Watercraft – Guide to improving your skills

The lost art of watercraft

Watercraft is a term that‘s not often used in these days of hi-tech bait boats with echo sounders, GPS and heaven knows what else. It seems there are so many gadgets available now that do everything from scanning the lake bed to making the tea and while these things are fine if that‘s what you‘re into, I feel they take the fun and the mystique out of what is essentially us becoming in tune with nature. And of course not everyone can afford fancy gizmo‘s that make contact with the nearest space station.

I suspect there are a lot of anglers who not only ignore watercraft, but also have no clear understanding of what it is. These are the many who week in week out arrive on the bank steeped to the gills with the finest tackle and yet still remain firm devotees of the ancient angling philospher Chukitan Chansit. And whilst these anglers may have the occasional red letter day, I would suggest that with a little forethought those good days would become more frequent.

What is watercraft?

But, what is watercraft I hear you cry. To the non angler the term relates to any form of craft that can manouevre through water, boats, yachts, ships etc. To others it means having the ability to manage said boats, understanding rules of navigation for example. But, to the angler, watercraft is an essential art, something well worth studying if that person wishes to get the most satisfaction from their time at the water.

In essence it is developing the ability to think like a fish. But let‘s be clear, that does not mean constantly walking about with your gob open, no, it does not mean that at all.

A handsome 15 pounder caught in the margins

Ready made

The angler of today has access to just about everything he or she desires. Stroll into any tackle shop and you will find everything either ready made or ready mixed. It‘s all done for us and all we have to do is assemble the package, get the baits in the water and we‘re fishing.

However, there is one thing that cannot be bought, no matter how much disposable cash is in our pockets. And this one thing is what makes the difference between a consistent catch rate and regularly blanking. Now, everyone who fishes experiences blank days. I recently blanked whilst fishing the Trent for barbel. For the whole twelve hours the rod tip never moved, except for once when I kicked the butt whilst reaching for my boilies.

After barbel on the Trent.

Blank days are as much a part of fishing as a rod and reel. That, as they say is why it‘s called fishing and not catching. But, we can hugely increase the odds in our favour by adopting a more thoughtful intuitive approach to our time by the water and applying a little watercraft.

We need to try to develop some notion as to how fish may react given the prevailing conditions in the body of water you are fishing. It‘s about having an idea of how fish behave according to the nature of the environment they‘re inhabiting. This behaviour will be subject to variables such as weather, temperature, air pressure, time of year and the type of water one is fishing.

That last paragraph is a bit of a mouthful I know, but, it‘s worth reading again.

Watercraft doesn‘t necessarily begin when arriving on the bank. If you are planning a trip, try to find out as much as you can about the water you intend to fish. Tackle shops are a good place to start, or maybe a visit to the water prior to fishing and pick the brains of local anglers. Another way is to search out your water on internet forums as these can be a mine of information.

Study the habits of the fish you‘re wanting to catch

A simple example; rudd are predominantly surface feeders, whereas barbel and tench prefer their lunch on the bottom. Armed with this basic knowledge I would never attempt to catch barbel using surface tactics, as it wouldn‘t work, (although I have no doubt someone somewhere will claim to have done it).

Approaching the water

The first thing to get right is the way we approach the water. Whilst I don‘t think it is necessary to creep about in full cammo gear like the SAS approaching an enemy target, it is well worth adopting a calm and quiet approach, so avoid slamming car doors and soften your heavy tread.

Quietly does it

Do we really have to bang in bank sticks with a lump hammer? Try pushing them in by hand first. Wear muted clothing and use polarised sunglasses and where possible try to keep below the skyline as a sudden silhouette will startle nearby fish.

Weather

One thing that affects both us and fish is the weather. I personally dislike fishing on bright hot sunny days. In my experience this type of weather is the least productive as the fish are often high up in the water enjoying the warmth from the sun. And yet, given this fact I still see carp anglers reluctant to leave their bivvies, casting out heavy leads and short hooklinks, fishing hard on the bottom even when the carp can be seen on or just below the surface.

Surely this is madness. If you can see where the fish are, why put your bait where they aren‘t? Given the conditions, I would suggest a switch to a more roving approach armed with a controller float and a chunk of floating bread might be more productive.

Wind

Another factor to take into consideration is the wind. Generally speaking fish will follow the wind. As the wind blows across the surface it causes the water beneath to move in the opposite direction. Carp tend to congregate along the margins facing the wind as this is where they are more likely to find food, particularly if the wind is a warm southerly or south westerly. If you‘re not sure which direction is which, I think all mobile phones contain an in built compass, so it shouldn‘t be difficult to sort that out.

A word of caution here. As with all rules there are exceptions and it‘s useful to bear in mind that if the wind is a cold one blowing from the north for instance, instead of following it the fish tend to sit at the tail end where the water is warmer, so, if you want to avoid a teeth chattering blank, on these occasions fish with your back to the wind.

Just one more word on the effects of wind, don‘t share a bivvy with anyone who has had a curry the night before.

Air pressure

Without getting scientific (I couldn‘t even if I wanted to) air pressure has a definite effect on the feeding habits of fish. As mentioned above, bright sunny cloudless skies are my least favourite fishing conditions, as for some reason high pressure equals fewer fish. I‘m not sure if this is a general rule and as I‘m not a biologist I can‘t explain why. Maybe it‘s due to fish feeling less safe in bright conditions as they are more easily seen by predators. Whatever the reason, from my experience high pressure is not good.

