Feedback & Reports

2 Trout

Nice to have one fish in very difficult conditions.

1 Barbel

Very difficult day in testing conditions. A strong, gusty wind and a rising river proved challenging but a long search for fishable water we found enough to keep us occupied. The end result was three barbel with a best of just over seven, two decent chub around three pounds and one feisty eel. All fish came to multiple lobworm on straight leger rigs.

3 Barbel, 2 Chub, 1 Other

Did not fish due to extremely high levels. Hopefully it will drop enough over night for a go tomorrow.

If it wasn't for our accommodation being booked well in advanced I'm sure we'd of stayed warm and dry at home and not set out at 4am to fish during Storm Dennis! Nevertheless, we arrived at the river at around 7:30 and we were greeted by a rising river with decent clarity. We knew we only had a couple of hours so headed for a "banker" swim which never fails to produce a fish or two for us. Far from ideal conditions for trotting we managed to get amongst a few fish however with the best being a lovely Grayling of just under 2lb. We returned to the cars around lunch time cold, drenched and wind burnt but happy to get albeit it a small but necessary Grayling fix!

3 Trout, 4 Grayling

First time on this fishery the river is running very high and fast. I walk the whole beat first but was unable to tell where the swims are, I attempted to fish in one possible swim using meat but got snagged and lost tackle on the first two casts so packed up.
Parking at the bottom of the hill is pretty muddy and the hill out slippery, ok in a 4x4 but would not try it in a 2 wheel drive
I will definitely be back when the river is lower and the weather better.

Had a fun few hours fishing this lovely little beat. The river was in good condition but there was a stiff breeze blowing upstream that was definitely stronger than was forecast. Fortunately it didn't hinder the fishing too much and the sun occasionally showed itself which helped to make the afternoon that little bit more pleasant.

I can't believe my last visit to this beat was back in 2015! How depressing. Life has changed so much since then with two little boys now keeping my wife and i very busy. Not much time for fishing nowadays sadly. Fortunately i was pleased to find the river looking very much how i remembered it. I was, however, a little disappointed to find that one of the most productive pools from my last visit was almost unfishable due to trailing brambles and spreading riparian growth.

I struggled to find the grayling this time. A fish of about 10" saved the day when it pounced on my nymph as i started to lift it from the tail of a small pool that i almost didn't bother to flick my nymph into. A second cast into the same pool saw a similar sized fish hooked very briefly. The trout were happier to show themselves with four out of season brownies hooked and quickly returned. They were all in fantastic condition. The last fish of the day was the biggest, at about 11" and spent more time somersaulting about in the air than it did in the water. Oh, i also lip hooked a plump minnow of about 2".

Overall a real treat to get out and spend a few hours on the river. It was nice to see a few celandine flowers out and was treated to the wonderful sight of a pair of kingfishers flying right past me. They appeared to glow in such a drab and wintry setting.

4 Trout, 1 Grayling, 1 Other

3 Chub

Stumbled upon a small shoal early on, but the rest of the day was slow. Hare's Ear grub and a PT variant. Had a lovely chat with a fellow angler who seemed to know a thing or two about fishing in these parts.

5 Grayling

4 x grayling 12-13 inches, 2 x out of season trout 12 and 15 inches, heavy nymphs and leaded wet flies. With the gauge starting at 1ft 9 inches, it was darned difficult today - certainly possible to fish as the water was clear, but difficult to get round the various spots. Had a interesting chat with NH of Bristol/Massachusets, and he may have done better. I left him to it as drizzle began around 4 o'clock.

4 Grayling, 2 Trout