River Colne, Middlesex / Buckinghamshire

[Hopey]

Hello everyone

 

I live in Kingston-upon-Thames and am interested in fishing this little river for the first time.

 

Can anyone tell me where the free or day ticket stretches are? The nearer Runnymede/Heathrow/West Drayton/Uxbridge the better in terms of being able to get there easily. Is the stretch at Farlows any good?

 

I am mainly looking at Chub, although I am happy with anything...

 

If anyone is willing to share any info on specific areas, tactics etc, that would be greatly appreciated...

 

happy hunting

 

 

 

 

[kenj]

Hi Hopey,

There are several free stretches on the Colne. The river splits into many parts below West Drayton and makes it's way to Staines. If you get a decent Ordinance Survey map, you will find a few hidden free stretches in the Colnbrook area. I see you have a barbel in your profile and with a bit of searching out you will find some ideal barbel swims. One in that area has produced good barbel, chub, roach and dace for me. The stretch is only about 50 yards before it goes under the M25.

The best and longest free stretch is upstream of Iver Lane (near Farlows) to the Uxbridge road at Uxbridge. Unfortunatley, this stretch, about a mile, was given park status and "improved" with willows along it's length. The council stopped maintaining the banks and many of the willows have fallen into the river, although this has created some nice gravel runs. Once again barbel are one of the main target species in this mile of river, with chub and good perch. Also there are some double figure pike. On my last outing in the summer, I was catching roach and dace on the stick, when a massive pike tried to drag my net in, my son and I just winning the tug of war, although the net was ruined.

I prefer to fish the stick with maggots, which works well for the dace, roach and chub, but the specimen boys tend to fish with PVA pellets, meat, etc.

I've not fished the Farlows bit for years. Like all of the Colne, it's swimmy. You could catch a hundred gudgeon from one swim, move twenty yards and it's full of roach. Plenty of chub all over the river. Give it a go. It's worth a bit of research.

[Hopey]

Kenj

thanks for this - really useful! would never say no to a barbel...!

out of interest I was looking at that stretch you mentioned on googlemaps ... there is a stretch of the river colne and the colne brook that head upstream from Iver Road - which one were you referring to or are they both good?

out of interest do you know if it is flooded / fishable at the moment?

thanks once again

[kenj]

The Colnbrook below Iver Village is on private land above and below the Iver Lane (down stream is part of Farlows, plenty of gudgeon, a few chub), the old Cape Boards stretch at the GU Canal end, Yiewsley is the stretch. I shoot a farm along part of it and the level was fishable on Monday. Well worth a walk, I had a barbel 100 yards upstream of the bridge this summer. Parking is OK the Iver side of the bridge.