This is a demo store. No orders will be fulfilled.
Toggle Nav
10 Tips for Autumn Coarse Fishing
Autumn is among us with all the unpredicted rainfalls and temperature drops. Cooler waters require stealthier tactics and adapting your approach and tackle to best suit autumnal coarse fishing. If you are new to angling or are considering autumn fishing, we, here at Angling Direct are sharing some tips to improve your catch rate.
What is Coarse Fishing?
Coarse fish are any freshwater fish (excluding trout, salmon and predators such as pike or perch). These can be caught using a rod and reel, using a float for surface fishing and feeder tactics. They can also be caught on a pole, a tradition of match fishing.
1) Preparation for Coarse fishing in Autumn
With the leaves falling, clocks going back and the colder climate, fish start to slow their feeding habits. The clarity of the water improves, and the cooler water temperature means that fish feed for shorter periods of time and are far less likely to pick up ever anglers’ bait.
With these seasonal changes in mind, it is likely you will need to adapt your methods and tactics until you find out what is best for the venue you are fishing. For all autumn sessions, the window of productive fishing hours is less due to a drop in fish feeding activity. So, make sure for every session you plan, even those short after-work sessions, that you have got all your fishing gear organised and ready to go.
Whether you're heading out in search of some stunning barbel, or you're hoping a couple of feisty carp will show up and bite, remember you can stock up on all your coarse and match fishing essentials at your local Angling Direct store or have it sent to your door by using Angling Direct online. We have got everything you need to get your autumn session off to a strong start, whilst ensuring any fish you catch are returned in prime condition to challenge anglers all season long.
2) Researching your Location and Watercraft
At this time of year, fish start to group up a lot more so make sure you find the best spot at your venue where you can target your ideal fish. When fishing on a river, the flowing water and anywhere with pressure is a good place to monitor for fish when it is time for them to feed. These locations at a venue can produce a nice net of roach or even a few big chub and barbel if you get your timing right!
We also recommend trying to fish in deeper waters. With clearer waters, fish will rarely be spotted in the shallow end of a venue and commercials are a great place to target for species such as roach, rudd, perch, hybrids, silverfish and skimmers but remember standard tactics may not get them to your net in autumn.
3) Scale down your Fishing Line
In the autumn, coarse anglers find it helpful to drop back to lighter fishing lines as they receive more bites in the colder, clearer waters. This can be as drastic as going from 8lbs hooklengths in the summer to 4lbs in the autumn and winter months. For further improvement, consider switching to fluorocarbon lines which have the same refractive index as water, so it bends light like a liquid. This means that it vanishes in the water, making it practically undetectable and it is the preferred choice for anglers fishing in clear waters.
4) Try Smaller Fishing Hooks in Autumn
As previously mentioned, in autumn, the water starts to clear and in general, the fish do not fight as hard so they can preserve their energy for longer. Calmer fish and clearer waters means that big hooks are overkill so consider swapping them out for a smaller size. A smaller fishing hook is also more discreet and therefore suspicious feeders are more likely to pick up your chosen coarse bait.
Try dropping to a hook sized 14, 16,18 or 20 as well as testing out a finer gauge hook. This will offer a better presentation and will be much lighter.
5) Autumn Bait Choices for Coarse Fishing
Just because the temperatures are dropping, do not neglect your live bait choices such as maggots and worms. Mixing your live bait with some ground bait will also go down well in clear waters. Maggots will attract most species in near enough all conditions so get a pint of reds and whites before heading to the bank.
With your groundbait choice, take some time to consider what will work best in the waters you are fishing. Some coarse anglers find it best to stick t darker groundbait mixes due to the cold clear water. This gives fish a bit more confidence to take your bait.
When it comes to using pellets, you will not need too many due to the cooler conditions. A small pole cup with 3 or 5 pellets should get fish interested in your swim. Remember to select pellets high in nutrition to make it worth the fish’s time and energy. At this time of year, fish are looking for softer baits that are easier to consume and are often avoided by smaller, nuisance fish. With this in mind, test out expander pellets.
6) Autumn Baiting Tactics
Once you have your choice of bait sorted, you need to focus on how much food you are giving out to the fish. Try to feed little, small amounts and often, especially when fishing for coarse carp, tench and bream. Autumn is also a great time to try for specimen roach, chub or barbel on the river but you still need to cut down on your feed if you have any hope of hooking them.
Opting for a smaller pellet feeder can be devasting at this time of year. Just a pinch of pellets will certainly intrigue a carp but won’t fill it up too fast. If you want advice on tying a feeder rig, check out the video below!
7) Choosing the Best Tackle for Autumn Coarse Fishing
When it comes to sorting out your tackle choices for coarse fishing in the autumn, make sure to consider the changes the season brings such as less natural light. For float fishing tactics, it can be a struggle to identify your float this time of year, especially with bankside foliage and a low sun. To avoid missing about bite indications, pick out a bright hollow tip with a smaller float tip so those tiny nibbles are more noticeable.
The best type of pole float to use is a light capacity, slim design with a sensitive tip and wire stem. The wire stem is important because it automatically lifts the float up after it lands in the water, helping to highlight on-the-drop bites.
When it comes to selecting your pole elastics, you may want to drop down a couple of grades to a 6 -8 solid or 6 – 10 hollow for a softer elastic. With the colder temperatures, the fish are slowing right down, especially when fishing for F1s and skimmers.
For coarse roach fishing, select a stick float. Roach do not tend to get caught on the bottom and instead you can catch these fish anywhere from mid-depth to the surface, even in very deep areas. For this, you might need a longer rod such as a 14ft or 15ft rod.
8) Consider Short Session Success
For autumn, you may want to consider only going to the bankside for a couple of hours at a time. A short session timed correctly can get you some great catches. Try for an after-work session when the sun is starting to set, warming the water and therefore encouraging some feeding. To make the most of short session angling, read our guide on the AD blog.
9) Clothing Choices for Autumn Fishing
Its autumn, so all anglers have got to try to stay warm and comfortable. You cannot give fishing your all if you are wet, cold and uncomfortable. It will certainly ruin your mood. Autumn temperatures can dip and rise so make sure to layer up your clothes, this way if you get too warm you can take a layer off.
Try with a base layer of a long sleeve or t-shirt before putting on a cosy hoody and then get yourself a waterproof or showerproof jacket to finish off your fishing outfits. Trouser wise, opt for some warm, comfortable joggers or combats that give you the flexibility when crouching for your rod or net.
After wrapping up warm, remember to pack a good pair of polarised glasses to help your battle against the awkward sunlight.
10) Persistence and Coarse Fishing
With autumnal fishing, persisted and patience shall get you results. With coarse fishing, you may want to speed things up by pre-baiting leading up to your session. It is also wise to give a pinch of groundbait and a few maggots after each fish to keep interest in your swim. You can also try switching between your left and right-hand swims.
Once you get into a rhythm or hooking a fish and then giving a few freebies, swap out your lines and repeat. Constantly adapting your tactics will help trick fish to bite as the water and fish has less time to settle. Be prepared to move to a different peg also if things go quiet so in autumn keep as mobile as possible.
We hope you found these coarse fishing tips for autumn helpful. If you need more tips and advice, check out the AD blog or for video tutorials on ADTV. Follow our social media for updates.
