on River Severn at Coalport
The river at Ironbridge, near Coalport, hosts a junior match. The barbel fail to show, but other big fish send everyone home happy
IF YOU seek the ultimate in tranquil river surroundings, with the only disruption coming from a hard-fighting chub or barbel, a visit to this beautiful piece of flowing water should be on your list…
Located in the heart of the Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire, just below the picturesque village of Coalport, you’ll discover this serene stretch of the River Severn run by Rowley and District Angling Society.
Angling Times news reporter Jake Benson visited the stretch last week, for a junior fishing event held in association with the Barbel Society. Despite challenging conditions, it proved a great success.
Jake said: “It was a fantastic day on a wonderful stretch of river. It’s always brilliant to see youngsters getting involved in our sport, and even better to see them enjoying it – it was smiles all round.
“The stretch itself is absolutely beautiful, and not having visited the Severn before, I must say I was blown away. It’s a stark difference from the flat Fenland rivers I’ve spent some hours on!
“Running right through a tree-lined gorge, the Severn here offers a wealth of features to target, and these change from peg to peg. Overhangs, fast shallows, slacks, deep holes, steadier water – you name it, it’s got it!
“The Rowley DAS event was held between pegs 38 and 50, which are roughly in the middle of the 100-plus-peg section. The fishing on the day was far from easy, but with bright sunshine burning down on a low, clear river, it was never going to be. Although the 10 youngsters and their Barbel Society guides struggled to catch a ‘whiskers’, everyone managed a bite from the ever-reliable, pellet-snaffling chub.
“The stand-out performer for me was youngster Ben Dutton, who was fishing alongside his father, Mark. They drew the current flyer peg 38, and proceeded to bank seven chub. Being at the event on photographic duties, I soon got the shout when he landed his first one.
“The young man was buzzing with his capture, and so he should have been! It was a beauty at 4lb 8oz, typical of the chub found throughout this stretch.I’m told that they run to over 6lb at the right time of year, and I wholeheartedly agree with that, if the pair of fish I witnessed hanging out near an overhanging tree are anything to go by.
“The barbel, unfortunately, didn’t put on a show, but they are here in numbers. In matches they are caught regularly, and have been taken to specimen sizes well in to double figures.
“For both species it’s a feeder approach that leads the way, but during the current climate don’t put too much bait in.
A little and often line of attack is far more sensible. Pellets seem to be a firm favourite with the locals, but meat, caster and maggot will all score in the right place. Ben and Mark caught on 8mm legered or floatfished
halibut pellets.
If you’re looking for a relaxing afternoon on the wag-and-mag or stick float, you’ll struggle to keep your float tip dry – the place is stacked with silvers. One look in the margins will show you how healthy the stretch is, with thousands of fry present. Many of the youngsters on the day had fun fishing the whip to hand for these little ’uns.
“I’m told there are some huge perch now appearing in the stretch since the explosion of smaller fish. If you’re looking to target them, try fishing in your nearside margin slacks or deeper holes with link-legered lobworms over chopped offerings.
“All in all, I think this is a lovely stretch of river, and one that I will spend more time on later in the season when the weather cools down a touch – if you’re looking for somewhere to fish this weekend then I’d highly recommend it!”
Event organiser, Max Taylor, echoed Jake’s thoughts. “I reckon the day was a real success, and although no barbel were caught, this stretch is full of them,” he said. “After the event two anglers fished downstream, and landed 12 barbel.
“With the weather the way it is you have to fish properly to catch them, and scaled-down tactics are best with small mass baits. You can use pellets but make sure they are of small size, say 4mm and 6mm.
“You’ll find an abundance of features in each swim. A lot of fish tend to live underneath the overhanging trees on the far bank,” concluded Max.