The Trent is an ever changing river. Today it is a popular destination for barbel anglers, riding the boom. But what happens when it casts aside the current disguise? In my youth the water quality was atrocious, yet roach and gudgeon flourished.

Between then and now there have been explosions of carp, bronze bream, silver bream and chub. Go look for them and you’ll find monster zander and perch, but for now it’s probably all about barbel.

So what, you might ask, has a tactical dossier compiled a quarter Century or more ago, purely for the purposes of team knowledge for a National Championships match, got to do with the modern Trent?

Well, what hasn’t changed much in the past Century is the river itself, the depths, the bends and the flow. Once known as ‘The Trespasser’ for its tendency to change course, making the river navigable through the construction of locks and weirs and stoning the banks to prevent erosion has defined its path. It is now longer a trespasser, it is a prisoner, a captive. The target species may differ but the topography remains pretty much unchanged.

Now I’ve owned a copy of this hand-written document for a long time, always kept secret, for it has long been a source of knowledge and inspiration. I’m sure it has found its way into the hands of many a team captain down the years but unfortunately no-one seems to know who compiled it, nor was it ever published. Is the author still alive, even? I’d love to know. It’s a masterful work.

Anyway, Stephen McCaveny recently sent me a digitised copy and after mulling it over I decided this was simply too good an encyclopaedia not to share it in the public domain. I mean, were the river still a popular match venue and the fish population, or indeed the way we catch them unchanged, then there would be grounds for reasonable objection. But it no longer relates to the modern match scene.

If it did, I could tell you, but then I’d probably have to kill you! 😉

What is obvious though is that smart anglers might very well use the guide to identify good swims today, providing they read between the lines. The hotspots don’t change much over time unless a particular feature is removed or the river is dredged.

Of course, we may yet see the river take a completely different direction as big roach continue to trip up on barbel tackle, fish to more than 3lbs have been landed. Will it ever become the place to visit for specimen roach anglers? If so, then the guide might prove quite useful.

Admittedly it’s sketchy in places. The scope of the dossier is from Stoke Bardolph to Holme Marsh. Quite a distance but some areas are not included because they weren’t used in National Championships. It is what it is.

I’ve chosen not to add my own two-pennyworth. At least not for now. There were always a few mysteries, even in the halcyon days but you may have the knowledge to fill in a few gaps. Any additional input would be welcome. Leave a comment below if you like and I’ll get back to you.

So, step into the time machine, fasten your seatbelt and get ready to head back in time.

Looking Downstream From Stoke Bardolph Weir

A Trent Insider’s Guide To The Old Match Stretches

So there you have it. More depth and detail about the Trent than has ever been shared before on any platform. Now hush! Keep it secret, okay? 😉

Bob’s Latest Book – The Mighty Trent

Available now from Little Egret Press

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Bob Roberts

Bob Roberts1 Day ago

Who remembers the good old days before digital photography? When the serious angler used slide film. It wasn’t cheap, was it? You eked film out till you had 36 shots to develop. Then you posted it off to the lab and prayed it didn’t get lost in the post.

Well, I learned there was another pitfall. This slide film was developed in the wrong chemicals, intended for print film, not slide.

I could have cried. In the space of a few weeks I had landed perhaps 15 of my best 10 roach of all time up to that moment. OMG. I can’t explain the sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach that left.

Oh well, you brush yourself down and press on. Catch some more. Anyone else have any horror stories to tell?

Bob Roberts

Bob Roberts6 days ago

Just uploaded an article about the opening of a new fish pass on the Trent at Colwick. Sounds like good news for migratory species in particular and it has the potential to revitalise coarse fishing on the upper river and its tributaries.

Bob Roberts

Bob Roberts6 days ago

Now the dust has settled following Wednesday evening’s NPS show at Newark Showground – this is just part of the audience – it is time to reflect.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who dropped by for a chat or to purchase a copy of my new book, The Mighty Trent. It was a huge privilege to meet you all and my only regret being I wish I’d had more time to spend with each of you.

Based on book sales and various other discussions I reckon I spoke with over two hundred attendees during the course of the night which equates to just one minute each, but, wen we take out the time allocated to the talks so it boils down to barely 30 seconds each which is far too short.

Should you bump into me when I’m out and about please feel free to stop me and say hello. I at least owe you that. And if the timing is inconvenient I’ll explain and we can do it later.

I know from someone who had pre-ordered a copy that he received an email yesterday telling him his book had been dispatched and from what I can gather, all pre-orders will now be winging their way towards expectant purchasers so listen out for a knock on the door anytime soon.

Thank you everyone. I’m feeling suitably humbled and now looking forward to hearing some constructive feedback either online or privately.

Tight lines all.

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