Oliver Burch's Game Fishing Monthly Report - June 2025

After the driest spring recorded for more than 50 years, Wye and Usk anglers started June and the early summer period with a definite sense of trepidation. Any possibility of a salmon catch seemed to be confined to the lowest beats for the moment. After a long famine in catches a fish of 11 pounds from the lower Wye’s Bigsweir on the 30th May was an almost unexpected surprise. Meanwhile a sudden rise in upper Wye temperature readings indicated to me that the cold compensation water from the Elan reservoirs had been turned off for a couple of days. The Usk was still producing trout if approached very cautiously, but was as low as we had ever seen it. Some of the tributaries of the Wye, such as the Monnow, Lugg and Arrow were holding up better for trout fishing and we did see some mayfly. Now as we turned into the first month of summer, a front with associated rain was approaching Britain slowly from the Atlantic, but farmer friends told me that it was already too late for them. Their spring-sown crops, by now already sparse and stunted, would eventually be harvested, but yields were not expected to make any profit.

The high Beacons reservoirs continued to fish reasonably well. Leigh Jones of Cardiff with his father shared 8 rainbows at Llwyn On as did RG from Merthyr Tydfil with a friend. Jaroslaw Lipinski from Merthyr had 4 more. Mathew Jones from Ammanford reported a 6 pounds rainbow in a bag of 4 from the Usk Reservoir. Kevin Gould-Davies took 6 trout from the same reservoir on the 31st, although he found the going hard with wind and occasional showers affecting the hills now. On the upper Wye a Winchester angler took 8 trout on nymphs at Abernant. Andrew Burgon from Bodenham reported 4 from Gromaine and Upper Llanstephan while Dan Cristian Oprea of Redditch had 6 more at Ty Newydd. On the Usk at Dufnant, IC from Gloucestershire took 10 trout to 13 inches in the fast water. Similarly SW from London recorded 17 trout from the fast water at Dan y Parc and IC from Gloucestershire reported a large catch of trout to 15 inches at Glanusk Ty Mawr / Canal and Rivers Trust. Christopher Graham from Perthshire fished on the Strathmore Estate of the Upper Tees for 5 trout between 6 and 12 inches, taken on Partridge and Hare’s Lug and Sakasa Kebari (the last being a sort of reversed hackle spider associated with the Japanese Tenkara method). Mark Payne from Blackwood recorded 8 trout, 6 rainbows and 2 browns, during a morning session at Llwyn On.

The long awaited downfall finally arrived on the morning of the 3rd June with a period of heavy and extensive rain over both catchments. By early afternoon, mini-spates had begun at the top of both main rivers and many of the tributaries had measurable rises. However, the extra water was rapidly absorbed on the way downstream and many anglers lower down noticed little more than a slight rise and discolouration. The Monnow, Lugg and Arrow had hardly moved. SW from London reported 7 Usk trout from Dan y Parc although few fish were rising. On the 4th an angler from Chard still had these comments to make about the Court of Noke on the Arrow where he caught a single 13 inch trout and: “…was pleased with this as most of beat was unfishable due to drought conditions. Much of beat is inaccessible anyway, will not be coming here again…”  

The showers continued and a little extra water reaching below Monmouth on the main river may have helped the Wyesham beat by the 5th June. Two sea-liced salmon caught on fly were reported that morning: 11 pounds and 15 pounds. More showers followed, maybe adding a couple of inches to the levels and accordingly the lower Wye began to perk up. On the 6th George Butt reported a 15 pounds salmon from Goodrich Court’s Vanstone Pool on a Stokoe’s Shrimp. Assuming that was a resident, I imagine the bright orange of the pattern must have woken it up! Down below Monmouth, Wyesham had a 12.5 pounds sea-liced fish on fly the same day. That was followed by a fresh 11.8 pounds fish taken with a Mepps spinner on the 7th and two more on the 8th: 12.5 pounds on a Mepps and a 5 pounds grilse on the fly. A 17 pounds fish taken with an Usk Grub on the 8th seemed to indicate that Wyesham and the lower beats were now experiencing a few new arrivals with each tide. Bigsweir had another of 11 pounds on the 9th. On the 11th Simon MacLucas took a fish of 11 pounds from the Rapid Pool at Redbrook using a Tungsten Shrimp fly. Wyesham had another sea-liced fish of 13 pounds with the fly on the 13th. After several more days we started to hear about fish showing at least as far up as the Rectory and Erwood beats. All this increased activity would presumably represent the first of the early summer two sea winter fish. 

