As anyone that fished it after the floods last summer will know all too well, my beloved Thames and it's backwaters fished like an open sewer last season. It goes without saying that I'm hoping for the best for the coming season, but alas, fearing the worst. I think it's going to be a long road back to health.

I don't fancy another season without some proper stickfloat and waggler action on the river for roach and dace so I intend to fish 'abroad' this season in search of some of the serious stuff.

I've singled out the River Idle as my first target. I wanted to fish Beecy's  Fish-In last February but couldn't due to work commitments. Over the next couple of weeks I want to get as much background as I can and get bankside for a look at the Haxey area.

What I need to know first off is - can this area be fished on a day-ticket basis? If not - who do I have to fight/arm-wrestle/out-drink or sleep with to get the opportunity?

I'm starting off with the Idle due to some excellent articles and reports about it that I've read on FM. Some expert guidance would be greatly appreciated. 

I will also be looking at other waters around the country with similar pedigrees and accessability - so any other suggestions and guidance would also be welcome.

Thanks in anticipation.

Lark,

The Idle at Haxey is day ticket, and season permits are only about 4or5 times the day ticket price so if your plabnning on going a few times are worth it.

Ive not been in touch with the club since the end of last season so dont know what prices will be this season until i get back down there myself. What I do know is, the upstream of the bridge bit that was not available to fish last season has now been taken on by the pub landlord so is fishable again. The downstream bit that the club ran was up for re-negotiation so i dont know how this stands now.

Ive never fished as far down as Haxey in the early part of the season when its stuffed full of bleak and tiny roach, i start fishing it from october onwards when the better roach shoal uip there.

In the early part of the season i will fish the upper river above bawtry (Bircotes AC, members only, no day tickets, club cards from RRsports Bawtry), but due to it being shallow,clear & weedy its more of a stalking type river rather than a good stick/waggler river. I didnt realy get my monies worth on this bit last year so dont know if I'll be renewing this year.

Theres miles of river from Bawtry to haxey that are free fishing but access is poor, some very long walks involved, check out an O/S map ( mike Townsends you man here, hes local and knows alot more of the river than me )

For the first few months of the season I'll be doing my river fishing on the Trent, Burton Joyce to Fiskerton area, Ill move onto the Idle later in the year.

If you fancy a day on either give me a shout, i'll only be going once every 2or3 weeks though as i like my local stillwater fishing too in the summer and fuel costs will restrict my travelling to the rivers

Thanks for that info Beecy, excellent - I definitely fancy a session on the Trent as I've never fished it and it's one one of my 'to do' rivers. I'll pick up an OS of the Bawtrey area and spend an evening sussing it out next time I'm up that way on business.

I don't mind leaving the Idle until early autumn - this is when I'd normally be looking for the prime stickfloat days on the Thames anyway. Summer to autumn is more suited to the waggler on the stretches I normally fish although if it's not too clear it can be storming on the stick.

Hopefully touch base with you again in a while.

Cheers.

Don't neglect the Idle around Bawtry, most of it is Day Ticket or even Free Fishing! There is some brilliant Roach and Chub fishing to be had in these stretches, brilliant for trotting the stickfloat with the old centrepin.

A good contact point is R & R sports in Bawtry, they will put you on the right track and provide good fresh bait.

I fish for Roach and Chub from the start of the season, why wait until Autumn? One method I have developed here is using Fly gear to take the roach and chub, it is really good fun on a Summer's evening when there is a fly hatch on the river. Alll you need is a little Brook rod (3-4) and a selection of dry and wet flies on a size 16-18 hook. Or put an artificial maggot or caster onto a size 16 and try that! Magic!

Give me a bell for details or to arrange a visit, I'm free most weekdays.

Don

Thanks fellas, this is all good stuff. As soon as I've had a look for myself and explored the area a bit I'll not-doubt have some specific questions to pick your brains again!

Cheers again.

Miles more consistent sport later in the season though Donald.

Theres plenty of bream and carp to catch in the warmer months.

Steve - All info relevant to these stretches will be welcome.

I must say that both yours and Mike's comments about the carp have surprised me. I'd not even considered carp or associated them with the Idle at all.

I'm going to pick up some OS maps later today to give me a bit of detailed perspective and get some bearings on the area.

Although I live about 170 miles away I do quite a bit of business in the surrounding areas. That said, I don't often get the time to stray off the main roads to explore the area, apart from the occassional visit to Climax Tackle and 'Cleggy's' emporium!   

I would endorse what Mike says. I have fished the Idle since boyhood and have caught lots of quality roach from this river, but never a 2 pounder; although I have come close on odd occasions.

I have in the past caught quality roach in late summer using stewed wheat.

Generally speaking however, roach fishing does not really start on the Idle until November. 

