Hi all.
I've just been reading an interesting thread started by andreafish regarding fishing on the ribble. While I have fished the Mitton beat quite regularly (£5 trout and £15 salmon) I have seen many salmon pass me but as a novice have not hooked one yet. Always on a tight budget due to short time working I'm very interested in the details of the free fishing areas around Preston and the Shawes arms stretch on London road. After all, the salmon have to come past dont they? What are the rules on these free stretches i.e. spinning at high water? and does anyone have any other info about free salmon fishing or for that matter any river fishing. Hope others may be as cost concious as me!
Tight ******.

Rob

Buy a Wigan Anglers ticket for the Elston Lane stretch (at Grimsargh), £25 for the year. No worries about whether the fishing is truly "free" or not and plenty of water to try out as many times as you like for peanuts.

PS, In my experience, once specifics about "free" water are posted on open forums, they soon become "not free" - take the De Tabley as an example - now has a No Fishing sign up. Might be best to invite specific directions etc by pm.

PPS: You will already find all you need to know about Church Deeps/Shawes arms by googling it on the maggotdrowners forum.

PPPS: Say hello to me or SharkeyP if you are at Pendle View sometime! (and try a black apps on there - they work!)

Regarding the stretch under discussion, Today I've happened across this "news item" from the online page of a local angling club:

"Members will no doubt be pleased to hear that your Committee have voted to put in a tender to rent a 2.6mile stretch of the River Ribble from Walton Bridge up to Brockholes Bridge, on the right hand bank going downstream.
The areas are known as Fishwick Bottoms and Melling’s Wood."