Avon/stour clubs

Hi, having got back into river fishing over the last couple I'm looking to join a club which will give me access to the Avon & stour in ringwood, I enjoy fishing for all species but have yet to target barbel! Unsure which would be the better option to join RDAA or Christchurch angling? any advice/recomendations would be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance

Hi Frothy,

Although I'm in both clubs, if I had to join only one it would be CAC. The Ringwood club has loads of good water, but the fishing on the Somerley estate swings it for me. As long as you're willing/able to walk a bit you can find practically unfished water which still, contrary to popular opinion, contains numbers of big barbel and chub. They also have some fishing on the Lower Stour but not as much as Ringwood.

If you're desperate for barbel you can always get a day ticket on the Royalty!....:wh

Thanks fishface, although I'm keen to have a go for barbel I love having a trott for grayling ect. I was set on the ringwood club untill I checked out the christchurch club website, l didn't realise they had as much river! I'm also considering the lakes for the closed season??

Hi Frothy,

Dispite Christchurch having Somerley I would still join Ringwood. Ok I am bias but Ringwood has some supreb waters for all species.

On the Avon, North End farm has the Avon record barbel. Throop and the Royalty are worth the ticket price alone but add to that the lakes of the half pit, everton grange (tench water supreme ), Longham, Hatchet pond, Hightown plus little gems like the river at Parley/Bounds farm, Christchurch harbour, Tuckton, the avon at shallows farm or fordingbridge. Big roach at Longham waterworks anyone? Ringwood offers just about everything INCLUDING lots of water for the close season.

Indeed the only thing we are missing is decent grayling stream and a proper trout lake

Our complex at Northfield is brilliant with a bit of everything for everyone (including dare I say it - carp/cat fishing). The bream fishing in the main lake is little short of amazing. Yes it gets busy but so do a lot of the Christchurch venues.

As Fishface says Somerley is the only reason I would join Christchurch, when I joined 8 years ago I was in a similar situation but now its a no brainer. Ringwood just has more scope for me.

That's my personal opinion anyway. What I would say is ask at a few of the tackle shops (Richie in Ringwood tackle, Neil at BFL or Nigel at Davis). Get some day tickets or guest tickets and have a look around, see what suits you and join the one that inspires you the most.

Good luck.

P.S. Ringwood is the friendliest club I have ever been a part of, there is a core of chaps on the website who will go out of their way to help you out. Can't speak for Christchurch but I do know if you joined Ringwood you would be made to feel very welcome.

Ringwood is definitely more friendly and less rules, but I would still join CAC if I was only going to join one.

As was pointed out you get the Avon through Somerly which is exceptional, if you want Grayling then you get a stretch of the Frome too. You also get the Avon at Sopley and Winkton above the Royalty, plus some decent stretches of the Stour - mainly upstream.

Ringwood does have the Royalty, plus the superb Throop, but you can get day tickets on both.

Thanks for the replies chaps, a lot to think about will I end up joining both and if I do will I ever decide where to fishmg:

Always annoyed me that you pay top price to join a club like Ringwood only to find they sell day tickets on (some) of their waters (even Shallows Farm if you stay at the right pub) but they don't tell you before you join!
The Avon record/North End Farm barbel was the same fish that held the record previously only a bit more fed-up, and if you can get a swim anywhere near the 'bend', day or night you'll be luckier than I was.
Ringwood is better managed, but Christchurch has the river of dreams.

Mick,

Clubs need the money that day tickets generate. If they did not have this income then they would not be able to pump money back into improving the other waters they have.

Its a question of economics for me. If you fish once a month then a full ticket probably isn't worth it. But if you are like me and fish up to three times a week then its a no brainer.

Both clubs have some of the top fisheries in the country and both offer something different.

Frothy, if you have the money then definately join both clubs then see which one suits you best. As I said, if you like the social side and making friends then Ringwood is really good fun and still offers some quiet reaches in which to lose yourself. If you like the floppy hat and centre pin stuff then Christchurch might be better.

Good luck and hope to see you on the bank sometime.

Taken the plunge and joined them both Saturday! Spent the afternoon on the throop and managed to cover beats one and two whilst bouncing a maggot or two along they way didn't get a bend in the rod but not to disappointed as it was as much a reccy as anything and had a fair bit of bank to travel,to say I'm pleased to have this on the club ticket is an understatement! What a wonderful venue...apart from the obvious gems it holds I love the fact you can just wonder for miles and it looks like you could catch from just about anywhere? First of many venues to check out but will definitely be back on the throop to get a better feel for it, some great fish to be had I get the feeling I gonna have to work hard for them tho...

I have been a member of both for many years but now find myself a buyer of day tickets, especially for Throop as it's my spiritual angling home (used to walk down Yeomans Road to fish it almost every day!). But I can no longer justify full membership as it's a 150 mile round trip now.

Winter is my favourite time on Throop and I was there (again) on Saturday and had 5 chub with the best of 6:03 all on the float. One of the regulars had a stunner of 6:10 just opposite and down from me on the feeder.

I definitely echo Eddy's words. Get on the RDAA website and forum and you'll find a warm welcome and plenty of guys more than willing to help with advice. Throop can be a daunting prospect but a little help and advice will go a long way.

By the way, store away all that you see and learn during the winter, and start all over again in the summer. You'll not recognise most of it in June, July and August!

Eddy's recent article is a good start:

http://www.fishingmagic.com/features/coarse_fishing/specimen_fishing/15668-trotting-for-big-chub-eddy-widdup-has-a-nightmare-on-the-dorset-stour.html