I thought that I would kick this one off for 2016. I fished the pool last Friday with a couple of friends. The rainfall we had has pushed the river up a bit and the river was flowing quite hard. The water was pretty clear though. We caught 4 fish between us (a 3lber and 3 schoolies) and lost a couple in the 2-3lb class. There were one or two decent fish showing before dark but pretty much nothing showed during darkness, nor when the tide came in. We just got the sense that there aren't yet many fish in the pool and it's probably a little early for Woodmill. The cold night wouldn't have helped. Hopefully some fish will start to run soon. Still, it was nice to be back on the water and I'm sure that the action will hot up soon.
Woodmill Pool, Swaythling 2016
- Thread starter Alwyn
- Start date
sewinfly
Well-known member
Well done Alwyn on getting out there.
Early May was good last year and won't be long mate and we will be casting a line there to.
Looking forward to it.
Sewinfly. ......
Early May was good last year and won't be long mate and we will be casting a line there to.
Looking forward to it.
Sewinfly. ......
Fished it Saturday and then Sunday last week (unplanned to do both days but bad organisation with friends). Fished rising tide from 10pm to high water then the fall back to day break. Pool in good shape not too much flotsam saw the odd fish but not many though some much better fish jumping at high water on both nights. We caught three small ones each night - very few pulls or misses just don't think there were huge numbers of taking or resident fish in there - got the impression that fish came in and left on the tide as we didn't see the numbers at low water we see later in the year. Didn't get any July dates so Abercothi is my next sea trouting at start of July then back to Woodmill in August. Tried a ls4 zonker with a mackerel type stripe pattern rabbit strip and uv straggle fritz body (zonker wing was only tied in a the head) and it was nailed as I let theline sink - never had a sea trout take on the drop before!
Richard
Richard
sewinfly
Well-known member
Sounds a bit like us on the 27th may.
Pool was in good shape to with very good clarity and we fished a falling tide then the flood.
Started off I had 2 quick pulls then basically that was it for me for the rest of the session. Alwyn lost a couple of good fish which was very strange.
I took Geoff along with me another FTAC member on his first ever sewin trip.
Well Geoff landed 2 just under 2 pounds each and the highlight of the night while me and Alwyn was having a coffee was Geoff shouting out in the night"lunker on " we made our way over to him with the gye net and netted a fresh hen salmon just over 11 pounds.
So his first ever 2 sewin and his first salmon.
Alwyn and me had a Les Dawson for our efforts, first time I blanked at Woodmill.
Sewinfly. .................
Pool was in good shape to with very good clarity and we fished a falling tide then the flood.
Started off I had 2 quick pulls then basically that was it for me for the rest of the session. Alwyn lost a couple of good fish which was very strange.
I took Geoff along with me another FTAC member on his first ever sewin trip.
Well Geoff landed 2 just under 2 pounds each and the highlight of the night while me and Alwyn was having a coffee was Geoff shouting out in the night"lunker on " we made our way over to him with the gye net and netted a fresh hen salmon just over 11 pounds.
So his first ever 2 sewin and his first salmon.
Alwyn and me had a Les Dawson for our efforts, first time I blanked at Woodmill.
Sewinfly. .................
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Saw that one in the record book (nice that they are doing that now); a cracking fish bet that caused serious excitement! Yes weird to see so many large fresh fish sploshing but none taken - on the second night it was a really high tide and we had a double high phenomenon where it dropped slightly then rose again very strange as there was almost no current from the inflow, the surface was calm as a mirror and a clear intermediate was as fast as your needed to get down and it was really dark - I even tried a surface lure on and just under the surface without any effect.
Roll on July and then August!
Richard
Roll on July and then August!
Richard
sewinfly
Well-known member
Back there in July so will hope for better.
Sewinfly............
Sewinfly............
Fingers crossed - on a positive note I didn't hook/couldn't locate the snag to the left of the hut fifteen yards or so off the casting platform and also removed a large alder branch in the back eddy towards the fish pass which had several flies in it - bit a of a deep wade but at low water it stopped you fishing that corner - also didn't see a rat which was a first for me at Woodmill!
Tight lines for July
Richard
Tight lines for July
Richard
silverflash
Active member
Hi all,
My trip was 3 or so weeks ago now - and I'm pleased to see you managed to get that Alder branch out Richard! Well done. I spotted it on a daytime visit 24 hours before I was due to fish the pool, but couldn't get into the water to try and do it myself as there were paying rods Salmon fishing at the time. It looked a bit too deep too - so well done to you taking on this task. The branch was right in the wrong place for when you're wanting to cast back towards the fish pass.
You may well have seen in the book that we had 3 for the night (best about 3lbs) but they were stunning silver fish. I caught them in low water, casting from the jetty and letting the line drift right round under the high overhanging platform in the tree - literally right in the elbow of the bank. At this time of year there is not so much weed that can grow there later on in the season and they seem to lie there a lot.
