End February Update - Chub Session and Simple Pike Rig

A warm welcome to this weeks blog update i hope i find you all well and your nets are wet.  Talking of wet just how wet has the passed two weeks been in the UK it has made fishing very very difficult indeed.  Old Dorris swept through causing endless chaos on the roads and no doubt on the rivers as well as i am sure she will have created a few more snags for those chub to hide from us anglers in.

Looking Forward To March 2017.....

so i thought with this new way of blogging it would be good for the last blog of each month to have a little look at my plans, as always weather permitting , for the upcoming month.  March is always a month of mixed emotions as we say good bye to the rivers and normally the pike fishing as well fades away during this month also.

"As One Door Closes So Another Opens"

In life i always refer to the saying "as one door closes so another opens" and it is never more true than in fishing.  The river and piking doors close and it opens up opportunities on the canals and lakes for some silver, tench and carp fishing.  Planning is always essential of course so with bad weather this weekend i spent most of Sunday driving round some waters just getting a feel for them for future trips.

So March, i have been lucky enough to be invited to fish a pike match towards the middle of march so i am looking forward to that and even if i dont catch it will be an experience to remember i am sure.  The first two weeks of march i am hoping to get out on the rivers for at least one session for roach and dace and of course some more chub fishing

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If the weather continues as the rivers are high and coloured then my attention will turn to a bit of piking or carp fishing to see if we can winkle out one or two fish but all being well i am remaining positive and expecting to be out on the river.

My Simple Pike Rig...

So it has been around 3 years since the term deadbaiting appeared in my blogs and over that time i have had so many adventures chasing these beautiful creatures.  It has been hard going this season for them but asking around it seems to have been hard for all with pike being quite absent from their normal haunts.

Over that time i have tried many rigs for pike and although the choice of rig is determined by the venue m ore than anything else there is one rig that i would take anywhere.  In my recent article for Warrington Angling Centre i share my simple but effective float rig, a rig you can use for dead baiting and live baiting and a rig that offers no end of versatility in presentation on and off the bottom.

link to article: http://www.warringtonangling.com/deadbait-pencils-the-stealth-item-in-your-box/

On To The Fishing..

Chub Fishing - Effort Equals Success....

As mentioned above it has been a typically wet February and with it it has meant the rivers have generally been up above their fishable levels and for some of the bigger rivers in the fields.  When the weather is like this we look to the spate rivers and tributaries as these will generally fall and drop quite quickly.

When fishing a river you do need to spend time learning the river and how she behaves, most rivers you can work out how long they will take to drop and more importantly at what level they will be fishable.  It is also important not to be too put off by colour in the river as most river fish will be hard on the feed in the coloured water looking for insects and grubs washed in and often the only factor to consider is the pace of the river as to whether or not to fish it.

When you get to grips with your river you can then travel to their banks with confidence rather than hope and can actually make the most of small windows of opportunity where the river is fishable.  This window might only be a few hours before the next rain in the hills sends the river back into spate but for that window you can at least get a pull oin your string.

On this session i spotted the river was dropping fast and was fishable in the morning on the EA, i knew i might only have a hour and the fishing would be hard but if i located a shoal i would have a chance.  I traveled a good mile of river before i landed in a swim that held some chub and the action was frantic with chub and a rogue trout coming thick and fast

The second week was a complete write off with rain pouring down all week and flooded rivers meeting us at the weekend.  I decided to make the most of this gap and go for a look around some waters i fancy fishing in the coming weeks and it was certainly time well spent.

pic flowers

till next time i wish you all 

tight lines

Danny