The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

I mostly use Reflo Powerline in 0.08 or 0.09. I have other older, now unobtainable, lines like Ignesti Special and a FLY line. The important thing is not to use standard 2lb and 3lb reel lines that are 0.13 to 0.16mm.

Most of the elderberries were still green or reddish but a couple of bunches were black.

My elderberry story was failing to grab a bunch on the way to my peg on a match 30 years ago on the Bristol Avon. After 4 hours I'd got about 5lbs of small roach, dace and chublets on waggler and maggot and had been feeding a bit of hemp over the weed close in when I noticed a flash close in and switched to fishing hemp close in. The hemp was not ideal for putting on the hook although despite this I had 10lbs of good roach in that last hour but with those elderberries that I'd spotted as we walked away from the car park I'd have done better. My total of 15lbs was a pound short of winning...

Thanks Mark, funny how these threads evolve and where we started on hooks we’re now discussing elderberry!

Yes, the bunches I saw last night we’re just starting to turn. Ready in a week or so but it’s a small window. I tried last year to preserve a few in the fishing fridge but it wasn’t successful (my prospective bait quickly turned to a t-shirt staining goo!).

I must make the most of it this next month. The river here is almost still in most places but it has meant the roach are congregating in those narrowed areas where there is a little pace. Ideal for hemp, tare, caster, other seeds and...best of all...the elderberry!

I tie my eyed hooks on like Rob and Olly but using a hook tier. Pass the line through the eye first and then make the turns down the shank. Takes 10 seconds to tie on a hook and is rock solid.
Russ

Russ, for me it's spade end hooks for roach especially when using casters, hemp, tares, I doubt if its needed with wheat though I do choose the spade end pattern but a light weight eyed hook should also be OK for wheat. Whenever I get the chance from September roach are top of my list.

It’s spade end all the way for The smaller species - eyed for the larger - regarding baits elderberry etc. It’s fair to say that anything edible entering the water will be investigated - last year I observed Roach, Dace & Chub taking pieces out of well ripened Damsons - I am sure the same will happen all over again this year.

I had a chub last winter under a rosehip bush that I caught on bread but it coughed up chewed up rosehips. yesterday elderberries were more likely to get a bite than the tares though the Thames had some fresh water in it and it wasn't especially warm that morning.

DaceAce wrote: ↑Wed Aug 21, 2019 7:37 pm I had a chub last winter under a rosehip bush that I caught on bread but it coughed up chewed up rosehips. yesterday elderberries were more likely to get a bite than the tares though the Thames had some fresh water in it and it wasn't especially warm that morning.

You’ve surely got to go back this winter with a side-hooked rosehip?

Tengisgol wrote: ↑Wed Aug 21, 2019 8:02 pm

DaceAce wrote: ↑Wed Aug 21, 2019 7:37 pm I had a chub last winter under a rosehip bush that I caught on bread but it coughed up chewed up rosehips. yesterday elderberries were more likely to get a bite than the tares though the Thames had some fresh water in it and it wasn't especially warm that morning.

You’ve surely got to go back this winter with a side-hooked rosehip?

I did try a rosehip that day but bread was best. Martin Hooper writes in his specimen hunting book of casting a sea lead on very heavy gear into an elder bush to shake a few berries loose to feed the swim. I must look out for an elderberry bush locally if I get a chance to get out hemp and tare fishing in the next month. This past few days I've had to transfer to a new computer and the local Dorset traffic has been the worst ever so I've stayed at home.

For reasons best left unexplained, I lost touch with this thread, so this is a very belated thank you to everyone who contributed. Clearly I haven't experimented enough with seed baits, so I will be tying some more spade ends this spring. Lots of useful tips, as always.