The Costessey Point Project
A warm welcome is extended to you from the CPP team, with an invitation to explore the content and information we have assembled here regarding this important restoration project.

Recognised in the early 1980’s as one of England’s finest barbel and chub fisheries, since then, the Costessey Point reach of the River Wensum has suffered from the affects of habitat damaging river-dredging works and over abstraction of water.

Following from this its once strong flows dwindled and slowed until gradually its polished gravels pools became covered in layers of silt sediment, which eventually led to the decline of its famous fish stocks and the demise of the fishery as the jewel in the crown of Norfolk’s rivers.

Twenty years later NACA start work on Costessey Point Project a highly ambitious river habitat restoration project designed to reverse the fortunes of the fishery.

About the CPP web site
This web site is designed to catalogue the history of the work that has been done to date and any future work that will be taking place over the coming months and years. It is our intention to report on the successes and disappointments, should there be any as the river develops, following the work that has been done to this point in time.

S. Harpers 1st Wensum Double July 1977

We have set the site up to allow you to experience the changes and to provide a source information that may help others with development or restoration of similar river environments around the country!
The Wensum is not an isolated river in this, there are likely to be others that have suffered similar neglect and abuse and in need of some tender loving care to get them back to an acceptable quality. Doing this will provide not just a source of good angling, but equally provide a habitat that will support the full spectrum of wildlife associated with such environments.

It goes without saying that this will extend to support for all the species of fish that such rivers would normally be expected contain, roach, dace, barbel, chub, perch, pike, minnows, brown trout and more! With this particular point in mind you will see how we have handled the development of fry refuges (ORSU's), that have been created to enhance the annual fry survival rates and boost recruitment season on season.

Please do take a full look at the site and if you have a deeper interest in doing something for your local river and can see a parallel with this project, then please down load the referenced articles we have provided, with their associated information and use these as a reference source in the development of any future programme of restoration you may consider undertaking.

Should you do this, please keep us informed of how you fare and if you have an interest in the CPP please do bookmark this page and return periodically to keep in touch with how our efforts are rewarded!

The Costessey Point Project Steering Group.

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Beginners Guide to River Restoration

In this article with my text, and Chris Turnbull’s artwork we will endeavour to give you a brief understanding of what is poor river habitat and highlight some of the many restoration options available. Lastly we will outline how you, your syndicate or club could potentially initiate your own project, which is not as daunting a task as it first may seem.
You will see that there are two diagrams in this article. Diagram A. Shows a typically degraded section of habitat and Diagram B shows some approaches available to reverse the situation. Diagram A. Illustrates many of the problems with river habitat that have been caused by land drainage management operations that took place several decades ago, when conservation issues did not have the valued placed on them as they do today. This diagram shows a typically dredged stretch of river channel. We can see that the bends in figs 1&3 have been dredged from the inside creating bends of uniform depth, which also act as silt traps. Natural bends are deeper on the outside and shallower on the inside, this is what is termed as an asymmetrical profile. The deeper area provides superb habitat for adult fish and as we all know act as great places to catch species such as chub and barbel. Often the material from the dredging operations is left as a spoil heap on the river bank...... Read the full article
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Blueprint for Barbel Revival

The mention of Costessey on the River Wensum, Norfolk, will stir the memories of many barbel anglers. This fishery is incorporates the famous ‘Point’ swim, a pool which that achieved a very special place in barbel fishing history.

It was Stephen Harper who caught the first Wensum and Point double at 11.14 in July 1977, and the rest as they say is history. Throughout the 1980’s the writings of Messrs. Wilson, Bailey, Miles, West and Harper propelled the fishery to ‘cult status’. At the time many experts hailed the fishery as one of the best big barbel spots in the country.

Through the 80’s to the early 90’s the stretch produced many large fish for some of the top specimen hunters in the country. Dave Plummer in 1984 caught a new river record of 13.6, which at the time set the angling world alight. It's strange to think that a fish of this size would now struggle to even raise an eyebrow, in these times of monster Ouse barbel!

After the early 90’s captures of large barbel started to seriously decline, with just a few large warriors remaining. As is often the case when the big fish are around everything is rosy, as the specimen fishing is superb. However these great fish were really masking a general decline in the fishery. Like many other rivers in the country the Wensum had not escaped the attentions of Post War dredging for land drainage in a bid for agricultural self-sufficiency. The roach populations for which the river was nationally famous for had all but disappeared and now, at Costessey, the barbel were in real trouble, with very few juvenile fish to replace the leviathans as they died off....... Read the full article