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[Ron Troversial Clay]

Just had a call from a friend of mine who is fishing a local river right now.

He has started to get into the big river roach and has had fish to 1 1/2 lbs using stick float with hemp and caster. In fact he lost a fish which he estimates at over 2lbs a couple of days ago. The fish seem to be shoaled up in a slack on one of the Trent tributaries.

I am keeping very quiet about this stretch of river. By Wednesday next week it should be in tip top condition for a big redfin. I certainly hope to catch one.

 

[jp]

quote
"I am keeping very quiet about this stretch of river."

No you're not, you just put it on the WWW.

Someone, somewhere, is now, in their head, going through all the places similar to what you described and trying to work out where it is.

 

[Baz]

I hope to be doing some roach and grayling fishing tomorrow, all being well, on the stick.

 

[EC]

where you off Baz?

 

[Ron Troversial Clay]

All I will tell you is that it is a very "lazy river"...... )

I intend to do a picture feature on this river shortly, then you will all know where it is.

 

[Warren 'Hatrick' (Wol) Gaunt]

ta

 

[Graham Whatmore]

Thats right Ron don't be idle, get some good roach fishing in eh!

 

[Baz]

Not decided yet Eddie, I have a choice of four diferent places, it depends if I get an early start or not. I fancy bronze maggot flavoured with tumeric.

 

[William Spencer]

hey ron,have you managed a two pounder yet?i know a while ago that the two pounders had eluded you.

 

[Ron Troversial Clay]

Not from this river yet William. I've caught plenty of 2s in my life but the majority have come from Oxon gravel pits and the Severn.

The best I have had from the lazy river is 1lb 14oz.

We certainly discovered a stretch that just may produce a 2. One local angler claims he catches plenty of 2s from this area but my feeling is he doesn't carry a set of scales with him.

Certainly on a good day you can catch several well over the pound. There are not many rivers in England where you can do that these days, hence my need to keep a bit quiet about where it is.

The stamp of the roach is truly wonderful, and they are all true roach too. No sign of a hybris as yet.

My friend is due to phone me at about 3 pm to let me know how he got on. He is a very good roach angler who has fished this river from childhood like myself.

And the stretch he is fishing is free.

 

[Ron Troversial Clay]

My friend John has just phoned me. He had 20 fish, best just on a pound.

But this was a lousy day. Many of the roach were quite small.

Wednesday should be the best next week. Anyone want to join me?

 

[michael townsend 2]

Ron last week i fished the stick for a few hours on the Idle at Misson.I had taken four over the pound mark when i was told you can no longer fish there.This is a shame because it is a top winter roach fishery It may also explain why a lot of the fish showed signs of cormorant damage.

 

[Ron Troversial Clay]

This is sad to hear Michael. I can tell you the story about how this bit of the river was lost to anglers, but not on this website.

 

[William Spencer]

ron,it's not possible for me to fish on weds with,but,if the offer is on in a week or two then i would love to join you.

 

[michael townsend 2]

The chap did explain why but i dont know whether it was true.Tomorrow i will start to explore slightly upstream i fish for Bream there in the summer and i have yet to see another angler on this winding stretch

 

[Ron Troversial Clay]

Isn't it a great pity that so very few fish this and other rivers?

Very soon the art of river fishing will be lost. Not only that but many miles of superb wild river fishing will be lost. There are dozens of stinking, muddy mini-carp commercials in this area. I would rather give up the sport entirely than fish in these awful soul destroying places.

I could name them but I wont.

Why is it that a big proportion of anglers today do not want to fish for wild fish in wild surroundings?

 

[michael townsend 2]

Maybe its because you have to feed steadily for an hour or so to get the fish to feed with confidence instead of opening your car door and splashing your pole on the water (ringing the bell some match anglers call it).It is a shame though,i dont know who owns the stretches of the Idle i fish i only have cows for company,but it looks like we have already lost one stretch of this cracking underfished river.

 

[Ron Troversial Clay]

You are right Michael.

To get the big roach to get their heads down takes a great deal of skill combined with the art of feeding little and often. On the lazy river it can take up to 3 hours feeding before you get a bite.

When you really get the roach feeding you can get 30 roach for 30 pounds.

Yet this means nothing to the angler of today fishing the mucky slime filled puddles.

Anglers who spend their lives on such places are not real anglers in my opinion.

 

[michael townsend 2]

I agree Ron.They usualy have little or no watercraft and can probably only catch from such places. The Roach fishing is first class in the lazy river,but you have to work hard and fish fine for your rewards,but ten pounds of roach from a river beats a netfull of "pasties" any day. Sometimes though its hard to concentrate on the float because there is an abundance of wildlife on view.This maybe because i keep still and dont shout my mates on the other side calling them a lucky so and so.

 

[Nigel Moors 2]

Ron -"My friend John has just phoned me. He had 20 fish, best just on a pound.

But this was a lousy day. Many of the roach were quite small."

That's still a damn sight better than sitting on a carp stuffed muddy hole in the ground! Part of the problem of why so few fish the river/s these days.