Meanwhile there was some enhanced social media traffic about the “sewin rivers” further west which locals judged had come into likely condition. After all the fox-gloves are out now, which traditionally marks the time for sewin in Welsh rivers. Loughor anglers fancied their chances with bright silver fish showing in their little river, but it was the Towy system which produced earlier salmon results. A fish of 7 pounds was taken with a spinner from Abercothi on the 4th and Golden Grove reported another of 11 pounds with the fly on the 7th.  Fresh Towy salmon of 12 and 13 pounds were reported from Whitemill and Crosshands, plus supposedly another from the Crewil Pool at Llangadog. For those addicted to the “dark arts” a friend of mine reported a brace of sewin 3 pounds each and one of 1.5 pounds taken between 11 and midnight from Llandeilo Angling’s Baskets Pool before the mist came down.

The showers had also improved the trout fishing, and in fact the upper Usk was very briefly so muddy as to be reported unfishable by one angler. Then Rhian Bray from Redditch who was fishing Penpont on the 6th reported 16 trout from slightly coloured water. We all know that the Usk is usually good when it is “beery.” Dan Cristian Oprea, also from Redditch, fished the upper Wye’s Rectory and had 11 trout on nymphs, also from slightly coloured water. A party of 3 anglers from Caernarfon took 18 trout at Abernant and 18 more the next day. Mark Atherton with a companion from Worcester took 13 trout from the Rectory on the 7th. Peter Thomas of Kidderminster fished the Ithon at Llandewi and caught 14 trout on the dry fly although he described the cold weather as “…more like April than June.”  Andrew Arkell of Norwich returned to fish an old favourite, the Edw tributary of the Wye, and fished the lowest beat at Aberedw. He caught 7 trout on the duo method, 11 more the next day and 12 the day after: “It’s good to be back.” Next we have two imprecise reports of what were obviously impressive days on the Usk: a large catch plus a specimen trout for JG from Bristol at Chainbridge and 9 trout including a specimen for JP from Kidderminster during various hatches at Ashford House.

David Parry from Nantyglo had this to write about the Abbey Dore beat: “The river was very low and the banks incredibly overgrown, I struggled to fish this beat with a 7ft rod and casting was very difficult. I failed to spot any fish moving and I don't think I will be making a return. The bank access points along the river are dreadful. Hats off to those who can get fish out of this stretch, I have nothing but admiration for your skills.” It’s a fair comment; the Wild Streams are not for everybody and the Dore is probably the most overgrown of all the Monnow tributaries. It was much coppiced in the past and now the stunted willow trunks throw out shoots in all directions. I still like it.

GM from Shrewsbury reported 8 trout from the Usk’s Ashford House on the 11th, a consistently warm and bright day. Regular salmon angler Mark Harris of Swansea caught 9 trout on nymphs from the Wye at Gromaine and Upper Llanstephan, encountering a young buzzard on the ground while walking to the river. Another regular, George Ottewell of Brecon, suggested that the last winter’s floods have rather “filled in” the famous Rock Pool at the Rectory. It is amazing how gravel moves during the heavy flood events we have these days. Lampreys were spawning on the shallows by the bridge and quite a number of anglers reported accidental twaite shad. Joe Alexander from Rhayader fished the Ithon again at Llandewi and reported 16 trout from 6-9 inches on dry flies. Rhian Bray from Redditch was back on the Monnow at Skenfrith where he caught 11 trout. 

A Stratford on Avon angler reported 2 barbel, 15 chub, plus the inevitable eel from Middle Ballingham and Fownhope No 8. Andrew Gardner from Taunton with 4 friends had 16 barbel and 15 chub at Middle Hill Court. Game fisher Andy Lane of London was out again on the 16th, this time at Craig Lyn on the Upper Wye where despite high water he recorded 25 trout and 6 grayling (in season this time) on nymphs and dries. Laurence Steynings from Bristol fished at Upper Hill Court and somewhere along the way lost a Shimano Bait Runner 4000 reel. If anybody finds it, he would be grateful if they would contact the WUF. DM from Hereford with 2 friends caught 4 barbel and 4 chub from the Courtfield beat, but were unhappy with the access: “The amount of fishable pegs on the stretch are minimal and the two nearest the water works are the only really fishable ones, others are steep and trees / branches could do with trimming back. I wouldn’t attempt to fish many of the pegs in wet conditions as they would be pretty dangerous, this is a nice venue but could be better with some work.” Robert Evans from Cwmbran caught 10 chub at Fownhope No 5. Tony Hamilton from Swansea fished at Wyeaston Leys, catching 2 barbel, both at 6 pounds, and 4 eels to 2 pounds. David Talbott from New Milton had a good day on the Home Fishery, catching 3 barbel and 7 chub by fishing late into the evening. He fished late rather than early because: “…breakfast at Inn on the Wye was too good to miss.” Len Mathews from Neston with a friend fished the same beat next day for 5 barbel and 30 chub. NA from Oundle had 30 chub from Fownhope 5. Richard Rees from Bridgend with a friend fished the Creel for 7 chub to a specimen 7 pounds, plus 2 barbel to 8 pounds.

