River Wye – Hereford – Eign

The lowdown

• Chub and barbel are the headline targets here. If those are your thing, they’re the fish to build your day around; the association names both as the principal species on this Hereford stretch.
• Fancy keeping mobile? The holder suggests roving to locate fish, or pre-baiting several spots. That gives you a couple of ways to approach the stretch rather than pinning everything on one swim.
• There’s plenty beyond the main pair: dace, roach, bleak, perch, grayling and pike are all named, along with trout. A mixed-species outing is on the menu, rather than just a barbel-or-bust mission.
• Carp are present too, but don’t mistake that for an easy carp venue. The association describes them as difficult to target, so they’re a different proposition from the stretch’s principal chub and barbel fishing.
• The faster areas offer brown trout fishing, with fly-only rules applying. The Vineyard beats also offer salmon fishing in suitable conditions — worth separating from your coarse-fishing plans, as salmon have their own ticket.
• Bank access deserves a proper bit of thought. Some banks are steep, and wet clay gets slippery. The holder recommends a rope and dog spike for access; this isn’t somewhere to rush down carrying everything at once.
• Riverside parking is reached along Outfall Works Road. The bollards need a code from the membership book, so day-ticket visitors should sort access when buying tickets rather than arrive with a car full of tackle and a faff.
• Cross the Canary footbridge for the right bank; The Willows, Lower Bullingham, HR2 6DP, is another access location. Check match bookings before choosing your day, and remember the association’s coarse season runs from June 16 to March 14 inclusive.

Methods: Keep mobile: the holder suggests roving or pre-baiting several spots to locate fish, with chub and barbel the main targets. For brown trout, look to the faster areas and stick to fly fishing.

Access & tickets

Get your ticket before heading onto a peg — there are no bank sales. Outlets include Woody’s Angling Centre and Rock’s Angling in Hereford, plus Docklow Tackle and Alan’s Fishing Tackle.

Fish the club names

chub, barbel, roach, perch, trout, pike, carp

Key rules

• Buy your ticket before fishing or putting tackle on a peg; none are sold on the bank. Day tickets run from sunrise to sunset, with night fishing restricted to adult members.
• Maximum two rods, with the appropriate ticket fee paid. Never leave rods unattended.
• Association coarse fishing runs from June 16 to March 14 inclusive. Trout fishing is fly-only.
• All species come under the association’s zero-kill policy. Braided hooklinks are prohibited.
• No fishing from bridges or their piers.
• No fires or digging into riverbanks. Take all litter home and close gates.
• Match-booked sections close from midnight before the match until weighing-in is complete and pegs are vacated.

River level

Where it is