Overview
RF4 staff members dive into the game and share their knowledge with the players. This guide was written by admin Elwoodiath with the intent to show players how to catch big Asp on Winding River with spinning setups.
Introduction
This guide was written with the intent to show players how to catch the Asp in Winding Rivulet and to cover all fishing techniques. While not everything was fully explored, it became apparent early on that bottom fishing for Asp and float fishing for Asp were almost lost causes. One glaring omission was the use of bait fish from a float, which might yield better results but could not be tested; however, insects and fish from the bottom, and insects on float were tested for two hours with only one Asp caught. Because of this, this guide is focused on spin fishing techniques. A total of eleven hours was spent collecting data, and then the learned information was applied to practically fill the US Ultralight Water body Leader boards, and top the Global Water body Leader boards to validate the lessons learned. This guide will cover basic information on the species, a review of data collection techniques and results, discussion of techniques and rigs, a talk of locations, some comments on color selection, and finally how I validated that the lessons learned were valuable.
Species Overview
Leuciscus aspius also known as Aspius Aspius is an aggressive, pelagic predatory fish and one of the few cyprinids (minnows and carps) that is a piscivore (feeds on fish). It is a riverine species that winters in deep holes and comes out in the spring to feed and spawn. It can be found in large and medium lowland rivers and lakes and prefers water with a current. It can rarely be found in places with submerged vegetation.
The Asp feeds on crustaceans, insects, and fish larvae in it’s juvenile phase and then feeds on fish as it grows in size. Alburnus Alburnus (Bleak), Rutilus Rutilus (Roach). and species of the Carassius genus (Gibel and Crucian Carp) are it’s primary forage. It is also known to feed on Ruffe, Perch, and many other smaller species when the opportunity arises.
The Asp actively feeds in warmer weather conditions and is most active during rising and constant water levels. Falling water levels tend to cause the fish to move and shutdown on feeding. The species can often be found in areas where the current changes, as these are prime spots for finding and feeding on prey species.
In real life anglers targeting Asp tend to use wobblers, jerkbaits, and top water lures to trigger these aggressive fish to bite. A few sources were found where large soft plastics fished like a jerk bait we also used to get results, but the majority of sources referred to larger wooden and plastic lures.
Data Collection and Results
A total of eleven hours was spent in three spots collecting catch data. The spots were selected based on their likelihood to contain Asp. Two-Hundred and forty data points were collected. Of course, not all data points were Asp and some interesting data on other species was collected. One spot, that I had placed high in one of Lady of Game’s early competitions, turned out to not produce any Asp after two hours – so data collection in that location was terminated. One hour of game time, or an entire game day was spent with focusing on a single lure type. It was planned to cover float and bottom fishing as well, but after one hour and only a single Asp being caught, I decided to not test bottom or float any further. The lure types that were covered include spinners, spoons, wobblers, and top water lures. This leaves soft plastics as an exercise for the reader to see if they work as well. When reviewing the data three major things jump out – Weather preferences, time of day, and overall productivity of the lure types. See the charts below in the spoiler to review the results.
As can be seen, based on this data Asp prefer to eat spoons and spinners during clear weather in the morning. Using these techniques will get you Asp, but digging a bit deeper into the data you can find that there might be a better way if you like big Asp. See the below charts to see what was discovered.
Wait a second, what is this?! While you catch more on spoons and spinners there seems to be a definite change in size based on lure type. Well maybe that can be explained by points put into the lure skills. After reviewing my skill point distribution I see that I have max points in spoons and top waters but no points in spinners and wobblers. It seems that Big Asp like it on top. While more data is required, you can see that while points do affect size, lure type also seems to have an impact. This is important to note. Once again, more data is needed for a proper confirmation – but the hint is there.
Rig Setup and Techniques Used
All of this data was collected using a standard lure rig. The setup, pictured in the spoiler below, was a high end UL setup. That being said Asp are still very accessible and you do not need gear like I was using for data collection and frankly, fun. Nothing like the last fight I will describe near the end of this guide. If creating a setup that can handle the biggest Asp on winding, go with a spinning rod with at least 10 Kg capacity, and a reel with at least 5 to 6 Kg of drag. These will be able to handle the Asp on Winding. Even if you don’t have a setup like described above, you can still handle the vast majority of the Asp on winding as most are 2 Kg and under. When choosing line, go with braid and a flourocarbon leader, or pure flouro. As a matter of personal preference I always use a bright braid for strength, line capacity, and visibility and a flourocarbon leader to not spook the fish and provide shock absorption for the initial hit.
