Feedback & Reports

2 small trout caught but returned. Not many fish to be seen most of the day. Small brownish nymph and Black nymph with head worked once each.

2 Trout

Nothing doing, principally because I became aware that there was a bull in the field and thought it best to beat a retreat.

A pleasant day on this beautiful stretch of river. 2 WBT caught on a gold head pheasant tail and one lost, should have fished with it all day but persevered with dries to the occasional rising fish but couldn't tempt a take.

2 Trout

Not such a good today. Last time I was here a couple of weeks ago there was a good hatch of yellow may dun and mayfly and there were fish everywhere. Today was bright and hot and not many flies about. I attempted some salmon fishing. Withing 10 minutes I rose a 10lb salmon. For the second time in 3 weeks I've risen a salmon with it leaping straight afterwards and sticking two fins up at me!! B*****d!!

2 Trout

lovely day fishing, fish were observed on the surface, 3 rainbow trout taken on worm, 1 rainbow taken on small toby,2 rainbow taken on wet fly fished below the surface. two other takes on fly but missed.

6 Trout

Fly fishing at all depths. Very poor day. No takes and no fish seen other than small perch

Fished at all depths on the fly. Son wormed and spun. Very poor day. No takes and no fish seen other than small perch.

These small streams are really a challenge and a puzzle, especially with river levels being so low. With no decent rain for the last few weeks it really felt at times that I was fishing in puddles rather than pools!
I was new to this beat and it did take some working out. Much of the first section is right bank fishing only, but it is fenced and steep, so pretty much unfishable. Then there are sections that appear on the map to be no fishing at all. It was slightly confusing, but no major problem.
I had read previous catch reports with good numbers of fish being caught, but I was a little dispirited walking up through the shallows, but eventually some small fishable spots appeared, but it was hard going. You really do need to get to know these beats.
And what a variety – wide (ish) and shallow, tight and narrow, deeper pools, slab rock sections higher up, overhanging trees in some parts that made fishing near impossible (lots of tree and branch debris), then more open spots where you could cast properly… and of course a stunning location in beautiful countryside.
It was warm with light cloud and bright spells during the day. There was also a bit of a breeze, but most of the beat is tucked away so this didn’t really affect things.
There was a beautiful and varied show of fly life in the evening, but I stuck to the tried and tested Klinkhammer indicator with Hare’s ear or Pheasant Tail nymph. I managed 6 WBT of varying sizes in the day (missed plenty too), and then took a break late afternoon and fished the beat again (at greater speed) in the evening. I managed another 4 more WBT before dark, one putting up a great fight, especially for its size. Three of the fish were caught in the last final pool at the very end of the beat by the footbridge.

10 Trout

Arrived around 6.30 to find the river rather turbid – bullocks in the leat may have had something to do with it. There were many mayfly spinners dancing – olive spinners too – don’t think I have seen so many for years. Also a fantastic number of damsel flies …
An evening isn’t enough to cover this beat especially when the number of fish rising is as many as there were tonight…they were largely taking the mayfly spinners and we hadn’t got a decent representation, a size 12 olive was accepted by at least half of the 12 trout we tempted and safely released. The fish were without exception colourful tubby barrels that put up fantastic scraps – a 14 incher was the best followed by a 12 incher, most of the rest were around the 6 inch mark. When there is a hatch/fall of these proportions you realise how many fish there are in the river.
It wasn’t just the insect life that was spectacular – there was a woodpecker and on the way home we dodged a couple of recent badger casualties by Hampton Court Castle only to be buzzed by a barn owl and then encounter a large deer nibbling the roadside hedge – from the road side – as we drove past 10 feet away.
A wonderful evening, thanks so much for the fishing.

12 Trout