Fordingbridge Avon

[Troydog]

Like many others I had heard about the demise of the Avon since the 70's and 80's. A few years back I was invited to fish at Fordingbridge; my fishing friend for the occasion walked us a mile or so through beautiful countryside before we settled down for the day. The whole scene looked like something that Bernard Venables himself might have painted. Problem was that I had not seen one fish and nothing was topping.

I opted for a 2lb link , size 16 and a feeder full of maggots just to get a bite. After three hours fishing I had a bite but lost the fish. So I stepped up to a 4lb link and carried on. Two hours later I had my second bite of the day and this was a chub of 4lb 2ozs. In the chubs mouth was my hook attached to the 2lb link.

One fish in 5 hours. Is that really the way the Hampshire is today?

[RBTraditional]

The fishing has certainly declined generally since the era you mentioned, but there are still stretches where you can get your string pulled fairly regularly, Britford, below Salisbury for example is still a cracking fishery....although when the fish aren't feeding you can't catch them...

[Michael]

To be honest I`m with RBT, yes there has been a decline, they may be fewer, but they`re still around.. I`ve had some good days, actually not too far from the actual bridge. I use a cage feeder with bread and flake on the hook, though it usually comes down to the hook length/tail........

[Olly]

Having fished the Avon for some years begining in the late 60's before a break of 40 years. I can remember catching 17 roach all over 1.5lb in an afternoon. That part still has 3lb roach one being caught as recently as 2 years ago.

When I started fishing it again the roach had mostly gone! Everywhere it seemed! However I was fishing the Passion for Angling section a few years after Bob James's huge haul. I did find a 2lb6oz specimen though but very very few backup fish. I had barbel to double figures, Martin Bowler caught one of 15 I think. Chub too to nearly 6 and my colleague had a 25+ pike. So enjoyable fishing except the loss of the one and only salmon I hooked. Some of Catching the Impossible was filmed there by Hugh Miles.

I moved on to the Somerley Syndicate where you can fish all year round. The river for Salmon and coarse fish plus the stillwaters for carp, tench plus some very big, when you find them, rudd and roach. Barbel and chub are very worth catching with some huge fish, including salmon. Big roach are still there to be caught but few and far between - a case of location, location, location.

Worth fishing - yes! Big fish - yes! Easy fishing - not always. Worth the money - definitely for peace and quiet with not too many anglers and 365 days a year fishing for almost everything that swims.

The Avon Roach Project holds an annual match on the Avon in aid of funds to reinstate roach into the river. http://www.avonroachproject.co.uk/ and
http://avonroachproject.blogspot.co.uk/ This years match is late September with places still available I believe. Won last time I was there with a roach by non other than Dr. Mark Everard.

[Olly]

I visited Fordingbridge park area last year. I would point out that both Britford and Fordingbridge have people close to the river - a deterrent to all sorts of predators - both mammalian and avian! So a haven for edible sized fish.

The trout farms have attracted cormorants to the sites and the trout effluent has reduced water quality!

[Troydog]

Yes I had heard about Britford Olly from various sources. And in fact Mark Everard was up on the Wye last Autumn and he mentioned it too, in the context of 2lb plus roach. Problem for me is that although Britford isn't a 'commercial', that's how it feels to me. I would rather search out a beautiful redfin, and certainly not often a 2lb fish, from some remote stretch of the Wye, perhaps where no one else fishes.
I am not suggesting that Britford is easy at all, but I have politely declined the invitation nonetheless.....

[Snape]

Try fishing going into dusk. Some big barbel in there...

[Crucian]

Goodness me Snape, what beautiful fish

Edit; Which seemed to disappear as soon as they appeared...did I say something wrong

[Troydog]

I'm not sure how the edit function works....

[Snape]

Goodness me Snape, what beautiful fish

Edit; Which seemed to disappear as soon as they appeared...did I say something wrong

Not at all.