Looking for affordable back-end sport? Andrew Flitcroft recommends the challenging Chollerton beat on the North Tyne.
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.
This story is from the October 2017 edition of Trout & Salmon.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 2017 edition of Trout & Salmon.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Mr Goldhead And The Grayling
Lawrence Catlow fishes the rapidly recovering River Irfon in Powys.
Moody Beasts
Stan Headley searches for the elusive sea-trout of Loch Ailsh in the northwest Highlands.
Alone On The River
Cliff Hatton encounters a mighty Wye salmon.
Hop To It
Richard Donkin has a no-nonsense approach to tackle and amphibians.
River Blackwater
THE BLACKWATER rises in the boglands of County Kerry, and although the peaty tinge it carries gives rise to its name it also flows through limestone and that helps it to support a diverse range of fly-life which provides plenty of sustenance for salmon parr and trout. The river is one of Ireland’s most productive salmon fisheries, along with the River Moy.
Hampshire Avon
THERE CAN be few places in fishing more famous than the Royalty Fishery on the Hampshire Avon, even Mr Crabtree has fished its illustrious waters. Two seasons ago an enormous salmon of 40lb was caught in the spring at the Royalty and big salmon are regularly caught in the early months of the season.
A Strange Kind Of Magic
Charles van straubenzee introduces a salmon fly that combines the most unlikely colours and materials to deadly effect.
A Deep-Water Experiment
Stan Headley hatches a plan to catch three species of fish in one day at Loch Calder in Caithness.
Rutland's Old Warriors
James Beeson enjoys supercharged surface sport with Rutland Water’s fry-feeders.
Plucked From The Jaws
Looking for affordable back-end sport? Andrew Flitcroft recommends the challenging Chollerton beat on the North Tyne.
