Petworth and Bognor Angling Club

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In June, 2008 the Club acquired the fishing rights to a 3 mile stretch of the south bank of the River Rother running from Shopham Bridge almost down to Fittleworth. The access points at Shopham Bridge and at the small hamlet of Coates are only a couple of minutes walk from the nearest swims but for the roving angler there are still several miles of river to explore. This is a particularly beautiful part of the Rother which has received minimal angling pressure having only been fished by a small Game Fishing syndicate for many years.

Although this stretch runs through open pasture the bankside is well populated with trees and bushes which give many of the swims that enticing 'fishy' look.


We anticipated that this 3 mile stretch contained fish species and stocks similar to those in the adjacent stretches at Fittleworth and Shopham. Reports from the Game anglers indicated that a good stock of coarse fish were in this stretch. To help us build up a picture of the actual fish stocks we asked members to provide feedback to Roger Poole using this website (Contact Us: Press Officer) or by telephone (number in the Handbook). We were, and still are, interested in establishing regular details of the species, numbers and weight of members catches, not just those occasional exceptional catches.

Having been very lightly fished in recent years the catches of quality specimens of Barbel, Chub, Carp and Bream reported during our first season on this fishery have confirmed our hopes for this most attractive water.

In fact the catches reported during the first season on this lovely stretch of the Rother have exceeded our expectations and we believe once our discerning members become more familiar with this water we will discover it's full potential.

Please continue to notify us of catches, regardless of how big or small. Monitoring catches on a seasonal basis is not only useful for our Club but can also be used by the Environment Agency to determine future strategy for the Rother.