polemaster

Do you think that the rivers in general are on the up or not, and even if they are do you think anglers would ever return now they have got used to the comfort and safety of managed fisheries

phill01

I do belive the rivers are on the up, i think they were never gone, its just when the puddles started to pop up anglers started to disapeare from the banks of the rivers and becuse the bait was not going in the fish moved on to find food, i have always fished the rivers and have always caught plenty of silvers, thats not to say those black things with wings havent had there feast , i have noticed more anglers back on the rivers than a few years ago, the write up in the angling times this week about the angler on the bristol avon catching i think was 57 bream for 290lb what a result i know its a one of and you can not expect that weight every week but all those fish are nice and wild and i bet he got more satisfaction out of that than catching 290lb of carp, i am not trying to say what venues are the best but i would like to see more anglers back on the rivers.

ridgeacre

Must say Ive only fished the rivers 3 times this season,on there again on Sat (Manor Farm) but Ive throughly enjoyed it.Was at Tywford farm a few weeks backs it was nice to catch loads of small skimmers and roach, seems while we have been away things have been improving.Will see on Sat now we have got a bit of water going in

woodhouse

How can rivers compete?

Commercials offer more consistant sport,better facilities,safer parking,no three mile walks,etc etc etc

i think the carp puddles could self destruct with the amount of fish deaths though the fish version of aids (KHV) but a lot of anglers will still prefer to fish commercials for silvers,the only thing i can see putting them off is day ticket costs,is it worth catching 20lb of roach for £6 a day when they can catch 10lb for £27 quid a year(based on cost of a BAA card)


I think the only way that river attendances will ever get gack to how they once were is if the organisers find major sponsors.

BlueNose

I am surprised how a river has not been commercialised.

I suppose it has if you think of Evesham and the Huxley waters, as you have a club house with toilets there, I would have though one or two farmers would have clocked this and provided facilites, trouble is I suppose is flood water.

There is nothing worse than being caught short when fishing on a river, and there isn't a toilet nearby.

jb2000

I think the warwickshire avon has fished better this year than it has the last couple of years whether it will ever fish well enough to draw anglers out of there armchair pegs on commercials i dont know!

Ashfield Dave

The River Trent is looking better than its looked for years, and the silver fish are beginning to show again, down at Rolleston last weekend, Roach and Skimmers were coming out to stick floated hemp and caster, while at Gunthorpe Bridge, big bags of Bream and Barbel have been caught recently.

__________________
http//:www.ashfieldangling.piczo.com
http://www.suttonac.piczo.com

Zebedee

I love my Winter matches on the Ancholme...

OK the fishing might not be upto commercial standards,but the bonus is not having to drive far when the roads are frosty and slippery.

The Runner

Certainly most of the Thames is fishing as well as I can ever remember it and seems to be getting better every year. Seems , down south at least, to be the small rivers that have suffered the most but signs for optimism there as well. Local stretch of the Colne has been pretty much big fish or bust for a few years but last summer to a small extent, and far more this year , there's lots of tiny dace and chub around which we haven't seen in years

As for the anglers going back, sure some will never return, but just may be some signs of an upturn. The club of which I'm treasurer, after five years of slowly falling membership ,stayed level last year and this year we have a 25% increase in member numbers. And we don't have any waters that could remotely be said to offer the facilities (or big weights) of any commercial (other than one lake out of our eleven waters that you can park behind half the pegs..)