River Exe – Countess Wear

This highly productive tidal fishery is a popular water for match and pleasure anglers due to its quality year-round fishing. Very large nets of bream are reported from all sections of the fishery, in addition to the big nets of fish, there are many reports throughout the season of individual bream going over 10lb in weight. As well as big bream, large catches of dace, roach, chub and mullet are also possible along with the occasional double figure carp. As the river is tidal, it can make for more challenging fishing, with many anglers preferring to fish on an incoming/outgoing tide, whilst others preferring to fish the back eddies in one of the many bays only found at low water. Whichever tide is fished there are many fish to be caught, with the majority of fish readily taking maggot or caster, usually over a good helping of groundbait on a pole or waggler set-up, many of the larger bream however, tend to be caught on a feeder, again, with a good amount of groundbait introduced so as to hold the fish. Whilst summer fishing is the most popular and productive, there is though good fishing to be had during the winter months, usually by fishing in the deeper bays at low tide.

Popular areas: the bays upstream from the Exeter by-pass road bridge, further up again around the left hand bend, behind the Double Locks pub.

Rules: As per the Association handbook.

Boundaries: From Bridge Road, the fishing rights extend on the left bank looking upstream, until the wooden post, approximately 200 metres up river from the Double Locks pub, this being our top boundary.

Season: 16th June – 14th March.

Warning: Beware of power lines on this water.