Catch Report - November through December 2011

Winter is at long last here, and with it the first of the decent rainfall, any regulars to the fishery will appreciate the benefits of a good downpour as it gives the river a good flush through. Along the top set of bends the willows which have been a pain during the summer months have been pushed back onto the far bank opening up the swims on our beat once again, although this increase in flow does bring lots of debris downstream into our bit of the river.

Fishing is as the fishing goes on the River Wey, a little effort is required, but with the right application and a bit of thought some good days fishing  can be had. A really pretty Common Carp around the 7lb mark has shown again in the top of the beat coming to the net on worm, Grayling have been showing to trotted maggot, not an easy method at the moment I’ll grant you, but one worth a go all the same. Chub haven’t been showing as they normally do, but the Perch population is in fine fettle with the fish showing to all the normal tactics i.e. maggot and worm . A worthy note , if your going to use live or dead baits please bear in  mind the club rules, only fish caught from the fishery may be used for live bait, whilst a wire trace is a must as there is a good head of Pike, normally found in the same haunts as the Perch.

Just recently a Bullhead was caught on worm not really a species you would shout about but it shows the river is in very good condition and healthy. Crayfish are still in evidence, I would like to think in smaller numbers, but in reality they are probably are on the increase. I never thought id be happy about the Mink population on the Wey but at least they are an effective predator on our other American invaders.

A massive thank you to the higherarchy  of the club for the introduction of 250 Barbel, Dace and Chub to the river system, a real boost for all three of our beats on the Wey. As always a big thank you to the bailiffs and thanks to the visiting anglers as the rubbish once again is nil - Bruce Kerby, Head Bailiff.

Catch Report - 10th November 2011

All sections of the river have been very quiet owing to low water levels, and floating weed rafts, making fishing difficult. Anglers have been waiting for the rain to colour the water and flush the summer silt away. Last weeks rain has improved conditions and, the river is nicely coloured. - Tony Jeatt

Catch Report - July through to September 2011

Not too many fishermen on the bank during the last few months, which has allowed the nettle beds to grow back up with a vengeance and made it a bit tricky to reach the waters edge in some places, mind you this matches the growth of the weed beds along the whole of the beat making fishing awkward in some swims.

Chub have been gracing peoples nets on a regular basis, for those that have fished this section during the last couple of months, from Chublets around the half pound mark, up to some older specimens to three pounds on various baits: on maggot, luncheon meat, cheese and lobworms. Not record breakers I'll grant you, but enough to put a bend in your rod and a smile on your face !

Dace have been caught to half pound on maggot feeder tactics (not to be confused with Chublets), and rumours of a rogue Bream coming out in the top section of the beat, along with small Roach again coming to maggot feeder on lighter tackle.

Perch are showing even more this season than previous seasons, which is encouraging as it shows the food chain is in fine fettle. Autumn and winter to look forward to now, lets hope there's a bit less snow this year as the last couple of seasons have been a bit on the tough side !

No rubbish on the beat, so thanks once again to the visiting fishermen and thanks to the bailiff team as always - Bruce Kerby - Head Bailiff.

Catch Report - 16th June to 2nd July 2011

Standard sort of a start to the season. Weather wise we did have some good weather during the closed season, so the weed beds and bank side vegetation had an early start this year and the rain during the first week or so of the new season gave the Wey some colour. Levels and colour are now back down to normal summer levels. In some swims the willow on the far bank has grown almost over to our side, whilst this does make getting a bait in the water a bit of an art form, on the plus side it also makes for great cover for Chub and the like. The start of the season has seen nothing of note being caught, but catches of Chub, Dace and Perch being the norm with a smattering of small Brown Trout taking everything from luncheon meat to bread.

To my knowledge none of the small Barbel from last year have shown up at Broomfield as yet. If any of you fishing the beat do come across any of the small Barbel, would you please be kind enough to contact the Head Bailiff or Chief Bailiff reporting your catch. Last season saw some Gudgeon being caught, more to the end of the beat toward Somerset Bridge, there's a club record to be had so don't be shy !!

Unfortunately last season and the start of this one saw a rise in the numbers of the non-indigenous Signal Crayfish, and as you are no doubt aware, it is illegal to return these ugly, bait stealers to the water. The best way I've found of dispatching one is a sharp knock on their head with a bank stick or your heel in the same area. Don't worry about leaving the remains on the bank as this is not regarded by the bailiff team as litter and the local Badger population love them, indeed their remains can sometimes be found in the fields having ended up at the sharp end of a Badger.

