A Guide to the Berwick and District Angling Association Beats on the Whiteadder
There are 6 beats for salmon fishing on the BDAA water. The beats are listed in the order from the top of the BDAA water to the lower end which is different to the beat numbers on the map:
For Information on permits please click HERE
*The maps below are for guidance ONLY
Beat 1: Ninewells Mill above Allanton Bridge mostly double bank.
Click the picture to view a full scale map (A full scale picture will open in a new window. You can then print a copy using your web browsers' print function)*
For a Photo Tour click HERE
Beat 2: Allanton: Allanton Bridge to Bluestone Ford, left bank all the way down from the Alanton Bridge to the ford, right bank from Allanton Bridge down to where the Cabby Burn joins the Whiteadder, (a short 1 pool beat from the Cabby Burn to the falls at Willies Hole is private) and from Willies Hole down to the marker just above the ford.
Click the picture to view a full scale map (A full scale picture will open in a new window. You can then print a copy using your web browsers' print function)*
For a Photo Tour click HERE
Beat 3: Bluestone: left bank below the ford down to where the March Burns joins the Whiteadder.
Click the picture to view a full scale map (A full scale picture will open in a new window. You can then print a copy using your web browsers' print function)*
For a Photo Tour click HERE
Beat 4: Hutton Bridge left bank inthe Bridge Pool right bank below the bridge to Clarabad.
Click the picture to view a full scale map (A full scale picture will open in a new window. You can then print a copy using your web browsers' print function)*
For a Photo Tour click HERE
Beat 5: Clarabad Mill: right bank. PLEASE SEE BEAT 4 FOR MAP
For a Photo Tour click HERE
Beat 6: Edington Cauld. PLEASE SEE BEAT 3 FOR MAP
For a Photo Tour click HERE
For water levels on the Whiteadder at Hutton (Blue Stone Ford) go to SEPA Water Levels Hutton Castle
All of the beats are clearly sign posted. (Right bank and left bank is designated as looking downstream).
Google Map References for the top and bottom of beats are provided as guidance only, when you get to beat you will see the markers, please comply with the beat signage. Google Map references are also provided for pools. Enter the reference to the Google "Find a Place" field, if you click on satellite view and you may even get a Google view.
Google Map ref Top of the Beat 55.79075 _ -2.216067 to 55.78461 _ -2.216994
The best beat on the BDAA water. Both banks are available except for the part either side of the house (Boat House) on the right bank above the junction with the Blackadder. Apart from the top of Ninewells the right bank is mostly unfishable. The upper part above the Boat House Pool on the left bank is park, like grazed by sheep, it is an easy walk and wading is unnecessary. The lower section down to the bridge isn't generally wadeable but you can fish it all from the bank.
Pool 1; Chestnuts
Google Map Ref 55.79166 -2.214967
Only a short part at the tail of the pool can be fished off the left bank, a deep pot with a good tail run. To fish the upper part of the pool you need to wade across the river and go upstream to the marker where there is a nice streamy run into a deep pot.
Pool 2; Ninewells Run
Google Map Ref 55.78993 -2.218372
Fast run with some nice lies, worth a cast.
Pool 3; The Corner
Google Map Ref 55.78958 -2.220447
Not much to look at in low water but when the river is up and fish are running they hold up here for a breather. This isn't holding water but even if someone has just been through give it go when there are fish moving through.
Pool 4; Dripping Stones
Google Map Ref from 55.78912 -2.220983 to 55.5.78810 -2.221739
Easy fishing off the left bank but fully lined along the right bank with big trees over-hanging the river. Some good lies in the pool, be ready to lose a fly or two though on those darned trees!
Pool 5; Bench
Google Map Ref 55.78630 -2.221891
Nice run into the pool, well worth a cast throughout if the water is up. Good lie just above the RH bank alder opposite the start of the plantation where the pool widens and gets deep. Fish tend to lie on the RH bank. The lower part of the pool holds fish close in to the RH bank but they never seem to be interested.
Pool 6; Boat House
Google Map Ref 55.78542 -2.220813
Down the length of this pool you will see, in lower water, that there are exposed rock strata. The fish hold up in these lies. There are some pictures of examples of these structures.
The upper part has a fast narrow run into a deep pot below another problematic alder tree but good water. After the pot the pool turns into a long straight.
The middle part is a bit slow but a steady retrieve can do the trick as you work down the pool.
The lower part fishes will in higher water otherwise you can hook up on the many rocks on the bottom of the river. There is a branch dragging in the water RH bank just where the house is, fish lie up in the wake of the branch. Get the fly as far across as you can and fish it all the way round to the dangle. In high water fish right into the tail end of the pool.
