Swale abobe Topcliffe weir.

[ferodobridge]

I used to fish the stretch above the weir on Leeds membership.looking at their yearbook its not included. Salmon Hall,

the next stretch is contolled by Bradford. these stretches are right hand side looking upstream. any one know whos water it is

now.

[andy76]

Bradford city

[basha]

BRADFORD NUMBER ONE HAVE THE OLD SALMON HALL STRETCH ABOVE FIRST STYLE.LEEDS HAVE BELOW THE WEIR BOTH BANKS.

[ferodobridge]

Thanks it looks like Bradford no 1 have the stretch from weir up to Salmon Hall stretch which is Bradford City. This is just going on info/maps on websites. It's 25 years since I fished these stretches, are they still good winter pegs.

[basha]

SALMON HALL HAS DIED OV DEATH LAST FEW YRS.PROB BETTER FOR THE POLE NORMAL LEVELS.MANY YRS AGO YOU COULD CATCH DOG ROACH/DACE AND PLENTY OV GONKS FOR SOME REASON IT ISNT AS IT ONCE WAS FELLA.

[andy76]

Yeah Basha I fished it twice after joining bc club only had half dozen small perch in good conditikns over two four hour sessions

[basha]

IVE SEEN QUITE A FEW OTTERS ABOVE THE POOL,ITS SLOWER WATER UP THERE AND DEEPER.IT NEVER WAS ONE FOR CHUB N BARBEL EITHER.I HAVE HAD THEM BUT NOT AS PROLIFIC AS THE DOWNSTREAM STRETCH IS.YOU COULD GET 25LB OV CRACKING REDFINS OUT OF THERE YRS BACK FISHING POLE TO HAND OR THE WHIP IN WINTER.THEY USED TO SHOAL UP ONCE THE FROSTS HIT.

[stealth]

I remember queuing up for tickets to the open matches on Salmon Hall.
Pole to hand was the method with balls of groundbait for the roach & dace. Sadly those days are gone & this stretch can be a cruel mistress. I still try to get a few winter sessions on the stretch. It can look perfect yet some days you will struggle for a bite, other days the fish will turn up & double figures are possible. As mentioned, there are otters on the stretch, cormorants too, and the pike population seems to be on the increase too. On my last session, just before christmas the level was just right for running a big stick through. Total catch was four small dace, four roach, a chunky 1 lb plus perch, and a surprise 2 lb chub.

[andy76]

River fishing in general didn't seem as proliffic anywhere , think there's numerous reasons , predation , climate change hitter drier summers , milder winter's , big changes in natural food , but also the fact that generally it's dying in popularity , I fished quite a bit last year over three clubs waters
And the only place I regularly saw anyone was toppy , iv got mixed feelings I love the solitude where only me and me good m8 have a stretch pretty much to ourselves but also I think wtf is going on why is no one fishing , well they are but in puddles stuffed with carp and skimmers , rock up cast out wind fish in go home

It only stands to reason that as river fishing dwindles so does the powers that be interest in maintainig and looking after them , look at the seal at toppy and aisenby classic example it was just left to munch it's way through fish stocks , we in my opinion need to grasp the next few decades if we lucky lol , cause rivers in future will just be over grown natural areas people will hardly see , its all just opinion but that's mine , iv give up trying to get my kids and grand kids into it , they would rather sit on I phones , and tablets , and watch shite reality TV

[samvimes]

It's worth noting that since this thread surfaced on here, Bradford No1 have announced that they are losing their stretch above Topcliffe weir once their current lease expires (end of February).

[basha]

it is a shame,but there again you can walk the full stretch and never see another angler,says something suppose.

if no ones fished it for a while,gatenby on the BN1 stretch is worth a visit.it is peggy and it took a few outings a few seasons ago to locate a decent shoal of fish but it came good in the end.theres fish just about anywere on the stretch,but if you want consistency its worth putting your walking shoes on and exploring the stretch.years ago it was once the mecca section.again popularity has dwindled so usually you have it to yourself.

[samvimes]

Feb 28, 2020 5:39:50 GMT basha said:

it is a shame,but there again you can walk the full stretch and never see another angler,says something suppose.

It's not been given up by the club. Supposedly, the land has been sold and the new owners didn't want to lease the fishing rights.