Edstone aqueduct (near Bearley) to Wilmcote - Canal Fishing

I’ve been trying to find out who owns the fishing rights between Edstone Aqueduct at Bearley and Wilmcote and have finally had some success; I received an email reply from Carl Nicholls the Fisheries and Angling Manager at British Waterways.

Edstone aqueduct is the longest in England apparently and well worth a look if you haven't seen it.  It's more or less just behind the Golden Cross Pub between Henley in Arden and Stratford Upon Avon. Might get my mountain bike out with a rod and few maggots and see how I do and also might try for Zander when the nights get lighter and I can fish into dusk.

See info below..............

"The fishing rights between Edstone aqueduct (near Bearley) and Wilmcote are owned by British Waterways. This section of canal is not currently controlled by any angling clubs and falls under British Waterways Waterway Wanders permit. This permit is an annual permit that allows anglers to legally fish (i.e. have British Waterways permission to fish) all British Waterways waters that are not already controlled by angling clubs.

For further details on the Waterway Wanders permit and a full list of all the waters it covers, please follow the link below.

http://www.waterscape.com/features-and-articles/features/the-new-waterway-wanderers-scheme

River Stour - 11.03.12

Wow, what a lovely morning. The Stour was looking mighty fine in the spring sunshine and with the sun on my back it beats work where I'm sat on my backside in front of a CAD workstation for hours on end.

Again, a roving session for Chub with bread on a link ledger. I've found with the Stour if you haven't had a chub within 15 minutes it's time to move. The bread was certainly an attraction for the minnows as they wouldn't leave it alone, even though some of them rattled the rod tip, you really have to be patient and strike when you get a proper bite.

I started at Honington Bridge and walked the bank to Fell Mill and fished various swims such as above, now my concern is what will it be like in the summer ? the river is pretty low still, like most Midlands rivers I fish but the Stour doesn't seem to flow fast at all. I'd like the have a look in the new season but I suspect parts of it may become unfishable.



There really are some fantastic swims though, you can get really close to the water on many of them, with the rod tip just of the surface it's easy to see the bites. I managed 4 Chub, the biggest around 2lb, but also lost a couple. Very snaggy indeed and you need to bully the fish, you know what Chub are like, if there is a snag they will find it. Really is my favorite way of fishing, travel light, rod, net and bait and try swim after swim till I find the fish.

Not the biggest of Chub, by all means but on light tackle in compact swims still great sport, best of all the fish I've caught down the Stour really have been mint condition. 

I'm not sure I'll renew for the new season, I was planning to stick with my Leamington Anglers Book and maybe try a Stratford-Upon-Avon book, now I understand there are parts of the Stour you can fish, anyone know which parts ?  Oh and just a reminder the left bank of a river normally refers to the left hand bank, as observed whilst facing downstream.

River Stour - 26.02.12

Met up with my friend Simon for a morning session on the Stour, this time at Halford Bridge. I stupidly didn't read my Shipston book as it was clearly stated in the book, there was an open match on. Luckily there was some of the river that wasn't going to be fished. Simple bread tactics on a link ledger again, I quickly had a couple of small Chub up to about 1.5lb, they really were in mint condition too.

I was fishing a nice and compact swim that seems to be alive with fish. Mainly Minnows I suppose but more than I've seen on the Avon recently.

Seemed to be a natural holding place for fish as it was at the end of a fast bit of water where it narrows just past Halford bridge. Biggest Chub I managed was around 2.5 lb and again, in mint condition.

The last fish caused quite a disturbance so I went roving for a bit and tried a few more swims. Lots of knocks on the tip but couldn't connect. My friend Simon blanked, I think his KabOOM!!! approach to feeder fishing doesn't help :)