Feedback & Reports

Having had a recce two days ago, I took a neighbour who cannot risk wading, hasn't cast a fly for over 20 years and who has never caught a grayling. The bottom section provided him with ideal access and BG caught 8 grayling - no monsters - but he was over the moon. The fish seemed rather less active than two days ago, possibly as a result of the two back to back 3 degree nights. It was certainly much colder, and the olives emerging from about 11 a.m. after the sun got up didn't elicit the same level of surface activity. Still managed to tempt 22 grayling, mainly in the 8-10 inch class but some of 12-13 inches. Taken on bugs, nymphs and a hare's ear emerger but couldn't tempt a fish with a spider!

A lovely day with 26 grayling falling to various bugs and spiders, as well as to a dry Grayling Steel Blue, and to pale watery and hare's ear emergers. Some PWs and small olives around from late morning but not too many fish actually rising - still clearly looking up though!! Most fish 9-10 inches but about nine of 13-14 inches. Always a delight to fish here.

Have to say that after the middle Wye (good as it was) that this beat really was the business for me as I like to long trot (legering for Barbel is OK but...). The Grayling were very obliging I took well over 30, majority 10" fish with the odd bigger fish. Inevitably I bumped off bigger fish. Jeff fished further upstream (I braved the cows and the bull) and took a chub then later on joined me and had a few Grayling. If the rain had stayed away I would have brought out the fly rod (got a bit obsessed with trotting). Definitely be back a brlliant beat.

Water level still high and too deep to wade in the upper part of the beat but the easier lower section was in good form. Had 16 grayling (nothing particularly rod-bending but all nice fish) and 4 trout on nymphs and dry Adams. One grayling taken. To have such a water to oneself for a day is well worth the drive up from Sussex.

An overcast and misty start with fish taking spiders and Grayling Steel Blue (many thanks to Oliver Burch for his advice on this) and a small hare's ear emerger. Not many rising fish, but as the mist disappeared and the breeze got up mid-morning, leaves fell from the trees and, where they collected in the creases and foam lanes, fish began to sip. Tiny aphid patterns and small F flies then took fish and still proved effective until late in the afternoon. A few small olives around from midday but not much of a rise from mid-afternoon onwards - fish still taken on the spiders and risen with the hare's ear. Over the day I had a few trout and 35 grayling, mainly in the plus or minus 9 inch class, but fish of 12-16 inches as well, the best about 1.5lb. A lovely autumnal day.

A bit concerned to see the temperature drop to -1C as I drove through Hundred House to get an early start.
Fish didn't mind as I caught a beautifully conditioned hen fish 13-15 lb (by length) which certainly lived up to its' name of "Salmo the leaper". Add the superb surroundings and Kingfisher and... Wow.

Thanks to WUF now getting repetitive !

This is part 2 of my return of Saturday 18th as I was stupid enough not to record the fact - of course I did return my Salmon and incurred the frozen fingers arising from making sure it recovered properly.

The Devon Duo reached the Wye on Friday & fished from 1p.m. to early evening. The colour of the water (& its weight) disconcerted us at first, but we fished the margins & caught about 30 grayling & 1 trout. With a downstream wind & N.Z. rig it was a bugger to cast.

Between the two of us we landed 30+ Browns and 10+ grayling of between 9 and 13" safely returned. Water was clear and levels were good. Not much fly activity so most success on nymphs. An excellent day following a disappointing day on the Usk the day before.

River pretty high @2.5ft and still a tiny bit dirty. Although the flow was pretty rapid and difficult (for me) to get the fly speed down, caught a grilse @ c.5lb - returned. I really can't quite believe it. 2010 must be my lucky year as I've had 2 salmon and a decent sea trout in, I think, 4 WUF visits. This equals what has taken me 15 years in Scotland, Ireland and elsewhere in Wales! Thankyou again and again, words are not enough - keep up the great work.

33 x grayling 7-14 inches, 25 x trout 6-13 inches, 1 x small chub. Fishing ahead of predicted heavy rain, this was a rather drizzly cold day with not much rising, and spiders were working much better than dry fly. Although I know very well there are plenty of 16 inch plus grayling on this beat, it was the junior class around 10-12 inches which were mostly putting in an appearance this time. Very acceptable, but not quite needing the net! A couple of heavy trout were lost during the morning. Plus there was an interesting experience on what was literally planned to be the last cast of the day. Using a weighted nymph, I hooked a modest trout from a piece of pocket water, only to have it immediately attacked by what is certainly the largest predatory brown trout I have seen in the Wye. I got a very good view, and there was no doubt about the sinister intentions; the big fellow wasn't just stalking the fish being played, but made three or four attempts to disable it by biting from the tail end as it went back and forth in front of me. When the agressor finally gave up, I got the "prey fish" into the net and measured it as 13 inches exactly.