George Ottewell from Brecon provided some of the first evidence that salmon had run into the upper river. While fishing carefully down the Rectory beat he hooked a “10 pounds bar of silver” which jumped itself off in the Mill Pool. HL from Herefordshire fished the evening rise at the Usk’s Fenni Fach fishery to catch 7 trout. SW from London managed 15 trout from Dinas, finding the fish in the deeper, faster water. Meanwhile JD from Marlow, who with 3 friends fished at How Caple Court for 7 barbel and 35 chub, had some praise for the fishery owner: “…I would like to thank the landowner for the work which has been put in strimming and making easy access to the river. Most of the other beats need to follow his example. Thanks for a lovely day.”

JD phrased that diplomatically, but he makes a good point. Fisheries, whether on small streams or main rivers, don’t look after themselves. Coarse fishing pegs on steep-sided, mud-banked streams like the middle and lower Wye, even more so on the Severn, usually need re-cutting and reshaping with a spade after every winter flood season. And coarse fishermen usually have a lot of gear to be manhandled through the jungle growth of spring to their chosen perch. Strimming once at the start of the season will usually be enough; anglers’ feet maintain the path after that.

Having had our little dose of rain, now came the first heatwave of summer, with 25 degrees air temperature on the 18th, 27 degrees on the 19th, and 30 degrees on the 20th.   On the 18th David Talbott from New Milton managed 14 chub to 4 pounds 8 ounces with the feeder from the Home Fishery. Mark Atherton from Worcester caught 8 trout from Llangoed and Lower Llanstephan by fishing early before the sun was on the water. By the 19th the upper Wye’s water temperature was hovering dangerously around the 20 degree mark and the Foundation attached the following warning advice to the threatened beats:  

“19th June 2025: Please note that whilst temperatures are high, we advise

No Salmon fishing when the water temperature is above 19.0°C

No Trout or Pike fishing when the water temperature is above 20.0°C

No Coarse fishing when the water temperature above 25.0°C

As the temperature rises the amount of oxygen water can hold decreases. This affects the ability of fish to recover from being caught. Above the temperatures listed above mortality rates post capture increase exponentially. This is why at these temperatures it is always worth taking a thermometer with you when fishing.”

Shortly afterwards those of us who like to take a day on the Bristol Water Company reservoirs now and then received a message that, due to high water temperatures, fly fishing for pike at Chew would be suspended, probably for at least 2 weeks. Chew is a relatively shallow reservoir, so I imagine it was cooking under the sun.

It’s funny how troubles seem to come all at once – “When sorrows come, they come not single spies but in battalions”. Problems with summer heat have become all too familiar in recent years. So, too, has the dreaded crayfish plague which the invading American signal crayfish can survive, but which threatens the few remaining pockets of our native white claws with extinction. The plague has been detected in the Arrow and the EA has accordingly decided to restrict entry to this river between Kington and Pembridge. This means that the WUF for the time being must close down entries to the excellent Court of Noke, Titley and Whittern Lyonshall beats, none of which have I found time to fish this year, although I am a fan of all of them. Experience with the plague in the Forest of Dean and elsewhere indicates that the EA will probably keep the river closed until investigation proves that the disease has burned itself out.

Afonydd Cymru published the depressing news that NRW have carried out an assessment of the marine protected areas which virtually surround Wales, and described “widespread failure” of the measures so far deployed. See the Afonydd Cymru article here.

