Feedback & Reports

Fished from early morning, caught barbel throughout the day. 2x 3lb 1x 4lb, 1x 5lb, 1x 7lb and the best was a 9lb 140z and a 9lb 9oz. All on open end feeder with hair rigged pellet.

Coloured water and while level ok, inexperience of the bottom led to rig losses. Nil return but suspect were not exploring enough as fish were there! Fellow salmon rod had only barbel via unorthodox route....

Good stretch of river to fish with easy access to water (you can drive to and park at your swim when it's not too wet).
River was coloured with a fare pace and lots of boiling water very hot and bright. 2 rods, one fished close in to bank under over hanging tree, the other fished in main flow.
Most fish taken through the day with a couple at last light, not what was expected. Bank rod took 7 fish with 3 lost and lots of knocks to keep us both on the edge. Halibut pellet socked in crab oil.
Main flow rod took 6 fish with a few lost and lots of knocks. Bait used, Hinders Barbel Blitz Elips Pellets
All fish between 7 and 8lbs.
Take a long landing net handle as water can be hard to reach with a 6ft handle. We will be going back.

The river wasn't particularly high by this Summer's standards but still much higher than the previous times we had fished this beat over the last couple of years. Consequently it wasn't really possible to fish the swims at the bottom end on which we'd concentrated in the past, so we weren't too confident initially.
However we needn't have worried.We eventually settled on a couple of likely looking glides around halfway down the beat. The fish came fairly steadily throughout the day and we finished with 17 Barbel to just under 8lb and 3 Chub between us. Always a pleasure to catch fish in such beautiful surroundings.
SC reckons that as he caught 9 Barbel and 1 Chub to my 8 Barbel and 2 Chub he was the winner on the day. Obviously he is wrong - 10 fish each is a draw in anyone's book. I would therefore like to ask the WUF to adjudicate on this serious matter.

WUF note - Comparing the total weight of fish to each angler may settle this friendly competition....!

12 barbel caught from swims near bottom of length. Best fish was 8lb 10oz. Caught on a mixture of pellet baits and a couple on boilies. River was up a couple of foot and coloured, weather was warm, dry and bright.

24 Barbel on pellet. Caught fish from several swim.

River fining down but still heavily colured. 10 barbel to around 9lbs and 1 chub to meat baits from lower pegs.
Excellent fishery but WUF directions would be improved if they stated 'Take second left turn to Breinton' rather than the current instructions which say ignore the fist left turn to Breinton and bear left at Swainshill.

Lane was very wet & not good for standard cars. Lovely section of river but do not wear shorts. T C caught his first barbel then another 7 and I had 6 between 5 and 9lbs. Most on pellet but some on meat. Best swims at end of section. Travel light or even better take a 4 wheel drive.

A good day, river up a little and coloured but dropped through the day. 10 Barbel to 8.9lb, one lone Chub and an Eel. Pellet and feeder was the tactic.
Lots of feeders lost in the rocks but didnt spoil the day.

Another great day on this lovely stretch of river. Arrived to find river up and coloured, this dropped throughout the day. Moved a couple of times to find fishable slacks and ended with 11 barbel to just into double figures.