WSM South Drains

The South Drain offers a great mix of accessible bank space and natural charm, making it ideal for both pleasure and predator anglers. Much of the stretch is open and easy to reach, allowing anglers to stay mobile and explore multiple pegs in a session. 

During the summer months, sections of the drain can become weedy, though regular maintenance by the local drainage board helps keep the water clear and manageable. The flow here is generally gentle, with a well-defined central channel — meaning that in some areas, it can feel more like fishing a stillwater than a river. 

This water is home to a healthy variety of coarse fish, including roach, skimmers, bream, perch, carp, tench, eels, and pike. Autumn provides superb roach sport on hemp and tare, while winter draws predator anglers in search of hard-fighting pike gathering around the shoals of silver fish.  

Species You Can Expect to Catch

The South Drain offers year-round sport for anglers of all levels. Common catches include:
 
Roach – Abundant throughout the drain. Float or feeder fishing with maggots, pinkies, or casters is highly effective.
Perch – Often patrol the edges and any visible structure. Worms, small fish baits, or simple maggot rigs all work well.
Bream & Skimmers – Found in the deeper, slower-moving stretches. A method or groundbait feeder with worm, maggot, or sweetcorn will consistently produce fish.
Eels – Widespread along the system and most active on warm evenings. Worms or deadbaits are proven options.
Pike – A winter favourite. Lures, spinners, or deadbaits such as sardine or smelt all account for plenty of action.

Venue Snapshot

Depths: 4–10 ft
Number of Pegs: Over 120 along the various sections of the South Drain
Restrictions: No use of livebait or freshwater deadbait permitted

Typical Species & Sizes

• Carp: up to 30lb+
• Bream: up to 9lb
• Tench: up to 7lb
• Roach: to around 2lb
• Rudd: to around 2lb
• Perch: to around 3lb
• Eels: to around 5lb

Access, Parking & Boundaries

The main managed fishing stretch runs from Chilton Drove Bridge downstream to Gold Corner.
Access is available from several bridges along the route, but there is no formal car park, so anglers must park with care and avoid blocking gateways or tracks.
 
Always check local signage to confirm which bank is open to anglers and avoid fishing near any operational water-control structures such as sluices or tilting weirs. These areas are maintained for flood management and may be out of bounds.

Recommended Tactics

 The South Drain is a man-made channel, so conditions can vary depending on rainfall, weed growth, and water levels. Successful approaches include:

• Float Fishing: Pole or waggler setups using maggots, casters, or bread are top choices for roach and perch.
• Feeder Fishing: Ideal for bream, skimmers, and quality roach. Use groundbait feeders with maggots or chopped worm to draw fish into your swim.
• Predator Tactics: Ledgered deadbaits (smelt, sprat, sardine) or artificial lures work well for pike — always use strong tackle and wire traces for safe handling.
• Seasonal Tips: In warmer months, fish feed confidently in shallower areas, while during winter, deeper steady stretches are best for pike and bream sport.

Rods & Poles

• General Float Fishing – A 12–13 ft match rod (medium action) is ideal for waggler or stick float fishing for roach, dace, and perch.
• Pole Fishing – A 6–10 metre pole is perfect for juniors and pleasure anglers fishing the straight. Elastic ratings of 4–8 cover most silver fish.
• Feeder Fishing – A 10–11 ft feeder rod with a quiver tip, rated for casting 20–40g feeders, will handle bream, skimmers, and larger roach.
• Pike Fishing – A specialist 2.5–3 lb test curve rod or a medium spinning rod for lures is appropriate when targeting predators.

Reels

• Fixed Spool Reels (2500–3000 size) with a smooth drag system are versatile for float and feeder work.
• Larger Reels with stronger gearing (4000 size) are better for predator fishing with lures or deadbaits.

Line

• Float Fishing – 3–4 lb mainline with 1.5–3 lb hooklengths keeps presentation light but strong enough for roach and dace.
• Feeder Fishing – 5–6 lb mainline with hooklengths of 3–5 lb, depending on swim flow and target species.
• Pike Fishing – Minimum 15 lb mainline with a wire trace is essential for safety.

Hooks

• Roach – Fine wire size 18–22 barbless hooks for maggots, casters, or pinkies.
• Bream & Skimmers – Size 14–16 medium wire hooks for worms, corn, or pellet.
• Perch – Size 12–14 stronger hooks for meat, bread, or worm.
• Pike – Size 6–8 trebles on wire traces (barbless or semi-barbed for safe unhooking).

Rigs & End Tackle

• Float Rigs – Stick floats for faster water, wagglers for deeper, steadier sections.
• Feeder Rigs – Simple paternoster or running feeder rigs with groundbait or maggot feeders.
• Pike Rigs – Snap tackle (two-treble traces) with deadbaits, or simple wire traces for spinners and lures.

Baits

• Natural Baits – Maggots, pinkies, casters, worms, and bread are the most consistent all-rounders.
• For Bream – Sweetcorn, worms, and groundbait with added particles (hemp, casters).
• For Pike – Deadbaits such as smelt, sardine, or sprat; lures such as spoons and soft plastics.

Essential Extras

• A landing net and unhooking mat (particularly for pike and bigger fish).
• A disgorger or forceps for safe unhooking.
• A keepnet for match anglers, if permitted by club rules.
• A tackle box or side tray to keep bait and rigs organised.