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The Rivers

I really could fill an entire website telling you about the miles of rivers in Norfolk, unfortunately it has taken me long enough to build this one so I wont bother! What I have done is give you a brief guide of the Rivers you will come across whilst on Holiday on the Broads. I have included what you can expect to catch and a few tips on how best to catch them, the methods have always done well for me anyway.

The River Ant is the only River that actually feeds a Broad, this is Barton Broad. I only fish a couple of swims on this particular River but I have had some of my best nets of Roach and Bream from here. The species to be found here are Roach,Perch,Bream,Pike,EEL'S,Tench and Ruffe.I will cover the swims I fish in detail and explain the times I have found best. The first of my swims is the River between Honing lock and Dilham. Swims are accessible by foot but the use of a boat gives you a big advantage. The fishing is best during the winter as summer boat traffic can be a nightmare! I fish the pole, using as light elastic as I dare, fishing maggot on the bottom with a size 18 hook, again this is what I do and have found best, try something different who knows? I find the best times are late afternoon or early mornings, the Bream are best located with a boat and I must admit I do cheat and use a fish finder sometimes! However the Roach are easier to come by, and 30ib nets are relatively common. The next swim I recommend is Irstead, Roach here average 4-8oz and Bream run to over 4ib. The Bream fishing along the staith is fantastic at night when the boats have gone, ledgering breadflake with a feeder is my tactic here.

The River Bure is my personal favorite when it comes to all round fishing. I find that whether your fishing for Specimen Pike or little Roach this is the perfect place. In this section I am going to give you a basic run down on some of my favorite summer and winter swims and what you can expect to catch. The Bure has most species of course fish including, Bream,Pike,Roach,Perch,Tench and the odd flounder! The Pike in the River average low doubles but twenties are taken every year, I caught a 23ib 4oz fish from Wroxham last year. There are also some very big Perch and Bream, if you can find the Bream you can have some magnificent sport. I am now going to talk you through some of my favorite swims on the Bure, this by no means you will be guaranteed a catch but at least it is a start! I will start in the Village of Coltishall. Coltishall is a small village 4 miles south of Wroxham, the Bure runs parallel to the main road and offers around 250 yards of free bank fishing. This section offers excellent fishing for Bream, Roach and some good sized Pike. The summer months can be hard as there is a lot of Boat Traffic, but perseverance can be rewarded with a good bag of fish. In the winter months chances of connecting with a Bream shoal are excellent, with some fish going to 7-8 pounds, I recommend using a feeder packed with a good ground bait with worm on a size 16 hook. The winter Pike fishing can also be very productive, I have had numerous doubles ledgering a deadbait by the boathouse. Further on between Coltishall and Belaugh, the use of a boat is essential, the potential for specimen size perch between some of the over hanging trees is good and the Pike sport is much better. I personally fish this section on a regular bases and have had some fantastic sport with Perch and Roach on the pole. The river then wanders into the Broads capital Wroxham, this really is an excellent section of the river with lots of Bank fishing available for free. Anything is possible here with huge mixed bags taken regularly on the pole or feeder, the odd Tench also shows now and again. If I could only fish one place on the Broads it would be Wroxham (loads of pubs near!) The winter Pike fishing is fantastic, I fish near the railway bridge in the entrance to the small dyke, I have had multiple catches of mid double fish many times in the past. The chance of a bigger fish is always there, twenties are caught every year from the boatyard entrances along the Wroxham stretch. The Roach shoals are harder to track down in the Winter but when you do fish light with a maggot or bread on a size 20 hook and some great sport will be had for Roach up to 2 pound. I recommend you hire a fishing boat for the Wroxham stretch as there are so many nooks and crannies you can reach and the potential to catch a specimen is greatly improved. The River then twists and Turns it's way to the Wroxham Broad entrance, again this length is dominated by trees and bushes either side and has some huge pike and the odd whopper of a Roach. Tactics for Roach and Bream remain the same, however for pike I use a float rig and fish with a small Roach deadbait, this has always produced for me. I am going to jump up river a little now to Horning, Horning is a beautiful village that is dominated by the Swann Public house, a beautiful building on the River side. The River bends acutely by the Yacht club and is quite deep. Quality Roach and Hybrids dominate in this section, the boats can be a problem in the summer though. There are also lots of Bream to over 4ib. This stretch attracts some whopping Pike, fish over 20ib are taken regularly and there is a couple that have gone over 30ib recently. I prefer large smelly deadbaits such as Herring and Mackerel on this stretch, I usually fish them hard on the bottom or float fish mid water, it really is a case of trying different methods until you catch. The boatyards in and around the village are always worth a try for Pike, especially in the Winter. That really completes the sections I tend to regularly fish myself, not to say the rest of the River is rubbish! I just don't fish it much, the fishing across the whole stretch is very productive if you work at it, good luck

The River Thurne, what can you say? The venue of dreams is what it has been called in the past, and for good reason as this river has produced the British record Pike on 3 occasions in the last 25 years! Although not as productive for these biggies now days, this is still my choice for big Pike fishing. I caught my only 30ib fish on the River at Potter Heigham. The River is quite narrow and offers lots of bankside fishing which is unusual for Norfolk. The Boat traffic can be a nightmare in the summer but once the boats have gone the fishing can be incredible, but unfortunately can switch off just as easy! Half a mile below Martham Broad is the stretch of the River known as Dungeon Corner, there are some huge Pike and some good Bream in this stretch, indeed this is the scene of the 42ib2oz former record held by Derrick Amies in 1986. The River still produces the odd whopper but you need to get through the numerous Jacks first. The Bream shoals are found all along the River to Martham ferry, night fishing is recommended for these. The River between here and Potter Heigham can be an excellent trotting venue when the conditions are right with Roach and Bream dominating although the odd Perch is not Uncommon. Potter Heigham is another of my favorite winter venues, boat traffic makes summer fishing near impossible. Potter Heigham gives the serious specimen Pike angler a chance of an upper twenty pound fish, however it is not easy. I fish here regularly and blank, however the fish that you do catch tend to be big! I fish big smelly half Mackerel and Herring in the centre channel hard on the bottom, be prepared to wait!