Feedback & Reports

A slow start to the day with one barbel lost. The river was rising fast with logs and weed making some swims difficult, as did the group of 20 or so cygnets that insisted on going through my lines every five minutes or so. They were in front of me when I had a take, interesting to play a barbel with some irate birds playing knit one, pearl one around your line. I ended the day with 4 barbel to 6 lb 14 oz.

Aramstone on a sunshine and cloudy day. River was very coloured with mud and had a real floww. I started fishing 07:30 using luncheon meat on a hair rig fishing the lower peg from an old concrete groin near the old bridge. Straight into a couple of nice chub 2lb and 3lb after that no more fish gave up at 16:30. Guy on the other side pulled out 3 barbel.

This stretch needs some more pegs as access to the river following rain was lethal even with studded wellies however the instructions about parking at the top are a bit over cautious I drove my Saab on low profile tyres down to the lower parking area with no problems just a bit of care.

A peaceful spot.

A hard day’s fishing in the meadow all day. Only had 2 bites, hooking a decent barbel only to see the hook pull out under the rod before i could see it. I then managed to hook a nice chub only for that to find a snag and leaving me to lose all the terminal tackle, for once the only hook I lost all day! Both fish hooked on feeder and pellet. The river dropped a little through the day and became much clearer but late evening it began to rise again. Keep an eye out for the 2 young women in bikini`s having a wild swim, most distracting!

1 brown trout caught 1lb in weight with a worm.

Caught the limit of 6 fish for each of the 2 rods good day fishing.

Windy with intermittent rain. We each caught a fish each approximately 6" in length from the left bank looking from the boat house. A great place to fish.

6 Barbel 5lb - 11lb
1 Chub 4lb

Hallibet pellet, Hallibet groundbait in feeder, Chub on luncheon meat. Very few places to fish as no swims had been cut or prepared. Accomodation excellent at the Flansford Priory.

Great afternoon on Middle Hill as normal. Fishing very slow
Only 2 Barbel in region of 5 to 6 pounds. River was on the rise. Great stretch will be back soon.

15 x small trout to 9 inches on a small Klinkhammer a couple of hours before breakfast on a dark morning with more rain on the way. Like just about any morning this Summer come to think of it. I got just the bottom half done before the need for coffee overwhelmed me and the latest band of rain arrived.
It's been a difficult couple of seasons for the small stream trout angler. First the truly awful drought of 2011, which I think did a lot of damage to fish stocks. Then all the floods of 2012, which may have provided exciting times for salmon anglers, but deprived trout men of fishing opportunity on many days. Now the streams seem to have benefited from the rest and all the fresh water. Let's hope for a pleasantly warm September with plenty of rising fish. If not that, then a more normal 2013.

J P landed a 10lb hen fishing above the chine
on a cascade. Water 0.7m slightly coloured. Time 9am. Fish slightly coloured and returned OK. Persistent rain and 35mph wind thereafter making fishing difficult.