Oliver Burch's Fishing Report - March 2026

3rd March was of course opening day for salmon and trout. Regular Dan Cristian Oprea from Redditch with a friend opted to go high up the Wye and fished at Craig Llyn: “River looked unexpectedly good…of course a little high and fast.” They had a brace of brown trout from the Ash Tree pool. Simon Thomas from Lewes with a friend opted to try Abernant, another wise choice to make during high water on the upper river: “River was lower and clearer than recent days. Not perfect but quite fishable.” They had 5 trout and a grayling by various nymphing methods. Jon Rice from Bristol was at the top of the Usk on Cwmwysg Ganol: “Bad idea – too much water – didn’t fish much.” One of our regular salmon anglers from Builth Wells put in some time spinning the high water catches of the Rectory, figuring that it was possible one had come into the beat somewhere. He had no luck, but it seemed to me perfectly possible that in these conditions a fish might have been waiting somewhere like the tail of Gravel Catch. Long shots are sometimes worth taking. 

Alwyn Lindsay with a friend from London had 9 trout on spiders and emergers at Dinas while large dark olives were hatching. Next day they moved up the Usk to Penpont where they saw large dark olives again with a few March browns, but there were not many risers and only one good fish lost to report. On Buckland, Andrew Majerus and a friend encountered a 90 minute hatch of large dark olives starting at midday. They caught 4, including a large one, and a single fish at Abercynrig next day. Nick Gibbon from Dilwyn fished at Penpont, catching a 10 inch fish on a March brown imitation and 4 larger ones on streamers. GM had a good time on the Usk Town Water; the water was a little high of course, but he managed 4 trout by fishing the sides of the flow on the extensive shallows. 

Lewis Reynolds reported a brace of trout from the Pontardulais AA water of the Loughor. Dave Moody from Cardiff had a complaint to make about fallen trees on the Middle Bran tributary which made fishing very difficult. David Jackson and a friend from Halesowen had a tough day on the Usk at Dinas, but caught 4 trout on an Olive Quill Emerger during a large dark olive hatch. BD from Gloucestershire fished upstream at Cefn Rhosan Fawr confining himself to between 11 and 3. Wise timing that: he experienced a sparse large dark olive hatch between 1 and 2 and took 3 trout, one of them on an Olive Jingler. 

On 9th March Peter Coleman-Smith and Jonathan Ogbourne from Bristol scored a brace during intermittent large dark olive and March brown hatches on the Breconshire fishery. We still had a good deal of water coming down both main rivers. Seth Johnson-Marshall with a friend had a really good session on an upper/middle Usk beat, taking 7 trout to 2 pounds on dry flies during the middle of the day as dark olives and March browns hatched. JL from London had another good day at Dinas on the 10th and reported 9 trout to 15 inches on dry flies. Richard Norris from Fareham was fishing the neighbouring Abercynrig beat and took 5 trout on a March Brown Emerger between 12 and 3 in the afternoon. 

“I doubt it will be the Usk,” or so I wrote in my last report, favouring instead the chances of a first salmon coming the middle reaches of the Wye. Well now, how wrong can I be? On 6th March, Mantas Mileris reported a slim springer of 10-12 pounds taken from the Wood Stream of Barry Paraskevas’ Chainbridge beat, a few miles above Usk Town. It was taken on a Green and Black Conehead in quite high water. Now that I think of it, Chainbridge has managed to produce several very early fish over the years. I remember that Barry himself had a superb fish of over 20 pounds from the Rock Pool on opening day just after he bought the fishing. Back on the Wye, Joe Murfitt with a friend reported a rare Wye sea trout at Caradoc. John Nettleton from Damerham in Hampshire lost a fish on a Flying C while fishing the right bank

 of Goodrich Court. And actually I was not completely wrong about the first Wye salmon, which was reported by the Golden Mile beat on the middle of the river. This came on the 20th and was a fresh silver fish of 19 pounds taken on a green and yellow Devon Minnow by David Ranger. 

Coarse anglers were still working away during their final two weeks and there were good results as falling water levels combined with moderate temperatures. Some particularly fine barbel turned up. Martyn Keightley from Boston was on How Caple Court: “A good winter level and 10 degrees C.” He caught a pair of barbel at 6 pounds and 6 pounds 8 ounces, plus a brace of chub. At Middle Hill Court on the 4th March he caught a barbel of 8 pounds 1 ounce plus 3 chub. Alan Godfrey’s party of 5 from Hoddesdon recorded 15 chub from the Creel and 2 barbel and 5 chub at Middle Hill Court. The same team fished on 5th March, dividing themselves up on middle Wye beats, and reported as follows: Fownhope No 5 – 3 barbel and 6 chub; How Caple Court – 4 chub; The Creel – 1 barbel and 5 chub; Middle Hill Court – 1 barbel and 9 chub. If I read the reports correctly, there were 10 in this party by the 6th and they fished the same beats for a total of 4 barbel and 35 chub. And again on the 7th for a total of 11 barbel and 30 chub. 