Chris Herbert from Westbury with friends showed a responsible approach when fishing Upper Hill Court on the 20th with no sign of the heat wave abating: “Air temp 29.8, took the water temp  on a couple of occasions, read 23.5 degrees C. Another degree higher and we wouldn’t have fished. Chub rested and recovered well before being released.” They caught 7 that day. LM with a friend from Stoke on Trent tried a very early morning start and fishing on to lunch time at Foy Bridge. They caught 3 barbel and 12 chub: “Another lovely day in the Wye valley.”  Joe Alexander had made his way round to the Clywedog again and took 19 trout on a size 20 dry fly as well as meeting an otter. Andrew Smith from Harlow with two friends fished at How Caple Court, catching 3 barbel and 9 chub, but complained that their day was made miserable by boy scouts in canoes constantly upsetting and splashing in front of them. Well, I suppose we are into what I think of as the silly season now, but please remember this river is navigable. In fact I gather that formal “capsize training” was in progress, which must have made quite a splash, but it’s hardly an activity we can challenge. Kevin Denny of Rochester caught 7 barbel and 30 chub at Middle Hill Court: “A very good day…the only downside was the sheer number of paddle boarders…serves me right for fishing on a Sunday in summer.”  Which is probably the best attitude to take in the circumstances. Michael Woodcock with a friend from Ross on Wye caught a remarkable 76 chub, all over 3 pounds and some of them over 4, from Holme Lacy 3 and Lechmere’s Ley. Tim Taylor from Henley on Thames accounted for 1 barbel and 28 chub from Fownhope 5. Maria Lavender from Margate with a friend caught 4 barbel, 37 chub and an eel at Foy Bridge. And Vadim Bejenar from Gloucester was pleased to catch half a dozen trout from the Usk Reservoir. BP from Pembridge caught 10 trout on a pair of Half-Hog Hoppers fished wet and dry up at Llyn Bugeilyn and covered his ears while the RAF made a spectacular low pass over the lake. He was on the Ithon at lLandewi the following day and caught 6 with a Tenkara rod, despite difficulties with a gusting wind.

Coarse anglers pressed on despite the heat, sometimes with very impressive results. Adrian Hill from Witney reported 55 chub from Holme Lacy and Lechmere’s Ley on the 24th. Tony Hamilton from Swansea fished at Wyebank and caught 4 barbel and 10 chub by rolling meat down the run. Ian Powell from Torquay caught 35 chub from Holme Lacy 3 and Lechmere’s Ley. Andrew Hill from Waltham Abbey caught a brace of barbel at 4 pounds plus 11 chub from Foy Bridge: “…thanks to Wye and Usk Foundation, great service.”  Adrian Batchelor from Hassocks led a party fishing at How Caple Court: “V hot day and fish not wanting to feed.” All the same, they did catch 15 chub. The same party were unable to fish at Fownhope 5 the following day due to overgrown access: “Very disappointing and I would like a refund please WUF.” Pascal Depezeville from Maltot in Normandy with 4 friends used dry flies to catch 25 trout and a grayling from Ty Newydd on the upper Wye. Tom Harbinson from Woodbridge did fish Fownhope 5 on the 25th and caught one barbel and 104 chub.  John Hedges from Sturminster Newton caught 11 chub and an eel from the Creel. Ian Williams of Brecon, a regular salmon angler up at the Rectory, had this significant comment to make about the recent and short-lived spate: “I can’t understand the quickness of the river dropping. It was never this quick. We usually got a good week’s fishing after a flood like that last one. How things change.”

The heat built day by day and we saw temperatures approaching 30 degrees in some parts of the UK. It was a deal warmer in the Mediterranean - Mostar in Herzegovina had 48 degrees in the shade. Many chose not to fish due to the heat, but Grant Lloyd from Dinas with two friends accounted for 2 barbel and 28 chub from the Creel: “…found the chub after a long day trying but once we had located them the fishing was excellent.” Ian Barton from Pontefract caught 13 chub on the float from Holme Lacy 3 and Lechmere’s ley. David Williams from Hornchurch with two companions fished the same beat on the 29th for 3 barbel and 30 chub. Ian Gillard from Pontypridd fished late at Dinas on the Usk and caught 5 trout, some on a size 16 Balloon Caddis. He also hooked and lost a small salmon, which was a surprise.

David Talbott from New Milton described confrontation with aggressive canoeists at Thomas Wood which unfortunately seems to have had an inter-ethnic dimension to it. Again, anglers on the lower Wye will be aware of the river’s navigable status and should bear in mind the holiday season is coming up along with school holidays and high temperatures. There is likely to be some inconsiderate behaviour from other river users on occasion but anglers should please try to stay cool whatever the heat-wave temperature gauges show and whatever nonsense is encountered.   

However, outright illegal behaviour and theft is another matter. Sadly, poaching in its many forms, whether the quiet, sneaky kind, or the more blatant and in your face “I cares for nobody, no not I” kind, is a perennial problem aired in these pages. I don’t suppose it will ever be eliminated, but it could certainly become a good deal worse if rights holders including paid-up ticketed anglers and fishery owners fail to react. Much could be written about poaching, illegal fishing and the law. I am certainly no specialist in fishing law but I will make a few salient points for the lay angler to bear in mind:

1. There still tends to be confusion about whether the illegal fisher or poacher is taking away or returning the fish he catches and worries about whether the fish are wild or stocked. For most purposes it doesn’t really matter. If some-one is found fishing in a water he is not entitled to, the crime is one under the 1968 Theft Act and is “theft of fishing rights.” As such the police are liable to respond and, believe it or not, they often will if actually informed at the time. If a patrol car is available they will still attend and most forces also have some kind of rural crimes unit including one or two officers having specialist knowledge about poaching along with rustling, theft of farm vehicles etc. The EA and NRW are likely to be particularly interested in incidents involving fishing without a licence.   

