Feedback & Reports

1 x cock salmon 30 inches, Black and Gold Flying C. 1 foot 2 inches on the Fownhope gauge, slightly greyish colour in the water, and should have been good for the fly. However, I worked away most of the day with a fast sink tip and Black and Yellow tube which had accounted for a couple of kelts at Chainbridge the day before, but without a touch. Changed to the spinning rod late afternoon and was rewarded before sunset, not with a 3 sea winter monster, but a nice fresh silver cock fish from Island Stream.
Reading a report from the previous day prompts me to admit that I funked wading the V into Dog Hole. The notes tell you that you can do it at levels below 1 foot 3 inches, but then I do suspect these notes are written by someone who stands around 6 foot 3 inches in his socks and fear does not enter into his thinking. True grit! Am I right Simon?
Otherwise, it looks like some work is going on to prune some of the bushes on the banks and mark the entry points to pools with stakes. I am sure that will be much appreciated by many, especially when the jungle starts to grow again on the upper part of the beat.
Altogether a very nice day, with the sun shining at last!

1 Salmon

1 Kelt (would have been solid 15lb fish) from 'V'. Well mended, let alone inch by inch white patch on the nose - took fly off sink tip. A few more pulls but nothing to hand in near perfect water conditions. Very pleasant day in many aspects, thank you.

1 Other

River was at a good height (1ft 2" at Fownhope) and a lovely colour for the fly. Dog hole and V were just about wadeable for a tall person although I had less than an inch of freeboard in places! Only action was a tiny grilse kelt from the Island stream and a strong pull in the cleft at the tail of the Dog hole.
There were some fresh fish in the beat. In the morning I saw an angler fishing the tail of the lines, be broken on the jump by a 20+, shortly before I pointed out to him that Bulmer's no longer have the fishing! I also saw a lovely thick shouldered fish running through the neck of the same pool late in the day.

SB hooked a salmon in Pylons but came off, also caught a 4lbs. chub. AS nil but stil enjoyed the fishing. Ah well, a salmon of 15lbs at Wyesham on Monday after 20 minutes fishing can't be bad! Perhaps I had my allocation for the week. Improved access on the lower beats much appreciated.
When fishing the lower Vanstone was challedged by a coarse fisheman as to whether I had a permit to fish.
I told him in no uncertain terms that our beat ended at the white marker. He later returned to apologise. Perhaps you could erect a Salmon Fishing only sign on the white marker as he was confused with last years Middle Hill Court Beat. We will be back to catch up with Pashley!

13lb Cock salmon colouring-up caught in Maddox on self tied Tosh variant on size 9 silver Salar hook. Conditions sunny and breezy at 15 degree C. Strong fish put up a good fight that holding in main stream for a good while before coming to net.
Six Chub from 2lb-4lb caught on fly (Pot-bellied pig) in period of 20mins fishing through the Island while salmon fishing.

1 chub caught only weighing. 3lb on a cascade. 1 salmon seen rise at 6 in the evening. Very nice spot but did not see many fish moving.

No catch , but a very nice day.

No salmon touched all day. Conditions were good but there was a procession of canoes for most of the period I fished (10:00 to 16:00) but the canoists were all well behaved.
It did give me an excuse to change flies while they went past me. I think I tried every style and size I had in my box. I will try this beat again next year but not at the weekend.

Fished for 12 hours. Had a couple of good pulls both in Vanstone so was in the game but didn't come to anything. Few fish showing in Vanstone both early and late. Last time I was there I wrote that pool notes were wrong about the hight that left the stones in the Maddox exposed. On further examination I think one of the stones has been displaced by the floods. Explored upper half of beat more. There is a surprisingly large amount of nice fly water up there and it's not so hard to access. Pool markers would be helpful though.

Great day, one 5lb fresh run grilse caught and safely returned