Low pressure however, is a different thing altogether. Without doubt my most productive sessions have been on dull warm days with plenty of cloud cover. I remember some years ago watching that wonderful TV series A Passion for Angling and in particular the awesome episode when Bob James caught ten 2lb roach from the Hampshire Avon. If my memory serves, that came about largely due to the prevailing weather conditions of heavy overcast skies and low air pressure, combined with some expert angling from Mr James of course.

Margins

Don‘t ignore the margins. Novice anglers often have the mistaken idea that they have to cast five miles beyond the horizon in order to find fish and although on some waters this may be the case, on the vast majority it is most certainly not. Whether on a lake or a river, provided the swim allows it I like to have at least one rod firmly fished in the nearside margin and there is a good reason for doing this.

Lily pads. Always worth a try.

Easy meal

How many times do you see anglers at the end of a session sling unused bait into the water. Fish soon learn that by patrolling the margins they can often pick up an easy meal particularly as the afternoon rolls into the evening. There is no bigger feature on any water than the margins so ignore them at your peril.

Take time

When you first approach a water, don‘t just plump for the first peg you see. ( I must confess I‘m now of an age where I find the one nearest the car park to be a very attractive proposition.) Spend a little time studying the water. The more you do this the more you begin to notice clues as to fish activity.

Things to look for are

Bubbling. Tiny streams of bubbles randomly breaking the surface are often a sign of feeding fish and can be a great way of locating carp, (including crucian carp) and tench.

Cloudy water

If the water is clear, look for patches of cloudy water, this is usually a dead give away that fish are truffling around on the bottom in search of food.

Rolling

Fish seen rolling obviously tells you where they are and can mean they are on the feed and if bream are your quarry, it‘s always worth casting to a shoal seen rolling on the surface.

Islands

Like the margins, fish will regularly patrol around islands and a bait strategically placed close to will often produce dividends.

Fish love to patrol islands.

Weed beds

Weed beds are always worth exploring, especially lily pads. My confidence levels always go up several notches when my chosen swim holds a bed of lilies and I often sit my float as tight up against them as I can. Lily pads and weed beds in general will always support fish as they are natural larders containing a diverse menu of insect larvae and invertebrates which fish feed on and they also offer cover and a sanctuary from predators. Tench and crucian carp in particular love lily pads. Give me a day fishing against a bed of lilies under an overcast sky and I‘m a happy man.

Unseen

Apart from features we can see, how can we have any idea about what is happening beneath the surface? When faced with a large expanse of seemingly featureless water, how do we decide where to put our bait and what is actually going on on the lake bed? There are a number of things to consider here, especially when fishing at range. How deep is the water and is the bottom weedy, silty or firm?

Markers

The answer is to set up a rod and reel for use as a marker. This is done by threading a free running lead onto the line (I usually use a flatish lead of around 3oz). Then tie a marker float or pike bung to the end of the line. Once this is done cast out the rig the required distance and tighten up the line so that the float is pulled down until firmly anchored on the bottom next to the lead.

Now start to reel in feeling the way the lead responds as it’s pulled along the bottom. If, for example the bottom is silty the initial retrieve will require a heavy pull to get the lead moving clear of the mud. If the bottom is weedy, then again you will feel occasional resistance as the lead comes through the weed.

If, however, the bottom is firm or gravelly then the lead will come towards you more freely as it bounces across the bed unhindered. Do this a few times in different areas and you will soon get an idea of where the clear spots are. Gravel beds are generally good places to target as fish often patrol them in search of food.

Once you have an idea of the layout, finding the depth is straightforward enough. Tighten up your line until the float is tight to the lead, then begin paying out line with your free hand one foot at a time. This can be made easier by marking the rod just above the front of the handle and then making another mark a foot further along. Keep releasing line in one foot sections until the float appears on the surface. If you have paid out line six times between each marker when the float appears then the depth at that point is six feet. Again make a few casts to get an idea of the contours of the bottom.

Knowing what depth is most likely to produce can be a tricky business, but, as a general rule in warmer weather fish tend to congregate more in shallow areas where the water is warmer so on those glorious summer mornings look for spots where the sun hits first and avoid the shadows. Come winter time, deeper swims may be more productive.

Once you are happy you have found a clear bottom at the right depth, leave the float in situ and use it as a marker for which to cast your bait to and as a target for free offerings. Once done, retrieve the whole marker set up and you‘re fishing.

Summary

Developing watercraft is not something that happens overnight. However, it is a skill that is well worth pursuing and will not only catch you more fish, but will enrich your whole angling experience.

So, plan your trip. Prior to actually fishing seek advice from other anglers, tackle shops, internet etc. Check the weather reports and plan accordingly.

When arriving at the water, do so quietly and spend a little time studying your surroundings. Take five and absorb the sights and sounds that nature has to offer. Do this and gradually you will build a mental map that will aid you in your quest. This will not only make you a better angler but will also give a positive boost to your mental well being.

Tight Lines.

Written by Malcolm Parnell
Malcolm Parnell lives in Warwickshire and has been fishing for as long as he can remember. After first wetting a line in small streams catching sticklebacks and bullheads, he then moved on to the roach and gudgeon found in local canals. He now enjoys all aspects of fishing, no small  part of which is the pleasure of seeing wildlife and the thrill of ‘just being there’.