Some members fishing the Wey for the first time often ask about baits and methods all I can honestly say is to say that old fashion methods work.
Location is by far the hardest thing and I'm afraid I can't help you much there, if a swim looks fishy, then it more than likely holding a few. As for litter, so far this season there is none and to the fishermen that have ventured down to the river - a big thank you - Bruce Kerby - Head Bailiff.

Catch Report - 1st January to 14th March 2011

This years winter was a bit harsh to say the least, salt run off and tons of snow made the catches on Broomfield a bit more of a hit and miss affair this winter, although fishermen willing to 'tough it out' with the weather or those lucky enough to catch what breaks in the weather there were, did manage to put fish on the bank.

Regulars on the beat will no doubt agree with comments made by C. Charman in his catch report of late October, that you can catch fish from swims where you may have blanked before, this often being the way of the river and river fishing in general.

A change of bait, and or tactics, will sometimes get results, as the fish do move around. Fish such as the trio of small Carp in the top section who show up from time to time throughout some seasons, only to disappear and not see the bank for months !

Nothing more of note to add I'm afraid, as we are now in the closed season, apart from one point I would like make regarding the closed season for the benefit of any new members ………We are CLOSED for coarse fishing, although you may chuck fluff on fly fishing gear if you wish to. This will become more difficult as the warmer weather gets here as the weed beds get quite dense, but if you do fancy a wander down to the river without tackle, please have your permit with you as this beat is on a private estate and there is a chance of being challenged by one of the workers or the owner.

To the end of the season rubbish was back down to nil, apart from what was left after the winter water level had dropped back to normal, so 'thank you' to the regulars and to the non regulars. Please don't leave rubbish when you leave your swim or the fishery. Thanks once again to the rest of the bailiffs on the beat and here's looking forward to the 16th of June 2011 - Bruce Kerby - Head Bailiff.

Broomfield Cottage - Chris Charman: Late October 2010

I have been struggling to catch anything on this venue for a while now. I go about 2-3 times a week after work. Have managed to catch a Roach, Chub, Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout all on separate occasions. I believe the main trick to catching on this venue is finding the fish. They seem to move around quite a bit. The Perch I caught yesterday came from a swim that I have never tried. Also, I have failed to catch in swims that I have caught from before. Now that the nights are drawing in I am particularly looking forward to trotting the float down some of the straight sections for Roach, as most of the weed has died down now. Most of the swims have had some maintenance to make it them more accessible to the angler. Many branches have been removed to make it easier to manouvre a rod without removing the character of each swim and making it too open.

There is plenty of wildlife about such as Kingfishers, Foxes, Buzzards, Pheasants etc. The time before last that I went, the field on the opposite side of the river was absolutely full of Canada Geese. I have also had a Kingfisher land right next to my rod and not realise I was there, which was the first time I have ever seen one stationary. I never see anyone else at this venue and would encourage others to give it a go. Even though it is quite tough it is definitely worth the challenge. It is such a nice place to spend a day, even if you are not catching.

June 2010 to August  2010:

Another new season on the Wey , the start  went quite well with Chub, Perch and Dace all making a show . This years spawning seems to have gone well with hoards of fry in the warmer shallows , along with the ever infuriating  Minnow population  hell bent on attacking anything remotely meat based and as for maggot or worm ,be prepared for frequent recasting.

July being so hot put most species well and truly off the boil during the day ,early morning and late evening being the better times to have a go between the streamer weed beds, please remember that this venue has a no night fishing rule in place so do out stay your welcome when fishing into the late evening.                                                                                        

The Otter holts it would seem have not been a success which for Surrey Wildlife Trust must be a blow but for us mere mortals its all good news , IF anyone should be unlucky enough to spot one of the little darlings ( otters that is not one of the Trust !), please be kind enough to let the head bailiff or member of the committee know.   

Bird life is on the up on the beat, ducks actually hatching a good few eggs and bringing the ducklings on to a good size along with a couple of moorhens and swans scratching a living shows that the mink have all but gone which again is a good sign , although kingfisher numbers appear to be low again this year. Cormorants have been about but not in the numbers normally seen in winter, again all good news for us

On the rivers the half way rule cant really be applied unless we share the respective beat with another club or happen to have access to the other bank ourselves. However on Broomfield Cottage the bailiff team have cut swims that control a good stretch of water down stream of each swim, in some places the path runs close to the rivers edge, in such cases please give consideration to anyone fishing and pass well away from the waters edge whenever possible as there is nothing more frustrating than having someone marching right past the spot where your bait is. As for the swim cutting, this particular stretch of the River Wey doesn’t really lend itself to the ideal of easy access what with high banks and barbwire fences it’s a bit on the wild side, so we cut swims where we can and not wishing to sound like one of the health and safety brigade, the banks on the beat are for ever being eroded so please mind your footing

When turning into the lane at Broomfield Cottage please make sure you park in the parking area opposite the gate for the bridle way, and not in the first pull in opposite the stockade, as this is used by the land owner for feed etc .     

very big thank you to all of the anglers who do visit the beat as rubbish is again nil and thank you to the rest of the bailiff team for all your hard work - B.Kerby (Head Bailiff).  

