A whole new stretch of river at the start of the County School beat has been cleared for the first time in over 30 years. Bidewell’s Wood extends along about 300 yards of river bank adjacent to the unused Mid Norfolk Railway line and has rendered the river inaccessible to anglers as the majority of the trees have died and fallen into the river over the last decade or so. In addition, the exposed areas have grown into an impenetrable tangle of nettles, brambles and bindweed which has rendered pedestrian access almost impossible.
We can now report, however, that after a herculean effort by the club’s intrepid volunteer corps, most of the 300 yard stretch has been cleared and is now fishable. A lot of woody debris has been left to provide cover for fish and other wildlife, but large amounts of crack willow which had taken root in the channel have been removed. Once the obstructions were cleared and flow returned to the main sections a number of clear, gravel sections were exposed and we anticipate more being scoured of silt now that the river can flow cleanly through the wood. There is still a lot to do in terms of removing tangled weed and dead wood, but it is already possible to see that this will become a great habitat for wild trout in the future.
About 300 yards of river bank which has been inaccessible for over 20 years has now been cleared and trout have already been seen in many of the newly exposed gravel runs. There is a lot more work to be done, but it is already possible to see that the wood will be a superb addition to the fishery.
The majority of the clearing work was carried out by members’ work parties, with a little help from an external contractor. The exceptionally wet winter of 2025/26 meant that work had to stop for two months, but even so, we are back on schedule to complete this year.
The river channel had become totally blocked in places by fallen trees which had taken root in the river bed, gathering large amounts of weeds and silt over the years. Now that most of this has been removed the river is flowing freely again and several areas of spawning gravel have been newly scoured. Substantial amounts of wood have been left to provide shelter for young fish local wildlife.
The newly cleared wood in May 2026. Trout and chub rising freely everywhere. Several wild trout have already been caught, which is not surprising considering the considerable spawning gravel and juvenile habitat in this stretch.
The wood contains a wide variety of swims, some slow and deep, but most shallower with fast flowing water and gravel bottoms.
