The Joys Of City River Fishing...

This entry was posted on 2nd March, 2016

Sittingbourne Manager, Richard Howland, tells us about the joys of city river fishing in the winter and shares a few stories from his time on the River Stour in Canterbury.

With the cold weather finally upon us it was time to dust off my Drennan Acolyte 13ft float and Advanta feeder rods and head for the River Stour in Canterbury in pursuit of Roach, Chub and Dace. In my opinion, winter is the best time to fish this lovely river as the weed has died back, so there is normally a bit of colour in the water and not so many people about. The last part of that sentence is important because most of my walking up and down the banks is done in the city centre. If you have ever fished on a town stretch of river you will know what I'm talking about! This being said, I will admit there are some positives to having lots of tourists walking the banks in the summer – the main one being that predators, like cormorants, don't like people, so tend to stay away from the bank, allowing the fish to live longer and grow bigger.



On Thursdays (my day off) I wait for the rush hour traffic to die down before setting off with a pint of Red Maggots, some liquidised bread, and a flask of coffee. One of the best things about this style of fishing is that I'm not laden down with loads of gear. So, with one rod, landing net, an apron full of bits and maggots, and a choice of car parks - depending what stretch I’m going to fish – I’m all set. I tend to pay for a couple of hours, leave some of the fishing gear in the car and, if it’s not fishing well, pack down in minutes and drive to another car park. Over the past few years I’ve had some great days fishing for the price of a car park. Quite often I'll meet friends Ray Harris and Nobby Clark, both good river anglers, fishing the same stretches as me and we share information on what's been caught and where.



My favourite way of fishing the River Stour is trotting a float with two red maggots on a size 18 hook down the runs while feeding maggots and balls of breadcrumb. I will fish in one spot for around 15 minutes and, if I don't get any bites, I move on. This way I can cover more river in the short days we have at this time of the year. All you need for this awesome way of fishing is a stick float, float rubbers, split shot, and a hook to nylon. I like to use a centrepin reel as the line comes off so easily as the float flows down stream.

The great thing about trotting on a river is you never know what you’re going to catch, from the humble minnow, the bright colours that only River Perch seem to have, to the ever hungry Chub, or, on the rare occasion, a very old big Roach. A couple of my friends have caught Trout and the odd Carp along the town stretch. Big Barbel live on the stretches above the city centre, so you have even got a chance that one of them may find its way up stream. People walk along the banks everyday never knowing what swims beneath the surface. The look on their faces when they stop to watch you land a big Chub in a couple of foot of water is brilliant!



One of the spots I fish is not on the main river but one of the many splits that the Stour takes on its way to Sandwich. This spot is nice because it is away from the shoppers and the old lady who lives opposite where we fish always walks down her garden (with her equally old dog) to talk and marvel that we can catch so much in just over a foot of water. I've had some big Dace while chatting away to her. She has even gone back indoors for the camera to show the grand kids that there is more to life then X Box games!

There are other areas of the river that are good for big Roach (in the past I’ve had them to over two pound) but, unlike the stretch where the old lady lives, this is in a car park of which part is for coaches. It’s no fun when two or three coaches turn up full of school kids and you’re standing facing the river with your back to them as they walk past. One of these days I'm going to get a gentle nudge and end up in the water with 100 odd kids laughing at me!

In a couple of the spots the council have put nice little seats for people to sit and watch the water. These places are great for the anglers as they are close enough to fish from and you can have a cup of coffee and rest whilst you watch your float glide down the river.



I also like to fish with a feeder. Some days the water is flowing past too fast for the float or I need to get the bait into a deeper hole, so out comes my Advanta feeder rod, a long bankstick, and my little rucksack chair. I fish a running feeder that's on a clip swivel behind a Drennan stop bead, a 15” hooklink, and a size 16 or 18 hook with two maggots. I don't enjoy this style of fishing as much as the trotting on the river as I soon start feeling the cold from sitting down too long. This being said, I've had some cracking fish doing it when, if I hadn't brought the feeder rod, I would have otherwise had a wasted journey.



Only last week I was in an area just out of the City centre where the only people that I saw were dog walkers who, like me, were out braving the cold! I took both rods with me as I had decided to sit it out in one swim on a bend for a few hours. With the minimal amount of tackle I was soon fishing. Out went the feeder rod with maggot on the hook and bread in the feeder. After about 15 minutes of casting to the same spot, the tip bent round and I was into my first fish of the day. Into the net went a lovely Roach – well over a pound and not a bad start to the day. With expectations running high after that first fish, I didn't have another bite for nearly an hour. Fishing has a way of giving highs and lows! With the feeder rod now out of the water, it was time to get the float out and trot it down the River. On the forth run down, just as it went round the bend, the float buried and I was into what felt like a good fish. With a 2lb bottom and 4lb main line I knew I couldn't bully the fish too much. I remember thinking to myself ‘this is why I come fishing’. With the rod bent over, a big Chub was trying it's best to reach the far bank; it obviously knew where the snags, and safety, were. After a short battle the fish was ready to be netted. Once on the bank I made a quick call to Ray and Nobby who were fishing a little way down steam to ask if one of them would do the honours with the camera. On the scales this fine creature went 4lb 2oz – River Stour Chub don't come much better than this!



I packed up before dark having only caught a few more Roach. But, with a Roach over 1lb and a Chub over 4lb, I was one happy angler walking back to the car.

To end, if, like me, you spend most of the summer on the lakes fishing for Carp but as soon as the temperature drops you put the rods away, get yourself a float rods (they don't have to be expensive), some 4lb line (yes you did read that right!), some floats, a pack of hook to nylons, and a small landing net. Give it a go! You can do a few hours walking the banks trying your luck. Remember the fish in a river have to keep moving so they have to keep feeding, so even when it freezing cold there is always something to catch.

A river awaits you... Richard Howland