Winter - Lake District slider float fishing afloat for Roach
Venue: Esthwaite Water
( 2 miles in length ), fishing in depths of water from 20 to 30 foot.
Target Species: Roach, odd Perch & Roach / Bream Hybrid.
Technique: Slider Float fishing.
Bait: Red maggot grubs and brown bread crumb groundbait.
This was my first launch of 2014; although the conditions were far from perfect with high water levels in all of the Lake District venues I was looking forward to the challenge of trying to locate schools of Roach and tempting them to feed. Esthwaite Water was my preferred venue due to its smaller size and ability to provide sheltered fishing grounds in and around its many bays / headlands. The Brown trout fishery opens its doors to general coarse fishing from October through to mid March. This enables anglers to use maggot grub baits and bread crumb groundbait in pursuit of its huge Roach shoals along with feisty Roach / Bream Hybrids. My previous visit back in November 2013 produced some of the finest Roach fishing I have ever experienced; resulting in over 36 x Roach between 26cm & 32cm during a five hour, slider float kayak angling session. I was under no illusions about the prospects of this particular January fishing session. The water level at Esthwaite has risen by a few feet and the water temperature dropped considerably since November. Therefore it would be a case of going back to the drawing board to establish how much feed the fish would want and in what depth of water they would be lying.
Venue: Esthwaite Water
( 2 miles in length ), fishing in depths of water from 20 to 30 foot.
Target Species: Roach, odd Perch & Roach / Bream Hybrid.
Technique: Slider Float fishing.
Bait: Red maggot grubs and brown bread crumb groundbait.
This was my first launch of 2014; although the conditions were far from perfect with high water levels in all of the Lake District venues I was looking forward to the challenge of trying to locate schools of Roach and tempting them to feed. Esthwaite Water was my preferred venue due to its smaller size and ability to provide sheltered fishing grounds in and around its many bays / headlands. The Brown trout fishery opens its doors to general coarse fishing from October through to mid March. This enables anglers to use maggot grub baits and bread crumb groundbait in pursuit of its huge Roach shoals along with feisty Roach / Bream Hybrids. My previous visit back in November 2013 produced some of the finest Roach fishing I have ever experienced; resulting in over 36 x Roach between 26cm & 32cm during a five hour, slider float kayak angling session. I was under no illusions about the prospects of this particular January fishing session. The water level at Esthwaite has risen by a few feet and the water temperature dropped considerably since November. Therefore it would be a case of going back to the drawing board to establish how much feed the fish would want and in what depth of water they would be lying.
The Roach shoals were very difficult to locate with a fish finder. I've learnt from previous experiences that this indicates the fish were lying very close to the bottom thus explaining their seemingly invisible qualities whilst using an entry level (£160) fish finder. I was however able to locate small pockets of fish in varying depths from twenty to over thirty foot of water.
Eventually I settled on a swim where a few small fish clusters were located in approximately twenty to twenty four foot of water. It was now time to make that tricky decision on the quantity of the initial bread crumb groundbait to be introduced at the start of the session. Too much and it would totally ruin my chances of catching fish; too little and it may not attract or hold for any length of time Esthwaite's large Roach shoals!
Another consideration at this time of year are the water temperatures. In large, deep lakes; water tempersture tends to be quite stable but are at their lowest during January, February & March. This generally makes fish much more lethargic and less willing to feed on such venues during this period. An angler therefore needs to try and work out the best feeding pattern to stimulate the lethargic fish to feed. Try observing Koi Carp in a garden pond during the Winter. Feed them a big handful of food pellets and they usually just ignore them. Alternatively throw a very small amount of feed pellets on a regular basis and the fish normally start to show an interest in feeding. Unfortunately it becomes a lot more complicated when trying to catch wild fish on deep natural lakes but the principle remains the same :).
Eventually I settled on a swim where a few small fish clusters were located in approximately twenty to twenty four foot of water. It was now time to make that tricky decision on the quantity of the initial bread crumb groundbait to be introduced at the start of the session. Too much and it would totally ruin my chances of catching fish; too little and it may not attract or hold for any length of time Esthwaite's large Roach shoals!
Another consideration at this time of year are the water temperatures. In large, deep lakes; water tempersture tends to be quite stable but are at their lowest during January, February & March. This generally makes fish much more lethargic and less willing to feed on such venues during this period. An angler therefore needs to try and work out the best feeding pattern to stimulate the lethargic fish to feed. Try observing Koi Carp in a garden pond during the Winter. Feed them a big handful of food pellets and they usually just ignore them. Alternatively throw a very small amount of feed pellets on a regular basis and the fish normally start to show an interest in feeding. Unfortunately it becomes a lot more complicated when trying to catch wild fish on deep natural lakes but the principle remains the same :).
