Picture: The top end of the Beanacre stretch where large Barbel can be caught.

The fishing at Beanacre can be accessed on the Chippenham road (A350) from Melksham. Parking is on the right-hand side of the road, the far-side of Beanacre. This stretch of the Bristol Avon has around 20 pegs. Fishing at the first few pegs can produce some large Barbel and lots of Chub, with Roach and Dace spread throughout the whole length. Please note we no longer have the fishing bellow the ditch.

Picture: The Scotland Road stretch, home to many Avon Bream.

This area can be divided into three seperate parts, starting at the upstream end with the Forest stretch, then Portman Road, Scotland Road and finally the downstream end at Melksham Park.

Forest:
Access to this strecth of the river can be gained by crossing the Scotland Road footbridge at the bottom of Scotland Road or from the top end of the Portman Road stretch then crossing Black Bridge and walking up stream. Our fishing ends at the hatches.

Portman Road:
Parking is by the garages next to the green at the end of Portman Road. Fishing is from Scotland Road footbridge to the fence line at the upstream end of the green. Some good Roach fishing using seed baits can be had here for just a short walk from the car.No driving or parking on the grass.

Scotland Road:
This is a short part of the river opposite the Avon Rubber Factory thats noted for its Bream fishing, best around the middle of the stretch, and also for some sizeable Tench. Access to this strecth of the river can be gained by crossing the Scotland Road footbridge, then turning right and heading downstream. At the end of this stretch is a footbridge crossing a small brook that will take you into Melksham Park. It is worth noting that in times of flood, when the main river is unfishable, the brook can be well worth a try.

Picture: The River at Melksham Park.

Melksham Park:

Fishing is from the town bridge upstream to the canoe club. (no fishing from the canoe club slipway)
Again, this is a short stretch of the river, with a weir in the middle. Bream can be caught from above the weir and pike directly below. The fishing ends here at the Town Bridge. Parking for this stretch is available in the car park situated between the Town Bridge and Melksham Park, which is accessed from Bath Road. Please donot park by the canoe club building.

Picture: The Weir at Melksham Park.

This area can be divided into three parts, two relatively short stretches - Sainsburys and The Bypass - and a long stretch of river knnown as Conigre.

Picture: The river Avon next to Sainsburys car park in Melksham

Sainsburys:
This stretch starts below the Town Bridge and follows a footpath down to a wooden gate - about 10 pegs in total. The entire strecth backs onto Sainsburys supermarket car park at the bottom end of Bath Road. Some very good Roach fishing can be had here in the later part of the season when the weed growth has died back.

Picture: Looking upstream from the by-pass bridge

The Bypass:
This strecth is again only around 10 pegs long, but can produce some of the best Roach fishing around Melksham. Starting at the wooden gate at the end of the Sainsburys stretch and ending about 6 pegs below the Bypass Bridge, it is easily accessible from the A350 where you can park on the bridge and walk down to the river on either side of the road. This can be a good place to fish when the river is carrying a little extra water. Please note that fishing is from the footpath side.

Conigre:
This long and winding stretch of the river has plenty of tree cover, is very narrow in places and normally has good flow, even in the summer months. Access is from a gateway on the A350, opposite Melksham Cemetary, just a few hundred yards from the Bypass Bridge. Parking is on the grass verge either side of the gateway. Plenty of Roach, Dace and Chub can be found right throughout this stretch, with the odd bigger fish such as Tench, Bream and a few large Barbel in the early pegs. Most of the club's matches have been fished here over the years as it has been found to be the most consistent stretch of the river. It has been permanently pegged for a number of years, the most productive of which are Nos. 1, 9 and 25 (No. 13 for Barbel). No need to say where the fishing ends here as nobody will walk that far!

Picture: The river Avon at Whaddon

If you like miles of river bank all to yourself, then this is the place for you to fish. This stretch of the Bristol Avon is very under-used by both Club Members and Day Ticket Visitors alike. It's very likely that more than half our members have never been here, but it's well worth a visit, especially in the summer months. The few anglers in the know will catch good nets of Roach in July and August, using hemp or casters. The river here is slower and deeper than at Conigre, and holds fewer of the small Bleak and Minnows that can be a nuisance when fishing with maggots or casters. Bream can be caught on the second large bend in the river (walking downstream from the parking point) and some large Chub can be had from swims with good tree cover.

To get to the Whaddon stretch of the river, take the A350 (Semington road) out of Melksham and turn right at the roundabout on the far side of Semington onto the A361 towards Trowbridge. Drive into the village of Hilperton and turn right opposite the Lion and Fiddle public house. As the road turns sharply to the left, turn right into Whaddon Lane and drive right to the end You will cross the Kennet & Avon canal about a mile along this lane and the Club's fishing is to the right hand side only. At the end of the lane you will come to a small T-junction and see a small industrial-type building on the left, with pig-pens next to it. Please park opposite this on the grass verge.

The fishing starts right behind the pig-pens and, as with Conigre, runs downstream further than you will want to walk. The most popular swims for the Roach are the ones directly behind the pig-pens, just a short walk from the car.

A . Kings Arms Hilperton, B Whaddon Lane , C Semington Road

Picture: The Semington end, just off the main road.

The Kennet and Avon Canal is well known for the quality of its fishing and this stretch has a fast growing reputation for being one of the best the Avon Angling Club controls. This is mainly due to the work carried out here over the last few years, which has added extra depth to this part of the canal. The Avon Angling Club controlled stretch starts at the humped-back bridge on the A350 at Semington and runs through to the bridge on Whaddon Lane. It can be accessed from either bridge (see map). Fishing is from the towpath side only.

From September 2003 we have taken control of the K & A from Whaddon Lane bride through to Hilperton Bridge next to the Kings Arms. Approx another 1.5 miles of top quallity canal fishing. This gives the club a continues run of about 200 pegs.

The main target fish for anglers are the Skimmer Bream. They can be found right throughout the stretch, though the fishing at the Semington end is usually more productive. Apart from the Bream, there are plenty of Roach, Perch, Tench and a few good sized Carp. This stretch has also produced a few big Eels in recent years. It is possible to catch small Roach and Skimmers by the hundred on a good day!

*DANGER!*
Please do not fish near overhead power cables!

Picture: The sun going down on the K & A at Whaddon