Melgund

Melgund is a very interesting pool, not least because of the great depth under the central current which is significant for a small river. The pool has undergone some big natural changes over the past few years and is a genuine holding pool, with fish being hunkered down in it for most of the year.

Melgund can be fished from both banks, depending on water conditions and the tactics employed by the angler. In high water, the main part of the pool can only really be fished from the South bank. The tail, however, is much better covered from the North bank in these conditions. The neck of the pool is really just a continuation from Harry’s Bar, with the current and depth being tight under the North bank, but this quickly spreads and by the time you are 10 yards into the main body of the pool, the depth is much more even, and the current a little more centralised. Fish can be encountered anywhere down the pool, and often just off of your own side of the current in a good water. Wading is easy, but there is a deep hole on the South bank to be aware of, just downstream of the old log croy.

The tail of the pool can be roughly taken as the water downstream of where the two wooden posts stick out of the water on the North bank, and from this point on there are some superb lies down for another 30 or 40 yards, which can only really be covered by wading down the North edge. In a fresh water, if there are two anglers fishing together, it is not a bad idea to split Melgund into two pools with one rod fishing the South bank from the head down to the point where the posts stick out of the water, and another fishing the 30 or 40 yards of water over the lie boulders in the tail from the North bank. In fact, in ideal conditions, the South bank section of fishing from which takes in Haughs, Harry’s Bar and the head section of Melgund can be treated as one enormous pool and fished entirely without leaving the water.

When the water is very low, thinking outside of the box in this pool will often produce a fish or two, especially when fished from the North bank. In these conditions, the pool can be excellent at night for sea trout too, again from the North bank although we ask anglers who are fishing without a ghillie to avoid doing this as it is potentially dangerous if the route is not known by heart.