Spot Guide - Beat 2a
Beat 2a Trottenden
Parking at Trottenden Farm, the big sloping field immediately through the gate, adjacent to Lidwell’s Lane, is Field 1 and there are 3 further fields downstream. Cattle are often out in this field, so take care, especially if they have calves. Stick to the fence lines and river bank as these fields are often grown for silage.
This is the most popular beat for Trout and is usually well stocked (except occasionally when the ground is very soft). It has some deep pools but much of it is wadable and there are plenty of access points. Dry flies can often be productive here and an increasing number of un-stocked Browns (less than 1 lb) are caught here.
A short section below Smallbridge, opposite the Pumping Station is fenced off, and cannot be fished. The accessible area starts with a very deep pool; ///palms.plod.thinker but take great care here as the pool is very deep and treacherous. Until the start of 2024, the pool was blocked by a big dam and could be fished via a slipped area of land with a large tree at the bottom. At the start of 2024 these were all washed away, but a new access point is planned. You may spot water from Bewl being pumped into the river just above the pool.
Walking downstream (take care that none of the large dying willows has been dislodged over the Winter) there is a rope and steps, ///slick.reseller.radically allowing access upstream to the bottom end of the big pool, and down to some smaller pools, all of which can be quite productive. Further along the bank, near the first fence is a very difficult access point ///polygraph.shampoos.travel requiring use of the rope, but no steps, and it is inadvisable in wet weather. Follow the fence up to the gate into Field 2 and back down the fence to steps ///surveyed.dude.recording down to a small beach and a big shady pool upstream, and rapids downstream.
Proceeding downstream, there is a spot accessible by ladder, ///sensibly.reboot.torches and a further pool accessible by steps ///inflating.gems.busters then another spot accessible by steps and rope with a platform at the base ///awakes.suave.widgets .
The next spot on this stretch is via steep steps ///outbursts.yours.teardrop where the deep channel is often very good for nymphing, and also upstream towards a very shallow pool which often has rising Browns, Downstream fishing can also work here, with dries or nymphs.
Below that is a sharp bend ///norms.vision.string with steps down on the corner and is often productive, and the bend leads down to a deep dark stretch good for rising Browns as well as other fish. At the end of that stretch, just before the fence, are two good fishing spots, The first ///haunt.sing.expiring has an old log protruding into the river. It has been safe to stand on though it is steadily eroding, and there is a small chain near the bottom, but the river is deep, so take care. This spot has been extended upstream to help reach rising Browns. Below that, right next to the fence are more steep steps ///pleaser.cunning.grumble just before a bend where the river broadens and shallows, and again this can be very productive with care.
Walk up along the fence and through the field gate into Field 3, and back down under the Sweet Chestnut trees. A rope helps reach the corner ///prospered.helps.expel and this widens out into ‘The Flat Stones’ plus a small deep pool just below the big tree. The Flat Stones give way to a short rapid, then a very big deep pool best accessed from downstream. Re-climb the bank, then further downstream there are steep steps ///eggshell.socket.policy then you can walk back to a small beach below a high overhang next to the big pool; a nice, sheltered spot and often good for some big trout.
A short way downstream is very popular access point ///tearfully.simulations.limbs to a deep pool on a bend, with a rapid section above it. All very productive, though trout can sometimes be seen here following stocking, but can be very resistant to temptation. This pool can also be approached from below, but there are no proper steps to reach the shallow stretch up to that pool. A shallow rapid section below this ///diplomat.clinic.ridiculed can be very good for wild Browns if fished carefully. This leads down to a very deep pool on the boundary of field 4, known as the ‘Ladder Pool’ as there used to be a long ladder down to it, near the fence-line, removed when it became unsafe.
It is possible to cross the river just above the pool and climb up the bank using a fixed rope, ///snatched.instead.otherwise then walk along the LB a few yards and go back down to the bottom end of the Ladder pool, which is a good vantage point from which to fish the pool ///gymnasium.faced.rebounder.
You can then cross back to the RB downstream of that spot , above another deep pool ///stuff.warbler.pampered It can also be interesting to proceed down the LB from here as there are a few points best accessed from the LB, until you reach the end of this beat. If you plan to fish the LB however, it may be best to work upstream from Ironbridge, and cross back to the RB above or below the Ladder Pool.
That pool below the Ladder Pool is often fenced off with an electric fence, as it now has a solar extraction pump for the farm. The fence is usually low enough to easily step over.
Proceeding down the RB, there are several spots allowing access for wading, or fishable from the bank. There may also be an electric fence across the field, which can be stepped over or crawled under. There is a slipped section of bank ///reports.coach.headstone down to a small beach and pool which can be productive, then you can follow the river’s edge down to a second pool but it may still hold hidden debris. Further down there are two sets of steps and ropes close together ///scarred.zinc.sulk to fish up to the bottom of that pool, or the next pool on the bend.
There is a very large and deep pool on a left-hand bend within sight of the final fence, and access point above that pool to wade a stretch upstream ///emptied.steers.obliging . The pool itself cannot easily be fished as it is a very steep drop, and the top of the bank is steadily crumbling, so don’t approach it closely. It can be fished at the bottom end from the ///ruled.relaxing.scanty though that gets very overgrown as the season wears on. You can also wade up to the bottom end of the pool from the RB via steps half-way along the next stretch ///smile.organist.rephrase which also offers bank fishing up and downstream.
There are two further access points below that ///drive.lives.clasping and one that requires wading ///thrusters.attitudes.invest . Further down, steps and a rope ///scale.coil.listen lead down to the top of the last pool on this beat. You can fish down into the pool, or wade up. The final pool can be approached down a slippery bank beside the bridge, outside the locked gate (and therefore used by the public and dogs) but is more easily approached and fished from the LB just above the bridge. ///renewals.beside.plunger . Through the locked gate is the path that leads up to Lidwell’s Lane, or across the ‘Ironbridge’ footbridge and up to Share Farm parking. It is worth considering starting here to fish Beat 2a upstream, rather than working it downstream from Trottenden Farm.
Over the bridge, on the LB, ///plays.plotter.trials the upstream gate leads up the Trottenden LB, and the downstream gate leads to Beat 2b Share Farm.
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