THE LOWER CREEDY above Pynes
This stretch, just above the junction with the River Exe, was the first water to be owned by the club. Situated on the a few miles outside Exeter, it extends from the Upton Pyne road bridge upstream for about ½ mile. The club has the fishing rights to the left bank as you look upstream. The opposite bank has a footpath about 10' above the river. This only runs for about a third of the beat and can be useful if you wish to access the upper part of the river.
The river is a mixture of pools and riffles. Some of the pools are quite large but most are wadeable. The bridge pool at the bottom of the beat is almost unfishable due to the deep mud along the banks. The glide above this is where you normally enter the river.
From here to the railway embankment the river can be waded or fished from the gravel edges of the pools. Stealth is paramount in the flat water. Once at the embankment you can wade all the way to the top pool, which is very long and contained in a gorge. It is only wadeable in normal to low water (the last 20yds are not wadeable, so climb onto the far bank and make your way along to the run-in). To leave the river, either wade back downstream or climb out here, as the banks are about 20' high.
The best thing about this stretch of the Creedy is you never know what is sipping down those black gnats. It could be a brown trout between 4 or 14 inches, a 14 inch grayling, a small dace or large chub or even a large sea trout.
A whole day can be spent fishing this stretch, including up to four hours on the top pool as it is all flat water - slow work but worth the effort. The flies are all the usual suspects: LDOs, olives, mayflies, caddis, black gnats and midges, also don't forget beetles and aphids.
Directions
This beat is situated just off the A377 between Exeter and Crediton opposite Bernaville Garden centre. Coming from Exeter, after crossing the Exe at Cowley Bridge, the bottom of the beat starts at the river bridge 50yds along Upton Pyne road (first turning right).
You may park on the Upton Pyne Road beyond the river bridge and access the river by walking back over the bridge. Please ensure you do not block any access. Alternatively, park in the lay-by on the A377.
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