What's your favourite type of venue.

[Derek Gibson]

I suppose that would depend on, if the water contained various species or a particular one.

Personally I prefer a water that has some movement. Although I have fished the Trent with some success, it's the smaller intimate water's that hold my attention and fire me up.

In particular the drains of Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire, and the smaller rivers of Yorkshire. These have remained a constant source of fascination for me since I first picked up a rod.

No doubt this was largely influenced for many years by my choice of species. Summer time was spent chasing Barbel and Chub, winter time was almost exclusively Pike with the odd sorties after Zander.

Nowadays I seem to get the biggest buzz from catching larger fish from the smaller venues. It may seem strange to other anglers, but it fascinates me.

Is there anyone else out there who's an oddball like me?

 

[itsfishingnotcatching]

I'm a fan of small rivers, still aiming for a 3lb chub from the Salwarpe and hoping that there's some bigger ones lurking in unexplored stretches. The Arrow owes me a barbell and I've still got ambitions of a 2lb grayling from the Itchen. There are some small pools in Wales which hold a few tench, carp and some potentially large roach, a proportion of my holidays will be spent in search of these. In general somewhere where I can fish in relative solitude in natural surroundings.

Another good thread Derek

 

[sam vimes]

Big stillwaters, or little stillwaters. Big rivers, tiny rivers and becks. It's all the same to me. The only things I can't count as favourites are canals and drains. However, that's only a question of familiarity. Though I have experienced both, they aren't exactly common in my particular corner of the country.

 

[Peter Jacobs]

All venues have their associated charm but for me it has to be a flowing river, although, it is a close battle to an intimate stillwater on a traditional tench fisher's dawn . . . now, that, takes some beating but sadly not so often encountered.

 

[nottskev]

My favourite wasn't one water, but a place, Northwich in Cheshire. First, there was the Weaver, with wide, deep canalised sections, weirs, backwaters and boatyards . It had every species, offered the chance to fish any and all methods, and fished all through the season.

Then, in the centre of town was the confluence with the Dane, a serpentine, canal - sized river full of roach, dace, chub and barbel, winding through trees and shrubbery.

Access was brilliant and you could always pick something to suit your mood and the conditions. I used to pack the car, drive to Northwich, 25 minutes or so, check out the prospects from a couple of bridges and only then decide what, where and how. The mix of natural and man-made made every section interesting and featureful.

Now, sitting on the side of the Trent in the endless downstream wind feels like sitting on the hard shoulder of the motorway! And I'm more for the A roads and the B roads. I'm sure I should be more grateful, and I try to like it..........

 

[rayner]

I used to enjoy the Tidal Trent and Dam Flask. Never considered them favourites but the time I spent on both venues they must have been.
Where I fish at the moment is nowhere near a favourite but it's there or stay at home.
It's a well stocked fishery, a commercial which I never would have fished without health issues. My catches are better than I had when fit but I really miss the fishing I used do.

 

[flightliner]

It would be a small (ish) lowland river with a slow to modest flow and some three to four feet of depth.
Roach the quarry, and preferably laying on with a foot or more of extra depth.
casting off the rod end and letting the rig swing round in the currant until it settles in the "uggin" where the fish often hold position.
One number eight or six on the deck which will often show a tiny lift of the float before sailing away.
Pure angling magic!.

 

[peterjg]

My favourite type of water is where there is mystery, where not all of the fish are known, named and catalogued. Where there is peace and quiet. Believe it or not such places still exist! One stretch of river I fish there are no boats, no passers by, in fact it is very rare to see anyone at all, lovely.

 

[no-one in particular]

I like the big wide rivers in that no matter how often you fish them, you never get to know them entirely, always more likely to surprise. Small streams are a delight but you can get to a point where little mystery is left. Same with small lakes/big lakes, I like a big water, river over lake, more to explore and anticipate and a bit more of a challenge. I would gladly go and live on the Thames in a boat and spend the rest of my life fishing it---with a decent rod of course
Wouldn't happen now but if I had to choose one way to do it, that would appeal to me the most probably.

