Feedback & Reports

Arrived at the top of this long and majestic beat to find the river at a lovely height and recently cleared. Wading was challenging with the push of water and took me a while to build my confidence, wading stick is a must.
Nothing rising so started with a klink and dink. No response to this so switched to nymph and spider.
Caught on and off throughout the day finishing with a dozen, 5 trout and 7 Grayling with a couple of good fish throwing the hook. My friend JJ also fared well taking 5 trout, strangely no grayling.
All fish were returned.

10 Trout, 7 Grayling

Arrived early and left around 3pm. The river was very low, weather overcast with rain showers. Fish not really interested in feeding. One half hearted take on a buzzer under the lower end bridge but fish lost. Only trout landed was about 8-10" taken, rose to a small black ant around mid day.

1 Trout

Overcast day throughout, with intermittent showers. River running higher and faster than previous two visits but clarity good.

All on gold-headed pheasant-tail nymph patterns - several at end of drifts when starting to retrieve. All fish small though brief contact with a couple of bigger fish.

2 x 8oz
3 x 7oz
4 x 6oz
1 x 5oz

10 Trout

Afternoon / evening on the lucky stone. Chub of really good stamp averaging 4/5. Barbel all smaller than previously caught from this swim apart from one which although I didn’t have my scales was a pb for sure, I estimate a low double. Absolute beast. Was raining and river was rising. Caught on robin red margin ground bait full of pellet. Darkened off with super g black. Boiles and pellets on hook. Crazy amount of chub in this swim at mo.

4 Barbel, 29 Chub

First time to fish this beat. Vehicle access for the entire length was extremely helpful.
Plenty of attractive swims to try, with the river still being coloured from rain the previous week. A day of two halves with the morning sunshine giving way to heavier than expected showers in the afternoon.
Couldn’t entice a Barbel this time (if it was that easy it would be called catching, not fishing). As always, the challenge is part of the attraction.
Numerous baits and methods managed to winkle out four Chub. Caught fish at both the top and bottom of the beat. Swans, Mallards and Egrets kept me company all day. Great to spend a day at the river after a gap of over a year.
Cattle were present at the bottom of the beat but were calm and caused no disruption to either my vehicle or my fishing. Only a handful of canoes throughout the day, all of whom were courteous. Thanks to all at the Foundation for a great service.

4 Chub

2 Trout

Two previous days of rocky river wading had taken its toll on an old knee injury. A short morning session nymphing caught a few Grayling up to 16”.

6 Grayling

2 Trout

River was a good height and running clear, though signs of the low water and high temperatures of earlier in the year were everywhere in the brown algae coating the gravel and stones. One Salmon Parr and all but the best grayling at 14", which came to a hydropsyche nymph fished in the head of a fast run came to a s18 Adams or hairs ear f-fly. Best brown at around 15" was covered in a small pocket between rocks and low hanging trees and I was surprised by its size given the tight location. There was some semblance of an evening rise in the slower stretches near the top but almost impossible to cover the fish effectively with the tippet showing clearly against the strong surface tension in the water, until I figured out to cover them casting downstream with slack line when it was almost dark - note to others, don't be as dumb as I was.

2 Trout, 3 Grayling, 1 Other