Feedback & Reports

4 fish to Wickhams Fancy and PTNs, all in streamy water below top pool. Two cormorants also on water.

4 Trout

Arrived before 8 am: thin cloud and 18 degrees. It promised to be a baking hot bank holiday and my expectation was obliterated by that fact. On the bottom of the beat at 08:25. Water felt cold and with just the merest touch of colour. Nothing hatching and no sign of fish. Picked a small gold bead GHRE, size 16 as my prospecting weapon of choice with no real expectation. So, naturally, I took 5 grayling from the very first pool! Not large, ranging from 4" to 8".

Then it got more difficult. Saw just 2 fish rising along the whole length of the beat by 3pm, when the sun had been freed from its veil and was beating down like a Spaniard on a donkey. I had 1 more grayling on a glide below the cottage, where 2 pairs of kingfishers residing, the males flashing past like dive bombers as I worked that section. A herd of cows had broken the fence on the left hand bank just up from he cottage (and down from the bridge) and had essentially camped in the shaded, cooling river by that time. Not that you could blame them...

2 more grayling of between 8" and 10" and a single 10" wbt from the top part. Saw a signal crayfish in the top half. This is where I saw the rising fish (it was afternoon by this time) and managed, through a process of stealthy stalking and careful casting (maybe not!), to put them down every time. Old elephant foot strikes again!

Getting out at the weir was fun... I had no idea I was that fat and useless. But then, I don't dare look in a mirror anymore.

A good beat. I should have tried the dry more. Went to Middlemoor for evening and discovered this works. Perhaps that's the secret to catching wbt...

1 Trout, 8 Grayling

Very warm day with fish rising all day. Most taken on a light coloured size 18 klink. Two very strong fish of over a pound & a half but the rest all around the half pound mark or less. River bank alive with families of long tailed tits peeping away which were a delight as I sat eating my 'docky' in the shade with the dogs (who had the crusts).We are so lucky to be able to just book such a beautiful chunk of the riverside at will. Thank you.

16 Grayling, 2 Other

Another hot day. River smooth and slightly coloured. Ledger fished with pellet. Very slow but a couple of really nice barbel. Left early as Heat was quite draining. Access excellent. Good job Colin!

2 Barbel, 1 Chub

Split the day into 2 because of the weather, fished until lunchtime managing 25 Chub to 4lb and a single Dace, all on floatfished corn. A few casts with straight lead and boilie produced 2 Barbel to near 7lb and one lost on a snag.
A return in the evening with one rod and some meat produced a further 4 Barbel to 7lb 6 oz and 2 Eels to about 2lb, a very enjoyable day indeed.

6 Barbel, 25 Chub, 3 Other

First time on this beat, parking directions were excellent. A warm day and the river was pretty low as was to be expected, only fished to the farm and caught a few fish up to 8", but none of the bigger fish I was hoping for. Until the last run of the day when I hooked into a absolute beautiful trout of 13"-14". All fish caught on a nymph all safely returned. A really enjoyable day on a lovely little river.

5 Trout

2 Chub

A-hot-and-sunny-day-at-this-lovely-spot.1-carp-caught-of-around-10-pounds-plus-2-roach-and-a-rudd

3 Other

Good days fishing but very hot . Seen 2 salmon show 1 in leaning willow & the other in spring pool.

Only had a couple of hours of fishing. Lost a large barbel at the net! Estimate over 8lbs