River Don
Doncaster, Hexthorpe and Sprotborough
Description
Doncaster & D.A.A. control the fishing rights on the Don from Sprotborough Weir and downstream to Crimpsall Sluice near Doncaster Prison.
The river is deep, up to 15 feet down the centre, with a width of around 30 metres. Because of the depth, fish can be caught all year round. In fact it's not uncommon for big bags on some of the colder winter days.
At usual level the river is slow, almost still at times, but be careful when it's been raining. Because the banks are steep the river is prone to rising quickly. Even a foot of extra water will make the river very difficult to fish.
The main species to be caught are Roach, Skimmers, Perch, Barbel and Chub, but Dace, Bream, Pike, Eels and even Carp can be found.
The Barbel average around 3 to 5 lbs but bigger fish have been caught and they're getting bigger every year.
Bags of small fish can top 20lbs on a good day, but 10lbs is still a good catch.
Methods
One of the great things about the river is that fish can be caught on the Pole, Stick Float, Waggler, Topper, Slider, Groundbait Feeder, Bomb and almost any method you can think about.
For the Barbel try meat or pellet on the hook over a bed of hemp. If you can find a patch of gravel the Barbel will find you.
For the Chub, look for pegs with overhanging trees or a crease in the current. The classic combination of hemp and caster should do the trick.
For the Roach and skimmer you can loose feed, but the depth means that is usually better to fish over a bed of groundbait. The pole is the obvious choice when the river is at normal level, but a float on running line is better when the river is up 6 inches or so. Try Pinkies, Maggots or Casters.
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