During mid November the fish were much more active moving around in the bottom six foot of the water column. Big shoals of fish were clearly visible on my fish finder and I fed 12 x large tennis ball sized portions of brown bread crumb groundbait laced with plenty of maggot grubs and sweetcorn. This initial consignment of feed worked well holding a huge shoal of Roach whilst also loose feeding 20 to 30 maggot grubs every few minutes. As previously mentioned, I absolutely bagged up during this session, however during this mid January day I might well be on a different planet with regards to fishing conditions. Fortune favours the brave so I decided to gamble on this first swim and feed 6 x tennis ball sized portions of brown bread crumb groundbait laced with a moderate quantity of maggot grubs. My heart said go for it but my head said "You have over fed there my friend".
An hour and half of fruitless fishing without as much as a bite despite trying several different feeding patterns inspired a search for a new swim. I had clearly overfeed this swim and spooked the small pockets of fish that were in the vicinity. The next forty five minutes were spent searching the lake for larger shoals of Roach. I covered water from twenty to forty foot deep over a large area without picking up any large shoals up on the kayaks fish finder. A decision had to be made as I was already two and a half hours into a five hour fishing session and no closer to actually catching a fish. Another small cluster of fish flashed up on the fish finder, very close to the bottom in thirty one foot of water. This shoal was no larger than numerous others that I had passed over by during the day, but I really had to start fishing a new swim. A marker was quickly placed into the water and the kayak anchored up wind in readiness for fishing.
I veered on the side of caution in this second swim; introducing just two tennis ball sized portions of brown bread crumb groundbait with approximately a dozen maggot grubs within each ball. Fifteen minutes came and went without a bite so I decided to loose feed half a dozen maggot grubs every five minutes or so. Thirty minutes later I had a tentative enquiry indicated by a gentle movement on the RF 22 slider float's sensitive fibre glass antenna. As often happens on difficult days like this an angler is usually too enthusiastic ; striking before the bite has fully developed. I was no different and therefore struck too early and missed this first bite.
It's amazing how a previously cold and deflated angler is now suddenly switched on with warm adrenaline pumped blood flowing through his veins. Sure enough it wasn't long before my next bite came; this time I patiently waited for the bite to developed and was rewarded with my first fish of the day . This fin perfect 32cm Roach!
I veered on the side of caution in this second swim; introducing just two tennis ball sized portions of brown bread crumb groundbait with approximately a dozen maggot grubs within each ball. Fifteen minutes came and went without a bite so I decided to loose feed half a dozen maggot grubs every five minutes or so. Thirty minutes later I had a tentative enquiry indicated by a gentle movement on the RF 22 slider float's sensitive fibre glass antenna. As often happens on difficult days like this an angler is usually too enthusiastic ; striking before the bite has fully developed. I was no different and therefore struck too early and missed this first bite.
It's amazing how a previously cold and deflated angler is now suddenly switched on with warm adrenaline pumped blood flowing through his veins. Sure enough it wasn't long before my next bite came; this time I patiently waited for the bite to developed and was rewarded with my first fish of the day . This fin perfect 32cm Roach!
Another long wait before the alterations to the slider float rigs depth paid dividends. I'm the world's most impatient angler; therefore I am constantly trying to visualise how fish might be feeding underneath the water. Quantum's Quattron Low Stretch line performed very well as I regular moved the stop knot upon the mainline; varying maggot grub presentation from just off the bottom to 45cm over depth. Indeed the increase of depth from 30cm to 45cm over depth proved effective as a second slightly smaller 30cm Roach graced my landing net. I made this change to present a more static maggot grub on the lake's bottom; a presentation that I felt better suited the lethargic Roach feeding pattern apparent during this fishing session.
Any thoughts of settling down and catching as few fish gradually cooled with the cold Winter rain showers. Another change in my feeding pattern had to be considered. It was clear that the fish really didn't want to feed; a little bit of a problem for me as I had a high feed content groundbait and loose feeding really didn't seem to be working that well. I used an old trick that I have used many times during hard winter sessions, feeding softer smaller balls of groundbait containing no maggot grubs at all! The theory behind this is to try and trigger the fish into feeding by releasing micro particles of groundbait feed whilst my hookbait is the only maggot grub in the water. A method that usually produces results within thirty minutes but unfortunately has a short shelf life. Would it work for me today and squeeze another reluctant feeding fish from my swim?
A golf ball sized portion of groundbait was fed at ten minute intervals; it was shortly after the third ball that Rizov slider float slowly slid under the water. STRIKE - fish on!
