December 2024

My first trip down the river for quite a while and I was pleasantly surprised with the lower than expected water level after recent Storm Darragh. There is some standing water on the Eastern bank above Anjou bridge but the opposite side is still pretty good underfoot. The water clarity was also better than expected - I was able to spot the ranunculus bed at the top of the old river which seems to be holding firm, I was also able to see some good gravel patches below the railway bridge. I didn't walk up to Silver Springs but I would expect some good Grayling runs to still be fishable based on what I saw further downstream. I didn't spot any fallen trees or broken fences, again a nice surprise after the storm. The fish passes and bridge at Anjou were both clear of any major debris, however the Bugle Meadow road bridge did have some larger logs starting to build up and block one of the channels. From the fishing log it doesn't look like anyone has coarse fished Bugle this month, the water here was quite coloured up - perhaps run off from the A27 has made this worse. The banks at Bugle are also starting to become quite waterlogged in places - I'd suggest waders if you are planning on venturing out with a float rod.

November 2024

Unfortunately I wasn't able to get to the river during November. This month did see some rain and the river levels begin to rise with some standing water starting to appear above Anjou bridge. A number of cormorants were also spotted by some member in Abbey Meadow. 

October 2024

A positive start to the month saw river levels and water clarity remain good, unfortunately the latter half of the month saw us showered with rain. The rain quickly raised river levels and coloured the water up. Standing water was seen on Abbey Meadow, after the brilliant season we've had it appears the autumn rains will quickly take hold and have the river bursting it's banks again before we know it - the large amount of rain fall we had last winter have no doubt contributed to the sudden effect a couple of weeks of rain have had on the river levels. No doubt if we have another wet winter we will see a delayed start to next season. The trout season ended this month, many club members, including myself have experienced great fishing this season - largely due to the incredible number of sea trout present in the river - these were still being caught right up to the end of the month, here's hoping they have a succesful spawning season and we'll see numbers improve consistantly in future seasons.

September 2024

A mixed month on the weather front this month meant the fishing was often unpredictable, certainly the rain in the later half of the month saw conditions worsen and the fishing suffer. At the start of the month I had a good days fishing on the old river with big dry daddy long legs patterns resulting in a couple of nice Brown Trout. The rain we have had put quite a bit of colour in the water, and at one point standing water was in Abbey Meadow field, with the ground already being pretty saturated due to the rainfall over the past 12 months it looks like any amount of decent rainfall will make bankside conditions pretty poor. On a more positive note the past week or so has seen some drier sunnier weather which seems to have turned the fishing back on with a few good catch returns seen, including some Sea Trout - good to see they are still about. In desperation of a fish I decided to have my first coarse fishing session of the year at Bugle Meadow, fishing worms I managed a couple of small WBT and a surprise Eel. The Trout fishing season draws to a close at the end of October so here's hoping for some good weather so we can make the most of the fishing whilst we still can!

August 2024

The good fishing has continued this month, the mild wetter weather seems to have encouraged even more sea trout to run up the river and good numbers of fish have been spotted right across the clubs beats. The old river is holding some good sized fish, particularly on the lower sections - although they can be incredibly spooky, I had good success this month fishing just after rainfall had coloured the water slightly. Badlands and Silver Springs are also holding a lot of fish, the deep pools in particular - I've found wading on these beats is the best way to present a fly, although with the good water levels this year there are some quite tricky sections to navigate in the water so take care. Abbey Meadow is currently sporting some lovely mown paths with a good vegetation fringe for cover - I've not fished Abbey this month but have had good dry fly sport late evening earlier in the year and have seen small hatches coming off as I've walked my way upstream. Bugle Meadow continues to fish well with coarse fishing tactics producing incredible numbers of fish (60+ in a session) - Bugle is the only beat where coarse fishing is allowed. Pictures and video from this month below. 

July 2024

The highlight from the river this month has been the arrival of Sea Trout, with a couple of anglers managing to land fish and others unfortunately hooking and losing fish. The Sea Trout have been seen/caught across all beats from Bugle right up to Silver Springs. The warmer, dryer weather this month has seen the water clarity improve which makes fish spotting easier but unfortunately also makes the fish more easily spooked, this is particularly evident on the old river, I've seen good numbers of decent sized fish on the lower half of the old river but they are difficult to present a fly to without spooking. The ranunculus in the old river is doing well and is beginning to flower which looks fantastic. Photos from this month below. 

June 2024

June has seen the fishing really get going with some good catch reports returned across all beats of both stocked and wild fish. There is excellent dry fly sport to be had early evening, I've been fortunate to be at the river for good hatches at Abbey Meadow and Silver Springs, with caddis and olives being about in good numbers. The fish are certainly looking up and rising when there's a hatch on. This month has also seen the start of the coarse fishing season with a few members taking advantage of this new option on the Bugle Meadow beat - this is the only beat where coarse fishing is allowed - some great catches have been had of mixed coarse fish and wild trout getting on for 50 fish in a single session! Photos and video from this month below.

May 2024

This month has seen the season finally get off to a start, despite the unsettled weather river levels have dropped allowing access to all beats, although banks remain quite muddy in places. Some good catches have been had with the most popular section appearing to be the old river - which is looking fantastic, the ranunculus has survived the winter and is thriving - particularly along the top section. Lots of fly life has been seen coming off the water, including Mayfly, hopefully in the next couple of weeks the numbers will increase and the fish will really switch onto them. I spent an hour or so on my last trip fishing up Badlands which is also looking good, this section has some lovely gravel runs and deeps pools. I fished through a couple of runs but couldn't tempt anything, however I did see more Mayfly coming off here than I have done on the old river so perhaps somewhere to keep in mind over the next couple of weeks - I'll certainly be back to settle the score.

April 2024

I was optimistic this months river update would be from my first fishing trip of the year, but the delayed start to the season  with water levels still high and banks water logged it wasn't meant to be. Instead I took a walk down the Bugle Meadow beat which is now just about accessible. As expected there is lots of water about and it's difficult going to get to the top of the beat. A good flow was still coming through despite the debris in the A27 culvert further upstream. Some small olives were also seen coming off the water along with the usual bird life - I disturbed a Snipe at the bottom of the beat. Photos and video below, it's a couple of months off yet but hopefully whet some appetites for June 16th when club members can take advantage of the new coarse fishing rule on this beat.

March 2024

This month I was able to walk from Anjou Bridge, through Abbey Farm meadow and up into Badlands/Silver Springs. It seems although the rain continues to fall the river level is dropping and more of the bank is becomming accessable - although there is still alot of water about and waders are needed to access most of it. The worst of the standing water is by the gate to get access from Fishers Hill to Abbey Meadow. I stopped at Sea Trout corner but I'm sure you could get all the way to the top of the beat should you wish. In general the banks and river look good, no major fallen trees or obstructions and plenty of water coming through.

February 2024:

As expected with the recent rain we've had there's no sign of water levels dropping with the river out of it's banks along almost all of the clubs beats. The Mill canal is still spilling over into the old river channel, Abbey Farm meadow is mostly underwater and the water levels at Bridge Street are still high. Lots of water is managing to get through or around Anjou bridge; hopefully when the weather improves it won't take too long for the water to clear off the fields.