River revival will see a return to the banks

I HONESTLY thought the best days of the rivers were well and truly behind us and that the future lay in stillwaters.

Could we really blame newcomers going to a commercial where they would get plenty of bites, instead of sitting watching a motionless tip on a river?

But something quite remarkable has happened. Somehow, the fish stocks have all of a sudden replenished themselves and almost all the major waterways – and plenty of the smaller ones – are fishing better than I can ever remember.

I am a Thames regular, and since the start of the season I have landed my first double-figure barbel, a 5lb 4oz chub and a big bag of bream – all from a stretch of water that less than a decade ago seemed to be on its last legs.

The rivers are back to their best and it is time for us anglers to promote the benefits of fishing them to potential newcomers. Mike Heywood, Oxford