Catch report - Rother

Rother - Iping

Date:

21/06/2026

Peg Number:	1-7	Weather:	Sunny and hot at times
Air temp:	rising	Water temp:

Equipment
Rod 1:	11ft John Wilson Travel Rod & Abu Garcia Diplomat closed face reel
Rod 2:	N/a

Bait.
Mixed Maggots	Small red worms

Comments

11:30am: Prepared for a Trotting method, set at a depth of 4-5ft in peg 1.

Did a couple of practice runs initially, as it had been 2 years since my last visit and my first attempt with this fishing method, so I'm still a novice.

Cast out a few maggots to attract fish into the swim. On the first run, I caught a Dace, around 4oz. Continued offering maggots and hooked about 15 Dace up to 6oz on every other trot for 50 minutes.

The swim started to slow down, but I then moved closer to the bank and caught a Brown Trout weighing between 1½ to 2lb. That was the last fish from this swim for now.

Moved upstream to peg 2, similar to the first peg, catching more Dace up to 6oz.

Pegs 3 and 4 had slow-moving water with long weed bed and a clear spot running through the middle. These swims looked appealing, offering plenty of cover.

Initially, I missed bites, but after switching hook size from 16 to 18, I started catching Minnows, about 30 of them.

Peg 4 seemed promising for Perch. Used worms and caught 3 Perch consecutively up to 8oz.

Moved to peg 5, but there was little action, with one Perch up to 6oz, a Gudgeon, and a few more Minnows.

Peg 6 was similar, but with a stronger flow, creating a still pool. Switched to using worms, flicked out a few maggots, and soon caught a Perch weighing between ¾ to 1lb.

Peg 7 was different, with a long stretch of slow-moving water.

Offered plenty of bait before and during the trot, but only caught a mint-conditioned Rudd up to 8oz. Bites became scarce, so instead of trying all 18 swims upstream, I returned to peg 2, which seemed the most productive of the day.

Peg 2: After half a dozen runs, I only caught one more Dace up to 6oz.

That was it for me.

The 18 accessible swims on the Iping stretch offer a variety of approaches. None of the swims are the same, with fallen trees and low branches sometimes presenting challenges, but it's worth a visit due to the variety of species available.

Plans are in the coming week to make swims accessible on the Chithurst stretch, which offers some very deep pools, though snaggy in places. Ideal for Chub to settle in.

On my last visit 2 years ago, I saw a Pike, and caught a Common Bream and Roach up to 8oz.

This stretch also contains Golden Rudd, Grayling, and Eels.

I highly recommend members to visit if they haven't tried it yet.

The PDAC Committee are also seeking a volunteer to take on the wardenship of this stretch of river. If your interested, please reach out to the club.

Tight Lines

Shaun Ireland