Pool 7; Upper Bridge
(or our Junction Pool) where the Blackadder joins the Whiteadder
Google Map Ref 55.78483 -2.217277
Good water, short but productive. There is a rock at the head of the of the pool. When the water is flowing over the top of it the pool is in the 'zone' for a fish or two. This run fishes even in high water up to the grass
Google Map reference 55.78446 -2.216521 to 55.78801 -2.196353
This beat includes the Lower Bridge Pool down to the Caddy Burn on the right bank and down to the ford including the Ash Tree pool on the left bank.
Pool 8; Lower Bridge Pool
Google Map Ref 55.78446 -2.216521
Holds fish all year and fishes both left and right bank. Just across Allanton Bridge where the road curves up there is a path down to the river, really there is. You can fish Lower Bridge and the run below. The tail of Lower Bridge has widened in a couple of spates so fish are more widely spread across the pool, they used to lie more to the RH Bank
Watch out for the kingfishers, blink and you'll miss em.
Pool 9; Bridge Pool Run
Google Map Ref 55.78396 -2.215026
Can be fished from both left and right bank, left is the route of least resistance. A fast run but productive. Wider and faster at the top than in previous years, will be interesting to see where fish settle.
Pool 10; Allanton Pool
Google Map Ref 55.78343 -2.212628
Fish lie on the right hand bank, some conflicting currents at the head of the pool but productive water. Working the fly and mending helps to present the fly better.
Fishing down through the pool you will need to work the fly a lot, its slow but towards the bottom end, above, the island there is a rock shelf where fish can settle.
Pool 11; Allanton Run
Google Map Reference 55.78326 -2.209966 to 55.78416 -2.207429
Just below the island there is a tidy little pool followed, after a short run by another slightly longer pool followed by a couple of hundred yards of streamy water that fishes int higher water levels.
Pool 12; Ash Tree Pool
Google Map Ref 55.78470 -2.230932
Some say Upper Bridge some say Ash Tree is the best pool the Association water. Coming down the left bank you need to wade across the end of the Allanton Run or you can drive down to Bluestone, up the farm road past the ford until you cross the Cabby Burn (watch out for the power line here). Park there (out of the way, its a busy farm) and walk up the Ash Tree. There is an overhead power cable here so watch out when setting up rods.
There is a big willow on the right bank. Fishes well from the top to the willow tree wading the latter part, Fish lie middle to left bank, especially down where the trees line the middle of the left bank. Below the willow the is flow slow but holds fish in deep water, worth a bash.
Pool 13; Cabby Run
Google Map Ref from 55.78417 -2.199415
A long straight of over 400 yards, good trout, sea trout and salmon but better for migratory fish in higher flows. Nice water with three distinct pools. Have seen ospreys fishing here in May and September as they migrate.
Pool 14; Cabby Burn Pool
Google Map Ref 55.78554 -2.196709
Lovely pool but would fish much better from the left hand bank. The beat stops at the Cabby Burn but restarts 200 yard later at Willies Hole. Watch out for the powerline if parking at the end of the farm road.
Pool 15; Willies Hole
Google Map Ref 55.78568 -2.196709
(There once was a ford just above the falls where a farmer (Willie) decided unwisely to take his horse and cart over in high water. Both the horse and cart were lost in the hole, Willie may have survived.
The Hole itself doesn't fish well for some reason but the tail end does hold fish back end and there are two nice pools going down to the cliff at Stock Hoff, bitty and dodgy to wade.
Pool 16; Shiel Hoff
Google Map Ref 55.78764 -2.197940
There are a lot of fish in this pool and word of successes but its a tough pool to work the fly through with a strong back eddy coming up the right bank.
Pool 17; Swans Nest
Google Map Ref 55.78801 -2.193434
.JPG)
Rarely fished but looks like sea trout water. Named in memory of the swan in the picture who with its mate hatched 5 cygnets only to have a spate wipe out the nest and 3 cygnets. A fourth was lost a week or so later to a mink.
Watch out for overhead power lines towards the bottom of the pool and where people park near the beat end marker.
Extends from 55.78828 -2.193434
Pool 18; Ford Pool
Google Map Reference 55.7882- 2.193434
A short pool, fast flowing, hit it when there is a run on and it could pay off.
Pool 19; Footbridge
Google Map Ref 55.78839 -2.192470
Nice run in above the bridge with a slow but shallowish pool down to the SEPA gauge station. You need a bit of high water to work the fly in the lower section. Fish coming over the concrete cauld will stop here for a breather nae doot.
