Leaderboard

Thank you guys for the feed back. I will remove that split lead from my line. I wouldn't want to risk killing a fish for no reason. I will also look into getting another rod. Do you guys have any rod suggestions you might recommend? I do prefer a rod in the 7 ft to 9 ft range. I find anything over 9 ft a bit to to big for my liking. Thanks again guys.

Hi Shane. This is generally frowned upon as you could potentially create a "death rig", i.e. if the line breaks above the shot, the fish could be trailing the method feeder and this could cause the fish to snag up and die. Without the shot, the feeder will be free to run off and the fish only has a bit of line to deal with. I've borrowed this image from the ESP website that shows an in-line drop off system. The end of the swivel is plugged into the lead and will drop off with a bit of head shaking. The draw back and that it makes fishing expensive and the environmental impact of dumping fishing tackle troubles me. If you are fishing a snaggy river with a lot of boulders, unfortunately you are going to suffer from the fish using them to escape. Rather than using a method feeder, you could use a lead and wrap the method mix around that or use PVA bags to create a feeding area. Probably the best advice I can offer is to fish above the snags if possible and draw the fish out with feed. In rivers, you can't beat a bait dropper (below) to lay a carpet of bait down.

First catch your crayfish. I usually put some collapsible prawn traps out when I pre bait for several days before fishing (fallen branches in shallow water is favourite location). When I use them in ground bait I just mash them up as they are. For hookbait I use the meat of a freshly killed one. Don't try and use them as livebait. They make a mess of your rig 😀. At all times, check regulations for where you are fishing. The fines in France are quite eye watering if you are caught breaking them. To be honest, these days I much prefer to take them home and cook them. I make a fabulous crayfish bisque. (recipe available if anyone is interested)

I think you'll find they swim on their backs to help keep their nuts dry.....

There not deer or squirrels just the waters got a bait boat ban they’ve got disguises on the boats 🙄

I was just about to go and get my shark equipment to catch Jaws until I realise it was a deer swimming across the lake.