Beat One

Looking up Beat 1

This beat is approximately 250 yards of deeper flowing spinning water with 2 good salmon pools. Some of the beat is wadeable and can be fished with fly. Most of the beat can be fished from the bank.

There are several good barbel swims, particularly one immediately downstream from the withy in the picture. Large pike can be taken all down the beat.

Look down Beat 1 from the Boat Pool

One of the few Wye 50 pounders was taken from the Ferry Pool, at the former netting station there. The Ferry Pool is a testing place to fish.  The Boat Pool is a stretch about 40yards long which can also hold good salmon. Twenty pound pike have regularly been caught upstream of the mooring over the years and is a must hole for specimen hunters.

Ferry Pool, bottom of Beat 1

This stretch does hold very large Trout which can rise well to the Mayfly. In 2006 we witnessed one of the most prolonged Mayfly hatches in recent years. Again in 2008 mayfly hatches produced some heavy falls of “spent gnat”.  Both the Greendrake and Spent Gnat can be very successful.

There is a concrete block at the old ferry site which is an excellent place to fish for specimen pike, chub and dace. A 30lb pike was caught here around 2004.

Beat 2

Known as the “Wood Beat” it is approximately 250yards long. This is spinning water, but a fly shouldn’t be ruled out. At the top end is the Legg Meadow crib, which is historically the best pool of the Courtfield Fishery and was a favourite with Robert Pashley, “the Wizard of the Wye”. This beat was traditionally fished by boat, but can be fished from the banks with care. Apart from the Legg Meadow crib at the top end there is also another salmon pool the wood crib, from where huge bags of barbel to double figures were caught in 2006.

Looking down to Legg Meadow Cribb

Beat 3

The Legg Meadow is the top beat, approximately 450 yards of deep to very deep water. This is really boat and spinning water but it can be fished from the bank, casting to the far side. This is a superb summer holding stretch. Good numbers of Salmon are often seen holding in Legg Meadow Pool by Coarse fishermen in September.

This is the beat for some of the best barbel and chub fishing on the river and the signs are that the roach are on the increase. Traditionally the swims at the top end of the meadow fish best and the large fishing bay half way along the meadow can be fantastic for chub.

Looking up Legg Meadow Beat

There is a further 350 yards upstream which is boat fishing water only. It has not been fished for many years but has undoubted potential for holding heavy salmon.

Looking towards the upper boat water.