2. The numbers to call if you encounter poaching are 999 emergency police if the crime is actually taking place, 101 non-emergency police for subsequent background information about crimes which have taken place, and 0800 807060 for the Environment Agency, or 03000 65 30 0 for NRW in Wales.

3. However, don’t imagine that there are vans full of burly bailiffs equipped with stab vests and infra-red night sights waiting to rush out at your call. There are very few full-time fishery enforcement officers working in our area. In view of this, organisations like the police and the EA/NRW rely heavily on back-up and intelligence from voluntary part-time bailiffs, club members, anglers and the responsible general public.

4. This is the tricky bit. If as a paid-up angler you encounter what seems to be, or is obviously, illegal fishing on the same water you are fishing, there is little point in saying nothing at the time and letting it continue, and then complaining about it in your catch return the next day. The chances of effective action being taken against the offender are then pretty low. Whatever you do, don’t put yourself at risk in any kind of escalating situation. But if possible, the least I would do is show my ticket to the other gentleman and ask to see his. If he can’t or won’t show his ticket, then the situation about who is law-breaking is pretty clear. If he hasn’t left on his own accord by then, I would go off quietly out of sight and make the call.

5. The encounter described above is hardly calculated to improve your planned quiet day in the country, but it is quite a common scenario I am afraid. If we want our waters to be preserved rather than scalped, it is necessary that everybody plays a part.

For anybody who is uncertain about such situations or interested to know their rights and powers as club members or ticket holders, there is an opportunity to find out a lot more by attending one of the Angling Trust’s online courses on the subject. These come under the heading FISHNET (Fisheries National Enforcement Training), are funded by the EA through rod-licence sales, and are targeted at police officers, bailiffs and anglers in general. There are foundation, intermediate and advanced courses and they are free of charge to participants.

Lyn Davies has been out and about making videos again during May. (Forgive the advertisements, but Lyn reminds me he has production costs to recover!) This one is in the jungles of Glamorganshire on a small stream which dodges around under the M4. It is not one of the Passport’s Wild Stream beats, but it has all the classic characteristics to test the small stream angler including lots of fallen trees to make a nice obstacle course and quite a few rising trout. If the summer continues hot and dry, a small stream shaded under the trees may be just the place to head for.

Finally, returning once again to the catch returns, there were two in particular which really caught my eye during June. One came from Seth Johnson-Marshall of Herefordshire, who has already had a great spring of fishing for brown trout on a private beat of the upper/middle Usk:

“A couple of daytime visits to the Usk in the middle part of the month had been very tough going, making it feel like the dog days have arrived early this year. This very enjoyable evening session reinforced that, with the trout really only switching on from 9pm onward, after which spinner patterns started to work. Many of the fish (14) were relatively small (5-8 inches) with a couple around the 1.5 pounds mark. The last one of the evening was 2.5 pounds, taken at 10.30 pm.”

10.30 pm in June by my experience is just about into the sea trout period of genuine darkness. The other was from Alan Ryan from Ebbw Vale, who is getting on a bit but knows how to enjoy a fishing day:

“This is the second time in my fishing life (I’m 81) I have not caught one trout whilst fishing at the Usk Reservoir, and the first time in my life I have caught 10 perch. Admittedly they were beautiful little fish and in excellent condition, all returned safely, which I was pleased about, but at the end of the day I wanted a trout for my supper and didn’t get one. Still a magical day in a beautiful location, especially after I saw a beautiful young deer crossing the road at 8.30. It was like seeing a unicorn!”

Writing now on the final day of the month with the air temperature up at 30 degrees and water temperatures up near 20 degrees, what to recommend next? Well pray for rain, obviously. It is several weeks now since a salmon was reported and the count still rests on 30 fish for the Wye so far. Given a cloudy day with a bit of breeze, the high mountain lakes can still fish well in summer. A hot and sticky night with cloud obscuring moon and stars can be just the time for a Welsh sea trout on those rivers which have them. Otherwise, if the sky is clear and the sun is burning high and bright, try a wild stream with plenty of tree cover.

Tight lines!

Oliver Burch

http://wyevalleyflyfishing.com