A healthy bend formed in the 2.40 metre Quantum Crypton Shotgun spinning rod I was using. Although boasting a sweet sensitive tip that registers every nod of a fishes head to the angler holding the butt of this rod. In my mind it was not suitable for Roach fishing due to its stiffer action tip. To be fair the rod was designed as a spinning rod for casting lures up to 25 grams and catching feistier fighting fish such as; Large Mouth Bass, Perch, Zander or Pike.
However, now I had connected with a decent fish the rod began to show some of its attributes. I thought it was a fast action rod (bend in the last quarter of the rod) but I was wrong. It may have the crispness of a fast action rod whilst casting and picking up line during striking or terminal tackle control. In addition the Shotgun rod also boasts a more subtle fish playing action whereby the tip bends in the last third providing a comfortable cushion for lunging fish with the satisfaction of additional power through the middle section of the rod.
The fish hooked was lethargic in the cold water and fought doggedly staying close to the bottom thirty foot below. Gradually by increasing the pressure as I lifted the tip of the rod upwards the fish was encouraged to swim, then I was able to recover line by moving the tip back down towards the fish. This action is used to coax a heavy dogged fish to swim towards an angler and by repeating the process line is gained upon a hooked fish. Having eased the fish into mid water it became much more feisty making several lunges that took line from a surprising smooth clutch on the entry level (£28) Quantum Axil 20 spinning reel. The combination of the Quattron Low Stretch Line and responsive Crypton Shotgun rod tip provided a reassuring and enjoyable experience whilst playing this fish. Within minutes it was all over and a very welcome 52cm (3lb 4oz) Roach / Bream Hybrid lay in the safety of my landing net.
Any thoughts of settling down and catching as few fish gradually cooled with the cold Winter rain showers. Another change in my feeding pattern had to be considered. It was clear that the fish really didn't want to feed; a little bit of a problem for me as I had a high feed content groundbait and loose feeding really didn't seem to be working that well. I used an old trick that I have used many times during hard winter sessions, feeding softer smaller balls of groundbait containing no maggot grubs at all! The theory behind this is to try and trigger the fish into feeding by releasing micro particles of groundbait feed whilst my hookbait is the only maggot grub in the water. A method that usually produces results within thirty minutes but unfortunately has a short shelf life. Would it work for me today and squeeze another reluctant feeding fish from my swim?
A golf ball sized portion of groundbait was fed at ten minute intervals; it was shortly after the third ball that Rizov slider float slowly slid under the water. STRIKE - fish on!
A healthy bend formed in the 2.40 metre Quantum Crypton Shotgun spinning rod I was using. Although boasting a sweet sensitive tip that registers every nod of a fishes head to the angler holding the butt of this rod. In my mind it was not suitable for Roach fishing due to its stiffer action tip. To be fair the rod was designed as a spinning rod for casting lures up to 25 grams and catching feistier fighting fish such as; Large Mouth Bass, Perch, Zander or Pike.
However, now I had connected with a decent fish the rod began to show some of its attributes. I thought it was a fast action rod (bend in the last quarter of the rod) but I was wrong. It may have the crispness of a fast action rod whilst casting and picking up line during striking or terminal tackle control. In addition the Shotgun rod also boasts a more subtle fish playing action whereby the tip bends in the last third providing a comfortable cushion for lunging fish with the satisfaction of additional power through the middle section of the rod.
The fish hooked was lethargic in the cold water and fought doggedly staying close to the bottom thirty foot below. Gradually by increasing the pressure as I lifted the tip of the rod upwards the fish was encouraged to swim, then I was able to recover line by moving the tip back down towards the fish. This action is used to coax a heavy dogged fish to swim towards an angler and by repeating the process line is gained upon a hooked fish. Having eased the fish into mid water it became much more feisty making several lunges that took line from a surprising smooth clutch on the entry level (£28) Quantum Axil 20 spinning reel. The combination of the Quattron Low Stretch Line and responsive Crypton Shotgun rod tip provided a reassuring and enjoyable experience whilst playing this fish. Within minutes it was all over and a very welcome 52cm (3lb 4oz) Roach / Bream Hybrid lay in the safety of my landing net.
Although a testing fishing session, via thoughtful feeding and bait presentation I was able to enjoy sport on a cold out of sorts venue in the depths of Winter. I may not go fishing as often in Winter nowadays; becoming softer with old age or maybe wiser depending on your point of view. But nonetheless, a rewarding day afloat can be had if an angler targets prey fish such as Roach. Catching a predators food source and learning the habits of such fish in my mind goes a long way to help understand the possible location / activity of Pike or Zander. During this particular session over a dozen Pike anglers blanked whilst fishing afloat alongside me. Like I've mentioned during this blog; I'm terribly impatient and hate drawing a blank when fishing therefore enjoy fishing for prey fish such as Roach that usually offers plenty of bites = action = catching fish = keeping warm = enjoying angling :). Food for thought maybe!