Feedback & Reports

Some residents splashing in the Vanstone pool. Almost tempted one out of the Vanstone stream section, but not quite.

Nil fish. Top pools are heavily overgrown. Much of the beat could do with some maintenance work generally.

I had a great early morning session on this highly esteemed beat with resident fish showing often in the Stones, Doghole and Gabbions beats.
That is until 10am when the canoes arrive and the standard demise of the fishing they often bring. I don't want to use this as a forum or channel for complaint but something really needs to be done regarding their expected etiquette from a paying anglers perspective.
In my first run down the Stones, I had a resident hen around 12-14lbs leaping in my swing only to be hit by a lively 2lb Trout which made the heart momentarily skip. Moving down through the pool I then hit a Pike around 10lb but no sign of any of the three coloured residents I saw rolling.
Moving down through the beat I fished the Windmill with surprisingly no sign of any life, and down through to the Vanstone where I had a healthy Chub around 3.5lb.
Then as I say came the canoes. If you want to fish this beat get here for first light and start casting at those residents. Hopefully they won't torment you as much as they did me throughout the course of the day. Typically making a leap as you are leaving a pool...

1 Trout, 1 Chub, 1 Pike

Not being a coarse fisherman I believe what I caught was a chub. I also caught a roach of about 1 pound, both fish were caught on a size 10 stoats tail double.

1 Chub, 1 Other

1 x Chub approx 1.5lb caught on Salmon fly whilst fishing for Salmon, returned.
Hooked and lost 1 x Salmon (assumed) in the Dog Hole pool not seen so can not comment on size, hooked on shrimp variant type fly

1 Chub

Weather good, levels good and we fished the fly hard all day but no takes. Several fish seen but suspect they were residents. Moved a couple out of the Vanstone pool with a spinner but still could not get a take.

Its a long walk to the top of the beat from the parking and when you get there its is very overgrown. We saw a few fish move but they looked stale and no takers.

Water a perfect height at 10" but unfortunately quite dirty with heavy particulates that probably put the fish down.
Access has been improved on this beat with a number of cut paths down to the waters edge.

Nil return.

Teaching my 14yr old daughter to cast, she hooked a fish on a size 16 ally's shrimp which took 15 mins to land on the 9ft 7wt rod. Turned out to be a 4lb chub - not a salmon but a great fight nonetheless!

1 Chub