The River Ouzel
About the River
A number of lengths of the Ouzel are controlled by the club.
- From the water intake at Rackley Hills lake upstream to the wooden bridge. Access is from the lake and through the woods. Anglers may use the Rackley Hills access road but do not block the turning area with your car. The river contains good quality roach, dace and perch. Some carp have been caught in this stretch.
- From the Mill pool at Orchard Mill upstream to the notice board. Car park access is about 100 yards past the bridge, enter via the metal gate. Access code available to members in the membership book.
- From the Mill pool upstream to the noticeboard.
This delightful small river contains a good head of fish. Chub to over 6lb have been caught, with fish in the 3lb-4lb range quite common. The Orchard Mill section is a good place to start if you are fishing for chub. Perch are common with fish to 4lb being caught from the river.
Roach and dace provide good sport for the angler who does not want to hunt for specimen fish. Although a roach of 2lb 8oz was caught from the Mill Pool. The river also contains some carp, which have been caught at 19lb but bigger fish have been reported. Pike are present along the full length with some double figure specimens.
The deeper sections can also provide good sport with the hard fighting river bream. In the 2021/22 season we had our first Barbel capture reported by a member, at around 6lb it's almost certainly the fish stocked by the EA around 6 years ago.
Be prepared to be mobile and you will find this river has a lot to offer.