Has anyone fished in the River Chelmer in essex, near Ford End recently - as per the bottom of the link below......is it best fished from the bank of via wading?.......is it worth the membership fee?.......I'm new to fly fishing and I'm dead keen to explore my local rivers

Mill Barn Coarse Fish

Hi,

Sorry I've only just seen this thread - I fish the Chelmer with the fly whenever I can although actually in Chelmsford rather than where you are. I mostly fish for the pike there though am yet to get anything too big! There are all the usual coarse species.

The nearby Can is good also for Chub and Dace there is even the odd trout. I caught one accidently yesterday fishing for chub - I might add it was very carefully returned however seemed in very good nick for the year!

With the Chelmer I mostly fish nymphs, there are some big chub in there to, I saw someone pull out a beast about two weeks ago trotting however the water was too coloured for fly that day!

I'm not sure about the membership fee on the stretch in your link but there some day ticket/free stretches in the Chelmsford area. They are a little public and with the exception of the Can I've rarely struggled for space. The roaming chub fishers I've met seem to pretty interested/curious in the fly fishing to and usually have a few tips to help you out.

Hi Squirrels - many thanks for the reply, thats excellent information, sounds like I should take a walk down there before I actually fish it.......still havent phoned through to find out the season ticket cost for the northern stretch of the chelmer, I will post their feedback once I get it.

If your going to be fishing the Chelmer in the near future I wouldnt mind meeting up if its ok with you?......being completley honest I really dont know the area very well at all......bell me on 0787 9427945 if you feel like it, I live in Billericay so not that far away.

Hello mate,

It would be pleasure, happily show you around the spots I've tried, I'll PM you bit later with some details. I'm not orginally from the area myself and only started the fly fishing for coarse fish (got bored with stocked trout prefer wild fish!) this year so it's been a learning curve for myself to!!!

Now it's winter the pike fishing has seemed to have got steadily better, so hopefully this bodes well. But hopefully some of the other species should still be about, the dace still seem to be taking atleast!

I remember a thread a long time ago on small rivers in the South East and there were a few rivers in N Essex and Suffolk. Other than that you have to go South to the Teise (see below) and the river Darent which runs into the Thames.

If you go west to just west of Bishops Stortford is the grand daddy of all fly fishing clubs.

Amwell Magna Fishery

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Carl

http://www.wandlepiscators.net/
http://teiseangling.co.uk/index.htm

TOMORROW THE TRENT COULD BE YOUR FISHERY! When are YOU going to JOIN THE ANGLING TRUST?