Midlands Focus on the River Nene and great weekend swims to try

OVER the years the Lea Valley has featured regularly in Angling Times, with catch reports of its monster perch and chub. But there’s plenty more on offer here…

The fishing is available to all on a day ticket, which at just £4 on the bank gives you access to sections of water on the River Lea Navigation from Hertford to Broxbourne, including Feildes Weir, Dobbs Weir and the Old Mill at Broxbourne – that’s a lot of water for your buck.

The fishing is fantastic on all these sections, but around Dobbs Weir it’s hard to beat. Those who are looking to catch chub capable of smashing their personal best, could do worse than spend a few hours at this brilliant weir. Here you’ll discover an unusual tiered system involving two weirs within a very short space.

This creates a middle pool between river sections, and is the ideal habitat in which wise chub can grow big. This section may not look like much, but with careful observation using polarised glasses you can locate a small shoal of fish to over 6lb.

They will fall to a range of tactics, but at the moment you’d do well to beat a maggot or caster approach.

Barbel are also found in this area, and have been caught to over 16lb in the past – but catching them is very difficult.

Above the weir the river is very different. Lily pads and cabbages fringe this slow, deep, wide stretch which holds bream, roach and perch... and for anyone living local enough, or willing to put in the effort, a prebaiting campaign could result in the capture of a pristine river carp.

Below the weir you’ll find a much larger pool with an abundance of features such as overhanging trees, lily pads and marginal slacks, not to mention stacks of fish.

If you like fishing for silvers you’ll be kept very busy with roach, dace and bleak, but fear not if you’re after a specimen.

The chub and perch grow to outlandish sizes, and to catch the latter you just can’t beat a live minnow or gudgeon.

The pool is also home to some large bream which can fall to feeder tactics, alongside the odd very big barbel.

LOCATION: Dobb’s Weir Rd, Roydon, Hoddesdon, Herts EN11 0AY

CONTACT: Jon at Johnson Ross Tackle, 01992 462044 PRICE: £4 per day on the bank

PARKING: Opposite Fish and Eels pub