Another brilliant video. I've been fishing this river for over 50 years now but it wasn't always a dace water. Back in the late 60s, early 70s, the Forth was a noted venue for specimen roach and bumper match weights. Dace are not indigenous to this area of Scotland and were introduced by coarse anglers around 1973. Unfortunately, once they became established they reproduced so successfully that the roach eventually migrated further upstream and are now seldom caught in the area featured in the video. James' 20lb bag is a good average weight for the stretch he fished, despite the bright,sunny conditions and clear water but bags exceeding 50lb are regularly taken especially after a spate and under cloudy skies.
Would love to see more coarse fishing videos in Scotland , it's a really under utilised resource with some monster roach, perch and chub in natural waters like Lomond or the river endrick.
Excellent video. This is my local water and was once, as Bryan Hewitt will confirm, a mecca for big bags of roach. Sadly, that's no longer the case. There's some great coarse fishing nearby though, James, which the lads in Angling Active are aware of. Hope you make it back up here sometime and all the best when the season opens down south.
I am absolutely delighted ! Another fantastic video! Beautiful, cozy river and magnificent dace. I'm gonna save this movie, because it's a masterpiece. More of these videos , please!
The upper reaches of the Forth about 8 miles from where you were has some monster roach and dace. I’ve seen a few dace about 1lb and roach to about 3lb from the Forth. Some cracking pike fishing to be had as well.
What a lovely video James. Great shots by Ian of the fish twisting in the water. No wonder pike can be a problem some days that flashing must drive them mad! Just a shame that more people don’t fish like that so often these days. Tight Lines
Wouldn't be great if South of the border didn't have a closed season? I'm up for giving any fishery a rest to allow fish to spawn, but I feel this should apply to all water activities not just fishing, if you can use your boat on the river 12 months a year, why can't you fish for the same period? Other activities will disturb breeding fish, granted not in the same way, but disturb them they will. Any closed period should be determined by the fishery owner and or the fishery management, if they feel it necessary. Sorry, a bit of a rant! I don't wish to start a debate and apologies if my views are not shared by others. Great video and great net of Dace. You've done a couple of videos in Scotland and the venues look wonderful. A couple more weeks for us southerners to wait, then back on the rivers.
If or when you come back up then try the Auld Forth above the confluence of the Forth/Teith rivers if the main river is in spate. There is a very good chance of a British record from there , concentrate on the margins.
Really great fishing James and a lovely bag of dace. Roll on the 16th... One quick question; is there a time when you'd use lead wire and float stops on the float as opposed to shot on the line ?
Hi! Yes can't wait for the 16th as well! I do use loaded floats when fishing on lakes and deeper rivers. On shallower rivers like this peg on the Clyde, I prefer using unloaded floats as they don't dive as deep on the cast and when mending the line. Cheers James
James. I'm a big fan, and we have spoken before. Question: How do you get those no 8 shot on the line, and how to get them to stay on? I have big hands and find anything below a size 8 I lose dozens in just trying to get just one on? Any help please?
You might benefit from using Stotz instead. You can buy little pincers to pick them up and apply them to the line, similar to to the French Styl leads.
Am I correct in thinking that no permit is required for coarse fishing on the Forth? Been meaning to give it bash for ages & your video has inspired me to make a trip there soon. Fantastic bag of dace!
Hi! Confirm we didn't need a permit to coarse fish on this stretch of the river. Suggest you check with the local clubs / associations if you want to fish a different stretch. Also Angling Active tackle shop should be able to help. Cheers James
A permit is certainly required for coarse fishing on the river Forth; check out the credits at the end of the video or alternatively, if you are locally based, speak to the tackle shop in Stirling.
bryan hewitt thanks for clarifying Bryan. We heard mixed messages from locals we spoke to, ultimately the shop is the best reference locally for official info. Chappy
Cheers Ian; Potential visitors should also be aware that bailiffs randomly patrol this stretch of the Forth. Fortunately,one of the guys is English and has a good understanding of the techniques employed by the genuine coarse angler. They are more concerned with the activities of the more unscrupulous characters ( of which there are quite a few) who use crude coarse fishing tactics to target migratory fish so heavy rods,strong lines, large hooks and lobworms would be subject to particular scrutiny with the perpetrator subject to removal from the river; and the ultimate possibility of legal charges being applied. Anglers wishing to target Dace on week-days should fish from the bank featured in the video (right hand downstream bank); the flow characteristics in this section of the Forth dictate that the salmon and sea trout favour the opposite bank runs and occupying a peg or fishing position is against the rules - again failure to observe could result in the unaware coarse angler being removed from the river. Safest bet is to fish this stretch on a Sunday when fishing for migratory species is not allowed and consequently there are no salmon anglers present.
