The Flats

The Flats are fished from the South bank and access to the pool is easy from the Milton track. The Flats is different because the pool is really a shallow run along the north bank, with a few mini croys to provide resting places for salmon and sea trout. These croys are very obvious and there are 3 of them down the considerable length of the pool, behind each of which there is a small scoop of deeper water. The head of the pool is well oxygenated, and although shallow holds fish in low water, particularly sea trout and Autumn salmon.

The tail of the pool begins with a chunky little groyne under the north bank and some lie boulders that create swirls on the surface at all levels up to medium, and it ends with the substantial weir at the head of Castle Stream. This section of the pool, shaped like a fan, has a tail which holds fish briefly after they have come through the harder current of Castle Stream. This section of the pool can be productive and very exciting to fish, especially after dark. In higher water it is an obvious place to find a running salmon, pausing after the strenuous effort of ascending the heavy water in the head of Castle stream.

Overall, Flats fishes best in a fresh water, not too big and not too low, when it is an ideal place for intercepting a running fish or two, but it is worth remembering that there are more permanent lies in the head and behind each North bank croy. In low water during sea trout time, Flats has a well-deserved reputation for being a pool where a fish or two can be taken in the half light of dusk, just before it is dark enough to think properly about fishing Willows.