February 2010 to end of season

Summer has long gone and it would seem that autumn and winter blurred into one, heavy rain fall scoured the river bed and moved a lot of the sunken branches and bits of tree to new locations it also carried more rubbish down from upstream, lots of the overhanging Willow and Alder have also been swept back creating a varied fishing landscape.

The start of December saw a serious amount of snow for everyone, this not only made access to the river almost impossible but with the resulting thaw put even more water into the river, this coupled with the previous rain and salt from the road run off has made winter a trying time for all the anglers visiting the section.

Catch rates this autumn haven’t been fantastic although in the early part a brace of 5lb plus Chub came out of the top section, other notable catches have included  Pike to 8lb caught spinning, Perch making more of a show and just as the serious cold weather was starting a very nice 2lb plus Chub caught long trotting maggot in the second field, two smallish Carp have also shown again this season a Mirror and Common to around 5lb and seem to have made the top section home and come out now and again, putting up a good scrap.

This year has unfortunately seen the Surrey Wildlife Trust build an Otter holt on the lower section of the beat, opposite the start of the Woodside Farm section, senior club officials are aware of this and the matter is in hand, this coupled with the ever present cormorant problem puts a further strain on our fisheries. The building of the holt is in line with an EU directive stating that Otters should be reintroduced to most if not all rivers in the UK, it’s a shame that the people making these decisions don’t take the time to fully evaluate the impact of a top predator on an already fragile fish population. This is a personal view and not an official one made by the club, however I know from speaking to anglers on the bank this is a serious one.

Mink are still present on the section but seem to be in decline as the coot, moorhen and dabchick populations seem to be on the up, local residents with a small amount of chickens and ducks on their land have had them trapped and dispatched which in turn helps us. Kingfisher numbers are low in relation to previous years but a few can still be seen from time to time. A small number of Buzzards are still making a living in the surrounding fields and signs of Badgers grubbing around and marking their territory can bee seen along the fence line.

Once again id like to say a ‘thank you’ to the anglers that do fish the section for not leaving rubbish on the banks and just as a reminder, no anglers arriving with wet nets or fish handling equipment will be allowed to fish.

June 2009 to January 2010:

Access to this section is across a stile and over a barbed wire fence, whilst offering very interesting swims; extreme care should be taken on this stretch. (TJ)

Fishing this summer, as with most summers on the River Wey, has been quite challenging as the ever-changing fish population feed more on natural foods. Location is also a problem due to the weed growth, though this need not be a bad thing as the thick streamer weed offers the various year groups of fish sanctuary from predation.

Good sport can still be had in the various pools and clear areas along the beat, but this does require a bit of effort. Once the weed beds have died back and the trees have shed the last of their leaves the seemingly ever increasing rainfall will for want of a better word give the riverbed a bit of a spruce up, although after really heavy rain access can be a bit tricky and members should go carefully.

During the winter months, Grayling can be taken on the faster stretches of the river to long trotting with maggot, caster or bread as can Dace and Roach.  Some nice Perch have been taken during the early part of the season on lobs and red maggot. Chub still seem to be the dominant species on the section and can be caught by all of the popular methods and in most of the obvious Chubby places, although none of the above is written in tablets of stone of course !

The Broomfield Cottage beat is owned by the Hampton Estate, the bailiffs and the Society enjoy a good relationship with the landowner, who has a small prize beef herd on the beat: grazing being rotated between the three fields which make up the beat. The landowner has this year replaced a lot of the barbwire fencing which runs the entire length of the beat, this replacement has benefited our access to the bank, although not perfect for us by any means, the fencing is there only to stop any cattle getting to the waters edge.

Fishermen cutting the wire have been reported. Please note that under no circumstance is any member of the club permitted to do this as such action would risk the Society and therefore its members loosing this stretch of the River Wey. Rubbish is virtually nil, so thank you to the fishermen that do fish the beat.