Ed’s note: This is the second in a series of four posts from our resident river rover,  Jimmy Sallis. Predominantly a river angler Jimmy does occasionally dip into stillwaters too.  You can also find him on twitter as @jimmysallis and facebook, and he’ll be here on weekly basis sharing his bankside exploits. Catch up with his other posts here.

 What’s underneath the surface?

Where are the fish located?

Roving can answer these questions, and to me it is probably the biggest benefit in taking the time out to do it. The closed season is a fantastic opportunity to not only whet your appetite for June the 16th but also to obtain a valuable understanding of the river and its surroundings.

River-beds, banks and surrounding vegetation change on a day-to-day basis. For example, heavy rainfall will cause flooding and, in turn, change the shape and flow of the river, meaning that a tight, deep bend in the river one day, can open up into a swirling shallow bay with the erosion of the bank the next, triggering the held-up fish to move swims. Over-hanging branches and shrubbery are fantastic havens for resident fish, but when the river is up they can be devilish snags that, if not spotted on a precious roving session, could end the fight between you and a wise fish.

If weed beds and gravel patches can be located when the water is clear you can keep a mental picture or even a sketched picture of these features, which will help you no end when there is colour on the water. You do not want to be turning up for a day-long session and casting blind into a weed bed when there is a gravel patch two feet to the right where the Barbel and Chub you are targeting are likely to be feeding. Even spotting local food sources, i.e. blackberry & elderberry bushes can give you that edge. Fish, especially the opportunist chub, will sit under these bushes gulping up falling fruit and insects.

Jimmy

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