Feedback & Reports

River high and coloured for my annual visit! Muggy with hazy sunshine and drizzle blowing in the wind. Nearly didn't fish. Didn't fancy crossing the river so couldn't fish top of beat. Tried nymphing down walkway with no result. Walked down to bottom of beat and delighted to find fish rising. (To emerging sulphur Mays?) Picked off several with emerger Mayfly and spent pleasant few hours casting to rising spotties, landing 9 and losing or missing as many again. All takeable with best over the pound mark. Kept 2 for breakfast.

9 Trout

4 Trout

I decided to fish in the evening , thinking just maybe they sleep in the daytime and come alive at night- not so, 1 Trout returned around a lb - I think its time to try somewhere else.

1 Trout

2 Trout

( I was on salmon ticket)
The more I use a switch rod the more I love it! Fished down through the main pool with a Bann Special, just in case changed tip and leader and fished back up the river with some dries, changing patterns until the trusty Grey Wulff size 14 invoked an aggressive and acrobatic take from a brownie. 14" fish brought to the net. Immense hatches happening all evening. With a bit of water I can imagine that Bann fly could well pick a fish here with a bit more depth and flow.

1 Trout

1 Trout

lovely Brown Trout 18" taken on Iron blue size 18 small hatch of Baetis niger

1 Trout

Good conditions in the morning. Fish to 1 1/2 pounds caught on drys and nymphs. Varied hatch. Cold downstream wind in the afternoon slowed things down somewhat. Contrary to many reports we found trout throughout the beat not just at the top end.

10 Trout

Lovely day, perfect conditions on a beautiful beat. Abundant fly life and lots of trout rising but clearly not impressed with my offering. Two wbt caught.

2 Trout

The weekend forecast said it would rain all day today and I thought, forecasts are always wrong... but it was spot on. Oddly, the river appeared to drop slightly while I was there, so at a height of a foot or above summer level and not too much colour it looked very promising. I've never seen so many house martins, swallows, sand martins and even a couple of swifts banqueting on the feast of upwing flies coming off, as well as pied and grey wagtails and a spotted flycatcher, but no sign of trout, except for four small ones taken on the salmon rod. No sign of salmon either, and as the rain kept getting heavier I opted for the early bath. Substantial earthworks and landscaping are under way on the overgrown bank below the ruined cottage so I guess someone is going to build - I hope it will improve the access to the top of the beat.

4 Trout