Trent has never been better...

he River Trent is rightly grabbing the headlines for its barbel, but match ace Tommy Pickering reckons the river’s silverfish sport is better than it has ever been. 

After fishing the river regularly in the run-up to last weekend’s Division One National, the England feeder team boss has enjoyed cracking catching of roach and dace – his favourite fish.

“It’s incredible,” said the man who became known as ‘The Bionic Bleaker’ thanks to big match hauls of the tiny fish from the Trent in the 1970s. “There are more fish in the river than there have ever been. You can do what you want to catch them as well – pole, waggler, feeder, stick float...

“Last week I fished the open on the river at Winthorpe and drew above the bridge. I had no idea what to expect but I caught 81 fish for 13-8-0 – mainly dace and perch on the feeder.

“Then the other week on Newark Dyke I had a fish every cast on a long rod and stick float – roach, skimmers and perch. 

“Access to the river is fantastic, and in many areas you can park right next to your peg. I have been fishing the Trent for 50 years now and there have never been so many fish there. It’s brilliant.”

All-rounder Bob Roberts is another who knows all about the silver fish potential of the river, and he says the brilliant sport is down to anglers targeting species other than its dace, roach and skimmers.

“The Trent has always held good stocks of silver fish,” he said, “but they have been neglected for years after match and pleasure anglers largely abandoned the river in the mid-1980s in the wake of a decline in roach sport. 

“Access is also far better than it has even been, not only to individual swims, but to whole stretches. Non-tidal waters have been opened up where the fishing is superb. Local anglers have been catching there for years, but match anglers were slower to cotton on to their potential.”

Alan Henshaw, team leader at the Environment Agency’s Calverton Fish Farm in Notts, believes the Trent has yet to reveal its full potential. 

“When we consider the quality of the barbel and chub fishing, the incredible silver fish sport and, of course, the relatively untapped predator potential of the Trent, with its pike, perch and zander, we find a river with more angling possibilities than any other in the country,” he said.

“Up until the 1980s, the Trent was essentially an artificial river,” he continued. “Its waters were dirty and warmed by power stations, which created perfect conditions for roach to thrive. Then the river was cleaned up, resulting in a clear, cool waterway which is the perfect environment for chub and barbel.

“Combine these conditions with intense angling pressure and factor in the large quantities of high-protein baits being introduced to the river, and we have a situation where these fish can grow to specimen size.”

Bob and Alan both expect the current barbel boom to tail off, just as the roach fishing did, and say that in 20 years’ time the Trent could well be a completely different river once again.

 Time will tell, but for now the River Trent has never been better.