BJ from Bristol with a friend had 2 barbel and 4 chub at Courtfield while JT with a friend from Northampton scored 6 barbel to 8 pounds 12 ounces and 3 chub at Middle Ballingham and Fownhope No 8. River levels were now falling steadily although skies were dark and our valleys clouded with mist. DS with a friend from Bristol caught a pair of barbel to 8 pounds 1 ounce and 12 chub at the Creel. Joe Murfitt and a friend reported 1 barbel and 10 chub from How Caple Court. Ian Vernon from Bath had 20 chub at Fownhope 5 on the 9th, with 1.12 metres showing on the Ross gauge. I would call that high water, but Ian declared conditions to be good and his results speak for themselves. JD from Plymouth with a friend had 9 chub from the Creel, mostly caught on bread flake. An additional sea trout was a surprise. 

SD from Wokingham fished at Courtfield, where he found the bank dangerously muddy, but caught 2 barbel to 9 pounds plus 3 chub. Stephen Durber from Alcester reported 2 barbel and 8 chub from the Creel, while Nicholas Toone from Bognor Regis had 2 barbel and 1 chub from the same beat next day. Michael Stanley with a friend from Banbury shared 10 chub at Sugwas Court. HW from Marsworth was concerned about safety as the floods receded at Fownhope 5 and recommended that anglers bring a rope for security on slippery banks. He caught 2 barbel and 9 chub. 

Nicholas Toone from Bognor fished the Creel again on the 11th March and scored a pair of barbel to 8 pounds 2 ounces and 4 chub. RL from Chelmsford with a friend had 2 barbel and 6 chub at Lower Canon Bridge. JR from Sandon and a companion had a very good day at Middle Hill Court, taking 3 barbel and 32 chub. Grant Lloyd from Dinas Powys with a friend took 5 barbel and a chub at Middle Ballingham and Fowhope No 8. Robert Evans from Cwmbran reported 2 barbel and 2 chub from Midlde Hill Court and lost a fish which straightened the hook on the first run. Fishing on the same beat, PB from Eynsham recorded a barbel of 12 pounds 1 ounce and a chub of 4 pounds 4 ounces. The Ross gauge stood at 1.0 metre at the time. MC from Redditch reported a barbel of 10 pounds 8 ounces and a chub of 5 pounds at Fownhope No 5. 

RG with a friend from Chelmsford recorded 2 barbel and 8 chub from the Creel on 12th March, but by the afternoon heavy rain and winds had set in and other anglers who had turned out were forced to give up. Chris Herbert from Westbury with 4 friends had a grayling, a barbel and 7 chub at Middle Hill Court, but had to stop fishing during the afternoon due to the amount of debris coming downstream. Harry Turner and a friend from Aylesford were on How Caple Court after 3 good days of fishing, but were forced to give up in horrendous conditions by midday. Torrential rain continued all night so that we had floods by the following day and the temperature had also dropped. 

Even though conditions were really difficult again, fish were taken in the final days. Jonathan Kitching and a friend from Peterborough found the river at How Caple Court had risen 7 feet overnight, but managed 3 barbel to 7 pounds 14 ounces. MA from Much Hadham blanked in high water at Fownhope No 5, but enjoyed himself. SM from Swindon described the river at Fownhope No 5 as swollen, dark and angry.” The final word comes from RB from Bristol who had this to report about Foy Bridge: “Managed to catch my first ever barbel with my first cast of the day. Just under 7 pounds. The river was flying through and fishing in the middle was impossible. I managed to fish the slacks on 3 pegs, only managed to get one other bite the rest of the day. The sun was shining, it was an enjoyable day.”

Regular angler Mark Harris fished the Usk at the Breconshire Fishery on the 17th and took 5 trout to a pound on traditional winged wet flies. On the same day he tried the upper Wye at the Rectory for salmon, putting a heavy tube through some of the high water catches. However, with the level right up at 2 foot 7 inches and the water still coloured, there was nothing to report on this occasion. Paul Dimery from Cheltenham was very disappointed with the access to the Usk at Ashford House, claiming that there are now only 3 points of ingress. I reckon to advise my clients that Ashford House is a “hard work beat,” with plenty of scrambling involved. 

