The Severn,Wye,Teme,Trent,H.Avon,D.Stour,Thames,Lea,Gt.Ouse,Ivel are all wonderful rivers,with lots of beautiful places along them places I would like to fish,but never will include the Frome,Ribble,Swale,Ure and probably loads of others,many are a patch on their former selves,but still have plenty to offer....
Best coarse fishing rivers in the country?
- Thread starter Badgerale
- Start date
Keith M
Well-known member
My favourite river used to be the river Kennet along the Thatcham, Theale and Newbury sections but I haven’t fished there since the 1980s and have read that the streamer weed has virtually disappeared now in some places.
Today I would include various sections of the Dorset Stour and Avon plus the river Wye in Herefordshire; but there are also a couple of lovely stretches of the upper Lea and river Ouzel where I can sit on a summers evening and not wish to be anywhere else with a rod.
Keith
Today I would include various sections of the Dorset Stour and Avon plus the river Wye in Herefordshire; but there are also a couple of lovely stretches of the upper Lea and river Ouzel where I can sit on a summers evening and not wish to be anywhere else with a rod.
Keith
Last edited:
sam vimes
Well-known member
I'd add the Lea to that list if I knew that the bits I'd like to fish were available on a day ticket. Sadly, I believe that most, if not all, of the good bits aren't available to a visitor.
Sam you could try Kings Weir available on day ticket. The good thing is you can ring up and book your swim saves getting up at silly o'clock It is hard blanks are the norm but there are some serious big barbel chub and perch there. All detail's are on their website.
Having grown up in Dunstable Beds the Gt Ouse particularly the upper reaches holds special memories. The Ouzel which was my nearest river growing up in the sixties was also special. It used to produce some big roach but haven't fished it for 40years so no idea what it is like now. Once I learnt to drive and ventured further afield the Kennet was a lovely river circa 1984 but that is now a shadow of its former self. Currently the Lea receives my attention not the most attractive river in places but it has been kind to me. The most attractive river I have fished is undoubtedly the Hampshire Avon here I have been unlucky with the conditions and struggled it has either been in flood and virtually unfishable or sunny low and clear unfortunately it is to far away to give serious attention.
Keith M
Well-known member
Unfortunately since the original weir was changed over to the modern concrete runoffs back in the 1980s like most of the other weirs on the Lea; the fishing seriously declined when compared to its former self; and because of this I hardly ever went back there; however as chevin4 said there are still some serious big Barbel and Chub there but just a lot more thinner on the ground than they used to be.
Back in it’s hey-day we used to be able to fish for Barbel in the undercuts directly under the white water along the weir sill; and in diffent places around the weir; both from the bank and from a punt; but unfortunately since the concrete runoffs appeared there are no longer any undercuts or areas to fish directly below the weir sill and there are shallow banks built up in the middle of the weir breaking through the surface; (well there was the last time I fished there anyway).
Keith
Last edited:
The H.Avon got a lot of my attention,for years,I was a member of Christchuch AC and spent countless hours watching barbel and chub in the swaying ranunculus beds,caught a fair few too,the river today is a mere patch on what it was,some massive fish there,but populations are way down,the Gt.Ouse above Bedford is a wonderful river in the shallower,quicker areas,again a smidgeon of what it was....
steve2
Well-known member
Unfortunately the same can be said for most rivers I have fished certainly the small streams.
The Hampshire Avon.
Plenty of big fish, and in an increasingly busy world, still some beauty, wildlife and solitude.
I also enjoy the Wye, but that is getting too busy. The Yorkshire rivers are also lovely for the scenery.
The only main river I haven’t fished (and have no desire to in the more popular areas) is the Trent. However, if someone can point me in the direction of one of the fabled upper reaches where the scenery is more appealing and the fishing more intimate, I’d be keen to travel.
Plenty of big fish, and in an increasingly busy world, still some beauty, wildlife and solitude.
I also enjoy the Wye, but that is getting too busy. The Yorkshire rivers are also lovely for the scenery.
The only main river I haven’t fished (and have no desire to in the more popular areas) is the Trent. However, if someone can point me in the direction of one of the fabled upper reaches where the scenery is more appealing and the fishing more intimate, I’d be keen to travel.
The bad one
Well-known member
Two rivers for me would be my childhood river the Dane where we got the train from Manchester Pic Station to Holmes Chapel most Sundays to fish for the hoards of minnows 
the river had. Boy if you had a dace or a chub, you were the king for the week! The Ribble where I've spent the last 30 + years fishing it. I've fished elsewhere but always get dragged back to both because of the love of them.
the river had. Boy if you had a dace or a chub, you were the king for the week! The Ribble where I've spent the last 30 + years fishing it. I've fished elsewhere but always get dragged back to both because of the love of them.Two rivers for me would be my childhood river the Dane where we got the train from Manchester Pic Station to Holmes Chapel most Sundays to fish for the hoards of minnows
What a lovely river, the Dane! All the time I lived in Salford then Chester I had club books from Northwich, Winsford, Warrington and later Bay Malton so I could get on it in as many places as possible.
rayner
Well-known member
Both the Don and Rother in and around Sheffield are a long way off the best list, they are definitely the most improved over recent years.
