The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Good evening

I’m after some advice please. My good lady has decided to buy me a day on the punt at the Bridge Pool Christchurch for a landmark birthday!

Any how’s, I've never fished it and the only info I have is off inter web.

So I’m looking for some advice from any seasoned angler on what season it’s best fished, and whether the incoming or outgoing tide is more productive, and any bait preferences other than a gallon of maggots!

Rgds

Only fished it the once. I would plan to fish the incoming tide and then the outgoing, 2h either side of high tide. When we fished it we caught quite a few sea trout on trotted worm and lots and lots of nice dace on maggot. Maggots were useless for the sea trout because of the hoards of dace. We also saw some enormous mullet but they weren't interested in feeding.

Thinking about all of the times I've seen the Bridge Pool featured in the press or on TV, it's been the ebbing tide that fishes the best by far.

A club I belong to has just bought a punt enabling members to fish the Tidal Avon's reaches. So also very interested!

I was watching the Whitehouse and Mortimer series on tv with the wife (an avid fly fisher) and it had a section on the Bridge pool as well as a piece on Barbel fishing which my wife was really taken with . She has asked if we could go to catch a Barbel and to fish the Bridge Pool at some stage-it is the first time she has ever taken any interest in freshwater fishing so my persistence may be starting to work!
Alas the local venue that produced 6 double figure Barbel for me in my youth is now impossible to gain access to and has been 'Ottered' so a jaunt further afield is going to be on the cards.
I hope your trip is fruitful Tony, dont forget to let us know how you get on.

If you can find the time and expense Ian, I’d say a good bet would be a trip to the Wye valley. Find some nice accommodation and one of the more prolific barbel stretches and she’ll be quite taken.

Olly wrote: ↑Tue Jan 07, 2020 12:43 pm A club I belong to has just bought a punt enabling members to fish the Tidal Avon's reaches. So also very interested!

Olly would you have any idea where they purchased the punt?

Peter

Thanks Phil,
It is a bit of a pipe dream at the moment and accommodation would be a small cosy canvas tent but its certainly worth looking into.

I have to agree with Phil - if you can move across Westwards or North West and then find yourself on the Wye or a river not mentioned very much on the forum the Severn both hold good quantities of Maximus - and both rivers flow through some pretty, unspoilt scenery.

Pallenpool wrote: ↑Wed Jan 08, 2020 9:00 am I have to agree with Phil - if you can move across Westwards or North West and then find yourself on the Wye or a river not mentioned very much on the forum the Severn both hold good quantities of Maximus - and both rivers flow through some pretty, unspoilt scenery.

Thank you, now I need to find someone who will be 'willing' to look after the kids for a few days!