A Passion for Angling venues
25 YEARS AFTER ‘A PASSION FOR ANGLING’ FIRST AIRED, WHY NOT FOLLOW IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF CHRIS AND BOB?
IT seems like only yesterday that Chris Yates and Bob James starred in the classic TV angling series.
But, incredibly, ‘A Passion for Angling’ celebrates its 25th anniversary this week.
To mark the occasion, we present 10 iconic venues worthy of the series, and tell you what fish to catch in each, and how. Good luck!
CHUB – Bristol Avon, Peckengell, Wiltshire THIS feature-filled stretch of the Bristol Avon is a perfect place to replicate Chris’s chub fishing approach in the series. Once a popular haunt of Martin Bowler when there were lots of barbel present, nowadays it’sis dominated by chub averaging around 3lb mark and running to 5lb-plus. A light roving approach with corn, bread or meat can result in a memorable day’s fishing. Contact: Premier Angling Ltd, 01249 659210 & 01179 867507 Price: £6 per day, Chippenham AA
ROACH – Hampshire Avon, Fordingbridge, Hants WHO could forget Bob’s catch of 2lb roach from the beautiful Hampshire Avon? Despite these stunning redfins not being present in the same numbers any more it is still possible to this day to catch the roach of a life time from the river. The park in Fordingbridge is the place to go, with multiple 2lbplus roach reported every winter. The best tactic is trotting with bread, casters, maggots or hemp. Contact: 07539 797510, Riverside Kiosk Price: £5 a day, £2.50 concessions
BARBEL – River Nene, Castor, Cambridgeshire THIS scenic River Nene backwater is similar to the stretch of the Avon fished in the series. Clear water flows over gravel runs, deep holes and dense weed beds. On summer days fish can be seen manoeuvring over the gravel and as the light begins to fade they come out to feed. A classic rolling meat approach works really well and will see you connect with doublefigure barbel. Contact: 07702 440892, Peterborough AA Price: £5 a day, concessions £3
CARP – Ashmead Fishery, Somerset WITH major work set to begin on the iconic Redmire Pool, where better to start than at the venue belonging to the man leading the Redmire Conservation Project, Mark Walsingham? Ashmead Fishery is famous in its own right, holding some of the country’s most soughtafter carp. Its banks have been visited by some of the sport’s top names including Chris Yates, who describes the venue as “an authentic carp angler’s paradise.” The fishery was stocked for the first and only time with fingerling carp from a Surrey trout farm in 1971. Some of these fish are now over 50lb, with multiple 40lb fish present, truly mythical monsters. Mark told us how to approach this magical water, and said: “The keys to fishing Ashmead are simplicity and mobility. Like Redmire, Ashmead has an abundance of natural food and the carp don’t need to look at a bait, so the trick is to find a spot where they are willing to feed, then to present a good quality bait there with the minimum of disturbance.
“A mobile, stalking approach can pay dividends. I watch most of the carp I hook take the bait inches from the bank, and when the fish is one of the Ashmead monsters that really sets your heart racing!” Contact: www.ashmeadfishery. com (book your trip)
PERCH – Upper Tamar Lake, Bude, Cornwall IN THE episode ‘Autumn Glory’ Bernard Venables joins Chris and Bob in search of perch at a large reservoir.
One of the best such waters is Upper Tamar in Cornwall. The 81-acre fishery is stuffed with stripeys averaging 2lb, but fish to 5lb have been caught on lures, legered prawns and floatfished worms. Contact: 01288 321262 Postcode: EX23 9SB
TENCH – Sharnbrook Pits, Bedford, Bedfordshire THESE stunning gravel pits offer you the chance to fish for tench with multiple styles, including those adopted by Bob and Chris throughout the series. Pit 3 on the complex is full of tench weighing close to double figures, which can be caught on the float at very close range.
For the real monsters up to 14lb try a boilie approach on Pit 4. Contact: 07506 378748, Vauxhall Angling Club Postcode: MK43 7HY
GRAYLING – River Wharfe, Collingham, West Yorkshire THIS idyllic stretch of the River Wharfe is the perfect place to catch a grayling on the float. Trees overhang this shallow stretch, where a roving approach with maggots will bring bites from grayling to over 1lb 8oz on the coldest of days. Contact: 07443 588011, Freddie Sandford (club member)
Price: £5 per day, Wetherby Angling Club
GUDGEON – Shropshire Union Canal, Hodnet, Shropshire FANCY a gudgeon match at dawn? This part of the canal has gudgeon and some surprise bonus species too. Floatfished maggots won’t stay untouched for long. Contact: 01630 658055, Membership Secretary , Hodnet AC Price: Public day ticket (Shropshire Union Canal, bridges 51-55 only) £3 if bought at least one day in advance from the Membership/ Match Secretaries, or £4 (in advance or on the day) from the Wharf Tavern, Goldstone
RUDD – River Cam, Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire IN the episode ‘Childhood Dreams’ Bob shows there is no better method for rudd than floatfished bread. If you want a go at catching one there’s no better place that the River Cam. Multiple catches of big rudd have been reported from this river in recent weeks, all using a simple floatfished bread approach. The key to catching them is finding them. Contact: 07759 977513,
Waterbeach AC Price: £6 on the bank, £25 per year
PIKE – River Wye, Lower Symonds Yat, Monmouthshire MANY of the country’s rivers have some great pike fishing hotspots, but if you are looking for something as magical as what is shown in ‘A Passion For Angling’ then you need look no further than the River Wye.
The Angling Dreams stretch at Symonds Yat is as magical as it is mysterious. Head to the deep section known as Martins Pool and you may find a monster picks up your deadbait. Contact: 01989 218080/ 07976 908985 or visit www.anglingdreams.co.uk Price: £25 a day