Feedback & Reports

OK - The Escley is an absolutely beautiful stream, but crickey it's not easy to fish. You need to be fit to get the best of it. The river is bordered on both sides by a barbed wire fence and it has very steep sides and in the lower half of the beat it seems that every 100 or 200 yards there is a fence across the river, which means climbing up the sides over the barbed wire, up past the fence, over the wire again scramble down to the river and carry on, all hopefully without breaking rod, getting net caught on barbed wire, tearing waders etc. But when you do get to the water, it is a joy to fish. Lovely deep pools below waterfalls, the air full of mayfly and other hatching fly, rising fish that will eagerly take a DHE, Grey Wulff, klinkhammers etc. Good luck !!

6 Trout

Fished for a few hours in the early afternoon. Sunny and warm with lots of Olives and Mayflies about. No sign of fish apart from one solitary rise and lots of fry in the margins.

Fished 3-7 in afternoon (obviously just after another fisherman). Fish rising sporadically throughout beat, taking emerging mayflies with gusto, 2 fish x 8 inches, 1 14 inches and 1 belter of 16. Others lost and pricked. All on soggy French partridge and half drowned Dogsbody.

4 Trout

River up with slight colour. All fish on an emerger in the faster runs.

9 Trout

Tough with river high on this beat, but fabuolous to see river life thriving, with Yellow Mays hatching, and many more uprights coming off. Great to be back on the river.

3 Trout

First time on a wild stream and had a lovely evening on the Arrow. Started off nymphing through the runs and riffles but only caught trees and bushes as it took some time to get used to the river and how accurate the casting has to be. Eventually got me eye in but still couldn't seem to find any fish. At about 7pm a few fish started to rise so switched to dries and caught a cracking trout at 11inches and another at 8 inches, both safely returned. There was a much better fish rising very tight under a over hanging branch which I couldn't tempt and eventually spooked but I went home at 9pm very happy. A beautifull place to spend an evening with dippers, kingfishers and even a male goshawk patrolling up and down the side of the wood. The fish was just a bonus. Thanks WUF. Would definitely return.

2 Trout

Evening conditions looked good at 1'5", but did not see or contact any salmon. One shad (2lbs) and several small-ish brownies caught during decent evening rise, with varied hatch/spinners/sedges. The only bigger brownies appeared just before dark.

4 Trout, 1 Other

I really like this beat for the long stretches of different waters, allowing you to put in a length of time with your options, a time to learn and improve in my case.
A warm sunny day was greeted with a consistant flurry of fly life but the reluctance of the the rivers inhabitants to rise proved puzzling.
Two small wbt were brought to hand from the faster water, once again to a partridge & orange spider in a team of three between a hares ear and snipe & purple.
Not much of a return for the time (eight hours) spent but a thoroughly enjoyable day was had.

2 Trout

None caught. Not many biting at all.

Sunny and only light breeze. Plenty of flies about but very few rises. Caught 7 trout max 15in all on dry fly.

7 Trout