15 top rivers
for mixed bags
As THE first frosts arrive and coat the grass with a silvery sheen, anglers across the nation will be rubbing their hands in anticipation of some fantastic river sport with silver fish.
By now the weed is starting to die off, and most of our rivers have had a good flush through after the heavy rainfalls of recent weeks.
Roach, dace and bream are congregating in large shoals, which makes memorable catches a real possibility.
This week we’ve compiled a list of 15 rivers that you should visit now for a sparkling net of silver bounty.
1 RIVER CALDER, MIRFIELD, WEST YORKSHIRE
Mirfield Angling Club has multiple stretches of the Calder, where big catches of dace and roach are on offer. Bonus chub and grayling are also present, and stick float tactics with maggot and caster hookbaits are popular with local anglers. Contact: Calder Angling Supplies, 01484 711063
Price: £3.50 day tickets
2 RIVER DANE, NORTHWICH, CHESHIRE
The intimate River Dane is home to some cracking chub and barbel, alongside a good head of mixed silver fish. Float tackle is all you need, and simply bringing a few pints of maggots and regularly
feeding the swim should get the fish competing for your bait. Contact: Vale Royal Angling Centre, 01606 46060
Price: £5 day tickets
3 RIVER TEES, CROFT-ON-TEES, NORTH YORKSHIRE
In recent seasons the River Tees has been in excellent form, with big catches of skimmers, roach, perch and dace not unusual. Many anglers choose to fish a pole or whip, feeding heavily with groundbait laced with freebies. Contact: Thornaby Angling Association, 01642 585770 Price: £40 membership,
£25 joining fee
4 RIVER DEE, ECCLESTON, CHESHIRE
This challenging stretch of river offers rewards for the angler who can adapt to the conditions. It’s common to get a run of fish before a change in depth or shotting is needed, but stay in touch with the fish and you should end up with a net of chunky dace and roach. The feeder works well here.
Contact: Chester Tackle Locker, 01244 345069
Price: Free (rod licence required)
5 RIVER WHARFE, WETHERBY, WEST YORKSHIRE
The stretch above the weir in Wetherby known as ‘the Ings’ is a winter hotspot, as good shoals of dace can be found here alongside chublets and grayling. Maggot fished on the stick float or waggler
should see regular dips of the float, and a small maggot feeder can be deadly on the right day. Contact: 07742 942990
Price: £5 day tickets
6 OLD RIVER NENE, MARCH, CAMBRIDGESHIRE
The Old Nene is probably one of the most in-form venues in the country. A venue record 60lb net of roach and skimmers won a recent match, and the pegs behind the library with concrete staging are solid with fish. Pole with pinkie and maggot over groundbait is a great approach here.
Postcode: PE15 9LT
Price: Free (rod licence required)
7 RIVER TRENT, NOTTINGHAM, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
The Trent usually hits the headlines with big barbel, but the stretch at Clifton Bridge holds some cracking roach and dace. Both feeder and float are effective if you feed plenty of maggots. Contact: Nottingham Federation of Anglers, 07526 048801 Postcode: NG2 5GF
8 RIVER THURNE, MARTHAM, NORFOLK
Skimmers and roach are the mainstay on the Thurne, and can be caught in good numbers alongside some big perch. Park in the boatyard at Martham, where it costs £4 for the pay and display machine. Pole tactics dominate, and feeding groundbait and fishing a variety of hookbaits over the top is a good tactic. Contact: PW Angling,
01603 619381
Price: £5 day tickets on the bank, Norwich and District AA
9 RIVER WYE, BELMONT, HEREFORDSHIRE
The Wye is arguably Britain’s best river, and at the moment some huge roach are on offer, alongside quality dace. Fishing a stick float tight to the bank is a winning tactic, and feeding heavily with hemp and caster is the way to get the fish competing.
Contact: Woody’s Angling Centre, 01432 344644
Price: £7 day tickets in advance from Woody’s
10 RIVER SEVERN, STOURPORT, WORCESTERSHIRE
There are loads of stretches of the Severn that offer silver fish sport, but the stretch at Newhalls Meadow is possibly one of the least well known. Stick float and Bolo tactics work excellently, with some memorable catches of silver fish on offer.
Contact: Birmingham Anglers Association, 01562 882116
Price: £40 membership, BAA
11 BRISTOL AVON, CHIPPENHAM, WILTSHIRE
Trotting tactics account for good nets of roach and dace, and hemp and caster can help to sort out the better fish. Some of the roach get to a really good size, and if you keep the bait going in steadily you’ll have a good chance of picking up a bonus chub. Contact: chippenhamangling@ gmail.com
Price: £6 per day, Chippenham AA
12 RIVER THAMES, WOLVERCOTE, OXFORDSHIRE
Quality bream, chub and roach can be caught on the stretch at Port Meadow, where a wide range of classic match fishing tactics score. The waggler can be very good when the river is low and clear, as can the feeder, but if it’s carrying extra water and colour the pole feeder is the way to go.
Contact: Top Tackle, 01865 201020 Price: £5 in advance, £8 on the bank
13 RIVER MEDWAY, MAIDSTONE, KENT
Roach are the main target on this fantastic free stretch of the Medway, but don’t rule out the chance of some big perch or bream taking a liking to your bait as well. Fish the pole with either maggots, casters or pinkies on the hook over a bed of dark fishmeal groundbait. For the better fish, try switching to a large lobworm and keep moving the bait around the swim.
Contact: Maidstone Angling Centre, 01622 200000
Price: Free fishing
14 RIVER EXE, EXETER, DEVON
This stretch runs through the busy city centre of Exeter and has concrete banks both sides. Don’t let its initial appearance put you off, though, as there are a surprising number of fish in this urban waterway. On light feeder tactics it’s possible to catch roach, chub, dace, bream and perch. The weir at the top of the stretch is a good starting point in low water conditions, but when the water is coloured target the area between the road bridges for quality bags of bream.
Contact: Exeter Angling Centre, 01392 436404
Prices: £6 per day, Exeter DAA
15 RIVER BRUE, STREET, SOMERSET
Flights Weir is a fantastic spot in the colder months for a mixed bag. In the weir itself plenty of obliging chub around the 3lb mark will take legered maggots, bread or worms. Target the slacks on the float for some quality roach and perch over a pound. The water above the weir is also worth investigating. Contact: Somerset Angling, 01278 431777
Prices: £7 per day one rod