Unbelievable Upton – Fishing the River Severn

I am very lucky regarding the friends I have and the places I get to fish, far better than I deserve, really. A perfect example of this happened just after this year’s Evesham August bank holiday festival, where I was invited to fish two exceptional places on the River Severn.

I haven’t fished the Severn for nigh on thirty years, so this would be a bit of reminiscing and nostalgia, along with learning about some new stretches and the ways to fish them.

The Evesham festival had been an absolute triumph for Cadence Fishing and Edge Tackle. The stand had performed brilliantly, topped off with James Robbins becoming the Evesham Champion again for the second time in three years. There’s a reason I call him Super Champ!

I’d thoroughly enjoyed the weekend for many reasons, apart from the successes mentioned above. The camaraderie between the Cadence Brand Ambassadors is unbelievable, second to none. Add to that the customers who come along, and the people who support and attend the festival, then it makes for an enjoyable experience. However, we have even more because of the kindness and generosity of the Big Chief himself, James Robbins.

There really aren’t enough words in the English vocabulary to try to explain how well he makes us all feel so appreciated and part of something exceedingly special. It’s an honour and a privilege to just be part of it, and enjoy his success as well. No-one deserves it more, and as I said decades ago, he’s the nicest guy in angling. Nothing has happened since I said that all those years ago to change my mind.

So, after that prodigious weekend you could say that I was on a bit of a natural high, and that would be totally correct. However, better was still to come, as I had arranged to have a bit of a mini-break fishing holiday whilst I was down that way. Some very kind friends had offered me the chance to fish two lovely stretches of the River Severn around Upton, and I snapped their hands off at the invitations.

First was a relatively new friend in Clive Stapleton. Clive was the ex-vice chairman of West Bromwich Albion, the club I’ve supported all my life, and is a successful businessman as well. We first met over Facebook, got chatting over football and fishing, and we arranged a day for Clive to catch some barbel on the float on the Trent, near me. He had a fantastic day catching fish to 9lb+, and he offered for me to come down and fish his private stretch of the Severn whenever it was convenient.

After the Evesham festival, it seemed the perfect chance to take up that opportunity, so plans were put in place for me to do so. I had a lovely drive through the Warwickshire and Worcestershire countryside getting to Clive’s place, reminiscing about some of the places I knew and had forgotten about. It was an enchanting journey.

I didn’t start fishing on the river until gone 2pm, as I wasn’t in a rush, and it seemed Clive was more eager than I was to get going.

I just set the one feeder rod up, the Cadence CR10 Feeder 14ft #3, with a 3ozs tip in place, 0.12 braid and an Edge Tackle 10lb Specimen Line shock leader to a 0.25(7.6lb)  Edge Fluorocarbon hook length. A size 8 super spade hook completed the rig with a 3ozs open-ended feeder. I was targeting the bream, but barbel do show here, and that shock leader would be critical if I managed to hook one.

I was in a relaxed mode, but after three to four casts, my first River Severn fish in over 30 years took the bait and a 1lb+ skimmer came to the net. I hoped the expected shoal of bream had started to move in and get on the feed. That is exactly what happened, and I had fish in the 3-5lb mark turn up rapidly.

I then decided to employ a tactic I use on the Trent a lot, and just cast very slightly upstream of where I had been casting to, along the same line three quarters of the way over.

Immediately I was into a better stamp of fish, landing a lovely 7lb+ slab and then a massive surprise, a 9lb 2ozs venue record! Clive couldn’t believe it and jokingly cussed me out.

I was only an hour into this session and already had some remarkable fish.

After the second hour we put another keep net in, and I continued to catch well until at 6pm I called it a day. We didn’t haul the fish out for a catch shot as it wasn’t worth it, especially as I had left my soft cradle at home.

I conservatively estimated I had 140lb+, Clive said it was considerably more than that, possibly 165+. It doesn’t matter really, it was just a fantastic afternoon’s fishing, with double tipped worm and a fluorescent disco maggot doing the trick.

I did have a cheeky couple of fish on snails, Trent style, just to make me feel at home and prove bream love them also.

Whoever says bream don’t fight has never caught them on a river, or is using such heavy gear and tackle that the feel of them just isn’t there. On balanced feeder tackle they’re brilliant to catch.

A lovely meal out that evening followed, and then it was onto another stretch of river the next day courtesy of Cadence Brand Ambassador and fishing extraordinaire Colin Harvey. Colin had very kindly invited me to fish his waters and try and catch some silverfish on the float.

He put me on a nice peg where I could fish the bolo and the waggler, catching at about 8ft deep in 12 feet of water. Constant feeding with hemp and maggots got the fish going and once I’d got into a rhythm, then it was a fish a chuck.

I caught more on the waggler, something I’m more comfortable with, than on the bolo, and Colin came down and caught a few fish as well. I had an estimated 14lbs+ haul in the end, which was enjoyable on the Cadence CR10 15ft #0 Match Rods; made even more so by the beautiful surroundings and the fanatic gravel barges that go up and down the river, all named after fish.

Again, another fabulous meal out at Colin’s local Nepalese curry house topped off a magnificent, and much needed extended fishing expedition.

I cannot thank Clive and Colin enough. Their kindness and generosity is greatly appreciated, and I hope to experience more of what unbelievable Upton on Severn has to offer in the future. A 200lb haul of bream is on the cards, and I’d love to catch a Severn barbel again after all this time.

I’ve spent time on the Wye and the Severn this year, dragging myself away from the comfort of the Trent, and I’m all the better angler and person for it. It’s something I’m going to pursue more of in the coming years. In angling, as well as life, there’s always something new to learn. It was ever thus, and always will be.