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Looking for a new water

Luke Hodson

Luke Hodson

Senior Member
I have had enough of sitting on the banks of the Great Ouse in Bedfordshire watching the Otters feed while I blank.
Im based in Northamptonshire and am looking for a river/club that gives me a reasonable chance of catching a few barbel and chub during a day session or an afternoon into night if permits allow.
I have had a look through the rivers section of this site and can't quite pin down a section, I am leaning towards the Warwickshire Avon but have Leicestershire on my doorstep too and would happily remain on the Ouse if there was a stretch that still had a reasonable head of fish.
Can anybody point me to a stretch and a club that is likely to break my blanks without needing to do a 100 mile round trip?
 
And there was me.....just thinking about a return to the Ouse......
Maybe I shouldn't bother then....but its nice just being out there.....

Andy
 
Theres the Derbyshire Derwent which is not far out of Leicestershire just off J24 of the M1. It may be a bit further than you want to travel.
 
May be a little further down the M1 than you'd like, but they do have 3 Ouse stretches 'above Bedford' to wean you off gradually, Verulam have some excellent upper Lea fisheries where catching Barbel is the norm rather than the exception, see my recent 'what an evening post' in the other species section. Fantastic club, check out their website.
Welcome to Verulam Angling Club
 
Noooooooooooooo our local river needs anglers to keep at it. The more anglers that keep leaving the banks the more neglected it becomes. Yes it is hard but the rewards are there for the taking. There's still a lot of very, very big fish in the river. If there's nobody fishing for miles of river, keeping the bait going in then the fish could be anywhere. If the banks are busy then the otters will seek out peace and quiet. If the banks are busy with anglers throwing bait in then the Barbel will seek sanctuary away from predators and enjoy the free meal. Stick at it and stay positive chaps!

It has never, ever been an easy river. Unfortunately us anglers have rather short memories: have a look back through your fishing diary (if one keeps one) from 10 years ago and see how many blanks are notched up.....
 
I'm afraid there are too few rewards on the Ouse for most to even attempt the prospect. The truth is otters have no issue with very busy banks, take a note from recent occurrences on one Ouse tributary.

Surely prospects are better on the right stretch of the Nene or further north on the Derwent or the mighty Trent is a good bet for a fish or two?

Stephen
 
Hi Luke,
I sympathise with your predicament, You wont be the only one asking that question in the coming years..I have pretty much given up fishing for Barbel as its not a very good prospect on my local rivers..
There are still pockets of Barbel on my local Rivers but These small pockets of Barbel are covering miles of river and very hard to find for most Anglers..
I am guessing that's the same problem you are experiencing Luke.
Thats quickly becoming the norm for many rivers..

Not sure what to say regarding where you go next Luke, as it aint much better on most rivers, although its fair to say some are worse than others..

Good luck with your quest..
 
The Great Ouse is no longer great, most of the prolific stretches are void of all but a few small chub, Bream and Crayfish, be it from poaching by man or feeding by Otters, Mink or Cormarants the river is a sad empty waterway with little to attract anglers except numerous blank days & nights.Yes there are small patches where fish can be found but they are well known and hold no appeal for me and it is only a matter of time until the fish are eaten as hunger will drive any animal to hunt further afield.
The Nene is a good river but is a sluggish navigable waterway with small pockets of Barbel in obvious locations many of which have been harvested by people taking the fish for food.

In a perfect world I would like to find a river like the Great Ouse 20 years ago for Barbel and Chub or the River Ise 30 years ago for Roach but would settle on any river 20 years in the future following the removal of Otters, Mink, Cormorants and poachers.:(

Sounds sad but Im optimistic in that it can't go on, Im sure all the bodies out there looking after our heritage and nature will eventually wake up and realise something has gone wrong and slam the stable door with enough of a bang to drown out the sound of hooves galloping into the distance.

Not even 50 years old and i sound like Victor Meldrew!

Im a positive person and like all of us have an abundance of carp waters on my doorstep to bend the rod and have some fun however fishing a still-water doesn't quite have the appeal as fishing for river torpedoes:)

Maybe its time to retire the Barbel gear for a few years and focus on managed still-waters and the Roach, Perch, Tench and Bream ................. while they are still around.
 
I can't believe you lot :D Have a word with Ash Gould, he has a very different tale to tell, loves otters and will surely put you right :p

Cheers, Dave.
 
eh? Whatdifferent tale would I have to tell?

That is just not funny Dave.

I don't know what is more insulting, you saying I love otters or that I would disagree with people who say the Ouse is knackered?

You totally have the wrong end of the stick and just goes to show how pig minded people can be when they wont open there minds.

I just know enough to know that Otters aren't totally to blame and there is a magnitude of things to blame that we could actually try and resolve rather than shout and moan about a problem that we are never going to be able to deal with and isnt 100% to blame.
 