For techniques used I experimented with speed-up, stop and go, and walk-the-dog. Asp are aggressive fish and like a lively presentation. What I found is that on Winding Rivulet speed-up for spinners, spoons, and wobblers worked best. I did not catch any Asp on stop and go. For top waters, walk the dog was used exclusively. See the below lists for instructions on how to achieve each retrieve.
Stop and Go
- 50 Retrieve Speed
- 6 Turns of the reel
- 1 second pause
- Rinse and repeat
Speed Up
- 25 or 30 retrieve speed depending on current. Slower if retrieving into the current, faster if retrieving with the current.
- 6 turns of the reel
- Press shift key, release when speed-up message dissappears.
- Rinse and repeat
Walk the Dog
- 25 or 30 retrieve speed
- Twitch the rod with right mouse button
- Pause until slack peaks (generally you will see the bottom curve of the line touch the water)
- Turn reel until line is taut.
- Rinse and repeat
Locations
Armed with data, and already knowing two good locations, I toured Winding Rivulet and found several more spots that are active. Remember, when looking for Asp spots, look for locations that have current changes and are mostly clear of vegetation. There are no shortage of these spots on Winding Rivulet. The spots are listed below with a grade of Good or Fair based on my experiences fishing each spot and my data. Below is a map of Winding Rivulet with the spots highlighted for those who prefer a visual. Finally in the image in the spoiler there is an area highlighted in red. This spot has produced Asp in the past for me, but during my testing and fishing that spot for two hours or two game days I did not catch any.
- 79:21 (Bridge at spawn) Good – cast toward island.
- 85:103 (Right after Island) Fair – cast downstream.
- 114:127 (Outside bend) Fair – cast across the hole to the different pieces of cover there.
- 107:100 (Rapid moving narrow stretch) Good – Cast over log with branches in river and retrieve through it.
Secret Weapon and Color Discussion
When I first started I quickly found that reds and yellows were favored by the Asp here on Winding Rivulet. I fished with them exclusively for quite a while and then on a lark, I bought a set of lower quality top waters from the store. While red and yellows are effective, I found that the below pictured lure is a killer right now on winding for Asp. Check the below image for details:
That’s right – pink, blue, and chrome. Why does it work? My hypothesis is that it resembles a injured bleak as they are similar in coloration and iridescent. I don’t know why for sure, but what I do know is it is great at catching the bigger Asp on Winding Rivulet.
Validation
Armed with all of the knowledge above I set out to validate that I really did learn something. I first tried to setup a competition on Winding for Asp, but with no participants I set my sights to blow up the leader boards. I wanted to put as many as I could on the US region boards and at least one on the Global leader boards for Winding Rivulet ultra lights. I took 4 spots regionally, and the top spot globally and felt that my data and effort was validated. See the screen shots below in the spoiler for details.
The last fish I caught was also the record 5.849 Kg Asp on UL gear. I was fishing at the 79:21 location and casting down stream. When it hit, it shot off like a rocket and took 25% of my spool. I fought it and brought it to shore. I thought I was finished, but as I pulled out my net – it shot off again! Once again this beastie took 25% of my spool. Two huge runs, and two fights to bring it in. It took about 20 minutes and was one of the most enjoyable fights I have ever had in this game.
Conclusion
The Asp are a fun fish to target, provide good to excellent XP and silver and are a good test of your ability to handle hard fighting fish. The sizes of Asp available on Winding are accessible to new players and have enough surprises to challenge experienced anglers. When going after these fish don’t forget the following keys:
- Clear weather is best
- Look for changes in the current
- Blues and pinks, red and yellows are currently attractive to Asp.
- For numbers use spoons, for size use top waters.
The data I collected yielded much useful information. This guide was focused on Asp – but the data gave me useful insights and future avenues of exploration. Don’t be afraid to spend the time to collect data and analyze it. It was worth the effort and paid off in more, and better quality fish. The guide was by no means exhaustive. The motivated angler could explore soft plastics and floating bait fish as potential fruitful techniques to explore. I encourage and challenge you to go out there and knock me off the leader boards. If you learn something new, share it with the rest of us!
Until next time – Tight Lines!