Our rivers cover thousands of miles, but only a relatively small number of them regularly hit the headlines.
Plenty of stretches that are off the beaten track are home to thriving fish populations, but the tactics that you deploy to try to catch them will need to differ from what you’d use in more pressured, popular areas.
Unlike those in well-known hotspots, the fish aren’t used to being fed large quantities of high-protein pellets and boilies and instead search for natural food sources as sustenance.
This is just one of several things you need to consider before you have a shot at unlocking the true potential of a stretch of river that receives minimal attention from other anglers.
THE BEST SPECIMEN RODS ARE PERFECT FOR THE RIVER.
Find them first, catch them later
Fish will often give their location away at this time of year, especially when the light is starting to fade. Walk the area you intend to target during the evening in the week leading up to the session and watch for fish topping or crashing out. If weather and river conditions are similar when you fish, it’s unlikely they’ll have moved far.
CHECK OUT OUR WHERE TO FISH GUIDE TO FIND AWESOME SUMMER RIVERS FOR FISHING.
Maggots: The perfect ice breaker
A single maggot is an excellent opening gambit, as it is eaten by everything that swims, and the more your tip rattles with small fish, the quicker you are getting the swim primed with loosefeed. This not only helps to maintain action from start to finish but also builds up a bed of bait to encourage the bigger fish to settle.
IMPROVE YOUR RIVER FISHING WITH THIS HELPFUL GUIDE.
Feed particles through a cage feeder
The use of a cage feeder is a reliable approach on wider rivers such as the Trent, and it’s always a good idea to include a few chopped worms, casters, hemp and a pinch of dead maggots in each feederful. This is pushed into the centre of the feeder, with groundbait blocking the ends to keep everything in place.
THE BEST CHUB RODS ARE WELL SUITED TO FISHING UNFISHED RIVERS.
No need to scale down
You’re likely to be targeting fish that rarely come across an angler’s rig, and they’ll therefore have less caution when feeding in and around terminal tackle. Use 6lb mainline and a 0.18mm hooklength to a size 14 hook. This will make sure you land big fish, while keeping the bites from silvers coming.
THE BEST BARBEL REELS ARE PERFECT FOR FISHING THE FEEDER ON THE RIVER.
