Paul Hardy reveals a bait and tactics combination that will keep the roach coming even when your local water looks out of sorts
FREQUENT rainfall has led to most rivers running high and coloured for a large chunk of this winter season.
Often out of bounds as water levels peak and banks are breached, conditions then slowly improve when the downpours relent.
It takes a good while for the river to return to normal though, with the flow often remaining turbulent and uneven as it gradually fines down.
A lot of anglers wait for perfect conditions before venturing out, especially when floatfishing is at the forefront of their minds.
You won’t find natural water expert Paul Hardy dodging a session in less-than-ideal conditions though, and he’s adamant that by tweaking both your tactics and feeding approach you can still get plenty of bites when faced with such a challenge.
“I’ve fished plenty of venues where the flow is all over the place as the river recovers from a flood, and there are still lots of fish to be caught if you get your presentation spot-on,” explained Paul.
“Roach are a species that will feed well in these conditions, and feeding with a baitdropper is the key to making the most out of your day on the bank.”
‘Locate’ your loosefeed
When you feed a river swim by hand or with a catapult, it can be nigh-on impossible to gauge where the freebies will end up. The fast-flowing water is guaranteed to take it well downstream, probably taking any fish that are sitting nearby with it.
Go down the groundbait route and there is still an element of uncertainty. Depending on the depth and flow, the balls can start to break up as they sink, or land and then roll much further downstream than intended.
Use a baitdropper, however, and it’s much easier to work out where your carpet of free bait has settled.
“A dropper doesn’t open until it gets to the deck, giving you a far greater degree of confidence in your loosefeed placement,” said Paul, who packs a range of offerings into the device, including hemp and chopped worms – both quite heavy baits that won’t trundle too far from where they land.
A few maggots and casters are added to boost the visual appeal of the feed in what could be quite coloured water, and three or four droppers of the mix are deposited directly in front of the peg at the start of the session, with bites often coming from that spot and a few metres downstream of it.
“It’s inevitable that some of bait wil
