This is an example of the Coarse Fishing Reckoner for July; it is only a basic representation due to restrictions on space here but, there are plenty of instructions and advice that come with this if you order the actual reckoner. This example is given so you will have a good idea of what it is about and how it works.
All the conditions of the day you intend to fish are entered into the green boxes in abbreviated form and they include date, wind direction, wind speed, weather, air temperature, water temperature, barometric pressure, water colour and moon phase. The instructions will tell you clearly which abbreviations to use and as you can see there is the opportunity to enter up to 5 days if you wish. Once this is done the range of cells below in red and orange automatically change to read out the species in order of preference. The top two species are given in the red cells and these would be the species to fish for. Also, not shown here, a general table is given showing the average percentage for each species over the whole 5 days; useful if you are planning a fishing holiday or a long session.
| COARSE | FISHING | RECKONER | ||
| FOR | JULY | 2008 | ||
| You can only edit the sections in green. The program is date sensitive so make sure your | ||||
| computer date/clock is correct. Make sure you enter the second line correctly for date for | ||||
| example MAY1 or MAY12 etc. Then working downwards enter wind direction, wind speed, | ||||
| weather, air temperature, water temperature, barometric pressure and water colour. | ||||
For more help notes, scroll down the document. | ||||
JUL | JUL | JUL | JUL | JUL |
JUL1 | JUL2 | JUL3 | JUL4 | JUL5 |
S | S | W | W | W |
18 | 10 | 5 | 9 | 9 |
SC | SC | R | R | O |
65 | 65 | 62 | 63 | 63 |
61 | 61 | 60 | 60 | 60 |
990 | 1010 | 1009 | 1020 | 1022 |
SC | SC | SC | FC | FC |
LQ | LQ | NE | NE | NE |
JUL1 | JUL2 | JUL3 | JUL4 | JUL5 |
CARP 68% | CARP 74% | TENCH 93% | CRUCIANS 50% | RUDD 39% |
CRUCIANS 60% | CRUCIANS 44% | CRUCIANS 45% | RUDD 35% | BREAM 39% |
TENCH 56% | TENCH 37% | ROACH 26% | BREAM 33% | ROACH 30% |
ROACH 22% | ROACH 19% | BREAM 9% | ROACH 25% | CARP 29% |
BREAM 18% | BREAM 14% | RUDD 8% | CARP 24% | CHUB 15% |
RUDD 17% | CHUB 11% | B/ROACH 4% | TENCH 14% | CRUCIANS 14% |
B/ROACH 7% | RUDD 11% | CARP 4% | CHUB 11% | B/ROACH 4% |
CHUB 2% | B/ROACH 7% | CHUB 1% | B/ROACH 7% | TENCH 2% |
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31.25% | 27.125% | 23.75% | 24.875% | 21.5% |
| ABOUT PERCENTAGES | ||||
| The percentages relate to how good the fishing is in relation | ||||
| to the month. So, if carp where showing at 90%, this means | ||||
| given the time of year carp have scored 90% of their possible | ||||
| highest score for that month. The main point of the program is to show | ||||
| which of the species come in the top two, highlighted in red. | ||||
| This is more important than what the percentages are. | ||||
| HELP NOTES | ||||
| It maybe helpful to take water temperatures and | ||||
| make notes when fishing. A cheap but reliable | ||||
| thermometer from a pet shop is all that's needed. | ||||
| Attached to a long piece of string and left in the | ||||
| water for thirty minutes will give the temperature. | ||||
| This will help you calculate the water temperature | ||||
| next time you go fishing, and understand water | ||||
| temperatures generally. | ||||
| If you do not possess a barometer, think about | ||||
| buying one. Boot fairs and second-hand shops | ||||
| sometimes sell them cheaply and some watches | ||||
| feature barometric readings. | ||||
| FURTHER NOTES | ||||
| The figures in the reckoner are based on research from 2000 | ||||
| and the criteriaof | month, wind, temperatures, barometer | |||
| readings, water colour and moon phases were | ||||
| assessed. This information | ||||
| was entered into a computer to ascertain the | ||||
| effect these criteria had on fishing in general, | ||||
| and different species of fish. The reckoner, | ||||
| and the figures it contains, reflects the results | ||||
| of this research. The reckoner has many uses: | ||||
| it will help you decide when to go fishing, | ||||
| where to go fishing and which species to fish | ||||
| for; which in turn will help you pick the right | ||||
| swim, bait and tackle. It can help you, to | ||||
| some extent, to decide when to arrange a | ||||
| fishing holiday. It is best to use the reckoner | ||||
| the day, or morning, prior to going fishing. | ||||
| Some anglers may be sceptical as to the | ||||
| inclusion of the moon phase, but this was | ||||
| included over the period of research, | ||||
| and a definite pattern emerged, so it was | ||||
| worth including. The reckoner is used to | ||||
| determine how good the conditions are for | ||||
| coarse fishing in general and which species | ||||
| the conditions suit the best, and I believe this | ||||
| is the greatest value of the reckoner. The two | ||||
| highest rated species being the best ones to | ||||
| target, but It is worth looking at the third rated | ||||
| sometimes, especially if the ratings are high. The | ||||
| ratings are given as a percentage, (0-100). | ||||
| Expect higher ratings for the summer months. | ||||
| Once you have entered the conditions of the day | ||||
| of fishing you will know which species you will | ||||
| expect to catch. Use this knowledge to help you | ||||
| decide which water to fish. If say chub were first | ||||
| on the list and you lived near a water with a good | ||||
| head of chub in it ,then this could be your choice | ||||
| for the day. This is how I have found the greatest | ||||
| value in the reckoner, by enabling you to make a | ||||
| good choice of venue. And it follows that this will | ||||
| also help you decide which swim to fish in, | ||||
| and which tackle and bait to use. An example | ||||
| of this is in one river I fish, there are some big | ||||
| bream in one particular swim. The problem | ||||
| with this is the swim requires a half mile | ||||
| walk. In the past I often got it wrong and | ||||
| walked this distance only to find the bream | ||||
| not feeding, or deciding not to go there and at | ||||
| the end of the day wondering whether I | ||||
| should have. Now, using the reckoner before I | ||||
| go fishing, I know whether to walk to this | ||||
| swim, or not bother, and I feel confident I | ||||
| have made the right decision, and I can take | ||||
| tackle geared for bream fishing, or not, | ||||
| whichever the case may be. A similar | ||||
| scenario I have is with a small stream I know | ||||
| that has some big roach in it. I do not really | ||||
| like this venue, apart from the big roach, and I | ||||
| have often got this wrong and fished at the | ||||
| wrong time. Now I make a much better, | ||||
| informed decision, whether to fish there or | ||||
| not. I have also found this means I fish with | ||||
| more confidence, which in turn means I catch | ||||
| more fish. | ||||
| So use the reckoner every time you fish. Using the | ||||
| reckoner, with knowledge of your waters, and | ||||
| imagination, will improve your catches, and I | ||||
| believe add a new dimension to your fishing. | ||||
| By using the reckoner you will not be leaving | ||||
| your fishing to blind luck, and its value will | ||||
| become apparent over a period of time. | ||||
| END | ||||