 

[iain t]

I go for the small rivers of West Sussex. Even though small they have produced Barbel to 18lb and large Chub, specimen Dace and Roach. On one of our club waters, the only disturbance you get is from the Cows that will sit or lay close to you. The main thing i like about these waters are the nature, all sorts of birds including Peregrine Falcons, Swifts, an albino Owl that is very friendly as long as you have worms to feed it, Deers and of course the greenery.

 

[mikench]

Today it was a 17acre shallow mere near the M6 and it is my favourite having provided me with my biggest tench to date! I am sure the feeling will wain as I struggle next time out but for the moment I can't wait to go back!

 

[Philip]

Like allot of us I guess I have fished a great many different waters from tiny brooks to resevoirs the size of an inland sea. All have an appeal. However the one the one that always gets my angling juices flowing more than any other are those small to medium sized rivers, clean and fast flowing with streamer over a gravel bed dropping into deeper inviting holes under far bank trees and little twists and turns or deeper slower corners, the type of river that is just crying out for you to rove along with Polarod glasses, 1 rod and a bit of tackle fishing a number of different places, giving each 20mins or so. Every new swim bringing a new sense of anticipation.

I defy any keen angler to walk down a venue like that without gagging to have a cast.

 

[john step]

Whether its moving or still as long as it has a bit of depth. I would rather not be able to see the fish. More mysterious.

 

[tigger]

Somewhere where I won't see another angler.....unless it's a friend .

 

[mikench]

Ah cheers mate!

 

[terry m]

Pretty much anything as long as it has some features, so that riles out canals and commies.

The over riding need for me is solitude, so the fewer anglers the better.

 

[trotter2]

Medium and small flowing rivers for me , as long as there is no stick flinging dog walkers or drink fuiled teenagers not bothered really.
Peace and quite and a few fish does me.

 

[binka]

I need a variety to offer a change and keep things interesting, with so much variation out there it's reasonably easy to find what I fancy at any particular time.

Perhaps my all time favourite would be the upper Witham where I fished as a young teenager and first started to trot, this was courtesy of my dad who had spotted the river on one of his cattle buying trips where he would get permission from the land owner and consequently there would only be one other angler around and that was the kind fella who picked me up each weekend and took me there.

At around thirty feet wide with a steady flow and three feet of water it was perfect and the fishing back then was out of this world with large bags of chub and certain swims where you could trot for pristine pound and a half roach in numbers with some certainty.

Add in the winter pike fishing and it really did have everything.

These days I tend, despite my love for the river, to have urges to sit back on a nice stillwater and just watch a float from time to time and there are many waters which could all be considered favourites depending on the requirement at the time.

If anything I would like more canal fishing but I'm just not in a convenient location to enjoy them enough.

 

[maurice walsh]

I like the big wide rivers in that no matter how often you fish them, you never get to know them entirely, always more likely to surprise. Small streams are a delight but you can get to a point where little mystery is left. Same with small lakes/big lakes, I like a big water, river over lake, more to explore and anticipate and a bit more of a challenge.

i have to agree with all this,(predictable i suppose given where i live) but i do enjoy the little lakes that are hidden away behind forrestry/hillocks etc that are only found on OS maps and mostly never fished or only by 1 or 2 locals now n again, when i was in the car rally game the OS maps we used threw up an amazing amount of lakes in the half to 2 n half acre puddles in just a 45 to 60 min drive from me, must have a root around in the bombsite shed and see if any of the maps are still there, and not forgetting the rest of the country that we traveled(flat out n spitting flames )

 

[Keith M]

I love fishing small streams and rivers which often average around 12 to 15ft wide or thereabouts, which have gravel bottoms and plenty of cabbages and streamer weed with reed beds along the edge and with overhanging vegetation and plenty of bends and other features which I can explore and watch the fish that I am trying to catch.

I get a great deal of satisfaction fishing such places and catching the large fish that often inhabit this kind of venue; which is often ignored by the average angler fishing their commercial or sat behind their Carp rods these days.

My other favourite type of venue is the remote estate lake full of Lilly beds and overhanging vegetation around its edges and around the occasional overgrown island; and where I can often have the place to myself catching decent sized Tench and Crucians, or chasing large Rudd shoals on the surface or catching a few of the resident Carp.

Luckily I have both of these types of venue at my disposal so I'm a very happy bunny

Keith