Feedback & Reports

3 Trout

No bites No fish a blank sadly, never mind maybe another time

River incredibly low and much in need of water and this is also impacting number of fishable swims due to drops to water level. (Bring a long handled landing net if you have one!) Started in faster water where received lots of bites but all from small chub. Moved downstream as canoe traffic increased and caught chub through the day but mainly small in size. Activity improved as light faded after warm sunny day and the best chub of the day at 5lbs 4oz taken just on dusk. All fish taken on pellet & feeder tactics. No barbel today however a lovely place to spend the day and will be back once the levels improve.

15 Chub

5 Trout

Started the day with hundreds of swimmers bumping through, so fished inside for little results. Swimmers fortunately died down by noon so could fish the fast flow in between the kayaks. By 2pm the kayaks had pretty much vanished until dusk, starting catching Barbel in pellet feeder with scolded pellets. Then got lots of chubby missed bites so switched to maggot feeder which caught the chub, trout and plenty more barbel. All in all a great day.

1 Trout, 11 Barbel, 6 Chub

3 Chub

It was always a big gamble with Redbrook at 20cm - need more rain and at least double that level really. A few fish at Cockpit but I fished the whole beat just to get to know it. Nothing caught.

A few fish rising throughout the day but the nymphs provided most of the sport in the more oxygenated water. One of the highlights of the day was watching a squirrel swim across the river – not seen that before!

4 Trout, 5 Grayling

- Good directions, and easy parking in the layby right next to the beat.
- Very easy walking access on both banks of the short beat. Steep banks to get up and down to the spots, but (somewhat broken) steps on one spot and steps cut into the grass on the other, so no real problem.
- Very low, clear water. This is a shallow stretch, so on arrival we were very doubtful we would catch anything given the conditions, but we persevered and fished the left hand bank at the downstream end. Trotted meat down on a loafer.
- For two rods (packing up early afternoon when the rain set in): 17 chub all 3lb to 5lb. 1 eel.
- Lovely days fishing with not too many canoes, Would certainly return. Waders would have made life an awful lot easier rather than casting for miles.

17 Chub, 1 Other

A couple of hours with the feeder rod at dawn made me realise that legering wasn't going to be productive so I "mountaineered" (you'll understand this is you've fished this beat - it certainly gets the blood pumping) back to the car to change gear and set about a day of trotting.

The forecast of an overcast, drizzly day was way off the mark as I stood surveying a very low river in the blazing sunshine. I thought I was in for a gruelling day. However, I roved the stretch and tried several swims, catching plenty of chub and barbel on the stick float. What a fantastic way to fish for them.

Chub from chublets to 4lb and barbel from 4 1/2 to 7 1/2 llb.

10 Barbel, 15 Chub