Fly Fishing on the River Blackpool Brook

Blackpool Brook is a small stream running through the heart of the Forest of Dean. It winds south-east through ancient woodland and joins the Forge Brook near Blakeney, where the two form the Bideford Brook, which carries on to the Severn estuary.

It is wild brown trout water of an unusual kind. The bed is boulder-strewn, which makes wading tricky, and in places the stream runs through short, dark tunnels and under roads, so take care. Your stealthiest approach and your shortest rod are needed here: 6 to 7ft with a 1 to 3 weight line. A couple of hours is a good length of visit.

Parts of the Blackpool catchment hold an internationally important population of native white-clawed crayfish, a European protected species. Crayfish plague, carried by the non-native signal crayfish, killed many native crayfish in one Forest of Dean brook in 2021. The Blackpool and Cannop Brook are completely separate catchments, so if you fish both on the same trip, fish the Blackpool first. Spray waders, nets and tackle with Virkon disinfectant before and after fishing, and report any crayfish you see to Forestry England.