Fishery of the Week We find a ‘family fishing’ stretch on the stuning River Wye
Five can fish here for £60 a day!
THE Wye is not only a beautiful salmon river but also a hotspot for coarse anglers.
every year thousands flock to its banks in search of barbel, chub, roach, dace and huge pike.
however, owing to this popularity, finding the less busy stretches on the wye can be increasingly challenging. this week, though, angling times news reporter chris haydon is accompanied by family members Joe, Paul and steve as they spend a weekend on a less publicised wye stretch that historically has been very lightly fished.
a wild river
the old harp fishery consists of double and single bank fishing spanning three-quarters of a mile above and below hoarwithy Bridge, near ross. the stretch is bookable exclusively for five anglers a day, either as a party or individuals. this allows visitors plenty of bank space and a large variety of swims to try.
at the top end you will find shallow, weed-dense water which gets progressively deeper as you head further down towards the bridge.
the fishery as a whole has a brilliant selection of swims in terms of the features they hold and how accessible they are.
for those who are less mobile, quality pegs can be found very close to the car parks with steps cut into the bank for safety. the more adventurous angler will find plenty of less accessible, well-grown areas that may throw up a big bonus fish.
Play to the conditions
one of the biggest influencers on the outcome of a day’s fishing on the wye is the weather. this river can rise and fall very quickly, which affects the various fish species differently.
this was just what chris and company found at the start of the session, when a river initially looking prime for silvers turned into a raging torrent suited only to barbel fishing.
Planning and being prepared for all eventualities is vital. for those after barbel, talk to fishery manager robert fox, who will put you on the best spots.
Full oF Fish
while it’s less well-known than other wye stretches, the old harp is similar to them all in one way – it’s rammed full of fish.
a scan through old catch reports will reveal accounts of big chub over 6lb, bags of dace and roach, 20lb-plus pike and, of
course, numbers of the famous Wye barbel into double figures.
Chris and his family had a taste of this when, in tough conditions, they landed five barbel to 9lb 5oz and two quality chub around the 4lb mark – not bad at all on a flooded river in November!