I agree that at low water, there seems to be a huge amount of water rushing through the sluice gates - but this seems the norm nowadays. No island forming at low water - but perhaps this is how the EA now want the gates to be set?
I have a second date planned in August - hopefully more fruitful than 3 fish - and that others in my party will catch next time.
Keep posting reports as and when, as this was once a superb thread!
Tight lines everyone!
My trip was 3 or so weeks ago now - and I'm pleased to see you managed to get that Alder branch out Richard! Well done. I spotted it on a daytime visit 24 hours before I was due to fish the pool, but couldn't get into the water to try and do it myself as there were paying rods Salmon fishing at the time. It looked a bit too deep too - so well done to you taking on this task. The branch was right in the wrong place for when you're wanting to cast back towards the fish pass.
You may well have seen in the book that we had 3 for the night (best about 3lbs) but they were stunning silver fish. I caught them in low water, casting from the jetty and letting the line drift right round under the high overhanging platform in the tree - literally right in the elbow of the bank. At this time of year there is not so much weed that can grow there later on in the season and they seem to lie there a lot.
I agree that at low water, there seems to be a huge amount of water rushing through the sluice gates - but this seems the norm nowadays. No island forming at low water - but perhaps this is how the EA now want the gates to be set?
I have a second date planned in August - hopefully more fruitful than 3 fish - and that others in my party will catch next time.
Keep posting reports as and when, as this was once a superb thread!
Tight lines everyone!
Lol I forgot to empty my pockets on my wading jacket so wetted a few dozen flies doing it.
The inflow is definitely much stronger at low water - no chance of casting toward the hut from the jetty and bringing it back over their heads- you just can't retrieve fast enough figure of eighting and milking the cow/roly poly seemed too fast to elicit a response. Pity the folk fishing tonight tomorrow as it will be coloured up with the run off from the deluge this afternoon.
Richard
The inflow is definitely much stronger at low water - no chance of casting toward the hut from the jetty and bringing it back over their heads- you just can't retrieve fast enough figure of eighting and milking the cow/roly poly seemed too fast to elicit a response. Pity the folk fishing tonight tomorrow as it will be coloured up with the run off from the deluge this afternoon.
Richard
My group were sadly the team there last night and it was very coloured up with a lot of weed pushing through which made for a frustrating and difficult night...
Saved the blank just with a couple of juniors at low tide but would say that was the toughest night I've had at Woodmill for a very long time as there just does not seem to be volume of fish showing in the pool that we are used to by mid-June. Combine this with the sluices wide open and a real dirty torrent of water snorting through - Heyho of course I'll be back !
Jeremy
Saved the blank just with a couple of juniors at low tide but would say that was the toughest night I've had at Woodmill for a very long time as there just does not seem to be volume of fish showing in the pool that we are used to by mid-June. Combine this with the sluices wide open and a real dirty torrent of water snorting through - Heyho of course I'll be back !
Jeremy
sewinfly
Well-known member
Is there no way to ask the authority if it is possible to close the sluice a bit to reduce the flow.
Or even to ask Woodmill.
Sewinfly..............
Or even to ask Woodmill.
Sewinfly..............
The sluices are controlled by the EA and Woodmill say that they have no control over what the EA wants to do about them. The beat upstream is Lower Itchen Fishery and they managed to get the EA to adjust the sluices a few years ago as they claimed that they were catching damaged salmon (!) but I think the key point is that they managed to get some dialogue going with the EA and I don't know if Woodmill has developed the same rapport with them. A few of us got to speak to the EA people responsible a couple of years ago and asked if they would close one of the gates as the floodwater and threat of flooding had receded. Word eventually got back that they wouldn't do this "just for fishing"! Another reason to make you happy about the rising prices of rod licences! A few years ago, 3 of us were fishing the pool wading and the river levels were up. All of sudden a huge amount of water and debris gushed into the pool and it rose a couple of feet very quickly - the EA had shown up to open the sluice gates and hadn't bothered to check whether anyone was in the pool to warn them.
lostangler
Active member
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2014
- Messages
- 124
Similar experience for me on 31 MAy. Lots of water coming through.
Managed to avoid the blank though with a three pound silver stockie which had gone to sea with its native brethren.
It was at first light, I waded all the way around to fish the back eddy under the casting platform by the hut. Long cast up under the hut and then swinging the fly back under the platform with the eddy. I have had some good ones from under there.
Does anyone think the flow will drop later int he year?
Managed to avoid the blank though with a three pound silver stockie which had gone to sea with its native brethren.
It was at first light, I waded all the way around to fish the back eddy under the casting platform by the hut. Long cast up under the hut and then swinging the fly back under the platform with the eddy. I have had some good ones from under there.
Does anyone think the flow will drop later int he year?
