22 AnglingT ımes Tuesday, August 28, 2012 Visit www.greatmagazines.co.uk and get angling times for £1 when you subscribe Tuesday, August 28, 2012 AnglingT ımes 23 where to fish I eight pages of the country’s best angling clubs you should join No1 BIRMINGHAM ANGLERS ASSOCIATION

The Severn is a great chub and barbel water, and the BAA controls 101 some superb stretches. GREATEST clubs to join

Abi brewster Reporter [email protected] For top-value club sport Most anglers start out by joining a club, but which ones provide the best fishing? There are hundreds of them across the country with access to stillwaters, canals and rivers, and over the next eight pages we reveal the best 101 that we l North – pages 24 and 25 Birmingham’s the best think you should join. Some are only small, with just a few hundred members, whereas others have several best results from them. also feature in catches, with a approaches required change thousand but they all provide Dave On the , the club chance of double-figure barbel. considerably throughout this More details quality fishing to their owns stretches in the upper BAA waters include the right length, with depths from 2ft to 3ft For more information on Birmingham members so you won’t be harrell reaches from Aberbechan to bank roadside stretch at Ribbesford in the upper reaches, down to 15ft Anglers Association Limited, contact secretary John Williams at 30 The Old disappointed. UK’s No1 river angler – great for chub. Travel and the left bank at Blackstone. at the lower end. Excellent autumn From sections of canals and light and fish pellets or bread on Bulk-rigged Avon floats work well if and winter sport can be had with Woodyard, Hall Drive, Hagley, Worcs, DY9 9LQ. Tel: 01562 882116 Mobile: 07976 stretches on vast rivers, When it comes to value for straight lead or float tactics. there is a drop of extra water on, chub, roach, barbel bream, perch, 886558 or email: [email protected]. sprawling gravel pits to snake On the Middle Severn from otherwise it’s textbook stick float pike and zander. money, no club comes close to Website: www.baa.uk.com. lakes, there’s something for the Birmingham AA. down to , huge water. Maggots usually work best, Smaller rivers in the list include everyone in our 101 greatest Full adult membership is £32 a barbel weights come from Knowle with caster, hemp and tares the Anker at Tamworth, The Mease clubs to join guide. year (less than 10p a day) and Sands, The Danery, , effective if the river is clear. at Harleston and Netherseal and coaching days We’ve included basic l Mids – pages 26 and 27 concessions are £20 for OAPs and Eardington, , Moving further downriver, one of the Stour at Stourton. l River expert Dave Harrell organises information on the waters each £16 for juniors. In return you get Arley, , Stanley, Hextons my all-time favourite stretches is Canal rights include stretches of one-to-one or club, organisation or over 200 miles of fishing on 90 Farm, Kinlet, and Trimpley. Over below Stourport Bridge, Newhalls the Birmingham/Worcester, Staffs small group coaching association controls, plus different venues on five rivers, four the past couple of seasons some Meadow. I have had some fantastic & Worcester, Fazeley, Coventry and days from June to contact and membership canals and 15 stillwaters. very big perch have also been catches of roach and dace here. Trent & Mersey, and the pools that March. details so you can join up and Cheap the fishing may be, but landed. There are loads of silverfish There are some very popular the association controls are also For more details fish some of these fantastic don’t for one minute think that the and pike to go for as well. stretches from Worcester down to well worth visiting. email info@dave harrellangling. venues. Each has a website in sport is anything other than the This season a lot of anglers have . A couple of friends When I sat down to write this com and for details their contact information for best, for a big mix of species. been reporting better catches on have been fishing there and have feature I had forgotten just how of the DH Angling you to find out more. There’s also the opportunity to use maggots, or casters and hemp, than given glowing reports on Grimley, many venues the BAA has, and product range go to: We start off with top river a wide variety of methods on a halibut pellets. A method I am sure Bushley and Ripple. reading through the 2012 Guide to www.daveharrell angler Dave Harrell’s favourite very diverse range of swims, so will work is floatfished carp pellets. Going across country, the club Waters book, it has brought back angling.com club, Birmingham Anglers’ every day can be different. I’ve already used them to good controls some great stretches of the some great memories. It has also Association, which is an I’ve been fishing BAA waters effect at Arley, and a friend went to from Eastham Bridge inspired me to go back to some of absolute bargain at just £32 a since I was a kid, but there are still the Stanley Waters last week and down to Bransford. This small river the old favourites and try some of year for access to 90 different l South – pages 28 and 29 many venues in the portfolio that I also caught well on them. holds some huge barbel and chub. the places I’ve never been to. venues! haven’t tried yet. This week, I’m The Severn slows down Members also get access to the The BAA is an outstanding value- going to pinpoint a few of my significantly at Ribbesford and it’s Warwickshire Avon from for-money organisation and I’d favourite stretches and give you from here down that roach become Wasperton down to Mythe Farm. urge anyone to join – you won’t get The best clubs in your area some insight into how to get the more of a target species. Big perch The contours of the river and the better fishing anywhere.