WHERE TO FISH
The Warwickshire Avon is full of fish – and in form right now
THERE can be few more famous – or picturesque – rivers than the Warks Avon, running through the centre of Stratford-upon-Avon. Whether you want to catch chub, pike, bream or a net of small fish, it’s got the lot.
And while the Recreation Ground stretch in front of the town centre’s Royal Shakespeare Company Theatre grabs the headlines for its prolific bream fishing, head just out of town to escape the hustle and bustle of tourists and you’ll find a little oasis of calm.
That’s provided by the Lido stretch, only a few miles upstream of the town, but it’ll seem like a different world. Surrounded by chocolate box countryside scenery, the Avon twists and turns its way across fields, creating the ideal habitat for a range of species.
Some areas are great for bream, others chub, and no matter where you choose to set up camp, legions of small fish will be at home.
With the end of the river season in sight, now is the time to be fishing the Lido, as local match angler and Garbolino UK boss Darren Cox explained…
OPTIONS GALORE!
“At the moment, the river is absolutely full of little fish such as roach, perch and, increasingly, dace,” Darren said. “I don’t think it matters where you fish, there will be lots of bites to be had on a river at normal level and pace. When there’s extra water on, it can be trickier, but it’s still possible to catch plenty.
“Obviously the pegs near the main car park are popular and I’d suggest fishing here, either on the pole, stick float or waggler,” he advised.
“Whatever you want to fish will work, but I like to have a long pole line fed with groundbait and then loosefeed, then a waggler line further out that’s loosefed only. That’s with an eye to catching chublets, as there are lots of fish around 12oz to 1lb in the river too.
“You need to be attacking with the feed, though. Feed too little and you’ll be invaded by little fish,” Darren warned.
“I’d think nothing of getting through three pints of maggots and a pint of hemp. The more you feed, the bigger the stamp of fish will be. Go steady at the beginning and, once you are confident that the fish are there in numbers and feeding well, step things up.”
CHUB –OR BREAM?
“We all like to catch big fish, and on the Lido that’s a straight choice between chub and bream,” he said.
“I’m not talking massive fish, but
