Whitney toll bridge

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Catfish.017
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Whitney toll bridge

Post by Catfish.017 »

Ian's recent post on old bridges got me thinking about the old toll bridge at Whitney. Built attractively of timber and stone in the late 1700's using private resources, it was granted tax free status which remains to this day. The property (bridge and cottage also enjoys a couple of hundred yards of fishing up and downstream and a day ticket costs only a fiver! The sport like much of the upper reaches is but a shadow of the heyday but I've had some cracking chub here in recent seasons. I have one painful memory of a big fur and feather Xmas match I fished here with some pals in the mid seventies. I drew what was considered to be the best peg on the stretch at the time, one up from the bridge on the left bank. Sadly on the day it just didn't happen. I really struggled for about 4lb of dace all the time watching the chap opposite bagging dace after dace, eventually coming second with 26lb! One of my pals won with 48lb of chub off another good draw. Late on I wandered a few pegs upstream to watch the late great Austin Clisset give a masterclass in trotting the middle of a deep wide swim, coming third with twenty pounds from an unfancied swim. That half an hour remains clear in my memory to this day.

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Troydog
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Re: Whitney toll bridge

Post by Troydog »

Whitney Toll Bridge water remains an enigma to this day. I think that the right hand bank offers the best prospects, about 200 yards below the bridge, but its not worth much more than the £5 day ticket cost.
Trouble is, the fish just don't read the books......
John Harding

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Catfish.017
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Re: Whitney toll bridge

Post by Catfish.017 »

Your right Troydog, I've had most of my chub where you suggested and mainly at dusk unless the river is carrying a little extra water. Too much though and it gets difficult to fish. I returned there a few years back in search of perch but it seems they leave the area in winter. All the silver fish appear to migrate to Hereford and of course the perch follow them. We used to get huge numbers of dace and quality roach right up as far as Glasbury but if you fish there now all you get is tiny grayling.

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Penninelad
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Re: Whitney toll bridge

Post by Penninelad »

I have stayed at The Boat Inn just downstream from the bridge who do very good food. You can even watch the otter family playing on the riverbank whilst having you evening meal. The lady who used to have the pub does great B & B at the house next to the car park(The Pound) and I think Trefor West used to stay there regularly. Bendsomecane and myself were considering a visit to the Wye, perhaps The Red Lion stretch. Any other suggestions? What about a TFF outing?
Mark Davies

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Catfish.017
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Re: Whitney toll bridge

Post by Catfish.017 »

Letton Court upstream of The Red Lion has some nice streamy water where recently I caught my one and only float caught barbel. It also has a large oxbow lake with pike and tench.

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Troydog
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Re: Whitney toll bridge

Post by Troydog »

You are right Catfish.017, the Oxbow Lake can be fished in parallel with the river. If I have a day to spare I sometimes prebait a couple of swims on the lake with hemp and corn then fish the river for perch for a few hours before returning to the lake for the last few hours of daylight. I'm talking summertime and early Autumn.
Trouble is, the fish just don't read the books......
John Harding

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Tengisgol
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Re: Whitney toll bridge

Post by Tengisgol »

That's a lovely looking lake (good breaming?) and I believe has some big winter pike too!
Where the willows meet the water...

https://sites.google.com/site/tengisgol/

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Troydog
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Re: Whitney toll bridge

Post by Troydog »

Yes Tengisgol, there are bream to 8lb and you can have a great days sport. On the other hand you can work very at the Oxbow and blank totally. I've had more blanks than catches but its such a wonderful place to fish. Its been neglected for 50 years and that's just how I like it!
Trouble is, the fish just don't read the books......
John Harding

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