Dan Bouskila has experienced some sensational dace fishing over the last few seasons, but his latest session might just have been his best yet, thanks to a clever little trick that transformed his session.
“I’ve been fortunate to enjoy some spectacular dace fishing over recent seasons, but on a session the other day, things went to a whole new level. In a manic spell of trotting, I landed three fish over 1lb! Two weighed 1lb exactly, while the other was 1lb 1oz, but very close to 1lb 2oz," Dan told us.
"I was fishing a small, gin-clear southern riverwhere I’ve had some success with the species in the past. Walking the banks, I threw a pinch of maggots and casters into numerous spots, trying to draw fish out from under the marginal cover. For around an hour-and-a-half I searched with no response, but eventually, in a deeper run, a pod of fish emerged from beneath the overgrowth," he added.
THE BEST FLOAT RODS ARE PERFECT FOR TROTTING ON A RIVER.
"These dace were huge, and it was amazing to watch them feeding hard on my loosefeed. Knowing how tricky they can be to catch, I rigged up with a light 2lb hooklink and size 20 hook, on to which I hooked a single maggot. But as I ran it through the swim, the fish circled the hookbait like sharks moving around a ball of bait fish but would not take it with confidence."
"They knew there was something wrong, and I couldn’t buy a bite. I had a feeling they might be quickly nipping at the end of my maggot but not taking in the hook, so I decided to side-hook a single maggot to see if it would make any difference."
"On my first trot down, the float darted under and I hooked what I knew was a good fish. Dace fight incredibly well on light gear, and eventually I managed to bring it to the net. That fish weighed 1lb, and on the next trot down it was followed by another of the same size."
Over the next 15 minutes I caught around 15 slightly smaller specimens, before connecting with the biggest of the day. When weighing it, the scales flickered between 1lb 1oz and 1lb 2oz. As is the custom when weighing big fish, I opted for the lower figure. It was the best dace fishing I’ve ever experienced.”
HEAD TO ONE OF THESE STRETCHES FOR A GREAT DAYS FISHING...
