Feedback & Reports

A lovely sunny day, where 4 of us were after both barbel and pike. 2 Pike caught one 10lb one 6lb, one on a lure and one on a deadbait, one below the croy and one above it. Had 3 or 4 other takes in the morning. Afternoon one nice 5lb chub on corn up by the posts. Great day, but the barbel eluded the 2 trying for them. (they are novices though)

Great stretch of water, improved by what looks like recent chopping and clearing. Still some good spots close in and we had 2 low double figure pike on lures. We switched to maggot feeders for the afternoon and had several chub up to 4lbs, along with a surprise roach of approaching 2lbs at last knockings. Cracking beat, we'll be back!

5 pike to 18lbs all taken on dead baits and all in the morning. Lovely and warm when the sun was out - bitter when not. Map and directions spot on. Lovely beat, will try and get back before the season ends. Thanks WUF.

Cracking day was had. Arrived before 8am walked up to the top of the beat for a look, baited up a couple of swims in the middle section and left them a while we had a couple of bacon rolls. Cast out and was straight into a barbel. We fished in several places and had fish in most of them. Finished the day with 14 barbel and 9 chub. Stayed at the Cottage of Content. Reasonably priced room but food is quite dear. Very nice place.

7 chub to about 4.5lbs on spam or corn.

Excellent day, thank you! Weather was pleasant and river up a little with a brown tinge but nothing dramatic. Tried lots of spots from the water pump to the top of the fishery. Found fish in several places and finished up with a fin-perfect barbel and some cracking chub including a 'dodgy' (exactly on the scales) 6lb beauty. Pellet probably accounted for most bites but rotating meat and corn livened things up when needed. Bites came on and off all day. The area where the bank has been marked with poles was the most productive. (Last Summer we were so grateful when the farmer strimmed sections of the tall balsam and nettles to make access easier and marked where he'd done it with the poles. Now the spate has wiped away all the bankside weed, the poles look redundant). Echoing a previous contributor, in wet weather the track from the farm-yard to the river can be slippery on the way down and tricky on the way up. Also, don't wear your best shoes for driving as to open the farm-yard gate you have to paddle through considerable M&S. You can park in the farm-yard if you don't fancy the track. Failing that, take the wife's car.

Very sunny day amidst all the rain and gloom. The barbel did not seem to make much of it and it was left to the chub. 8 fish to about 4lb from the middle of the river down to the Oaks. May have lost a barbel at last knockings from the viaduct. I think I can confirm that the last entry did see an Otter, as I saw a pair of them at point blank range popping up over the area I had baited earlier. Do they like the smell of halibut pellets; and can I blame their appeance on my lack of success with the barbel?

First time upstream of Hereford and, consequently, on this beat and it has a lot of potential. The water had very little extra colour and looked superb despite the overcast, drizzly weather.
Enticed half a dozen nice chub from a couple of spots between the orchard and the fence where the river is slower and deeper, having tried several along that part of the bank. Got a bit preoccupied with fishing meat having caught a 4lb fish on the first cast and should have switched to pellets for a more resillient answer to the constant pecking at the bait.
There are so many inviting areas in that section of the river that the top and bottom of the beat were only visited during a lunchtime stroll. It all looks good.

Thanks WUF.

A note on the instruction sheet/map. The reason there are two dotted-green footpaths so close together is the presence of a barbed wire fence separating the fields and going down to the water's edge. To get around this, you have to go back to the stile by the road and, 20 yards towards the house, re-enter the field via a 5-bar gate. This is no distance at all and worth the effort to get at the faster water passing the island.

Three chub to 4.2. Breadflake.

Morning spent on the lovely Courtfield. River cold with snow melt, coloured and falling. 2 x 5lb Chub on meat and 7lb Pike on a spinner, not a bad mornings work!