What's the best river in England?

[Rog Hill]

I live inbetween the Dorset Stour and Hamphire Avon. Both have a reputation that they constantly live up to, and I enjoy every minute I spend on each, regardless of catch.

 

However I still harp back to my youth, flyfishing for sewin (seatrout) on the river Towy. Standing in the water, night as black as pitch, trying to ignore the noises of the night. And when one takes...........just magic.

 

Rog

[barney66]

I've never had much luck with rivers but I really would like to enjoy them more. I live in Peterborough so all I have locally is the Nene and I have had nothing other than Perch and a couple of Dace from here.

 

If I was to up sticks and move to some other part of the country what river would be best? Specifically I would love to catch Barbel and Chub but I dont mind a sprinkling of Carp, Perch and Roach as well.

Whenever I watch fishing programs on TV they are always roving around the Avon, Kennet, Severn and the Wensum. No-one ever fishes the bloody Nene!

 

So what in your opinion is the best river to live nearby?

any river i am fishing or sitting by catch fish or not it dosent matter to me thats the best river to be on

 

any river i am fishing or sitting by catch fish or not it dosent matter to me thats the best river to be on

[Guest Rabbit]

My heart says the Bristol Avon but my head says the Wye, the latter is really a throw back of times past. It has been jealously guarded by the Salmon anglers, and just recently been open to coarse anglers. It is truly stunning, both the river and the beautiful backdrop of hills and cliffs, I doubt there is a better view of any river in the country than at Symonds Yat. The fishing aint bad either, stuffed with barbel, chub, and huge pike....and just 30 minutes from me.

As is the Teme, the Ferrari of all rivers. and just a short walk to the mighty Severn and Warwickshire Avon.

 

Then there is the Kennet, Thames, Ouse , Wensum, Dorset Stour, Derwent, the list is endless and are all deserving to be the best according to whoever is fortunate to be able to spend some time indulging the greatest past time on earth.

[wayne baker]

Thats a really hard question to answer, I have fished the hampshire avon the dorset stour and the severn. And they are all beautiful rivers, But to be honest any river im sitting on fishing is the best on the day if im catching.

[medwaygreen]

The best river to me is the one that is the closest.

[wayne baker]

When I was a boy, my uncle and aunt lived in a house near Ironbridge with the Severn at the bottom of the garden. I used to get a week or so in the summer holidays most years. There's probably some nostalgia going on, but I think that was my favourite river fishing. The river there is fairly shallow, very fast, clear, stuffed with barbel, chub and dace.

 

They moved house and rented that one out, and eventually sold it. I wish they hadn't, I'd have happily bought it now.

 

I would never be indoors if i lived there Steve.

[Tony U]

The best river to me is the one that is the closest.

That wouldn't be the one in your ID would it? Because it just happens to be my favourite river as well; espcially if we include the tributaries

 

Tony

Edited November 26, 2008 by Tony U

[ticklishtrout]

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?

[mark barrett]

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?

 

no question to my mind the best river is the great ouse. It holds big specimens of every species. has a wide variety of habitat and is stunning in places.

 

no contest

[john-d]

Although I've fished many rivers around the country, the most beautiful is the Dove, but I'm biased as I only live 15 mins from it. Not only that the mighty Trent and river Derwent are even closer.