Spot Guide - Beat 3a
Beat 3a Stonebridge
Fishing is LB only and this guide assumes starting at the Stonebridge Car Park, but it can be fished up from Harpers 3b. The top section of this beat above the weir is very still and deep and good for coarse fish. The first access point ///worms.trips.begin is tricky, and fishing up into the pool below the bridge is not easy, nor is landing without a long-handled net.
Further down is a shady spot with steps, ///hang.recovery.compiler on the same still section, but can sometimes yield Browns or Rainbows on dries or nymphs. Below that spot is the EA Measuring station and the weir and one further spot but it is very difficult to access safely. The first section below the weir can be accessed down steep steps ///consented.sticky.flow and fished up or down, though great care is needed due to the highly turbulent water.
The main section below the weir ///frog.stub.flips is a popular spot and often productive, and Grayling can often be seen in the wide glide below. That glide can be accessed from downstream at ///peachy.configure.thrones and fished upstream.
Further downstream is another access point down a short ladder but waders are needed to fish up or down ///reclined.always.mashing . Below that is a steep access ///cleanser.shelters.backhand to the bottom of a large still pool (inaccessible from upstream), now known as Barbel Pool.
Below this is a long bend high above the river; the bank is slowly eroding so take care here, and keep clear of the edge. Access to the bottom of that stretch is possible from the first point ///ruffle.fidget.melts on the next bend, down steps and a rope, plus a second steeper access slightly downstream. This also gives access to a long and varied downstream bend with fast and slow water, a stream entering it, and a long fairly shallow pool. This stretch often yields Chub.
The path then offers one more static access point ///press.jigging.confetti to some rapids, above another pool, then you reach a locked gate (on the club combination). Beyond the gate another spot ///community.resolved.snap is accessed via a ladder and this gives access upstream to a short very rapid run and a pool below that with Grayling and Trout, and some downstream wading. Another spot ///blanket.form.niece below this is also accessed via a ladder and wading is possible up and down, but upstream is a productive pool and a good fast stretch just above it.
The next access is to a very long bend opposite a high cliff which can be swamped by Himalayan Balsam in the Summer, ///proud.distanced.fairness . This is very deep and can be challenging because of debris, but does yield Trout and Grayling above and below the bend.
Below that bend is another access point ///acids.blushes.yoga allowing wading up towards the bend or downstream. Below that is a steep access point ///giving.month.plausible opposite the recently created fish refuge dug on the far bank. Wading up close to the LB gives access to a deep pool or down to another.
The last access point is down steep steps on a quiet bend, ///cocktail.nips.twice which can be productive but also challenging for debris. After that you reach the Horsmonden Water Treatment Works and the start of Beat 3b. It is possible to fish up to the last bend on the RB, but you need to cross the river to do so, which is fairly easy (thigh waders) diagonally upstream from the short ladder at the top of 3b to the outfall pool.