Feedback & Reports

Shad x1

1 Other

1 Salmon, Female, 12-13lbs, Vanstone Pool. 2 others hooked and lost. 1 Shad, 2lbs.

1 Salmon, 1 Other

Fished over the bank holiday weekend, 23-25 May. Mick has done some excellent work to make the rover more accessible and generally more pleasant. Nothing to report on the Saturday and Sunday, aside from some sporadic splashes in the Vanstone pool. On Monday, hooked a good fish at the bottom of the Vanstone but after a few blistering runs it escaped...devastated.

Nothing caught but very enjoyable weekend fishing, and worth going on this beat for the ghillie Mick knowledge and company. Saw 2 salmon, but 1 we think went upstream, the other wasn't biting.

River up slightly and carrying a bit of colour not ideal for the stretch. One salmon was hooked and lost during the afternoon. One fish seen as well. Lovely day's fishing.

1 Trout

No salmon caught. A large fish jumped in The Lines and one pulled at the fly in Vanstone.

Good days fishing. Had a big take from a large salmon who turned from 40 yards and came straight at me. I was wading at waist high in the stones and he came within 3 feet, passed me like a rocket and jumped out of the water onto the gravel behind me, threw the Devon Minow and jumped again back into the water. I saw him on the gravel - he looked well into the 20lbs plus. I stood there shock as it all happened so quick. I had kept a tight line as when he threw the lure it came back and hit me in the shoulder. What an experience.

Slightly coloured salmon of about 15lb from Maddox at 9.00 am on a Cascade. Fished in expectation till about 6 pm, but no other takes. Fish showed regularly at bottom of Vanstone and several of the upper pools - mostly a bit coloured, but a few looked fresh.

The access to the upper pools has been vastly improved since I last fished in 2013. A decent path all the way up, cleared entries and exits to the pools, and steps down the more hazardous banks - well done WUF and the (new?) keeper.

1 Salmon

Bright conditions and water levels low & clear for time of year, suffice to be able to see the underwater contours of the river - revealing! Unfortunately the beat was as dead as a doornail as far as salmon fishing was concerned. Even the coarse fish appeared to be absent! Tried fly and spinning all to no avail on all pools bar The Cottage.
However, the bank maintenance is 100% better than last year, properly cut back vegetation and helpful steps down to the pools. If the pools could be named on the bankside - some are - to avoid confusion and revised/updated written descriptions on how to fish each of them in various conditions, that would again much ease new rods fresh to the beat.

Cool overcast morning followed by sunny afternoon. Water dropping very slowly at about 8" and 50F - no significant rise /rain since end of March. 3 Salmon showed in Vanstone Stream & Vanstone Pool, but nothing caught.
50 canoes between 11:00 and 14:00 = mostly extremely courteous and well behaved.
Huge improvement to the access to the pools compared with 2 yrs ago - well done Mick!