Feedback & Reports

1 Trout

Invited by my old friend Dave Manning to try a day trotting for grayling. I hadn't tried the method for over 15 years but had recently picked up an old Bruce and Walker 12 ft float rod for a song on ebay so was keen to try it out. Most enjoyable day on the picturesque Lypole beat with the water at a lovely height and colour. Dave managed 16 grayling and 7 oos trout, with 14 grayling and 6 trout for me, trotting maggots. Grayling full spectrum size, from a 4" fingerling to about 1.5lbs. Great day. Will return with a fly rod in the trout season.

13 Trout, 30 Grayling

Perfect weather apart from the up stream wind , good day all round

7 Barbel, 3 Chub

1 small pike early in the day.
Although I found Fownhope village ok, it was not that easy to find the parking/river stretch and not easy to establish the boundaries of the permit.

1 Pike

3 Trout

Only popped out for a couple of hours to try a new rod out but to be honest, I think I could still be there and not caught anything! I’ve been out a few times since new year and to say it’s hard going is an understatement. Water very low and clear but beastly seen a fish in 4 visits to various beats, catching the odd one here and there.


Very little sign of life at the moment, let’s hope things improve for the start of the trout season

On arrival, the sun on the clear water allowed me to watch 2 pairs of barbel wallowing in the gravel, clearly very attracted to each other.
Nothing in my bait bag prompted any reaction, they were far more interested in each other than in feeding.
Fascinating to watch them. Kept me entertained for over an hour but overall, a day with no sign of action on the rod tip. An inquisitive pike of 12-15lb paid me a visit as I was leaving, again great to see.
Despite the landing net staying dry it was a restorative day on the river, good to be back after an absence of over a year. Mallards, mergansers, pheasants and wood pigeons kept me company through the day.

Perfect conditions, except for the horrendous wind which really made trotting impossible in some of the pegs, however there is enough of the river which is more sheltered, i walked the full stretch upstream and landed 6 brownies, all 1lb+, then walked the stretch back and landed 4 grayling all 1lb+ aswell as losing a good fish at the net.
Kites , buzzards,noisy ravens, pair of goshawks courting, dippers, a kestrel, green and greater spotted woodpeckers made it hard to keep my eyes on my float, (although the 12 or so goosanders that were on the river when I 1st arrived were not so pleasant to see, no doubt hoovering up the last few salmon parr left in the river) the other downside was the waterside trees all dressed in bits of agricultural plastic and bale wrap from the recent floods, a reminder that its not just sewage and agricultural run off that is destroying our rivers. That said its still a gorgeous part of the world and there are few places i would rather be than stood thigh deep, with an apron full of maggots, trotting a float for big grayling.

6 Trout, 4 Grayling

A bit of overnight rain tempted me for a last Grayling session . The river was up just a little but had a slight tinge which gave hope . 4 hours later 31 Grayling had graced the net trotting red and bronze maggots

3 Trout, 31 Grayling

Difficult fishing conditions ( sunshine gusty wind low and gin clear river)in the morning gave way to overcast skies later on as well as the wind speed reducing . By fishing as light as I dare in the way of hook link diameter the fish responded by coming on to feed for the last few hours . all fish on maggot feeder. In the end a good days fishing.

1 Trout, 1 Grayling, 2 Barbel, 7 Chub