Pool 20; Gauge Pool
Google Map ref 55.78846 - 2.190378
A short pool but hard to fish because of the flow over the centre of the cauld and the concrete dam! Must hold a lot of fish. The picture shows a fish hammering up the over flow slips in high water one October day. There is a fast shallow run from the Cauld Pool, worth a cast in higher water.
Pool 21; Island
Google Map Ref 55.78881 -2.188297 to 55.78958 -2.181954
Productive pool with a good flow down the BDAA side. There a rock shelf at the top of the pool on the RH bank vertical into deep water, fish lie deep along this shelf. Fast sink lines needed here to get down to the fish quickly.
Nice run down past the big willow and again in the tail of the pool.
Pool 22; March Burn
Google Map Ref 55.78998 -2.180058
The run into the top of the dub above Eddington Cauld. Good night fishing for sea trout.
The beat ends at the mouth of the March Burn on the left bank.
Google Map Ref 55.7853 -2.127467
Hutton Bridge does produce fish, but rarely fished because getting to it is laborious!
26; Hutton Bridge Pool
Google Map Ref 55.7853 -2.127467
A holding pool below the bridge. You can park on the Fouldon side of the bridge and walk down.
Below the bridge BDAA have the RH bank at Newton Brae but you need to cross over at the tail of the pool to fish round the bend, a problem when the river is up.
27; Newton Brae
Google Map Ref 55.78522 -2.122269
Fishable on the RH Bank above the bend, nice streamy pool.
28; Clarabad Farm
Google Map Ref 55.78393 -2.102551
Right hand bank only, nice stream leading inot the Clarabad Farm Bend.
29; Clarabad Farm Bend
Google Map ref 55.78188 -2.119184
Right Hand Bank only, pretty much impossible to fish as you can see fron the picture. Bound to hold fish but unless you can abseil and Spey cast the BDAA bank towards Clarabad is unfishable! Hey, some guys can multi task!
Google Map Ref 55.78298 -2.113948 to 55.78158 -2.105312
Park in the farm yard but remember this is a working farm so don't block farm units, if in doubt ask Robbin, he and his wife who work the farm are very helpful.
Not a big beat but on it's day it can be very productive being just a couple of hours off high tide, fish come in fresh and sea liced.
30; Clarabad Mill Top
Google Map Ref 55.78298 -2.113948
Good pool, nice run at the top with a deep bend and a long wide bottom end well worth a good hammering.
31; Clarabad Mill Run
Google Map Ref 55.78311 -2.108756
Nice fast run with some short deep pots and nooks to explore.
32; Wood End
Google Map Ref 55.78256 - 2.107527
Edington Cauld is a short right hand bank beat of about 400 yards or so overlooked by Hutton Castle. A good km walk down the field is discouraging for such a short beat, but it can deliver under the right conditions.
23; Edington Cauld Pool
Google Map Ref 55.78769 -2.176437
Fishing the Cauld Pool is discouraged, check out the marker before starting and be sure you are on BDAA water. You can fish the fast run out of the pool.
24; Edington Mill Pool
Google Map Ref 55.78702 -2.176437
There is a good pool below the Cauld Pool , the Mill Pool, shown in the picture to the left.
25; Edington Mill Run
Google Map Ref 55.78626 -2.174511
In low water fish can back up here. When runs are in the it can be good when fish settle here waiting to move up over what is an intimidating cauld.
For more information on The Whiteadder please go to The Whiteadder website Here. Where you will also find infromation on Permits.
For BDAA members, as you will see names have been given to pools (a few of which are in common use). Please feel free to suggest more appropriate names or if you know of names for pools shown let me know and I will amend the feature. Just load comments onto the club Facebook page.
p.s. pics of fish would be nice too.
Permits
Season, week (BT only) and day tickets can be bought from:
Robin at Clarabad Mill
Chirnside Paper Shop and General Store
The Allanton Inn
Harrisons Newsagents in the Castlegate in Berwick upon Tweed
RW Welsh in Duns
Foremans Butchers in Norham
Salmon day tickets available from Fishpal Whiteadder
Cost
Salmon and Sea Trout
Season: £160 (£140 if bought before the 15th of March)
Concessions: £130 (£110 if bought before the 15th of March, no fishing on Saturday for salmon and sea trout)
Day: £30
(Includes Brown Trout)
Brown Trout Only
Season: £35
Concession: £25 (over 65s)
Youth: Free (under 16)
Week: £20
Day: £10