We spend some days in Dömsöd, in the Ráckevei Duna in every year. It is needless to say that, the main focus this year was in the fishing. The weather was bad this time too, the whole week was windy, rainy and cold. First, I tried my favorite light feeder rods, but my true goal was to catch some fishes with float. I was curious, whether I can use the match such bad weather conditions like I had there.

Pretty good rod + pretty good groundbait = pretty good fishing!

Well, sometimes the ambition pays off, if I never try to brake my limits after all, I cant cross over them! So this was me too, when I saw the strong wind, I start to see the lots of tangled line in my mind eye. Yet I started it. The firs major recognition was that if I choose a rod with the right action and choose the proper float, I win the half of the battle. The well balanced tackle will do the job well.

The wind drove the clouds continuously over the landscape.

It is important to peacefully co-exist alongside one another, somebody in the water, others on the coast.

It is not a secret, that casting with a slider needs some time to learn, due to the fine rod handling. The good way if the rod was moved with quite slow, circular motion. Never must be lost this motion for a moment. If the tackle continuously moves, we don’t have tangles, but if we stop for a moment, it is better to check the line if it was twisted on something.

Full featured groundbait with much amount of maggots

Firs time I have a though to shot the maggots, but this was baffled by the crosswinds.

For this time I choose the ET Competition Match rod. I was fishing with the feeder and picker rod of the family several times before. Especially I was happy with them! All the time I put them in my hands, I always amazed by their thinness and strength. No one be fooled by the thin blanc! A bigger fish also can be caught with these rods. Maybe this needs some more time, but the experience will be more stronger too.

Floats to choose, I started to think, which will be used... To be honest, any of them, it is easy tho change with the adapter.

The reel is a good, well proven piece, the ET Power Match in size 40. I loaded 0.18 ET Power Feeder line on the spool. For the hook length I used the 0.12 size ET Competition Leader, it was 12 inch long. I used a size 16 Drennan Fine Maggot hook. I joined the two lines in a small Goldstar swivel, right up to the swivel I put an No. 3 shot for indicator. I put the main lead weight around 14 inches further from the bait indicator. This distance is greater than the float, on this way the bait indicator will not twist around on the float’s stem. This will saves you from a lot of tangles. Put the swivel float attachment to the main line and that's all!

The only leeward place.

What is it, a spider climbs on the line? Oh no! This is my nylon float stopper. I like to keep the threads longer.

First time I wanted to use a 4 SSG float, than ig gave this up after I saw the wind on the coast. Instead of it, I choose the 6 SSG Cralusso UFO. It is easy to change the weights inside the float (removing the stem), easy to tune and flies very well! The stem can be seen good from 25 yards, despite of the waves. To be honest, some intuition was needed to see the takes.

Small swivel, small shots.

The main lead weight of the slider must contain just a small amount of shots, because the too many of it makes more tangles. 4-5 shots are more than enough.

The initial bailing in was set to 25 yards distance, I tried to shot the bombs in the same direction with the same power. I choose a proper landscape feature, now it was a house on the other coast. It looks just a basic thing, but it is important to not choose anything, which can be moved. For example cars, boats, fishing fellows on a pier. Maybe we shot some yards away, but you will feel it because of the less takes.

The first little fish.

Some words about plumbing the depth. It is an important thing! If we leave too much on the river bottom, it will be hard to see the takes, if it is less than the best, the tackle will drift. For fishing in midwater it is also good to know the depth. At this time, the river bottom was full of hydrophytes. I tried to have as less tears, as I can. On this way, I tried to keep the hook above the hydrophytes but not too much, because of the fishes cruising and searching on the river bottom.

Despite of the wind, this is a good catch I think.

Well, they found it. I shot 2-3 bombs after each catch for re-bailing. I ran out from my 3 kilogram groundbait mixture fast, but it was enough for the 3 hours long fishing time. This amount maybe looks too much, but to take the fishes attention on such a great size of water is not an easy thing. Without a good bailing-in, the catches only based on the luck, we ‘guard’ our rods trough all day on the pier without any takes or catches.

My wife took a quick picture with Mr. Roach before I put him back to the water.

Aside from the cold weather and the wind, I had a great fishing and catch some beautiful fish. In the meantime I satisfied that it is easy for fishing with a well tuned tackle in such a bad weather, when others just say: "Floating under these conditions? You must be joking!"

There are smaller ones and bigger too.