A great article Mark

Ron 'The Hat' Clay · Nov 11, 2005

I also grew up fishing rivers. The Idle, the Ryton, the mighty Trent and at times the southern chalk streams.

Wherever I travel and I cross a bridge, I have to stop and have a look. There is true magic and mystery in a river.

There are also hundreds of miles of river and drain in this country that never a see an angler, especially in the Fens.

Graham Whatmore · Nov 11, 2005

Nice article Mark, as usual. I too was brought up on rivers, mainly the Warks Avon when I was very young after the war, going on the train with my dad to Stratford on Avon. Later on I went with him to the matches that he fished and always on the charabanc and sometimes to what seemed to me, an impossibly big to fish, river Severn. Bit by bit I learned the art of fishing and always with a float, ledgering wasn't a popular method in the 40's and early 50's.

When I came out of the RN in '63 I started fishing again and virtually had to learn all over again because all the fishing paraphernalia had changed drastically. I still much prefer rivers to lakes and still prefer floatfishing to ledgering, its something thats inside me and like you Mark, and other river anglers, theres something about rivers that never ceases to attract me. I have an affinity with rivers, whatever their size, and I don't think I will ever lose it, not even when I'm too old to fish.

GrahamM · Nov 11, 2005

Somebody once said that river fishing was the same as stillwater fishing except that you don't have to cast as far but still fish heavy to stop it rolling away.

Plenty of truth in that until it comes to float fishing.

Apart from skill though, there is a distinctly different atmosphere to river fishing.

Fishing Gimp · Nov 11, 2005

A river always seems more lively and trotting is my favourite style of fishing.

Michael Howson · Nov 11, 2005

A couple of sessions fishing the mighty river Guden in Denmark on a recent visit to my son and his family brought home the diversity of river fishing.The first outing resulted in a truly wonderfull net of prime roach to a pound and a quarter and a 2 lb rudd in a catch i estimated at sixty pounds. A few days later in a different swim i spent a biteless three hours stick floating. A change to the feeder was no better and i packed up one frustrated angler. As my good friend John Ledger pointed out 1 out of 2 aint bad when the catch was that good.

Steve Spiller · Nov 11, 2005

Well done Michael, who said "it is easy"?

Not me mate!

That's why I love it!

Michael Howson · Nov 12, 2005

Sorry DB i forgot to say my big catch was made on a stick float fishing sweetcorn using 2 400gr tins.

Mark Wintle · Nov 12, 2005

Today the Stour was perfect for a spot of trotting for roach; up a foot, pulling through well, that brown/green colour. AM - Throop beat 1 above the New Weir, I was the only angler on there, roach to 12oz long trotting with bread punch, 1.5 miles of water to myself. PM, 2 miles upstream, one other angler who'd gone downstream; I went upstream, more roach to a pound. Gorgeous fishing in perfect conditions but not even anyone on the free stretch. Is a river now so challenging that all are afrid of it? It was hard work today, each bite had to be worked at, the swim fed, and the float carefully controlled but how very satisfying.

Ric Elwin · Nov 12, 2005

I do fish stillwaters, but only because decent Roach are so rare in rivers these days they might as well be extinct.

My local river is hardly fished, I fish a free stretch that I have pretty well to myself throughtout the season. Wild Brown trout to 5.15 and Grayling to nearly 2, yet everyone heads for the mud pits with their predictable hauls of small Carp.

Am I missing something?

Peter Jacobs · Nov 13, 2005

I think that Mark has hit the nail on the head with respect to river fishing - the word 'satisfying' sums it all up for me.

Okay, I can fish the local lake and/or commercial and take large numbers of medium sized stock fish, and it is fun, But, 30 or 40 Dace or Roach from the Avon where you have to work for every bite is far more satisfying, in my book.

Regarding the Guden in Denmark, 20 years ago virtually every swim would yield 40 to 50lbs of Roach. These days it has become very 'peggy' for reasons untold.

Graham too nails down the essence of river fishing using the word 'atmosphere'
There is a certain atmosphere that you find on rivers that is distinctly absent on almost every commercial I have visited, and most local club lakes as well.

Given the choice its a river for me everytime.

Michael Howson · Nov 13, 2005

Peter J Your right about the guden being peggy having fished several swims over the last 2 or 3 years. My most successful sessions have been right in the town centre in Silkeborg and close to the picnic area at smingeso. a few other pegs have yielded little or nothing but i try different pegs working on the principal of nothing ventured nothing gained. If you are a regular to DK Peter i would like to hear of your locations and results and maybe we could swap ideas. I visit my son and his family 2or3 times a year and am always interested in new spots around the Silkeborg area. All the best mick.

Peter Jacobs · Nov 14, 2005

Michael,

I used to fish the Guden regularly when I lived in Norway during the 90's, but only once since 2002.

I too fished the town stretches and a little further downstream just past the camp site. (is that still there?)

I used to fish the Skandeborg Lakes a lot as well, but after that stupid ground bait ban decided not to go back.

A great article Mark

Ron 'The Hat' Clay

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