Plucked From The Jaws

Looking for affordable back-end sport? Andrew Flitcroft recommends the challenging Chollerton beat on the North Tyne.

- Andrew Flitcroft 

THE DARK SEDUCTRESS of English border country, beautiful, mysterious and dangerous to cross. I’ve fished the North Tyne a number of times, enough to witness her unpredictable moods, but there is something about her that lures me back. We would meet again last October at Chollerton, a short beat between the better-known Chesters and Chipchase fisheries. Chollerton may not attract the same attention as its neighbours – its rods catch fewer fish – but if you want to experience classic Tyne sport at the back-end the chances are you will be able to get on it.

So, if you pay your £90 for a September or October day, what should you expect? First, you’ll need to find it. This 1½-mile left-bank beat is secluded, which is why unfamiliar rods are met at St Giles’ Church in the hamlet of Chollerton. Chances are you’ll be greeted by Malcolm Johnson or Johnny Griffiths, who gillie when needed. They’ll take you to an impressive new hut and pop the kettle on the wood burner while you do what you do when seeing a beat for the first time. The hut’s balcony stands high above the body of Mains pool with its heavily wooded backdrop. If you don’t see a fish move in front of you, look right towards the run into the pool and your wishes are almost guaranteed to come true at this time of year.