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River ivel

Jamie Warren

Senior Member
Good evening, me again on my quest for knowledge. Has anyone ever fished the stretch of the ivel that runs through the manor farm complex near Biggleswade? I took the wife carping a couple of years ago down there, ( she likes the comfort), and I got talking to the Baliff. When I asked about the river, he said no one ever fishes it, and proceeded to rant on about the usual, otters etc. I’ve been working around Sandy the last few days, and I had a little look off the bridge by Tesco’s, and that conversation with the Baliff came back to me.
 
Upstream and downstream of the Meccano bridge is excellent fishing. There are some Barbel left but the Otters have munched most of them. Great Chub, Roach, Perch and a few Dace. Loads of Pike too.
I fish it on the Verulam ticket as part of the Ivel protection association.
Probably a bit weedy at the moment but October onwards is good. Having said that I got my one and only Barbel in September.
The only negative thing is the difficulty having a pee! Constant stream of dog walkers etc.
I trot it with maggots, bread works and I've heard of people caching on pellets.
Unusually, due to a mill upstream it's sort of tidal, the level and rises and falls about 8" every 40 ish minutes.
 
Used to call the area around the Meccano bridge Biggelswade dog shit alley as the local population never seemed to understand they had to pick up their dogs filth. Walking back just on darkness was a nightmare never seen so much mess anywhere else in the country. Most of the Ivel including around Sandy is IPA water check out their website. People still do fish it but its not the Barbel river it was 10 years ago,still some around and good chub,roach and perch to be had
 
The Ivel a few weeks back was deprived of much of its streamer weed and pipe (?) Reed beds along much of the river from Langford, all the way down past Blunham. This had the knock-on effect of dropping the level of an already desperately low river course. Plus depriving the fish of much of their summer larder and cover. The EA act in mysterious ways.
Hopefully by the end of autumn it may be worth fishing again. I have walked miles of it recently and have seen plenty of juvenile dace, roach and chub but, very few large specimens of any species.
Fingers crossed it will improve over the next few months.
IMG_20200809_142741582.jpg
 
Was this cutting of the weed and reeds or a drastic drop in the water level?
Verulam took on a length a few miles below Manor farm and it was practically unfishable what with the reeds and the watercress making access difficult to say the least.
Don't understand the 'pipe' reference.
Thanks for posting that.
 
Was this cutting of the weed and reeds or a drastic drop in the water level?
Verulam took on a length a few miles below Manor farm and it was practically unfishable what with the reeds and the watercress making access difficult to say the least.
Don't understand the 'pipe' reference.
Thanks for posting that.
This is the type of reed I mentioned
 

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