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The River Avon, at Wasperton
In these days of commercial fisheries, where you could catch a fish using a piece of bail twine and a bent nail, there seems to have been a lost sector of fishing that is more and more forgotten. Fewer and fewer stretches of rivers are now fishable, either through clubs losing their members to easier waters, or the rent for rivers being placed way beyond the financial reaches of the club.
The art of trotting a stick float is now practised by the few rather than the many. You may think that all is lost, until you stumble across the magical waters of the Avon at Wasperton.
We may well be biased, as this is where we first learned the craft of River Fishing, but for us, this is the epitome of a moving water venue. About 1 mile of the left hand bank is well pegged out, with landing stages spaced nicely apart for ease of setting up. Average depth is about 8 feet but ranges up to 12 feet in some swims. With a bit of colour following some rain, the flow of the river is just right for a stick float off the rod tip, or a waggler across to the far bank.
Chub appear to be the main species, however Roach, Dace, Gudgeon and Barbel are also reported in catches. As with most river venues, Pike also abound and, if you're after some lively winter sport, then double figure fish can be captured.
Most baits will produce, however a maggot/hemp or caster/hemp approach is the most favoured and will provide bites for most of the session.
This stretch is currently fishable under a permit from Leamington DAA. This costs £19.50 for the season (1st April - 31st March) available from any local Fishing Tackle Shop - with concessions for young/retired. Purchase of this permit will also allow you to fish other waters in and around the Warwickshire area.
We'll try and provide up to date information as and when we manage to get out on the water, as the river season is now closed until June 16th, as well as info on other stretches of the Avon around the area including still waters.
Adrian Hartopp and Dave Green
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