venue 5 ( The Old Bedford drain )

[baitmaster]

The Old Bedford drain

a small drain named after the Earl of Bedford and constructed around the 17th century is only around 2ft to 6ft feet deep and only around ten yards wide and seems well coloured .
.it runs virtually straight for its entire 17 mile length and is part of the hundred foot washes that are important as this is a big flood plain to take access water during the winter month.
its made up of three drains the old bedford ,the delph and the new bedford river or hundred foot drain.

looking from the new bridge down the old bedford


now to the visiting angler they should note if going to fish around these drains that they actually change there names around welches dam and can leave the visiting angler confused so i suggest they study a O/S 143 map of the area this will show the changes .
the old bedford runs from the sluice at salters lode through welches dam( where the drains change names ) through to earith
now both the old and the new bedford run parallel on either side of the washes for the length and have higher outside banks (which in some parts of the world, would be called levees), so in flood conditions the access water goes on to the washes or flood plain and not on to the fertile farm land .
the washes are also in parts nature reserve area and at welney there is a visitor centre where you can see the wild fowl that migrate here for the winter month .
now it does not get overly fished due to access being very limited . but it has had a good history for throwing up some big zander over 15lb but i,ve only personally seen picture of some zanders from friends who have had them just over 13lb but sadly i,ve not had any myself into double figures from here yet .
it also does some very good pike too but also due to salt incursion nearly total populations have been wiped out in the past .
i know it is on the up again since it was dredged and the vegetation has now growing back well .
i believe this was dredged 04 and is now stuffed with silver fish again i know this from big bags of silver fish i,ve had personally and the match angler are regularary catching bag in excess of 10lb and it will not be long before it throws up more good predator if its not all ready done so .
i think its worth investigating and if a angler wanted to walk he could easerly be fishing in areas that probably have never been fished .

the no fishing section above the new bridge which in the past when able to be fished matches used to be won here


now i know KLAA run a 3 mile section from salters lode from the new bridge to the market double lift mill and prices for days are £3.50 and a full membership is £34.00 you can night fish on the KLAA ticket .
but no fishing from the bridge back to the sluice gates,. but on this part parking is at salters lode only which can be got to by accessing it from the A1122 west of downham market .
welney angling club runs another part of the old bedford drain both sides from the welney hotel in the south to the pylons in the north but there is no night fishing on there waters.
now like KLAA you can purchase club tickets on the bank from there bailiffs and day tickets are going to cost £4.00 and a full membership will cost you £12.00



tightlines
Kevin

[pingu]

good info again kev
nice photo proving that norfolk is flat

[Rob M]

Excellent info as always Kev, nice pics!

Cheers
Rob

[Fishing Forum Admin]

Cracking info mate and thanks

[Twiddler]

Excelent info and pics again Kev , always a real pleasure to read your venue reports

[baitmaster]

nice photo proving that norfolk is flat

now i think you will find once upon a time a famous explorer can,t remember his name but i think he,s quite well known found that the earth apparently was round he obviously never came through norfolk

tightlines
kevin