Tackle for river fishing

Fly fishing

When fishing dry flies and nymphs in smaller rivers, you will get by with an 8-9 foot rod for a 5-6 weight floating line. When rivers run low and clear during summer, a 7-8 foot rod for a 3-4 weight floating line will be a better choice.

During spring and autumn when rivers often run high and turbid, your choice should be a 9-10 foot rod for a 7-8 weight sinktip or full sinking line. The sinktip will give you the ultimate line control when mending while the full sinking WF line will get your fly as deep as possible.

The same equipment is also ideal when streamer fishing for larger browns and sea trout. It is also very suitable when summer fishing for salmon and sea trout in smaller to medium sized rivers. Just remember to add at least 100 yds. backing to your fly line.

Top Ten flies for seatrout in rivers

When fishing exclusively for salmon and large sea trout you may do better with a double handed fly rod. The longer rod will give you better control when fishing from grassy and muddy banks.

As an allround rod for the major rivers of East-Jutland a 12-13 foot double hander for an 8-9 weight line is perfect. Add a floating DT line for summer and night fishing plus a sinking WF for fishing early and late in the season when water is high and cold.

Spin fishing

Ultralight spinning can be very effective in smaller rivers - or during summer in the larger ones. Use a light 5-6 foot rod suitable for casting lures up to 1/4 oz. The reel should be the smallest possible fixed spool reel filled with fresh 0.15 mm line. Using such light tackle you will not spook wary fish.

While fishing early and late in the season you should use heavier equipment. For instance a 7-8 foot rod capable of casting lures up to 3/4 oz. This setup will handle smaller salmon as well as average sized sea trout. The fixed spool reel should be filled with absolutely fresh 0.20-0.25 mm line. Double handed rods give better control than single handed models.

Top Ten lures for seatrout in rivers

When fishing exclusively for large sea trout and salmon, you need heavier equipment than that. You need a 9-10 foot double handed rod that is capable of handling lures weighing 3/4-2 oz. And a multiplier reel holding 200 yds. 0.30-0.40 mm line. This will enable you to handle even large salmon in deep water.

Revolving spoons like Mepps dominate the river fishing in East-Jutland - especially so for upstream fishing. Floating wobblers like Rapala are extremely productive when fishing downstream - weighted or unweighted. Spoons like Toby will catch their share of fish too.

Bait fishing

When bait fishing for trout and salmon in running waters, your standard spinning equipment will usually suffice. But longer rods will provide better control and handling and for that reason 10-12 foot rods are often used for salmon and sea trout when fishing worns or shrimp.

When fishing selectively for roach and bream in slow moving stretches of larger rivers, you need the same tackle as recommended for lake fishing. This also goes when fishing for pike, pikeperch and perch.

Worms are the favourite bait with Danish bait fishermen while Powerbait reigns supreme when fishing the Put & Take waters of East-Jutland.

Do bear in mind that rules do not allow the use of more than 0,5 kg ground bait a day per fisherman in County Aarhus.


Guiding:

- Are you planning to visit East-Jutland, and are you uncertain as to how to approach the local fishing?

Then feel free to contact Steen Ulnits, fisheries biologist, 20+ book author, keen fisherman, TV producer, photographer and webmaster of this website, and book him for guiding. You can do this on an hourly or daily basis.

Apart from travelling the Globe and guiding trips to exotic parts of this Earth, Steen Ulnits has been fishing the waters of East Jutland for more than 30 years.

Thus you are in good hands - be it in freshwater or saltwater, flyfishing or spinning, walking, wading or boating!



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