Feedback & Reports

The weather was warming up, but still bitterly cold. Managed a couple of Grayling from each end of the beat.
It was my first time here and was impressed how well looked after the beat was.

2 Grayling

A cold but beautiful day on a lovely beat. Water clear and level a good height. Main challenge was the ice forming on the line and rod for the first hour or so!
Tried weighted wets as well as nymphs but yet again struggled to find the fish. Although no action in Lady Alexander's and Stone Catch pools, they are both great stretches to cover.
Tried the top end of the beat, just down from the Edw stream and did catch 1 small grayling. Two fishermen on the other bank also worked the same area and had no luck.
A great stretch and very well maintained.

1 Grayling

Back again to this fantastic beat. -3 showing on the thermometer on the fishing hut, river was crystal, very bright sunshine when it cleared the hills. Trotted red maggots was the method of the day. Initially struggled to find the grayling, but every section I tried was full of trout.

Lost count of the numbers, but a guess of between 35-45 would be a conservative estimate. Fish between 8 and 18 inches.
Where are they in the summer when fly fishing? Eventually found some grayling at the bottom of Lady Alexander's just as the sun dipped back behind the hills. 10 fish between 10 and 14 inches.

A memorable day for my last trip of the year.

10 Grayling

Had a first go at trotting for grayling. Not as straightforward as it looks. Used an entry level fly fishing centre pin + 5lb Maxima. Despite a good flow and drag fully off the current couldn't unspool line.
Was confined to short trots of 10-15 yards. Still got takes, managed a couple of fish to hand and lost others. Need to research more appropriate trotting reels (and buy one!) before next outing.

2 Grayling

First time on this beat so we spent some time looking and trying different spots. Stunning well maintained stretch and nice conditions today. Trotting tactics produced 6 grayling, 2 x 12 inches, the rest around 6 inches. Feeding spell appeared to be around the middle hours of the short day. Plenty of small dace around.

3 Trout, 6 Grayling

First visit to a beat that's clearly very well maintained, including work done on the woodland pathway at the upper end.
Thanks to Wirral angler Alex for taking the time to pass on some of his detailed knowledge.
Had a couple of touches on nymphs but didn't make viable connections!

River clearing up nicely after last week's rain. Trotting red maggot resulted in 11 grayling. Ranging from 8-12 inches topped off with cracker of 16ins. Also had 5 trout, 3 in very nice condition, 2 looked they had recently spawned.
Good to meet TH from Swansea. Hopefully you have more luck next time.

5 Trout, 11 Grayling

12 x grayling 6-15 inches, 1 x chub 4.5 pounds, 3 x out of season trout 9-12 inches, trotting. I think the water was warmer than the air today, which resulted in continuous fog throughout the valley. It was so thick by mid-afternoon that it was a problem to see the float, so packed up early.

12 Grayling, 1 Chub

River high and coloured. Called it a day by lunch

River in perfect condition till midday when strong wind arrived with rain and filled river with leaves. Managed 5 grayling in total and lost few.. lovely beat to fish.

5 Grayling