58 | 9 JULY anglersmail.com
WHERE TO FISH
SOUTH EAST
Duncan Charman
Specimen angler with an incredible list
of personal bests to his name.
Tel: 07928 617006
Email: [email protected]RIVERS
River Arun
Where? Pulborough, West
Sussex, RH20 2BJ. Day tickets
£5, from the Corn Store,
10am-4pm, or in advance from
the club treasurer. CALPAC
membership £65 plus a £25
joining fee. Tel: 0208 777 9489.
What’s being caught? This is
a great silver fi sh venue, with
plenty of small chub, roach
and dace. There are some very
big barbel here, a few carp and
O
VER the coming weeks I
will be sharing with you
what’s been going on in my
new adventure, afl oat on the
River Thames.
The initial trips have been
to iron out the tasks involved
in getting the boat to the
river, fi nding suitable areas
to launch from, so that Chris
and I can access the many
different weirs and side
streams, and navigate the
locks, along with taking on
certain jobs (mine seems to
be steering and getting us
to certain areas) to make
launching and packing away
as smooth and quick as
possible.
Catching fi sh is secondary
at the moment, and has
taken a back seat, but
catches will increase as the
months progress.
Presently, there are still
signs that the fi sh, barbel
especially, have only justfi nished spawning. The oxygen
levels aren’t great, and as for
the fl ow, there isn’t much, so
it’s best to get ‘boat competent’
now before the feeding begins.Lots of mistakes have been
made and lessons learned,
but fi sh have been located
and information received, so
we’re prepared for action.some decent bream.
Tactics? It’s a fast river when
the tide is fl owing, so high or
low tide is best. Groundbait
feeder and a worm-and-
maggot cocktail for the bream,
and trotting a stick fl oat and
maggots for a mixed bag.River Chelmer and
Blackwater Canal
Where? Gas Works at
Chelmsford to Heybridge
Basin, Essex. Day tickets£6 on the bank; £5 from JP
Tackle, Maldon. Controlled by
a number of clubs, including
Chelmsford AA, membership
£78 plus a £10 joining fee.
Tel: 020 7123 4567.
What’s being caught? A
great carp venue, with fi sh
to 30 lb caught each season.
Bream and occasional big chub
showing around the A12 Bridge.
Tactics? Carp to boilies around
features, or feeder with worms
and maggots for the bream.River Colne
Where? Uxbridge Moor,
Middlesex, UB8 2RX (nearby).
Gerrards Cross & Uxbridge DAS
membership £75.
Tel: 0208 421 0769.
What’s being caught? This
stretch has produced some big
fi sh, including barbel to over
16 lb, chub to over 6 lb and
bream to 8 lb, along with big
perch.
Tactics? A stealthy roving
approach at dawn or dusk is
best, with pellets and boilies for
the bigger fi sh. The perch fall to
small lures.River Thames
Where? Port Meadow and
Channel, Walton Well Road,
Medley, Oxfordshire, OX2 6ED.
Day tickets £5, from local tackle
shops, including Tony Gee at
Ace Tackle & Bait, Kidlington.
Tel: 01865 372066. Oxford
& District AA membership
through local clubs, such
as The Masons, at £10, and
Littleton AC, at £12.
Tel: 01865 376943.
What’s being caught?
Catches being dominated
by large bream. The swims
in the middle of this stretch
are best, a recent match won
with 46 lb, with good back-up
weights. A few chub and barbel
also showing.
Tactics? Groundbait feeder
with worm hook baits in the
middle of the river producing
bream.St Patrick’s Stream
Where? Loddon Drive, near
Charvil, Berkshire, RG10 8HL.
Twyford & District Fishing Club
membership £136, including
a joining fee. More on their
website. Tel: 07815 737686.
What’s being caught?
Although far from easy, this
venue produces some big fi sh
every season, notably barbel
to over 17 lb and chub to 7 lb.
There are some big bream on
the downstream pegs.
Tactics? Most anglers use big
baits, such as meat, pellets
and boilies, but don’t ignore
maggots.CANALS
Basingstoke Canal
Where? Blacksmiths
Bridge to Chequers Bridge,
Dogmersfi eld, Hampshire.
Day tickets £8, from local
tackle shops, including Yateley
Angling Centre and Hampshire
Tackle. Basingstoke Canal AA
membership £28. Tel: Tackle UpAdventures afloat
There are
worse ways of
spending a day
than afl oat on
the Thames.Chris getting the boat prepared. We can now unload, infl ate and be
afl oat in under 30 minutes.