Our section of the Ouse stretches about a mile downstream of the bridge on the bank opposite Felmersham Church. Parking is on the road side (no driving down the bank-side bridleway!) The river is one of varying depths and flows.
Peg one being close to the bridge, is a favorite spot with well oxygenated water providing a habitat for many species including barbel. The next 60 yards are often un-fishable as pipe reeds dominate the shallow water though towards the end of the season big chub can be found here.
Some of the best pegs follow with fast 3 to 6 foot deep water on the far bank and a big slack area on the inside. Dace, roach and specimen chub are taken at distance while tench and perch live under your rod tip.
The depth increases on the way down to the lone bush on our bank. Like the pegs above there is good flow over and deeper quiet water near our bank. Below the bush ten pegs are quite even being up to 12 foot deep with steady to light flow – these can be very good swims for big perch and roach as well as odd very large bream and hoards of tiny bleak.
As you approach the island there is another area of shallows and pipe reeds – though difficult to fish they can be excellent for quality chub and big roach in the summer. The most prolific match peg is at the point of the island where the river turns and deepens. Competitions have been won from here with catches of roach, perch, chub and bleak. Some of the pegs alongside the island can be very weedy but will throw up many species including tench, big perch, roach and chub.
Past the island and into the next field the river widens and can house shoals of small fish and their predators:- pike, perch & big chub.
When you get to the old cattle drink the river is at its widest and is the regular haunt of a shoal of old, rarely caught, large bream – it is quite a walk from the road! The main river branches off about 80 yards below the cattle drink but there is still the back water which can be fished. The first two pegs are very good for chub when water levels are a little high. Width and depth decreases considerably to the point where, in low water conditions, the back water can look completely over-grown.