Pete Buckey from Stockbridge (now there is an enviable angling address!) reported 11 Usk trout from the Glanusk Ty Mawr / Canal and Rivers Trust beat.  AA from Norwich with a friend took 8 trout by various means at Glan yr Afon, although there was no particular hatch. On the reservoirs, Andrew Edwards from Caerphilly took 3 trout on worm from Llwyn On, Geraint Davies with a friend had half a dozen between them, while Patrick McConnell from Pontypridd accounted for 11. Lucille Evans from Hengoed with a friend caught 6 at the Usk Reservoir. On the 19th Philip Bullock with a friend took 4 trout from 13 to 20 inches during sporadic hatches on the Glanusk Estate, while GB from Petersfield caught 3 during March brown hatches at Abercynrig. Denise Ashton of Llandovery took the A40 east bound to Ashford House and caught a fat 17 inch fish during midday fly hatches. She commented that the access to the river on this beat has actually been improved and bullocks in the lower field confined with an electric fence. 

On the 20th Andrew Majerus from Ringwood fished at Greenbank, where there was not much fly life visible although he took 4 fish on a Dark Olive Quill. Similarly Seth Johnson-Marshall fished his private beat on the middle Usk where he experienced warm sunshine but not much hatching. Nevertheless he caught 7 trout to 1.5 pounds, mostly on a Klinkhammer in rougher water. Ben Garnett from Exeter was on Upper Tower, catching 4 trout to 17 inches on dries. Large dark olives, March browns and some grannom now were in evidence for a while: “…great while it lasted.” AT from Cobham in Surrey with two friends caught 7 trout from the Breconshire Fishery on spiders and dries. On the following day they had 4 trout with March browns hatching from 12.30 onward.

IM from Gloucester enjoyed himself on the Bideford Brook near Blakeney, taking a brace of trout on nymphs. He noted the bed of wild garlic on his way back down the path; I know local people who collect and cook with that stuff….but if you are tempted make sure you have the right plant because dog’s mercury and other poisonous plants also grow on these banks. AA from Norwich had “a beautiful day” on the Usk at Fenni Fach, but fishing was tough with just a brace to show for it. Anthony Pease from Llandovery took 3 trout on wet flies at the Breconshire Fishery while Peter Hutchings from Porth with a friend caught 5 trout at Dan y Parc. CP from Brecon had a catch of 7 trout to 42 cm during a March brown hatch on Glanusk ty Mawr / Canal and Rivers Trust. Martyn Birch from Hengoed took 2 trout at Abernant on the upper Wye with Partridge and Orange.

About this time the progress of spring seemed to reverse, leading us back to low temperatures, showers of rain and even hail and snow with some unpleasantly strong winds. You can’t rely on the British weather during March. A good number of anglers turned out, mainly on the Usk, but results were modest. Faced with high winds, hail and even snow on 25th March, quite a few anglers were reluctant even to put the tackle together. Tim Howard from Lincolnshire was at Greenbank, but: “…wind gusting at 40mph. I didn’t bother to put up a rod.”  Anglers visiting our rivers from all over the UK were struggling, counting themselves lucky to get the odd fish or a brace. A visitor from Tonbridge was at Lower Serenity House on the Irfon: “Horizontal hail in 40 mph wind. River high and discoloured after overnight rain.”  However, Peter Buckley from Stockbridge recorded 6 trout from Penpont on the Usk while Wyesham below Monmouth reported a 16 pounds salmon. Perseverance was rewarded in that case. On the 26th Robert MacDougall – Davis from Oxford had a very good Usk day at Fenni Fach, taking 9 trout to 2 pounds. Olives and March browns were hatching at times, but all the fish were taken on a nymph fished deep below a dry fly indicator in the popular klink and dink style.

On the 27th Luke Kozak with a friend from Gillingham reported 12 trout from Abercynrig: “Good March brown hatch – plenty of action.”  Andrew Fullerton from Nailsworth was upstream on Dinas: “Cold and windy day, but there was a hatch of March browns after midday when the sun came out. Eight caught on spiders up to 16 inches.”  On the 28th Luke Moran from Felmersham, Bedford, reported a fine trout of 18 inches caught at Dan y Parc on dry fly. Steffan Williams from London was out on the Usk Town Water and caught 3 trout: “Huge March brown hatches at times. Lovely to be out on the water while the sun was shining. A bit too cold when it wasn’t.” Which final remark, I think, just about sums up March.