !

Oh, and "Feel at all for the sport" nice pun :)

Colin, sometimes just a feeder full and a single dropper respectively was/is plenty ;)
 
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Simon, I concede you didn't mention bivvies and bite alarms but I and many others fish with boilies and hair rigs in exactly the same way as with meat, corn, cheese etc. and often I still use those baits. I have never used two rods for barbel but do use a bait runner although not always with the free spool operating. I cannot say the fishing is either more predictable, mechanical or easy using hair rigs/bait runners than it was using Mitchell 300s and lumps of paste.It's just a different method.
I suppose I could side hook boilies but if I was that anti hair rigs I would also probably be anti boilies too! But each to his own and forums would be dull places if we all sang the same tune.
Didn't intend the pun by the way!
 
Agreed, without debate and disagreement there would be little point, i doubt we two are much different in our thoughts in all honesty,but the bloke i saw on the Lodden with three rods on a Globetrotter pod, now thats a different matter !
 
I just find it sad that some folk are so utterly disparaging about other peoples preferred way of fishing! Why do some people believe that there is only one 'real' way of fishing, only one 'true' way, only one 'acceptable' way (which is of course the way they do it :p)

I don't bivvy up when I barbel fish, I don't use two rods. I fish light, sometimes touch ledgering, sometimes not...and I love every minute of it. So what? If someone else wants to fish in a totally different way, good luck to them...I am sure they get every bit as much pleasure from their way of doing things as I do fishing my way...and it is every bit as valid a way of catching barbel as any other.

Provided they are fishing in a legal manner, are respectful to other anglers and their needs and are doing no harm to the fish or anything else....then what on earth is wrong? For heaven sake just smile and wish them well and tight lines....their is room for everyone :D

Cheers, Dave.
 
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Well said exactly so.............
 
Ditto the above.....

Some of the comments like the ones on the previous page drive me to despair. Less is more.......
 
Simon Lush said:
Agreed, without debate and disagreement there would be little point, i doubt we two are much different in our thoughts in all honesty,but the bloke i saw on the Lodden with three rods on a Globetrotter pod, now thats a different matter !
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I think this is where disagreement over various methods has it's origins in a lot of cases. The method (number of rods) should be suitable to the stretch in question. I can recall when a certain stretch of the Cherwell got well known and seeing anglers using 2 or 3 rods on a stretch barely 40 feet (much less in places) wide and, barbel wise, no more than 400yards long. This definitely was a case of covering a lot of the available water known to hold barbel and limiting the number of anglers who could access it. Common sense and consideration to others needs applying.
 
Agreed Alex, I dont really understand the thoughts with some that we should ''do as we please'' without regard to the sport. Of course mutliple rod fished in a small river will impact on the catch rate for others.
Perhaps the fact that Barbel are getting increasingly difficult to catch in daylight hours is all the proof that is required.
 
David Gauntlett said:
I just find it sad that some folk are so utterly disparaging about other peoples preferred way of fishing! Why do some people believe that there is only one 'real' way of fishing, only one 'true' way, only one 'acceptable' way (which is of course the way they do it :p)

I don't bivvy up when I barbel fish, I don't use two rods. I fish light, sometimes touch ledgering, sometimes not...and I love every minute of it. So what? If someone else wants to fish in a totally different way, good luck to them...I am sure they get every bit as much pleasure from their way of doing things as I do fishing my way...and it is every bit as valid a way of catching barbel as any other.

Provided they are fishing in a legal manner, are respectful to other anglers and their needs and are doing no harm to the fish or anything else....then what on earth is wrong? For heaven sake just smile and wish them well and tight lines....their is room for everyone :D

Cheers, Dave.
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Seems you are guilty of what you've accused me of in the past, reading what we think is written rather than what is 'actually' written.
Something to which I spose we're all guilty of, to varying degrees...

Because I never saw any rubbishing or putting down of others methods, yes plenty of indications (scuse pun) that if others were to try another technique perhaps they'd understand/learn more about whats happening under the water.
And was this not what this thread was about: "Touch Legering - is it worth it?"
 
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It's worth it if you enjoy it and in some cases will have caught fish where other methods wouldn't have. I do like touch legering for chub, or at least I used to when the Cherwell held a lot of good chub. While fishing in this manner I was often surprised at how often a bite would occur immediately upon putting the rod in the rest for a break, almost as if the chub was waiting for this opportunity. Have people who touch ledger for barbel noted anything similar?
 
Colin Gordon said:
Seems you are guilty of what you've accused me of in the past, reading what we think is written rather than what is 'actually' written.
Something to which I spose we're all guilty of, to varying degrees...

Because I never saw any rubbishing or putting down of others methods, yes plenty of indications (scuse pun) that if others were to try another technique perhaps they'd understand/learn more about whats happening under the water.
And was this not what this thread was about: "Touch Legering - is it worth it?"
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Hi Colin,

Actually, it seems you are guilty of not seeing what is clearly written......:rolleyes:...READ the whole thread Colin.

And I quote....

"What an utterly depressing thread this is ! Two rods,baitrunners, bolt/hair rigs, big leads, boilies/pellets, is that what fishing for a thoroughly absorbing species has been reduced to ? My advice ? leave touch ledgering alone, its way too involving and requires way too much effort to be bothered with, just carry on boring the bloody things out"

Or do you not see that as "Rubbishing or putting down of other methods' :rolleyes: I dont "Just think" that was written Colin, I know it was :p And the comments that followed that were a little disparaging of other methods, were they not?

As it happens, my post was not directed towards the criticisms in this thread alone....It was just that Simon's jibe was a small sample of the elitist rants of the 'There is only one true path brothers' sect :D

Seriously though Colin, it doesnt actually bother me that much...I just find it a little sad that there are so many divisions in our sport...so many different branches and even distinct approaches to one area of angling where the fans of that type of angling are fiercely, almost tribally critical of others, rather than enjoying what they do, and being happy for the other guy enjoying his passion.

Still...I suppose if they weren't doing that, they might be spending their time being even more tribal and unpleasent at a football ground :D:D:D

Joking lads, joking :D

Cheers, Dave.
 
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