Coming from New Zealand and as a professional flyfishing guide in south island of that country, I would have to say that as I'm car-less and based in London, currently, it's the river wandle for me (not that I have caught a trout in there yet!). Whilst the chalk streams of Hampshire are lovely, the trout for the most part are not wild and there are too many rainbows with chewed tails, also the idea that someone can own a stretch of river is a little foreign and abhorrent for this angler,
We need to get more people out fishing and seeing the riverine environs near to them and in most cases, seeing first hand, the great job of spoiling the majority of them we are doing (in some cases historically and today we are improving them).
On the subject of chewing, I believe in eating the odd fish (as that is why fishing originated in the first place). With this in mind, I would not eat a fish out of the wandle (nor any other urban river or reservoir) and would therefore bear this in mind if choosing a river to move nearer to (ie keeping pollution to a minimum) - Maybe a small stream with a forested upper catchment in Scotland or Wales. (a fish out of the wandle is probably better eating than a battery farmed hen from Sainsburys)
From a sporting point of view, I also agree, get to know your local river and you will be constantly surprised.
Coarse fishing is good, but I think is possibly overly popular, as we have spoiled so many of our waterways with siltation and peak flow run- off - Opium for the Masses. We need to continue restoration projects such like I believe they have on the Wandle, as well as dealing with that lovely term "sustainable urban drainage". We need to get rid of the glut of cars in this country and doing away with paved over front gardens would be a good start. Bring on the car clubs I say.
With reduced turbidity, coupled with improved in stream water temperatures and enhanced stream side plantings/aquatic vegetation, game fish such as greyling and trout could once again inhabit some of the more urban rivers like the hogsmill and the crane etc etc. With the smaller urban streams in better shape, it could then be the 'townies' in their quest for 'the best fishing river in the UK', end up preaching what they practice to some of the more rural landowners (ie dairy farmers in the likes of Yorkshire - just one example that springs to mind) and teaching them how to treat 'their' lands with a more holistic approach and stewardship in mind. If the fishing is good, there is a good chance the landscape is also good and this probably also means the food produced on the land will be top rate too. Baked Greyling from a river near you
with a winter salad anyone?
