Feedback & Reports

This was my second trip to Hergest Court - the beat enjoys a healthy, steady hatch of upwings including some prehistoricly sized Mayflies (although it was the Olives that the fish seemed to be taking).
Again I fished a Parachute Adams with a small (size 18) Phesant Tail variant shifted from about 1-3ft to match the water depth. The nymph really does help to cast against the squally westerly wind which whips downstream and has been a feature of my visits here.
I caught about 15 fish - all around 8 - 10 inches. These fish are a good healthy handful and are clearly enjoying the abudent fly life. All but a couple were taken on the nymph.
I am yet to explore the upstream half of the beat such amount of good fishing to be had in the lower section.

15 Trout

I fished the upper half of the beat & managed to land 2wbt on nymph. There was lots of fly life but not many fish rising & I couldn't tempt any with my dries. This is excellent trout water & I'm looking forward to fishing the lower half of the beat. Access from the bank is very limited but river is low enough to follow in waist waders but you need to protect yourself from stinging nettles.

2 Trout

Hergest Court is an excellent beat for two anglers sharing. With parking midway it enabling one to cover the lower end whilst the other tackles upper section. Agree a time, meet for a break, compare excuses then switch over. We found the river in good condition with plenty of insect life but at no stage was there anything except the occasional, isolated rise. MT fished with weighted PTNs and GRHEs ending the day with seven fish. NC encouraged six fish to come to either a Parachute Adams or a Blonde Wulff. The fish, ranging in size from 5” to 11” were all fine, beautifully coloured specimens. A great day out.

13 Trout

Nothing caught.

The river was in great shape. Overcast conditions lingered on until early afternoon. Five fish early on from the lower half of the beat, all coming to weighted nymphs. Moving on to the upper stretch from about 11.00am the occasional fish started rising. A further nine fish taken on a Blonde Wulff and many others missed. All fish in the 8" -12" range and in perfect condition. Interesting to see Mayfly hatching from mid-afternoon and being totally ignored.

14 Trout

The weather was so grim that I didn't fish

Sadly, the weather made it unfishable

First time fishing a river so enrolled the help of professional guide Oliver Burch. He was very patient and informative without over complicating matters, money well spent. River was running high but not to much colour, a steady hatch of olives from mid morning through most of the day, caught 12 Browns up to 11" on Adams and klink, a great introduction to river fishing.

12 Trout

Although the weather forecast was unsettled, I chanced my arm and headed (for the first time) to Hergest Court. It was well worth the gamble. It really is a lovely stretch, especially the first (downstream) half of the beat. It becomes more difficult to fish as you proceed upstream. For a couple of hours after lunch the sun came out and with it a significant hatch of olives. This brought several fish to the surface. The river in places barely covers your boots but there are some good holding pools. I caught 2 WBT of about 6-8 inches on a klinkhammer. Using a 6.5ft 3# rod at times lacked the guts to punch through a tough downstream wind; so I fished a nymph with my Klink to make it easier to cast! Others will catch more but a combination of my early season tangles and the monsoon at 4pm meant I dashed for the car early and wet, but wanting to return.

2 Trout

Winter chainsaws have been out in force coppicing the lower end of Hergest Court. The stretch up to the footbridge felt very different indeed; fenced, clear of obstacles and easy to fish. First fish within 5 minutes a handsome, strong Brown of about 11”. The next a few minutes later was 9”. Both to a weighted PTN fished upstream. No sign of fish on the surface here or on my morning progress through the upper section. Three further fish of 8-10” came to a Copper John. All the fish were returned. An increasingly strong downstream breeze started making life difficult for light tackle in the afternoon so I pottered away feeling more than content with my first outing of the Spring.

5 Trout