Dave Harrell’s bucket-list rivers
As the new season opens, here are our running-water expert’s top fishery choices
AFTER the year we’ve been through, I would imagine there are thousands of river anglers who, like me, are looking forward to the new season more than ever before.
To celebrate, here are 12 venues that you can cross off your river bucket list over the next nine months.
RIVER TRENT, BURTON JOYCE
This venue has become my favourite stretch of river over the past couple of years. It’s the venue we now use for the RiverFest final and it’s a fabulous place to fish.
All sorts of methods work here, and big weights are possible on pole, feeder, waggler, stick float and Bolo. The target species are roach, dace, chub, bream up to 10lb, perch, and barbel well into double figures.
The other great thing about Burton Joyce is its accessibility. Day-ticket pleasure fishing is available on the roadside stretch, where you can park behind every peg. More info: www.ashfieldangling.com
RIVER CALDER, MIRFIELD
I love this venue and was very unlucky not to qualify for last year’s RiverFest final here. I missed out by a mere 9oz and I’ll be hoping to go one place better on June 19, when the first qualifier of the season takes place there.
The approaches on this venue are varied, but waggler and stick float do tend to dominate proceedings.
You never quite know what you’re going to hook next on the River Calder – it could be a roach, a big chub, or even a hard-fighting trout! More info: www.mirfieldac.co.uk
RIVER SEVERN, BEWDLEY
A long-time favourite venue of mine. I lived here for a few years and learned a lot about the venue in that time.
The balance of species seems to change every year, and although there’s still a good head of barbel in the stretch, it’s now possible to win competitions with other species including chub, roach and dace.
There’s also a healthy stock of perch and some of them run big, so don’t fish too light! More info: www.kdaafishing.co.uk
BRISTOL AVON, NEWBRIDGE
If bream are a favourite species of yours, this stretch of the Bristol Avon is well worth a visit, especially after heavy rain has put colour into the river.
Open-end feeder tactics with casters and worms will catch the bream when they are feeding, and some of them are very big now! To sort out the bigger fish, try two or three worms on a size 12 or 10 hook.
For roach, use long pole tactics with loosefed caster and hemp after putting down a bed of groundbait at the start. Six to 10 balls containing casters, hemp and pinkies, plus a small amount of chopped worm, should draw the fish in for you! More info: www.bathampton.org
RIVER SEVERN, BRIDGNORTH
There are some awesome swims on this venue and it’s proper ‘man’s fishing’, especially when there is extra water on.
Most of the big weights of barbel and chub come on feeder gear, but it’s possible to catch a huge weight with a Speci Waggler approach when the river is low and clear. When it’s like this, feed caster and hemp and use a bunch of maggots on the hook. More info: www.facebook.com/ BridgnorthAS/
RIVER TRENT, BURTON ON TRENT
This stretch of the Trent gets better every year, and it’s a venue that I fish regularly during the summer months.
The competitions here are well attended, and there are a lot of pegs where you can win money from.
Long pole, waggler and stick float are the main tactics with maggots and casters, but hemp and tares also account for a lot of roach. Worm is the best bait for big perch. More info: www.coorsanglingclub.com
RIVER SEVERN, SHREWSBURY
I’ve fished at Shrewsbury for many years now and seen many changes to the fishing there. Some years have seen catches dominated by roach, while on others huge shoals of dace have put in an appearance right along the length.
This is a stretch that is mainly fished from October onwards and as a result the weather needs to be on our side to get this part of the Severn at a good fishing level.
Around 1m is the best autumn and winter level, and if you catch it like that, expect to bag up! More info: shrewsburytownfisheries.co.uk
RIVER SWALE, MORTON
A small river, but one that holds some of the hardestfighting chub I have ever hooked.
Float tactics with small Speci Wagglers or Shallow Water sticks are the order of the day with maggots or hemp and caster as feed.
You need strong rods and lines to get the chub out here and, to add to the interest, there are also some quality barbel to be caught from some of the swims. More info: https://northallertonac. wixsite.com/nadac-1
RIVER THAMES, READING
This is home to a number of big bream shoals, and a place I really enjoy going to. I once caught 138lb of big bream here and was still only placed third in the match!
Open-end feeder tactics work best for the bream, and it’s possible to catch big weights of roach on the long pole with casters and hemp as feed. More info: www.rdaa.co.uk
WARWICKSHIRE AVON, STRATFORD
This is my favourite part of the Warwickshire Avon because it contains a big head of fish that can be targeted with a variety of methods.
In the summer the faster, well-oxygenated water below the weirs is the place to head for. As the season wears on, any swim with a feature on the opposite bank is worth trying as there will be chub and roach plus a few good perch there, for sure! More info: www.stratfordangling.co.uk
RIVER YARE, LANGLEY
This is a wonderful stretch of tidal river in Norfolk where the main dilemma for your approach is whether to fish for bream on the feeder or roach on the pole.
The best conditions are when the river is full and slowly running off. Get your timing right and big weights are almost certainly on the cards.
Some of the top river anglers in the country travel miles to fish this circuit each season – make sure you give it a go in 2021. More info: www.facebook.com/yarefishing
RIVER WYE, HEREFORD
My favourite winter water, this stretch fills up with fish from October onwards and on certain days many of the swims offer some fantastic sport.
All sorts of methods work here including long whips, Bolos, feeder and short whips for bleak, so you need to be well prepared.
I had my best dace catch of 114lb here and I also caught my biggest-ever chub from this area – a huge fish which turned the scales to exactly 8lb! More info: www.facebook.com/ herefordanglingassociation