RIVERS OR COMMERCIALS?

[adsangling]

now that we have so many commercial waters i think many anglers are neglecting our river fishing, especially the smaller species! all you seem to here about being caught on rivers in the recent years is big barbel, big chub and big bream. i jsut wondered how many of us there was that would still rather run a stick float downstream for roach than sit on a puddle and wait for a ten pound carp to hook itself!

[RUDD]

At present the stillwater as I can't find the river!

[gozzer]

now that we have so many commercial waters i think many anglers are neglecting our river fishing, especially the smaller species! all you seem to here about being caught on rivers in the recent years is big barbel, big chub and big bream. i jsut wondered how many of us there was that would still rather run a stick float downstream for roach than sit on a puddle and wait for a ten pound carp to hook itself!

 

If by 'commercial' you mean an overstocked stillwater, then it's a 'no brainer' as far as I'm concerned. I refuse to patronise these places, and would rather not fish at all than use them. I hate the places with a passion.

So, to answer your question, its a float on the river for me, although I do leger as well. I also like fishing stillwaters with a more 'natural' stock level, and a good variety of indigenous stillwater species.

 

John.

[adsangling]

very true i prefer fishing natural lakes rather than a hole that is haasively overstocked and simply there for profit reasons! although i will admit the fishing the amazing rivers fishing on such as the trent is now now a thing of the past and yet again the specimen agler has taken over!

[Steve Walker]

I wouldn't assume that just because a river is only fished by specimen anglers there is not traditional fishing to be had.

[BoldBear]

I love fishing small rivers and streams for most species like Roach, Dace, Perch Chub and Barbel and much prefer rivers and streams to catching pasties from commercials.

 

The only time I reluctantly fish a commercial is when our club team is fishing one in a match and I can't find an excuse to get out of it. LOL.

 

Keith (BoldBear)

Edited February 21, 2014 by BoldBear

[Emma two]

I don't see it as an either/or between commercials and rivers, I haven't coarse fished a river since the 80s, come to think of it I have hardly coarse fished in British rivers at all. I don't go to commercials very much either, there are still lots of interesting 'non commercial ' still waters around.

[adsangling]

they are a lot of good waters around but recently our river stocks are being attacked by otters cormorants and other predators and are rapidly reducing small fish species! although i admit this doesn't apply to all rivers, i know the otters are making a massive difference in the Norfolk area and i my self have witness ever 15-20lb pike scattered on the bank with holes in there head were the otters have simply left them, I've also seen a few on rivers and lakes around Sheffield and the annoying thing is that fishery owners arent allowed to put a stop to it.

[Worms]

Best to stick to the commercials then...let the native wildlife eat the native wildlife...

[barry luxton]

Best to stick to the commercials then...let the native wildlife eat the native wildlife...

 

Middle avon floods excepting, has got a brilliant stock of dace that for some reason the mass cormorant roach kill on the same river have ignored. apparently.

 

So if it's silver fish you want, there's your answer, while the cormorants where eating all of the roach, the dace just hid, amazing.