With a twenty-pound bag possible and fish running to specimen sizes, the Saxon Mill stretch of the Warwickshire Avon offers what is arguably the best river roach and dace fishing available in the Midlands. Sport is consistent year-round, can be hectic on the right day, and a 'bite a chuck' usual on most.
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| Trotting for winter dace in the millrace |
With two miles of bank to explore it suits the roving angler keen to find his own secluded spot but some of the best fishing it has to offer is no more than a short walk from the pub.
Deep water averaging 7-10 feet throughout the stretch makes it a trotting paradise with both stick float and waggler approaches working brilliantly with very long trots possible although ledgering often bringing the bigger fish.
Roach are numerous in the right areas and respond to all usual tactics. Large fish up to two-pounds are present in small hard-to-find shoals, but the average stamp is around the 4-8oz mark. Dace run to 12oz, possibly better, but 3-6oz fish are the usual stamp. Slow water up to and over 10 feet deep is the preferred habitat of dace but the best of the roach are found the slightly shallower and faster reaches, say 7-8 feet in depth.
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| A mixed bag of fine dace and a single chublet |
The stretch also contains plenty of chub but the larger fish over three pounds are hard to find, the upper and lower reaches being the best bet. It is also thought that barbel might be found though they have yet to be seen, mostly because no one ever fishes for them seriously...
Good pike fishing is available throughout the winter with fish running up to and probably over twenty pounds. Very large perch are thought to inhabit the lower reaches near the ruins of Guys Cliffe House too.
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Martin Roberts with a nice Winter pike from below the ruins of Guys Cliffe House
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| Hard-fighting river carp are there for the taking |
Last but not least is the head of very powerful carp that it contains. These fish are secretive and wary but can be caught if you find which areas they're occupying. Keeping an eye out for large movements over shallow water along the far bank in summer is the best way to locate them but a groundbait that creates a trail of scent downstream will bring them upstream if they are close by.
They do not require advanced tactics, in fact roving with one rod fishing ledgered pellet or luncheon meat over plenty of ground bait works best. The tackle needs to be up to the job because they are very strong fish and fight very hard in the deep powerful water but a barbel outfit coupled with at least 8 pound line will cope with them. Bites on the tip are savage and sudden so rods must not be left unattended for a moment because they'll pull them in.
Access
Access to the fishery is from the Saxon Mill pub and over the footbridge. Parking is available at the pub for single cars but large parties should use alternative arrangements as parking is permissive, especially on the weekends through summer and any warm evening when the place is crowded. The pub is very popular indeed and they need all the parking space they have for business purposes.
Alternatively, it is possible to park at Old Milverton and walk down to the river from there.
Fishing is all left bank, no access is available to the right bank on the club book. The millpool is not fishable on the club book either and the small island to the left below the stone wall just over the weir footbridge is strictly out of bounds and has signposts expressing that fact along the bank of the island.
Tickets
Alternatively, it is possible to park at Old Milverton and walk down to the river from there.
Fishing is all left bank, no access is available to the right bank on the club book. The millpool is not fishable on the club book either and the small island to the left below the stone wall just over the weir footbridge is strictly out of bounds and has signposts expressing that fact along the bank of the island.
Tickets
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Two miles of bank between the sites marked with asterisks. The upper and lower quarters are wild and difficult to access, the middle reaches the most convenient and comfortable. It is a rovers paradise...
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