Feedback & Reports

6 grayling to 30cm.

1 small trout on maqggot - returned (only bite). River high but not too discoloured.

Firstly, many thanks to the Foundation for making this lovely beat available for trotting tactics. River back in perfect condition after recent heavy rain. Both anglers used red maggots on light (3/4BB ) stick float method.
Lot of brownies caught. Out of season, all were quickly unhooked in the water and returned. Only a couple of grayling showed, best fish about 14 inches. A very enjoyable day in some lovely surroundings. Will definitely be back to try again, once we've had a couple of frosts.

First time fishing the Arrow so wasn't sure what to expect. Sunny morning then bitterly cold rain and wind in the afternoon. The river had obviously been well up fairly recently but was fining-down as I fished. Plenty of fish, but not the monsters I've seen reported here. 4 grayling, biggest less than a pound and the other three much smaller. 8 small brown trout and a rainbow trout of about a pound. Plus, quite a few similar fish that never made it to the net. A very enjoyable day.

Full of trepidation after heavy overnight rain but the Gods smiled on us and the weather cleared as we arrived to give way to a bright and blustery day. Not typical January weather I might add! Snowdrops in evidence on the bank and birds singing everywhere. River was carrying a tinge of colour and looked inviting. The fishing did prove quite challenging however and hard work and good presentation was needed to tempt them.
The total was in fact 5 grayling and 7 out of season and spawned out WBT. Fish were predominantly in quieter areas of the pools where there was good depth. Thankfully the grayling were of a good size - one at 2 1/2 lbs and one at 2lbs plus a 1 1/2 pounder fell to trotted bait and we enjoyed the experience greatly. Shame that this beat is not available during trout season!! Still better this than not at all. GW.

Day spent trotting for grayling on the Leen. First time we have been here - a lovely beat. The best of the water for trotting was upstream of the bridge with some nice runs and pools which held most of the fish caught today.
Total 8 grayling (largest around 1.75lb) and 5 brown trout on a windy day. It is really nice to be able to have such water available through the W&U Foundation for bait fishing for Grayling and the ease of booking made for an enjoyable day. This would be a lovely beat to have access to all year.

Blank day unfortunately, but good access to water and an enjoyable day - will be back!

Nil return, no fish seen. River clean at 7 foot on the gauge and rising.

2 grayling, one around 2lbs the other around 1lb - lost a few smaller fish under the rod tip. Half a dozen out of season brown trout with one an absolute whopper that would have pushed the 3lb mark in season for sure. Nothing rising all day, although very mild. A privilege to now trot this stream with maggots - there should be some very special fish caught on the right day. River was up around 40cm and had a tinge of colour - we would have prefered if about 10cm lower as it was just a bit 'boily' in places. All fish fell to red maggot as the 'target' grub amongst loosely fed whites.
Cracking day out in cracking company. Just what Wednesdays should be about! Thanks WUF.

Blank. A bad miscalculation this trip, as the Arrow rose and coloured during a wet night and now a gale was blowing. The forecast hadn't been so daunting, mentioning only "showers" and "strong winds." It was not unfishable and I struggled on with it till lunch-time, meeting a mink at the top end. Having touched nothing at all, I gave it up until the level drops a bit.

I then went home to repair a set of waders in the garage. The latest advice is that once you have breached the airtight seal on your tube of aquasure or other glue and used it once, keep the tube in the refrigerator to slow down the inevitable chemical reaction between glue and air. Heat the tube up before using it again in a pan of hot, not boiling, water. The wader discussion never quite seems to end. My pal RE of Swansea, who has been doing some research, suggested "Why don't you tell them about Diver Dave?" So I will.

Briefly, Diver Dave is a retired professional diver living in Scotland. His claim to fame is that he owns a 20 year neoprene dry suit, from which, after lots of hard wear and some judicious repairs, he could still emerge like James Bond wearing a dinner suit, possibly a bit rumpled, but definitely dry. Diving suits are made to a very high standard, but Dave decided anglers are very badly served by the wader manufacturers and opened his own repair centre - see www.wader-repair.co.uk. There is lots of information on the site, but Dave himself gave some more on the phone:

Bad design is a much bigger problem than punctures. He claimed to see a fundamental flaw in the construction of most waders - thick material combined with light stitching and light taping is a recipe for trouble.

He loves Simms G3 and G4, because he gets so much work to do on them. Same for Hardy EWS. Didn't have much good to say about Platinum and Scierra either.

He did have some cautious praise for some Vision and Snowbee models as standard.

Diver Dave tests for leaks with carefully calibrated air pressure, which does away with all that business of spraying on alcohol and looking for black spots. He replaces tapes with his own version and uses his own glue. Maximum cost for a full rework is 45 pounds, after which he guarantees the product leak-free for 12 months.

RE has sent off a set of Vision Flywaters and Hardy EWS to Aberdeen for Dave to give them the treatment. As he puts it: "45 pounds for a guaranteed dry wading year has to be a good deal."

We will see how it works out. It would be interesting to hear from anybody who has used Diver Dave's service.