Dave Harrell Angling

DH21 and DH22 - perfect pole floats for the days when delicate presentation is required…

I see Hereford DAA and Kidderminster AA have closed their respective waters on the Wye and Severn and it wouldn’t surprise me to see other clubs and associations doing the same. River levels are dangerously low and the temperatures are extreme.
Yet more good examples of clubs managing their own waters, which shouldn’t have been closed in March and April.
Note to the Environment Agency and our government…LET CLUBS AND ASSOCIATIONS MANAGE THEIR OWN WATERS. The people in charge know their waters much better than you and can make the right decisions at exactly the right time!

SHALLOW RIVER SPECIALS!
We’ve got them covered!

The Avon at Stratford will always hold a special place in my heart. It was one of the first open match venues I fished regularly and has always been well run.
Now, the association has a website and online systems to make fishing there even easier to do. Well worth joining if you are in the area or visiting the region.

BAG ON THE SPECI WAGG!
Try my favourite shallow water waggler rigs and put more chub and barbel in your net…

The first couple of months of a new river season will always see me taking in a few chub and barbel sessions on shallow river stretches where there is plenty of pace and oxygenated water.
Most anglers who fish these sorts of swims tend to go for static baits, fished in conjunction with a swimfeeder or straight lead. This can be a good approach if the river is carrying colour but on the days the river is running clear, there’s a much better way to catch a big weight.
I first developed Speci Wagglers 25 years ago and have since developed the style, which now involves the use of three different float patterns. They all have a very important part to play in my river approaches over the course of a river season. The key factor to the correct float selection is depth and pace so this week we’re looking at how you should use them.

No1 SPECI WAGGLER
This float is available in sizes from 2AAA up to 6AAA. It’s constructed from carefully graded balsa that is a bit thicker than the thickest peacock quill. It’s more buoyant than peacock and it’s perfect for swift flowing, smooth water swims where you might want to trip your hookbait along the riverbed as well as off bottom.
For this pattern I normally use 4lb or 5lb Pro Match main lines and 0.12mm (4.2lb) or 0.14mm (5.3lb) Pro Rig hooklengths tied to size 18, 16 or 14 medium wire hooks.
Most of the shot capacity is used to lock the float onto the line and then I position a No8 shot down the line for every 2ft of depth. A typical 6ft deep swim would therefore only require three No8s with the bottom one being positioned around 1ft from the hook.

No2 SPECI WAGGLER
This pattern is available in sizes from 2AAA to 6AAA and as you can see from the picture, it’s the next step up from the No1 model in terms of thickness and comes into it’s own in faster water where you want more buoyancy.
For this one, I use 5lb or 6lb Pro Match main lines and 0.14mm (5.3lb) or 0.16mm (6.4lb) Pro Rig hooklengths tied to strong size 16 or 14 hooks.

No3 SPECI WAGGLER
This is the thickest of the Speci Waggler family and is available in sizes from 2SSG to 6SSG. I use this one in very fast, boily water and it’s not uncommon to run it between 20 and 40 yards down the river.
Main lines for this float are 7lb or 8lb Pro Match, used in conjunction with 0.18mm (7.0lb) or 0.20mm (8.4lb) Pro Rig hooklengths tied to strong size 12 or 10 hooks.

RODS AND REELS
The best rods for this style of fishing, in my opinion are Daiwa RS 13PF and 14PF power models. I use these in conjunction with TDR 3012 reels and lines as already stated.

CASTING AND CONTROL
Always cast downstream before running the float through the swim. If you’re face on to the river, imagine a clock face and cast to a 2 o’clock position on the clock face. This will ensure that the line is at the right angle to start with and easy to mend to stop any drag pulling the float which affects presentation. I can’t stress enough how important a naturally floating line is for this. Pro Match is best line I’ve ever used for this and is really easy to control.

BAIT AND FEEDING
My bait bag for these early season swims would contain two or three pints of casters, the same of h**p and the same of maggots. I would also have a selection of 4mm and 6mm Bait-Tech Carp Pellets with me. Over the course of a five hour competition I would normally feed all baits, little and often to start with, increasing the feed amount if fish were responding well.
Try different feed routines. A good starting routine would be to feed first then cast, feed again half way down the run and then again at the end of the run.
Experiment with measures until you’re getting bites on a regular basis but be prepared to wait a while until the fish find and switch on to the bait trail.
Hookbait is two to five maggots or a banded 8mm carp pellet.

SPECI WAGGLER TOP TIPS
1. Always use a float that is big enough to easily get the distance.
2. Always use a top quality floating line.
3. Make sure you have spare catapults or spare elastics, in case of breakages.
4. Always cast downstream.
5. Try different feed routines.
6. If you’re struggling to see the float in fast water, put a bigger one on and leave it undershotted.

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT
DH20
SIZES: 0.3g, 0.4g, 0.5g, 0.6g
This range of very short floats has been designed for use with whips in shallow water or for shallow fishing in deep water.
The body of this pattern is very similar to the DH19 but these are much shorter floats. The short 1.5mm plastic bristle is easy to see in pacy water and it’s a great float for catching fast biting fish like dace, roach and bleak.

BRISTLE DIAMETERS
All 1.5mm plastic

LAUNCH THE MISSILE!
All sizes in stock from 3g to 10g with a choice of yellow or orange tops.

Big well done to John Harper who used one of our 5AAA No1 Truncheon wagglers to win the Coors AC open at Burton yesterday.
John’s weight comprised a real mix of species, including several small barbel, chub, roach, dace and perch!
Truncheon wagglers are perfect for pacey swims when you’re targeting decent quality fish and range in sizes from 2AAA to 6AAA.

NO HOPE PEG WAS HOPELESS!
I suspected the second round of the River Trent Float Only Championship was probably going to be my ‘dropper’ after drawing peg 7 on the Roadside.
It’s a horrible swim with no flow at all until you get a long way out. Add a load of w**d which took me ages to reduce and tree branches to the right which stopped me being able to strike properly. All in all, a no hoper and my 5lb return gave me just 16 points out of 50.
Hopefully I’ll have a better day on the next round at Shardlow!
Shaun Smart heads the league with 97 points from a possible 100. Great start!