Fishing Near Me | Dave Harrell's Top 10 river venues for 2018
With the new year upon us i thought it would be a good idea to talk you through some of the rivers that I think you might like to try in 2018. Timing is the key with some of the venues, as some are better in the warmer months while others come into their own as its gets colder.
1) RIVER THAMES
I continue to be impressed with the Thames, especially during the summer months. My friends Paul Glenfield and John Beesley have worked tirelessly on the stretch between Abingdon and Appleford Reach and created a great match length. There are loads of roach, skimmers and bream here, and I’ll definitely be back for more next year!
2) RIVER CALDER
This popular Yorkshire river was once polluted to the point where nothing could survive in its murky waters, but it’s now full of fish! There are regular matches on this venue, and they’re always well attended.
3) RIVER SWALE
I fell in love with this little river on the first visit a few years ago and I always look forward to fishing it every summer. The chub here aren’t easy to catch, but when you get one it’s like being plugged into the mains!
4) RIVER SOAR
I was very impressed with this river last summer and I can’t wait to get back on there again. I understand match organiser Tony Beech is going to run a summer series, culminating in a big-money final, and I’ll definitely be trying to qualify for that!
5) RIVER DON
I’ve never fished this river but I’m hoping to get on there before the season ends if it’s fishing okay. I love floatfishing in deep water and this is generally a very deep river. It’s a perfect place for anglers to learn about Bolo fishing.
6) RIVER SEVERN
The Severn continues to improve, and I’ve had good catches from Shrewsbury (a favourite of mine) down to Upton. I’d love to see Stourport return to its former glory.
This venue is one of the best in the country at times from October to March, and it’s a crying shame that someone in the area won’t take control and make it happen.
The fishing here can be absolutely brilliant and I’m really pleased that the river at Shrewsbury has been chosen as the venue for this year’s RiverFest Final in November.
7) RIVER TRENT
Quite where the roach go in this river during the winter months is anyone’s guess. During the summer there were loads to be caught all the way from Burton down to the tidal stretches, and I’m sure they’ll be back again next summer.
The Trent has developed into the best big-barbel river in the country and over the year there have been some huge fish landed. I’ve had catches of 20-plus barbel in a day, with several double-figure fish, all on float gear!
8) RIVER WYE
This river continues to produce the goods year after year, despite the heavy angling pressure that it receives.
There are plenty of barbel and chub to go at in the summer months, while the winter months see a shift in species, with dace and roach as well as chub coming more into play.
9) RIVER YARE
I wish this Norfolk river was closer to me so I could go every week in the summer. It’s teeming with roach and bream, and the weights are always pretty consistent.
Hopefully, I’ll get over there for a few of the double-header weekends in the summer.
10) WARWICKSHIRE AVON
The Avon above and below Evesham fished well over the course of the year, but it has to be said that Evesham itself was difficult, with low weights being the order of the day most weekends.
I think the reason for this is angling pressure, as there are matches on there three or four days a week.
There aren’t enough fish in the stretch for anglers to be able to do this and put together consistently good weights.