Ron if your refrence to a 2lb is because of my sighting in Retford, all i can say is i am making an honest guess, the fish was only a few yards away in gin clear water, but as i said im not a roach angler,but i have caught them to 1 3/4 lb, and i thought it looked bigger than that, i didnt intend to mislead lark into thinking its full of 2s its not, if ive taken your comment wrong then i apologise now.

Anyone who has spent a lot of time fishing the Idle will know of its reputation for big roach. But for many, the weight seems to stop at 1lb 14oz or thereabouts. The river  certainly has 1 1/2 lb fish in numbers. I only know an handful of Idle regulars who can claim to have caught a 2 pounder from this river.

But like Dick Walker once said about another river - The Great Ouse.

"I would rather catch a 1 pounder from the Ouse than a 2 pounder from a dead easy water."

With reference to the Idle, I would concur.  

Ron - there's a slim to zero chance of getting a 2lb roach on the stretches of the Thames where I usually trot or fish the wag. There are no doubt opportunities for larger fish on some of the backwaters I fish, which usually require a different approach.

When I get the larger fish going on the caster/tare, the roach tend to range from 8oz to 1lb 4oz as well as really good quality dace. Get a few hours of that in and you know you've had a days fishing. 

What I'm after is to fish sessions where I can do the same thing and enjoy a different location. Like I said earlier, I'm hoping for the best from the Thames this season but fearing the worst. I think a few other rivers in the south, south-west and midlands may suffer in the same way.

I don't know whether rivers in the north and north-west suffered the same after the floods last summer, I'd be interested in any feedback on this.

Information so far from Beecy, Mike, Don and Steve suggest there was life after flooding!

Plenty of good information on the River Idle, but no-one has mentioned that it also holds a good head of Barbel, especially around Retford.

Also there are plenty of 2lb plus roach in the river, last season saw my tally of doubles go upto double figures, fishing different parts of the river! Maybe it's a question of hookbait, I use prawn, cod roe, whelk and worm along with the more traditional maggots or meat, whilst a good piece of homemade bread stuck on a size 12 in Summer is deadly.

I also adopt a wandering approach, not staying too long in a stretch unless there is some real activity. This means travelling light with minimum tackle, just like the old days.

One feed bait I would praise is the Halibut pellet in sizes 4 and 6 mm. Mix some with normal feed and they create a feeding frenzy in Summer when the oils start to leak!

Hey ho, time to get the rods ready for next weeks trip to Shireoaks, my mate had a brace of 2lb roach from there on Thursday, plus a cracking Perch on a carp boilie!

Tight lines everyone.

Don

PS;

The River Rother is just as good as the Idle, although not as picturesque.

If you want some good stickfloat fishing I would suggest the Middle Trent, as long as it's not in flood like last year. The previous couple of seasons, the roach fishing has been excellent with numerous double figure nets taken spread all along the middle stretches. My local clubs newsletter even stated that it was fishing better than the golden years!

I've never fished the Idle, but I presume it's similar to some of the smaller rivers that I fish, with clear water and thick weed growth in summer, making fishing the stickfloat difficult and hard going. Best to leave until they've had a good flush out and carrying a bit of colour later in the year That's when they really come into their own and can produce some quality fish.

This is my point Steve - I can normally get terrific stickfloat fishing around my area and within about a seventy mile radius. Not after the floods last year though, it was hard going and mostly biteless.

I definitely intend to take Beecy up on his offer of a session on the Trent this summer.

Nigel - I'm based in Maidenhead, but I've fished the Kennet, Loddon, Thame, Cherwell, Warwickshire Avon and the Wey. Struggled everywhere I fished round here last year.

Been walking the banks of the Thames for the last three weeks - It looks crap and I haven't seen a fish top yet - hence my concerns.

The rivers definitely seemed to fall away after the flooding. Sonning was another one of the venues I fished and found absolutely devoid of small to medium fish. The odd specimen turned up on just about all the venues - barbel, chub, perch and carp. But the everyday type roach, dace and perch were missing. There were a few good bream bags that I knew of along the Bourne End to Marlow stretches and at Boveney but most of the stretches where you could normally, absolutely guarantee good roach and dace sport seemed to be devoid.

My first season back after a break of about six years was 2006 - I couldn't believe my luck. The rivers were stuffed full of excellent quality roach, dace, smaller chub and perch. To top it all off, I always seemed to have any stretch I fished all to myself. The early part of last season was exactly the same on the three or four stretches I managed to fish prior to the flooding.

I've bleated about it on this Forum a few times - it's almost like the rivers that were affected totally changed identity.

I like the idea of the Stour and Avon - I've fished the Avon some years ago but not recently and I've walked the banks of the Stour enviously many times but have never fished it. Typically, just when I'm talking about fishing farther afield, fuel prices are rocketing and making things even more difficult.