River fish

A river is not fished like still water. Current delivers the food, and fish hold where it slows without dying away entirely: behind a boulder, under a low branch, in the eddy beside a bridge pier, along the drop-off where the bed falls away. These lies are often a few square metres wide, and two metres either side is enough to miss them completely.

The seasons move them. Spring high water pushes fish towards the margins and backwaters, where the current is bearable and food collects. Summer low water concentrates them in the deep pools and under trees, active in the cool hours at either end of the day. Autumn opens the best window of the year for most species, feeding hard before winter.

Water colour tells you a great deal before you tackle up. Water that stains after rain brings fish closer to the bank and forgives heavier line; the clear water of a summer low demands distance, fine leaders and a careful approach.