The Don was classed as the most polluted river in Europe, it is full of grayling, trout, roach, barbel in fact all species. Put a halt on pollution entering the river from industry and rivers soon recover. It is a pity I am unable to access the local rivers now, it is good the rivers are now fishable.
The Don was classed as the most polluted river in Europe, it is full of grayling, trout, roach, barbel in fact all species. Put a halt on pollution entering the river from industry and rivers soon recover. It is a pity I am unable to access the local rivers now, it is good the rivers are now fishable.
Mick (Flightliner) took me for a day on the Don to a spot near the city centre in a wooded valley with free-feeding grayling and trout in abundance. There's no better small river fishing anywhere near me, and I'd be there a lot if I lived nearer.
The bad one
Well-known member
An interesting and true story about fishing the Dane on Christmas day for you from the late 1970s. I was separated at the time from my first witch. My lad was about 6-7, and we’d agreed I’d spend Christmas day at there house, lunch paid for by me and she’d cook it.
My lad wanted a good snooker table for Christmas. I went and worked on nights for a month before the day, so I had the money to get him a really good one. However, by the time I had the couple of hundred pounds for it, it was only a couple of days before Christmas and could I find one anywhere in Gt Manchester to buy, could I hell!
I phone the lad and told him I couldn’t get until after Christmas and could I get him another present for the day. We agreed on a Starwars Millennium Falcon and the table to follow. Job sorted!
Within an hour the Witch is on the phone ranting at me because I hadn’t got him the snooker table. Seriously there was never any compromising with the Witch ever! The rant closed with no table, no dinner.
So, I found myself with no food in the fridge/house, as I was away for the rest the Christmas and New year period. All I could find was a packet of Cheddar cheese and Walnut and two half stale muffins.
Bollocks to this, I’m going Chubbing on the Dane with my lousy butties!
It was one of the winters in the 1970s where it froze up and snowed for dammed near a month up here. Due to the state of the roads and the fact that I only had a motorbike to get there, I slithered and slid my way for over an hour and a half to get there. The journey normally taking me around 40 minutes.
Needless to say I caught nothing, not even a nock, even though I managed to stick it out until just after it had gone dark. The air temperature when I checked it as I left was down to -10c.
To rub road salt in the wounds, even the Squirrels were laughing at me as I ate my luxury Christmas lunch of cheese and walnut butties.
My lad wanted a good snooker table for Christmas. I went and worked on nights for a month before the day, so I had the money to get him a really good one. However, by the time I had the couple of hundred pounds for it, it was only a couple of days before Christmas and could I find one anywhere in Gt Manchester to buy, could I hell!
I phone the lad and told him I couldn’t get until after Christmas and could I get him another present for the day. We agreed on a Starwars Millennium Falcon and the table to follow. Job sorted!
Within an hour the Witch is on the phone ranting at me because I hadn’t got him the snooker table. Seriously there was never any compromising with the Witch ever! The rant closed with no table, no dinner.
So, I found myself with no food in the fridge/house, as I was away for the rest the Christmas and New year period. All I could find was a packet of Cheddar cheese and Walnut and two half stale muffins.
Bollocks to this, I’m going Chubbing on the Dane with my lousy butties!
It was one of the winters in the 1970s where it froze up and snowed for dammed near a month up here. Due to the state of the roads and the fact that I only had a motorbike to get there, I slithered and slid my way for over an hour and a half to get there. The journey normally taking me around 40 minutes.
Needless to say I caught nothing, not even a nock, even though I managed to stick it out until just after it had gone dark. The air temperature when I checked it as I left was down to -10c.
To rub road salt in the wounds, even the Squirrels were laughing at me as I ate my luxury Christmas lunch of cheese and walnut butties.
ian g
Well-known member
I remember a similar time weather wise Phil , I was really busy at work and fishing was always an escape so I hated to miss it . The winter was rally cold and I went fishing at Bangor on Dee . A slow stretch was frozen foe around 100 meters , I'd never seen that before . I fished a tip rod with maggots and managed one bite from a grayling around a pound . As l went to net it I found my net frozen solid to the ground . It was bloody freezing but I was chuffed with my catch . Makes this winter seem like a breeze.
no-one in particular
Well-known member
Best or the one we like? I wouldn't know which the best but I guess the one we like is often going to be the one we fished when we started. I have always loved the Thames, and not only that, I always have thought so much does not get fished, islands you cannot get too, private land, gardens etc. I have always fancied there might be some huge fish that have never been caught, I don't fish it now but if I could I would, it could still offer me a lot of the unknown. Most rivers do not do that anymore, the Avon, the Stour, the Kennet etc., its all pretty well documented but the Thames, still a bit of mystery.
steve2
Well-known member
Agree with you I have walked miles on the Thames and it is rare to see anglers. Those that I have seen are close to car parks and picnic areas.
Both the Thames and Kennet are fantastic rivers. As said, so much of the Thames is unfished and that also applies to the Kennet. I am so lucky, I have found stretches on both with safe parking and beautiful scenery, apart from the boats it's usually very quiet. On the Kennet especially it is rare to see another angler. The fish are unknown, everytime I get a bite I really don't know what to expect. The only downside is the crayfish on the Kennet which sometimes make legering unbearable. The swims on the Thames are very similar, on the Kennet the swims vary between 2 to 11ft deep.