TOP STRETCHES to try on the River Trent
Few rivers can match the mighty Trent for sheer angling variety. This week we’ve asked two venue experts to give us the key spots to head to this summer, from the shallow upper reaches to the wild tidal expanses of this historic waterway
WAYNE SWINSCOE Notts-based River Trent match fishing legend BURTON-ON-TRENT, NOTTS
This is the shallow upper Trent, and it’s a floatfishing paradise. I’ve fished here for 14 years and it’s solid with roach, dace and perch. Early in the season maggots are the best bait, before caster seems to take over as the roach really get on the feed later in the year. A major plus is that you can park beside the river, although a key is required from the club to open gates. Price: £45 a year, Coors AC book More info: www.coorsanglingclub.com
NEWARK DYKE, NEWARK, NOTTS
There are all sorts of species in ‘The Dyke’ and you can pretty much fish how you want to.
Bream and barbel are regularly caught on pegs 1-7 and you’ll catch lots of silverfish throughout the length on the pole, stick float or waggler.
Pegs 48-50 and 68-70 on the stretch are good for a mixed bag, with skimmers showing on the feeder too. t’s all day-ticket, available in advance from Newark Piscatorials’ website. Price: £5 a day More info: www.newarkpiscatorial.co.uk
NOTTINGHAM EMBANKMENT, NOTTS
The river here runs in a big loop, so if the wind is bad in one area you can drive further along and find a more sheltered spot. It has clean concrete banks, with parking close-by on the road for £2. The top end is deeper, at 10ft-11ft, but below the flats it’s 6ft-7ft and is perfect stick float and waggler territory. There are roach dace, chub and some big perch and bream. Price: Free fishing
More info: Matchman Supplies 0115 9140210
BURTON JOYCE ROAD STRETCH, NOTTS
An iconic part of the Trent with 42 pegs you can park behind. The top half has more flow than the bottom, and the hotspot is around the outfall below the pub. In the RiverFest Final last year I had 28lb of roach here. It’s solid, and there are even some big chub returning.
When you get a bit of extra water in the river, head to the bottom half of the Nelson Field where nets of good bream are possible, even on the pole. Price: £6 a day on the bank More info: www.ashfieldangling.com
LONG HIGGIN AND RADCLIFFE, NOTTS
Long Higgin is a famous match stretch where the Trent is wide and deep. There are a lot of roach, but not so many dace. It’s great for pole fishing at about 11m, or for running a big stick float through close in, but the waggler isn’t so good because of the depth.
At Radcliffe it’s shallower, and there are 40-odd pegs on the Nottingham Federation water which you can park behind.
A key is required from Matchman Supplies, though. Price: Long Higgin is free fishing, Radcliffe is a £45 Notts Fed book More info: Matchman Supplies, 0115 9140210
LAUGHTERTON, LINCS
There are more fish in the tidal Trent than ever before, especially skimmers and hybrids, but don’t get caught out by the tide! We tend to look at the level the water has reached on the far bank and set up above this, to be safe. A big tide can
see the river rise by 5ft-6ft.
The feeder works very well on a split tide, casting regularly and putting plenty of worms and casters through it. When the tide turns and the water recedes, pick up a float rod to carry on catching.
Price: £10 a day
More info: www.lincolnangling.org
BOB ROBERTS Daiwa-backed big fish ace and River Trent expert HOLME MARSH, HOLME, NOTTS
The stretch contains the famous Weir Field, which has thrown up many a National Championship winner and holds the Trent match record of 192lb of bream. It’s the widest part of the Trent, so you’ll want long, powerful feeder or barbel rods and big reels to cast across. Peg 6 is the bream ‘flyer’, but you can catch them from pegs 3-20 too. There are also big barbel and chub, especially in pegs 1 and 2. You can drive beside some of the river in good conditions, and Holme Marsh comes under the Worksop DAA yearbook, which is very reasonably priced.
Price: £25 a year Worksop DAA More info: www. worksopanddistrictangling.co.uk
A1 PITS, NEWARK , NOTTS
This is the venue you see if you drive over the A1 bridge, on the left bank both sides. Access is excellent here as you can drive the length of stretch.
It starts just below the railway bridge and includes the noted Crankley Point where the main River Trent joins the Newark Dyke section, an area which can throw up big weights of bream. When the river is in flood the fish tend to go into the Dyke section.
Price: £10 a day
More info: www.a1pits.co.uk
CAYTHORPE, LINCS
This is another part of the Trent that’s ideal for floatfishing for chub and barbel, as you’ve got a depth of 6ft-7ft over nice clean gravel with a good flow. On the tactical front I’d advise using pellets and boilies, as most other baits tend to get hammered by roach, dace and bleak – there are so many in the river these days it’s just sensational! The chub are big now, too, and more weigh over 4lb than under. Price: £5 a day, £35 a season More info: www. midlandanglingsociety.com
LADYPITT FARM, HAZELFORD LOCK, NOTTS
A unique part of the Trent where the river gets funnelled into a narrow corridor ‘arm’ just off Hazelford Weir. There are some decent chub and plenty of smaller barbel to go at in the small weir and the rapids, on both float and feeder tactics. It’s controlled by Scunthorpe AA, which has six different Trent stretches in its portfolio.
Price: £45 a year, Scunthorpe AA book More info: www.scunthorpeanglers.net
FISKERTON AND ROLLESTON, NOTTS
Some good catches of bream have come out in the opening week to the groundbait feeder at Rolleston. Both stretches offer a mix of species, but check for matches before you visit. The stretch below Fiskerton on the north bank is controlled by Nottingham Piscatorials, with day tickets available from Fiskerton Post Office. Prices: £6 in advance
More info: www.nottinghampiscatorialsociety.co.uk
BEESTON, NOTTINGHAM, NOTTS
Every stretch of the Trent can throw up 13lb to 15lb barbel, but places where the species are less prolific seem to produce the real monsters! If I were to ignore the crowded weir pools of Collingham and Gunthorpe then the stretches around Beeston and Attenborough are where I would aim to fish. There are some large carp in the Beeston area too. Price: £53 a year, Nottingham AA More info: www.nottinghamanglers.co.uk