Feedback & Reports

Started on bottom pond. Nothing but small raoch and rudd. Tried sweetcorn maggots and bread. No sign of these elusive tench. Moved to top pond in afternoon. DO NOT FISH THIS POND WITHOUT A WEED RAKE. Spent hour clearing couple of swims out. Caught about a dozen carp between us upto couple of pounds in weight. Good looking fish golden bronze and fin perfect. Loads of rudd largest just over half a pound including some golden ones. Again perfect condition. Lovely place to fish very quiet but needs some clearence work. Not sure if its worth £20 a pop. £15 would be better.

Too coloured for the fly for realistic prospects. No salmon seen or caught. 1 shad and one brown trout caught in the process.

4 barbel and 4 chub from the top half of the stretch. Took a bit of finding and effort in 4 foot on, and make swims as you go. The parking in the field is good as you can be out of sight behind big hedge. The walk down the track is twice the Hill-of-Death at Middle Ballingham and Fownhope, and take the right-hand overgrown track at the SECOND bird-feeder drum, otherwise you'll be fighting the wood and not the barbel...

Tuesday 19th June, the river had dropped significantly in the past 48 hours and had returned to its normal colour. However, fishing was very slow, with nothing caught until mid afternoon. 3 chub to myself on small cubes of luncheon meat & feeder, 4 to Tim on similar tactic. These came from section 3, end of island and under the trees at the top of the section. Thanks to Ian who was very helpful and was on time to open up the access gate to the fishery.

In good weather I caught 2 brown trout at 15" and 12" on a Klinkhammer, both were retained.

13 barbel and 2 chub. Floody conditions at 4 foot up meant moving around, even the big pool had pace. Plenty of snags though found fishing 'blind'. A really special visual place, with total quiet much of the time, provided no-one on the opposite bank. A result.

I agree with BL's comments of 24 April that the wading (at least the beginning of the lower stretch of this beat)is not easy. Combined with a heavy flow of water and higher river level after recent rains,this made for difficult fishing so left early. 1 lively brown trout of approximately 8" to a PTN.

River still about 7ft up and very coloured. Although this is a lovely beat there are very few swims in these conditions and the only water I found fishable was down below the island.
Had a really good day catching 18 barbel on halibut pellets, the best was 8lb. A real bonus was meeting Colin the keeper, a really nice man.

River still high and flowing fast, although level had dropped. Fished along straight stretch before bend. Caught an 8lb barbel fairly quickly and it then went very quiet. Despite moving beats only only managed one other barbel. Think Bob further down did much better. Hard going but weather and scenery glorious.

1 chub...river still high but dropping. Only water that looked fishable was being fished by a great lad from Gateshead.