Hi first post on the forum, we fished last night being Friday into Saturday. Arrived with a degree of trepidation re visibility post deluge that day. It (the vis) was all things considered pretty good, not much weed either. As usual we tackled up and settled down to watch the pool from 20:30 and started fishing at 22:00. Usual Woodmill story - a good head of fish showing in the gloaming with the odd salmon porpoising - anticipation rising, however as seems to follow on from recent posts the pool went very quiet at high tide and for the rest of the session. The inflow was pretty intense and seemingly more than this time in previous sessions. Historically you can hear the sluices kicking in and out automatically, last night nothing. The only catch was a fresh grilse 3/4lb at 02:00 Personal view is that there are not heaps of fish around yet. Any that are in push through the sluices. Most of the fish showing seemed to be small with hardly any 'slabs' amongst them. Going back late October, fingers crossed.
Has anyone fished the river/estuary downstream in riverside park ?
Has anyone fished the river/estuary downstream in riverside park ?
sewinfly
Well-known member
All the posts so far suggest that the fish are not there in numbers and the catch book shows that.
When we were it was at low water that's when the fish were caught and lost.Then maybe with high tide flooding in the force of the outfall is overcome and maybe the fish are emptying the pool and running straight through.
At low water the outlet is to strong and more chance of catching fish.
But saying that when the outfall is relaxed and flows low why have we caught in the past at high tide and on the ebb.
Either the fish are not there in numbers and could be a cycle in the fishes life and the returns will be low this year.
With July around the corner you would be hoping for good numbers.
Might be one of those years
Did email Julie
Hi Spencer
*This will be to do with the Environment Agency.*
I have passed your email on to Dean to investigate.
Many thanks
Julie
Sewinfly. ............
When we were it was at low water that's when the fish were caught and lost.Then maybe with high tide flooding in the force of the outfall is overcome and maybe the fish are emptying the pool and running straight through.
At low water the outlet is to strong and more chance of catching fish.
But saying that when the outfall is relaxed and flows low why have we caught in the past at high tide and on the ebb.
Either the fish are not there in numbers and could be a cycle in the fishes life and the returns will be low this year.
With July around the corner you would be hoping for good numbers.
Might be one of those years
Did email Julie
Hi Spencer
*This will be to do with the Environment Agency.*
I have passed your email on to Dean to investigate.
Many thanks
Julie
Sewinfly. ............
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Hi lostangler
Intrigued by this I've never ventured round there and only had the odd fish with a Longchuck off the platform casting toward the highest block of flats with the red light on (folks not familiar with Woodmill will be wide eyed at this point!) - where do you end up casting from towards the hut - how close to the trees? Also presume this is right at the bottom of the tide?
Yes personally I think the flow will drop later in the year and hope for this as its ruined my favourite cast off the jetty directly towards the hut and bringing it back slowly over their heads.
Cheers
Richard
It was at first light, I waded all the way around to fish the back eddy under the casting platform by the hut. Long cast up under the hut and then swinging the fly back under the platform with the eddy. I have had some good ones from under there.
Does anyone think the flow will drop later int he year?[/QUOTE]
Intrigued by this I've never ventured round there and only had the odd fish with a Longchuck off the platform casting toward the highest block of flats with the red light on (folks not familiar with Woodmill will be wide eyed at this point!) - where do you end up casting from towards the hut - how close to the trees? Also presume this is right at the bottom of the tide?
Yes personally I think the flow will drop later in the year and hope for this as its ruined my favourite cast off the jetty directly towards the hut and bringing it back slowly over their heads.
Cheers
Richard
It was at first light, I waded all the way around to fish the back eddy under the casting platform by the hut. Long cast up under the hut and then swinging the fly back under the platform with the eddy. I have had some good ones from under there.
Does anyone think the flow will drop later int he year?[/QUOTE]
I fished it a couple of weeks ago and it was good. The flow had reduced a little, although the gravel island was still just about covered. The water was lovely and clear. Fishing at low tide was good and I had 5 up to 6.5lbs, missed a few takes and lost a couple. Not masses of fish showing but they were there. A friend fished it a week later and had a similar night. I would say that it was fishing in July how it would ordinarily fish in the first half of June, so everything feels a bit late. I've had a couple of trips to Testwood and this has been really quiet for sea trout and the feeling there is that the run is very late. They say that the kelts remained in the river for longer than usual due to the very wild winter, so they are therefore late returning. Overall it just seems that 2016 is generally not proving to be a good year for sea trout fishing. I would expect your mojo to be restored at Woodmill Richard, fish are there to be caught which is more than can be said for many other waters it seems.
Hi Alwyn
Thanks for the update - will report back in due course especially my ongoing experiment with trout style (zonker) snake flies which I think have great action in the water and improved hook ups based on limited testing to date.
Cheers
Richard
Thanks for the update - will report back in due course especially my ongoing experiment with trout style (zonker) snake flies which I think have great action in the water and improved hook ups based on limited testing to date.
Cheers
Richard