Feedback & Reports

River in poor condition. Low levels and lots of weed. Most of the fishery is unfishable. Chiblets seen throughout but no barbel. Barely any bites on the tip.

Fished 12-7pm. Slowish in the afternoon, with a handful of modest trout to 12" and one grayling when fishing nymphs. About 5.30pm, the wind dropped and grayling started to rise to a prospected dry fly. Caught 4 nice grayling of 14-15" in this period.
Had to go at 7pm, and missed out on any evening action.

4 Trout, 5 Grayling

1 Barbel, 3 Chub, 1 Other

Excellent fishing in the late evening.

8 Trout

Another quiet day fishing. Water really low. Not a bite all day, so no fish caught.

Lovely river. 0 caught, handful seen - all of which looked small

6 Chub

The gauge said nothing. Zero on the website, flat as you like, the sort of reading that keeps sensible anglers at home. But down at the bottom of the Foy’s Bridge stretch the stone vein run was carrying a good foot over it, pushing and folding in a way that promised something. Twenty-two degrees on the thermometer. Warm as bathwater and twice as lazy.

An evening session, then, with boilies on one rod and the method feeder on the other - groundbait, hemp, pellet and sweetcorn packed tight and dropped onto the crease. The chub came first and kept coming: ten of them in all, the best a broad-shouldered five-pounder that fought like something twice the weight. Then the tip wrapped round properly and the first barbel went 7lb 8oz. Later, in the last of the light, a second - 10lb 2oz of pure river muscle that took line off me twice before it turned.

A serious note on the warm water. At 22°C those barbel took a very long time to recover - far longer than they should. Both needed extended holding in the flow before they had the strength to swim off on their own.

2 Barbel, 10 Chub

1 Trout

6 Chub