Feedback & Reports

A very cold, steel grey skied day with a nasty chill wind made it a tad dour. The water had risen a couple of nights earlier from 11'' to 1' 4'' and it carried some coulour. The fly didn't do much and I tried a spinner for an hour and that did less. The beat notes are quite right about loosing the odd spinner in the Tree Corner pool :-)
All in all a good day,and some of the runs and pools here are tremendous fly water but in the end it was just too raw.

Fished all day with the fly with no luck.

Two kelts caught and a sharp pull felt in the bottom pool. The water was at approx 11'' dropping perhaps a tiny bit during the day. It was slightly coloured.
The kelts were taken on a 1 1/2 brass black and yellow tube on an intermediate line with a fast sink tip.
The beat had some excellent fly water, particulalry at the bottom end. Some of the higher pools were rather difficult to access through overgrown banks over very slipery mud. The upper half would not be recommended for anyone with mobility issues whilst the lower half was much easier with some steps and a reasonable walkway along the pools at this hight. All in a all great day out, lots of wildlife, especially water foul preparing to mate.

2 Other

No salmon caught or seen, water a touch too high for fly, salmon taken by someone else on the beat though so they were there!!

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.