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Best swim on the best river .

Mark Anderson

Mark Anderson

Super Moderator
Staff member
Hi men,

Season over , so was think of stuff to get us thinking . We all have a favourite river , and a favourite swim on it . I will start it off , his is ours , barbel bend on the never to be forgotten river Windrush . Had it not been smashed by our furry friends I doubt we would have ever wandered very far 😕.

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Hatter
 
The River Charente. If you imagine the locks and weirs of the Thames, but with the water quality of the Hampshire Avon you are getting close. With hardly any anglers on the banks and truly wild fish. As for the swim? You'll have to find that yourself. There are plenty to choose from between Mansle and Cognac.
 
My favourit swim was where I caught my first double, and quite a few more after that as well, it was overgrown and difficult to fish, more rocks than gravel ( much much more )
It was a day ticket water ignored by almost everybody, a snip at £2.00 a day.

I fished it for many years , got to know its snaggy areas, got to know where I could fish all week and never see another angler ,but the few of us that did know about the place and occasionally met by accident on the bank kept quiet about it .

Over the years inevitably word got out and a few more anglers started to appear , it was not the same but as it was still easy to find a quiet spot ,

Then one day the length was taken over by the owners son, almost overnight the overgrown banks were manicured , many trees were removed, footpaths created , and the ticket price increased 500%.

I have never been back. Better to remember how things were than see what they have become.

David
 
Hi men,

I was desperate to turn back the hands of time yesterday . Big box of photos came out , my god what times we had , hundreds of photos of Sue and son James barbel and carp fishing , quite gutting really , god I'm getting old 🫤.

So here is my greatest ever fishing photo , it will never be beaten .
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Those days on the Windrush , days of our lives 🙂

Hatter
 
Graham Tremble said:
Cotheridge on the river Teme in the 90’s. Favourite swim? Any of them! If only you could turn back the clock ,eh……..
G.T.
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Graham, I went to Cotheridge the last week of this season, found the new entrance and saw that the gypos are still camped out in the old entrance a few yards away. Walked down to the river, there was no sign that anyone fishes anymore, the banks have all collapsed in the recent floods along with the barbed wire fencing, it was a real mess. that said the river looked fantastic but we decided to give it miss as there were so few swims to fish and I didn't fancy a trashed car at the end of the days fishing either ! Such a shame.
 
My favourite stretch rather than swim was Burghfield Mill on the Kennet in the late 70's, fishing paradise. But now sadly a housing estate, unbelievable ! In recent years there is one swim on the Wye near Hereford where the float fishing for barbel and chub is amazing (but declining), far bank waggles fishing in waders, it doesn't get any better imo.
 
Cliff Turner said:
Graham, I went to Cotheridge the last week of this season, found the new entrance and saw that the gypos are still camped out in the old entrance a few yards away. Walked down to the river, there was no sign that anyone fishes anymore, the banks have all collapsed in the recent floods along with the barbed wire fencing, it was a real mess. that said the river looked fantastic but we decided to give it miss as there were so few swims to fish and I didn't fancy a trashed car at the end of the days fishing either ! Such a shame.
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Yes Cliff, such a shame that this stretch of the river will never be the same. Luckily I was able to fish it at it’s best. In truth I realised that this small piece of heaven was unlikely to last forever and I made the most of my time on the river. I still miss those days though, never to be repeated I imagine.
G.T.
 
Barbel, Lot. 7lb.jpg


For a couple of years this scenic swim on the river Lot was an absolute banker! Unfortunately the massive floods at the end of the winter of 2020-21 completely stripped out the massive weed-bed and also the shingle bed closer in, right down to its rocky base.

Last summer, and through autumn and winter, showed only a few small barbel here. Hopefully when the weeds are restored the fish may take up residence again - though I suspect the restoration may be a few years hence!
 
Steve Arnold said:
View attachment 18620

For a couple of years this scenic swim on the river Lot was an absolute banker! Unfortunately the massive floods at the end of the winter of 2020-21 completely stripped out the massive weed-bed and also the shingle bed closer in, right down to its rocky base.

Last summer, and through autumn and winter, showed only a few small barbel here. Hopefully when the weeds are restored the fish may take up residence again - though I suspect the restoration may be a few years hence!
Click to expand...
Hi men,

Wow 😳

Hatter
 
The River Loddon. It once held good groups of barbel from 3lb to 19lb.
It was as much fun watching them move up to a bed of hemp and scour the bottom as catching them.
I used to always walk up to see them spawning on the gravel every season around the Hurst area.
Many a day you would be rewarded with six or more fish.
Now, anglers look for a bite or two a season.
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