TOP 10 FISHING TIPS FOR CATCHING MORE ON THE RIVERS

With the river season now well underway we thought we would put together a list of the top 10 fishing tips to help you catch more fish on the rivers. With these tips you are guaranteed to get your river fishing season off to a flyer. Check out our list below and let us know what fishing tip you will use on your next session!

CAST DOWN THE MIDDLE FOR BREAM

The habits of bream on rivers don’t alter much in summer from back in the winter – they still prefer deep water, which is almost always found smack down the middle of the river. A tried-and-tested ploy is to cast two-thirds of the way across. If bites fade away, go even farther across to where the river begins to shelve up towards the far-bank shallows.

WALK THE BANKS

Not sure where to fish? Visit at dusk and walk the banks in search of your quarry. Bream and tench will give themselves away by rolling just before it gets dark, and roach will also top regularly – they won’t move far from these spots so you can avoid a lot of disappointment by putting in the miles.

ALWAYS PICK COVER

Try to choose a river swim offering some sort of feature. This could be a reed bed or a tree on the far bank, some lily pads close in, or a moored boat. Whatever it is, fish will live close to it and it will give you another option to fish to during your session, normally with a feeder or waggler cast

BE A SLACKER

Check out the slacks for roach and chub, where the river’s main flow meets a calmer area. On the edge of this will be something called a ‘crease’, which allows the fish to head into the main current to pick off food that’s been washed down the river before heading back into the quieter water.

FIND THE FAST WATER

Early-season rivers can suffer from lack of rain, which in turn reduces the rate of flow. On shallow venues, any such swims can be devoid of fish. To stack the odds in your favour, seek out the shallowest swims that will generate faster, oxygenated water. This is what the chub and barbel, in particular.

SEEK OUT THE DEPTHS

Early-season rivers can suffer from lack of rain, which in turn reduces the rate of flow. On shallow venues, any such swims can be devoid of fish. To stack the odds in your favour, seek out the shallowest swims that will generate faster, oxygenated water. This is what the chub and barbel, in particular,

WATCH THE TIDE

Tidal rivers really come into their own throughout the summer. Although they can be fearsome places, with deep water and a fast flow that can change direction during a session, they will offer brilliant roach and bream sport. To get the best out of them, check a tide table online and combine your visit with a tide that’s ebbing (running out to sea) all day. This will produce the most fish.

WEED EQUALS FISH

A pain it may be, but where big fish are concerned, weed is prime real estate. Tench, big perch, eels and even barbel will stick close to the weed for a source of natural food and a bit of sanctuary, so it’s always worth feeding some chopped worm just over the weed to try for a big fish throughout the day.

BAIT UP FOR SUCCESS

Pinning down a bream shoal on a river or big lake can be difficult in a short five-hour session, so do yourself a favour by spending a few evenings prior to fishing putting some bait in. Known as prebaiting, this action gives the fish a few large helpings of bait in advance and will get them into the area early doors. Keep it simple with corn, pellets, hemp and plain brown crumb groundbait.

GO EARLY AND LATE

Blinding sunshine and warm temperatures rarely do the fishing any good, especially if you are after bream and tench on a river or lake. You’re far better off going early or late before the sun gets up, the mercury rises and it’s more productive for you to soak up the rays.