High river levels can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, the surging waters can make fishing tough, but on the flip side, it can also open up opportunities for some fantastic barbel and chub catches.
One of the main hurdles during high water is the increased debris making its way down stream. It can be a real pain, constantly disrupting your rig and demanding frequent re-casting. To tackle this, many seasoned anglers, myself included, favour the simple straight lead rig, which is much less prone to snagging.
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Flavoured meat
To make the most of a flooded river, you've got to go with baits that have a strong appeal, ones that can lure fish from afar. Flavoured meats like luncheon meat, garlic sausage, or Peperami have proven to be popular with barbel and chub. Amp up the allure by adding flavours like garlic, whisky, black pepper, or krill - they're real winners in cold water conditions. Consider tearing the meat rather than cubing it to create a ragged bait, it releases more flavour.
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Natural baits
Natural baits like lobworms and dendrobaena worms are reliable choices, especially when the water levels are receding. Boilies can be a great pick too, but remember to choose the right type for the conditions. In colder waters, reducing the fish and meat content in your boilies can be helpful. To make them irresistible, try wrapping boilies or encasing the hook in paste.
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Meatballs
There are lots of different meat baits that we can try that have different characteristics to luncheon meat and are useful in different situations.
Once such product is meatballs, which tend to be a lot softer than luncheon meat. I tend to fish these whole, making a big bait, or cut them in half and use them when I want to bury the hook in the bait. A small piece of grass in the bend of the hook will help hold the bait in place. Meatballs come in a strong- smelling gravy, which adds to their attraction.
Salami
If you prefer a hair-rigged bait, then the wide range of salamis are a much tougher offering that retain a strong smell, often with added spices and garlic, to further boost their attractiveness. Kabanossi is a particular favourite of mine, as it is not only quite cheap, but has the perfect diameter to be cut into bait-sized pieces. Many other types are available, and all will catch fish.
Armed with these meaty baits I’d be happy to tackle any river. A smelly hookbait fished right under the rod-tip – where the flow is benign enough to help avoid detritus building up on the mainline and dragging even a heavy lead out of position – is often the only option when the rivers are running hard.
Cheespaste
As you have probably noticed, any pungent smelling bait is a great choice in flooded water and cheespaste is no different. As you make your own, you can tailor it to be exactly what you want, adding loads of garlic, strong blue cheese and chilli can really help boost this bait into a magnet for any fish looking for an easy meal.
Soaked baits
Giving your bait a soak in liquid attractants can do wonders in upping their appeal. Sweet flavours like Scopex or JB Baits Frost & Flood which has a sweet maple and caramel aroma are particularly effective in the chill of winter waters. Spicy attractors also work particularly well for barbel, you can buy chilli oils from any supermarket and they can be particularly effective.
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