SCARILY GOOD FOR BIG TRENT BARBEL
Bob’s Island is the place to be
BOB’S Island is one of the most prolific fisheries on the River Trent, offering excellent barbel sport with fish to 16lb.
There are chub, bream, roach and pike in here too... and this fishery is home to numerous ghostly tales centred around the historic Newark Castle that overlooks the island.
Anglers fishing the Point swim have seen ghostly figures standing in the windows of the castle, and a mysterious window that cannot be seen during the day is said to appear on the castle walls at night.
THE FISHERY
While these tales may seem far-fetched, one thing that we can be sure of is the quality of the fishing on offer here at Bob’s Island.
The weir is the most prolific area for barbel and is home to lots of fish in the 4lb-6lb bracket. If the water level is low, floatfishing can work well, and pellets can account for good catches. Alternatively, you can fish a light link leger with meat as bait, allowing it to trundle around the swim and roll into the enticing areas.
If you’re looking for the biggest fish, head to the main flow stretch, where barbel between 11lb and 16lb are often caught. Swims with trees on the near bank are popular, and feeding a bed of hemp, pellet and boilies is a good way to get the barbel rooting around. Fish single or double boilie over the top alongside a PVA bag to give the fish something to home in on.
The Point swim overlooks Newark Castle, and alongside the chance of a ghoulish encounter there are also some cracking barbel and bream that can be caught from the slack water this peg offers. Traditional groundbait feeder tactics work well, and plugging worm, caster and hemp with groundbait into a
cage feeder will draw a variety of fish into your swim.
An excellent day can be had roving on the backwater, where barbel to 8lb can be caught. Start at the small weir and work your way down, casting under inviting overhanging trees. If you’re looking for a good bag of roach this section is the place to be, where fishing breadpunch or maggot on the float can account for good catches. PRICES: Day and night tickets £5 CONTACT: Future Fishing, 01636 612654 LOCATION: Bob’s Island, River Trent, Mill Lane, Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, NG24 4US RULES: All anglers to have an unhooking mat and large landing net, no littering, no fires