Free Line 108 — September 2026 - Flipbook - Page 185
STEVE BRIGGS
fa ct remains that the rewa rd s a re t h e re to b e c au gh t i f yo u
a re prepared to work for th e m. R ive r s o f c o u rs e c a r ry m ov i n g
water and conditions can c h a ng e ve ry q ui c k ly m a k i n g t h e m
ve ry unpredictable. L ow wa te r c a n p u t t h e f i s h o f f fe e d i n g
whereas high water levels c an m ake f i s h i n g ve ry d i f f i cu l t s o
t i ming can be very import a n t .
Features will vary greatly but where rivers join, where boats
are moored, barrages, industrial areas with warm water outlets
and areas that vary in depth or flow are all worth investigating.
Many people approach river fishing by baiting well in advance
and that is one thing which makes it very difficult for the
travelling angler when time is restricted. It’s fair to say that
for much of the time you need to look for sections of river that
hold carp rather than just individual swims, but baiting over
a period of days or even weeks is a way of getting the fish
to regularly visit the spots you intend to fish. Most river carp
are opportunist feeders and will take a wide variety of baits.
Boilies and pellets will work most times even when the fish
haven’t seen them before, but maize is the most fail-safe bait of
the lot and of course it is also very cheap and I would certainly
use maize as the bulk of my feed when baiting up along with a
sprinkling of any other bait you intend to use.
Rules and regulations ne e d to b e ch e c ke d f i rs t a s a l t h o u gh
m ost rivers appear to be a lm o s t d e s er te d a t t i me s , t h ey a re
n o rmally controlled quite s t ri c t ly by t he Fre n c h a ut h o ri t i e s .
M any sections wont allow ni gh t f i s h i n g , whe re a s o th e rs w i l l
h ave allocated night fishi n g a re as . O f c o u rs e t h e f i s h c o u l d
b e anywhere so I wouldn’ t j us t lo o k a t t he n i gh t s ec t i o n s a s
I ’ ve often found that rive r c a r p a re mo re d ay fe e d e rs t h a n
a nything – but that can va ry s o h o m e wo rk n ee d s to be d o n e
FR E ELINE 75