Tidal stretches of rivers in Scotland are classed as public water and are free fishing for coarse fish and trout (within the national season). Salmon and sea trout need a permit though. According to the Scot gov website the upper tidal limit is at the m9 bridge so from there down no permit is necessary no matter what the folk there may say. And being public the salmon anglers don’t take precedent I’m a fisheries officer for another Scottish river and can confirm the truth of what I just stated. 👍
Hi Robert, my personal view is the river closed season is outdated and should be abolished. I see no difference catching coarse fish between March and June on canals, lakes or rivers. Clubs, owners and anglers can decide when and if they close waters during the spawning period. Cheers James
BUSHCRAPPING there are countless venues in scotland to coarse fish there are only a handfull of comercial course fisheries but believe me the natural loch and river venues are awesome and i should know i fish them
Cheers Ian; potential visitors should be aware that this section of the Forth is subject to random visits by bailiffs; fortunately, one of the guys is English and has a good understanding of the methods employed by competent coarse anglers. Their obvious concern in that the unscrupulous characters ( and there are a few) who would use crude coarse fishing tactics as an excuse to catch migratory fish, hence heavy tackle, big hooks and large worms would be frowned upon and anyone caught using such methods would be removed from the river and could actually be liable to prosecution. I should also be noted that midweek anglers in pursuit of dace should fish on the bank featured in your video ( right hand downstream bank). The flow patterns on this section of the river determine that the opposite bank favours the salmon and sea trout and as such anglers are not allowed to commandeer any one particular swim.
bryan hewitt if they have a permit it doesnt matter what bait or mono BS they use there are no rules stating hook size etc your poinr is nonsense just be glad permits are purchased tbats a major problem anglers with no permit
Calm down; I was merely illustrating a point that tackle and methods employed by coarse anglers are liable to scrutiny by the bailiffs. In any case I doubt that the more unscrupulous types would bother buying permits.
bryan hewitt im perfectly calm you have just pointed out exactly the point i was making who cares if they use worms not maggot etc or if they have heavy mainline etc and they are trying to be fly and fish for game species the point is the bailiffs main priority is making sure anglers are buying permits for the water simple as i fish this area of scotland regularly and the problem of illegal angling is HUGE
Another brilliant video. I've been fishing this river for over 50 years now but it wasn't always a dace water. Back in the late 60s, early 70s, the Forth was a noted venue for specimen roach and bumper match weights. Dace are not indigenous to this area of Scotland and were introduced by coarse anglers around 1973. Unfortunately, once they became established they reproduced so successfully that the roach eventually migrated further upstream and are now seldom caught in the area featured in the video.
James' 20lb bag is a good average weight for the stretch he fished, despite the bright,sunny conditions and clear water but bags exceeding 50lb are regularly taken especially after a spate and under cloudy skies.
bryan hewitt cheers Mate... Chappy
Would love to see more coarse fishing videos in Scotland , it's a really under utilised resource with some monster roach, perch and chub in natural waters like Lomond or the river endrick.
grant1133 drop us a private message on Facebook to tell us more plz
Fantastic net of Dace James... I would love a go on that river!
Excellent video. This is my local water and was once, as Bryan Hewitt will confirm, a mecca for big bags of roach. Sadly, that's no longer the case. There's some great coarse fishing nearby though, James, which the lads in Angling Active are aware of. Hope you make it back up here sometime and all the best when the season opens down south.
28:39 minutes of happiness) dace - lovely fish) like a roach but modest )
Excellent video once again James. Great Dace fishing, there's nothing better
I am absolutely delighted
! Another fantastic video! Beautiful, cozy river
and magnificent dace. I'm gonna save this movie, because it's a masterpiece.
More of these videos
, please!
The upper reaches of the Forth about 8 miles from where you were has some monster roach and dace. I’ve seen a few dace about 1lb and roach to about 3lb from the Forth. Some cracking pike fishing to be had as well.
Great video. Some excellent tips. I'll be using those next time I'm on the river.
Brilliant and very informative video James. A pleasure to watch as always.
What a lovely video James. Great shots by Ian of the fish twisting in the water. No wonder pike can be a problem some days that flashing must drive them mad! Just a shame that more people don’t fish like that so often these days. Tight Lines
Great video! What a wonderful venue!
Great video, what a cracking bag of dace brilliant
James Robbins thanks for watching! You are my favorite angler
Wouldn't be great if South of the border didn't have a closed season? I'm up for giving any fishery a rest to allow fish to spawn, but I feel this should apply to all water activities not just fishing, if you can use your boat on the river 12 months a year, why can't you fish for the same period? Other activities will disturb breeding fish, granted not in the same way, but disturb them they will. Any closed period should be determined by the fishery owner and or the fishery management, if they feel it necessary. Sorry, a bit of a rant! I don't wish to start a debate and apologies if my views are not shared by others. Great video and great net of Dace. You've done a couple of videos in Scotland and the venues look wonderful. A couple more weeks for us southerners to wait, then back on the rivers.
If or when you come back up then try the Auld Forth above the confluence of the Forth/Teith rivers if the main river is in spate. There is a very good chance of a British record from there , concentrate on the margins.
good info thanks.
