A WAY WITH WATERCRAFT

Introduction

The most important thing no matter which venue you choose to fish is always location, good watercraft skills are usually built up over a period of time as you gain knowledge on how fish feed and where they will be in certain conditions.  I think one big thing to remember is that no matter how good your rigs and baits are if they are in the wrong place they simply wont catch anything. Once you have learnt the basics of watercraft It's always important to remember that each venue whether river or lake has its own rules, like a code that you have to unlock by spending time on the water finding out there feeding patterns and where the fish are in different situations. I like to think of a lake as if its a board game where the rules are changing continuously and you have to keep adapting to these slight changes in order to get the best out of your fishing.

Rivers

Small rivers

The obvious places to find fish on small rivers is large snags and overhanging trees, all snags from sunken trees to reed beds and lily pads will be great places to hold fish. Another good area to find fish on small rivers is a 'crease' a crease is where to faster flowing water meets the slack water, these are usually caused by large obstructions in a river or on a bend where the water will usually hit the bank and flow around one side of the water then pushing the water on the opposite side back on itself and the crease between the two is where food particles will be forced to by the water, one thing to remember when fishing here is that branches and other materials will also be trapped here so they can often be snaggy spots.
The biggest fish tend to stay in the bottom layers of water where to flow is usually a little slower meaning they don't have to work as hard in the harsh currents and can move into the fast water to feed on passing food items and then quickly return to the depths so a legered bait is always a good place to start when trying to pick out the larger specimens.

Large rivers

when fishing large rivers the same principles still apply as when fishing small rivers but some large rivers lack features and are more like giant flowing canals, in the instance the thing to look for is any sudden changes in depth for example many rivers will have a shelf on either side where to depths shelves of from the shallower margins to the deeper water towards the middle, any deep holes or underwater snags are also a good thing to look for and can be good fish holding areas.

Flooded rivers

Many beginners find it hard to fish on flooded rivers, this is usually because they don't know where to start as a flooded river can be a huge mass of raging water. When rivers are in flood the last place fish want to be is in the center of a ragging current fighting against the water, the fish will usually move into the marginal areas where to water is slower or behind big snags which will slow down the current. If there are tributaries or off cuts leading into the river they are also a great place to try as the water will be much slower therefore easier for the fish to maneuver in, these little tributaries often throw up huge surprises and if present they're a must when picking your chosen spot.

Lakes

When tackling lakes the first thing to look for is the more obvious visual features which will are deffinatly going to attract fish such as lily pads, reed beds and tree lined banks and islands, these are always going to be a good place to start as they will provide natural food which the fish will feed on throughout the summer months, the other great thing about these features is that they provide shade from the sun on those bright days and they provide a place for the smaller fish to hide from the predators.

Follow the wind

In warm conditions the fish with often follow the wind as the natural bait gets pushed in this  direction, for this reason although it can be uncomfortable I like to fish with with wind in my face.
however in winter or very cold conditions the fish tend to hold off the back of the wind in calmer areas where the water tends to be a little warms.

Temperature

Temperature is also a good thing to beep in mind when tracking down fish. In summer when the weather is warmer the shallower parts of the lake will tend to be the better places to target as the fish bask in the shallowest parts of the lake as in winter I usually look for the deepest parts of a lake as this is usually where the water temperatures are much more stable and this is often where the fish shoal up over the winter.