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For a start Ash, it was supposed to be ever so slightly tongue in cheek....but the anger evident in your reply does give rise to the thought 'If the cap fits', and all that :D

However, although it was intended to be a bit of banter, it was based on many of your comments over the years, comments which place you firmly in the 'You can't place any blame on the poor otter' camp.

I really do find it hard to understand some of your comments Ash. I have argued over and over again that pollution, especially certain fairly modern forms of pollution that render fish infertile, is the major problem. At no time have I ever claimed that otters are 'Totally to blame'...that is a figment of your imagination mate.

I have stated umpteen times that in my opinion, the recently increased onslaught of unprecedented numbers of native and non native cormorants, coupled with several varieties of foreign crayfish, HAS had a major affect on the viability of the already weakened fish stocks in many of our rivers. The fish just cannot cope with all these threats at the same time.

The result is often a few very large survivors, and very low recruitment....which is what we were seeing in the Ouse during those seemingly halcyon days of the Traveler and her mighty companions. They were hanging in there, but quite probably their days were numbered unless we gave them some help. Sadly, instead of help, we gave them.....otters :rolleyes:

All I have ever claimed Ash is that to hugely speed up the already inevitable return of otters to our river systems by releasing artificially reared animals, and then to gift them with total protection no matter what mayhem they cause....at a time when the fish stocks in many were already close to collapse...was a totally thoughtless folly which amounted to the straw that broke the camels back.

What exactly is it about that claim that leads you to insinuate that I 'Won't open my mind' or am one of those 'Pig minded' people Ash?

Cheers, Dave.
 
Luke Hodson said:
The Great Ouse is no longer great, most of the prolific stretches are void of all but a few small chub, Bream and Crayfish, be it from poaching by man or feeding by Otters, Mink or Cormarants the river is a sad empty waterway with little to attract anglers except numerous blank days & nights.Yes there are small patches where fish can be found but they are well known and hold no appeal for me and it is only a matter of time until the fish are eaten as hunger will drive any animal to hunt further afield.
The Nene is a good river but is a sluggish navigable waterway with small pockets of Barbel in obvious locations many of which have been harvested by people taking the fish for food.

In a perfect world I would like to find a river like the Great Ouse 20 years ago for Barbel and Chub or the River Ise 30 years ago for Roach but would settle on any river 20 years in the future following the removal of Otters, Mink, Cormorants and poachers.:(

Sounds sad but Im optimistic in that it can't go on, Im sure all the bodies out there looking after our heritage and nature will eventually wake up and realise something has gone wrong and slam the stable door with enough of a bang to drown out the sound of hooves galloping into the distance.

Not even 50 years old and i sound like Victor Meldrew!

Im a positive person and like all of us have an abundance of carp waters on my doorstep to bend the rod and have some fun however fishing a still-water doesn't quite have the appeal as fishing for river torpedoes:)

Maybe its time to retire the Barbel gear for a few years and focus on managed still-waters and the Roach, Perch, Tench and Bream ................. while they are still around.
Click to expand...

" The Nene is a good river but is a sluggish navigable waterway with small pockets of Barbel in obvious locations many of which have been harvested by people taking the fish for food ".
dont know where you`ve heard this but its complete cr*p, all the sections controlled by P&DAA are some of the most bailiffed waters in east anglia day & NIGHT !. { no night fishing allowed }.
we have barbel up to 18lb and ALL weights down to stockies, doubles are regular catches in the right conditions in 4 different locations if you put the time in.
 
David Gauntlett, I'm fed up with your inaccurate little rants that you aim at me. Cut them out.

I have never said that you cant place any blame on otters, that is a figment of your imagination. I'm in the 'last nail in the coffin' camp, thank you very much.

I'm not interested in your style of banter, as you put it, leave me out of it. If I was involved in the thread I could just about see where you are coming from but as it is you decided to insult me in a thread that has nothing to do with me and when you get picked up for it instead of just putting your hands up and saying I was just having a laugh Ash, you go off on one, digging me out, inaccurately, again.
 
Guys
Please don't turn this thread into a battle ground, there is too much of that on forums.

Mark
Please don't make assumptions and state what I have written is cr*p
dont know where you`ve heard this but its complete cr*p, all the sections controlled by P&DAA are some of the most bailiffed waters in east anglia day & NIGHT !. { no night fishing allowed }.
I was not writing about Peterborough but about waters in Northamptonshire where tinfoil BBQs left at the waterside along with picked clean fish is a documented fact on club rivers and still waters. 2 fisherman were ejected from club waters just last week with 5 Bream weighing between 6lb and 10b in bin liners. Im glad P&DAA is not suffering the same and will defiantly look into fishing there. A PM with some details would be greatly appreciated.
 
Hi men ,

Luke , it wont turn into a battle ground , because Dave and Ash are long time members and know the limits . Also moderators are always looking at the posts , but try to let things flow a bit before any stepping in is required , we are grown ups ;).

Also Marks comments about his club are worth taking in , its close ( ish) to you , so may be worth a look .


Hatter
 
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