Great vid, what’s the day ticket situation thanks
As clear as it can be!
Really great fishing James and a lovely bag of dace. Roll on the 16th... One quick question; is there a time when you'd use lead wire and float stops on the float as opposed to shot on the line ?
Hi! Yes can't wait for the 16th as well! I do use loaded floats when fishing on lakes and deeper rivers. On shallower rivers like this peg on the Clyde, I prefer using unloaded floats as they don't dive as deep on the cast and when mending the line. Cheers James
Thanks for the explanation James, Cheers Paul
James.
I'm a big fan, and we have spoken before. Question: How do you get those no 8 shot on the line, and how to get them to stay on? I have big hands and find anything below a size 8 I lose dozens in just trying to get just one on? Any help please?
You might benefit from using Stotz instead. You can buy little pincers to pick them up and apply them to the line, similar to to the French Styl leads.
Am I correct in thinking that no permit is required for coarse fishing on the Forth? Been meaning to give it bash for ages & your video has inspired me to make a trip there soon. Fantastic bag of dace!
Hi! Confirm we didn't need a permit to coarse fish on this stretch of the river. Suggest you check with the local clubs / associations if you want to fish a different stretch. Also Angling Active tackle shop should be able to help. Cheers James
A permit is certainly required for coarse fishing on the river Forth; check out the credits at the end of the video or alternatively, if you are locally based, speak to the tackle shop in Stirling.
bryan hewitt thanks for clarifying Bryan. We heard mixed messages from locals we spoke to, ultimately the shop is the best reference locally for official info. Chappy
Cheers Ian; Potential visitors should also be aware that bailiffs randomly patrol this stretch of the Forth. Fortunately,one of the guys is English and has a good understanding of the techniques employed by the genuine coarse angler. They are more concerned with the activities of the more unscrupulous characters ( of which there are quite a few) who use crude coarse fishing tactics to target migratory fish so heavy rods,strong lines, large hooks and lobworms would be subject to particular scrutiny with the perpetrator subject to removal from the river; and the ultimate possibility of legal charges being applied.
Anglers wishing to target Dace on week-days should fish from the bank featured in the video (right hand downstream bank); the flow characteristics in this section of the Forth dictate that the salmon and sea trout favour the opposite bank runs and occupying a peg or fishing position is against the rules - again failure to observe could result in the unaware coarse angler being removed from the river. Safest bet is to fish this stretch on a Sunday when fishing for migratory species is not allowed and consequently there are no salmon anglers present.
Tidal stretches of rivers in Scotland are classed as public water and are free fishing for coarse fish and trout (within the national season). Salmon and sea trout need a permit though. According to the Scot gov website the upper tidal limit is at the m9 bridge so from there down no permit is necessary no matter what the folk there may say. And being public the salmon anglers don’t take precedent I’m a fisheries officer for another Scottish river and can confirm the truth of what I just stated. 👍
What are your thoughts on the closed season, James?
Hi Robert, my personal view is the river closed season is outdated and should be abolished. I see no difference catching coarse fish between March and June on canals, lakes or rivers. Clubs, owners and anglers can decide when and if they close waters during the spawning period. Cheers James
any chance you could do a slower motion close up of that figure of 8 lol
i didnt realise scotland had no close season, it cant be so different to norther england surely or sweden where they have tons o coarse fish
BUSHCRAPPING there are countless venues in scotland to coarse fish there are only a handfull of comercial course fisheries but believe me the natural loch and river venues are awesome and i should know i fish them
Cheers Ian; potential visitors should be aware that this section of the Forth is subject to random visits by bailiffs; fortunately, one of the guys is English and has a good understanding of the methods employed by competent coarse anglers. Their obvious concern in that the unscrupulous characters ( and there are a few) who would use crude coarse fishing tactics as an excuse to catch migratory fish, hence heavy tackle, big hooks and large worms would be frowned upon and anyone caught using such methods would be removed from the river and could actually be liable to prosecution.
I should also be noted that midweek anglers in pursuit of dace should fish on the bank featured in your video ( right hand downstream bank). The flow patterns on this section of the river determine that the opposite bank favours the salmon and sea trout and as such anglers are not allowed to commandeer any one particular swim.
bryan hewitt if they have a permit it doesnt matter what bait or mono BS they use there are no rules stating hook size etc your poinr is nonsense just be glad permits are purchased tbats a major problem anglers with no permit
Calm down; I was merely illustrating a point that tackle and methods employed by coarse anglers are liable to scrutiny by the bailiffs. In any case I doubt that the more unscrupulous types would bother buying permits.
bryan hewitt im perfectly calm you have just pointed out exactly the point i was making who cares if they use worms not maggot etc or if they have heavy mainline etc and they are trying to be fly and fish for game species the point is the bailiffs main priority is making sure anglers are buying permits for the water simple as i fish this area of scotland regularly and the problem of illegal angling is HUGE
You never see him put maggots in his catty pouch
Sorry? What do you mean?