Feedback & Reports

Access to water is good in places with a number of different types of swim to try. Although water was fairly low, after a few hours fishing and moving swims a number of times we managed to locate where some fish were in the pacier water. The hill as described by some isn't as big as feared and opens out in to the lower end of the beat which looks a nice stretch to investigate properly another time. A beat with potential and no real issues from anglers on the other side, though it would be nice to have this information available on the website so people know what to expect prior to booking.

4 Barbel

September 2014: Beat maintenance work carried out and has now opened up the wooded section considerably. It can now be accessed from both sides although caution is advised as the going underfoot is challenging in a couple of places. For those slightly unsure on their feet, we advise to walk around the wood and approach from the other side. There are ropes in places and this has enabled the entire wooded area to be accessed. In low, summer conditions anglers can walk the entire length of the wood along the rivers edge providing unlimited fishing opportunities and swims. This is excellent barbel water.
Salmon anglers should also now consider this beat with 4 named salmon pools that will comfortably fish fly and spinner and excellent access throughout. Salmon seen jumping all day on 9th September 2014.
Please see the Beat Gallery on the website page for further information.

Arrived at the beat at around 6.45am. Chose a couple of swims at the upstream end of the beat. Fished for a couple of hours and missed one bite. A whole squadron of other anglers turned up and fished the opposite bank but, I must add, they we're considerate and opted to fish away from where we were cast. Decided to head into the woods for the rest of the day. The walk is steep but perfectly fine with minimal amounts of tackle. I used my waders to access a swim fishing from the rocks and almost immediately landed a decent chub. A couple of casts later something snapped up my pellet tipped with corn and, after a short scrap, I landed a grilse. I have caught sea trout before but this didn't look like one at all. Having spent some time comparing it to pictures of grilse on the internet I'm sure this is what I landed. Very bright conditions and extremely low water made conditions tough.

WUF note - The wooded section of this beat has since received a lot of clearance and maintenance work and has been opened up allowing access to some of the best faster water and salmon pools. Please see the website page and Beat Gallery for more information.

1 Salmon, 1 Chub

A 2lb 4oz chub and a 2lb 4oz barbel is all we caught. River very low and very clear. If you fish here, stay at The Greenman in Fownhope. The rooms are top quality and the food is exquisite - easily the best in Herefordshire!

1 Barbel, 1 Chub

Anglers booking this beat should be aware that the upper stretch is opposite a busy day ticket fishery owned by a lady called Jean Bishop. There are two factors with this situation; one is that with up to 8 anglers on the opposite bank it could be impossible to fish effectively from Fownhope 5. The other is that the resident barbel are subject to intense angling pressure, unlike many W&UF beats where the fish are less pressured. The trek up and around the wooded area is tough but manageable but there is quite limited access to pegs on the two lower fields (virtually none on the second field and none in the wood). In our experience, the walk is not justified by the fishing available.
One 9.6lbs barbel caught from top stretch saved the day from being a real disappointment despite the coloured water suggesting good barbel conditions.

1 Barbel, 1 Chub

10 Barbel

Hard going today with just the one chub.

1 Chub

Fished just below "Lucky Pool" and regularly caught chub throughout the day. The Barbel switched on early evening, it was then one every cast. Access to the pool is not easy, leave your chair behind as you'll be stood in the water or sat on a rock so you may wish to take an unhooking mat to sit on, although its easy enough to unhook the fish in the water. Stayed at Bowens B&B opposite the church in the village.

9 Barbel, 12 Chub

River extremely low and in desperate need of rain.
We started fishing at the bottom end of the beat and finished the day in the swims by the fishing hut.
Despite our best efforts we could only manage one small chub. We're certain this beat would produce more fish in better river conditions.

1 Chub

Very low water levels made the fishing extremely difficult. We started at the bottom end of the fishery and finished the day in the swims by the hut with only one small chub to show for our efforts.
A pleasant fishery which we are sure would produce plenty of fish in better conditions.

1 Chub