Feedback & Reports

1 x minnow 1½". 1 grayling 3-4", 3 Brown Trout 3-4"

4 x grayling 8-15 inches, various small trout and parr. It may seem a bit churlish of me because it's always nice to catch a few grayling, but I was really a bit disappointed with this session, knowing how very well Abernant can fish in September. I have checked the recent returns and see a gentleman from Kew had it really on song a couple of days ago when the level was dropping back. I only wish it had been me! It also fished surprisingly well in August. This morning I was hoping for surface action, but there were very few rises to dries, spiders weren't particularly attractive, and in fact the grayling were generally dour. Perhaps they don't like the increase in temperature. Never mind, try another day.

Rose one salmon to orange cascade but no contact. Midday 2h session with trout rod produced 7 grayling up to 14" and one sea liced trout around 13". Enjoyable day with nice water flow, light winds and good company.

Water looked good but no Salmon seen or caught. In a well known Salmon lie in Abernant stream an 18" brownie gave me a couple of seconds of uncertainty but could never do itself justice on the big rod. Shame I could never connect when trout fishing. I'll have to try Salmon flies in the future!

The stars were aligned perfectly for this day on the Wye: great drive up; lovely B&B (Old Vicarage) with a great breakfast; weather perfect (light cloud; slight wind); river falling after a spate. Twenty-one brown trout, mostly 10" and above; and one 18" and possibly bigger (it ran across the river stripping line from the reel at an amazing pace: it thought it was a salmon). Eleven grayling, mostly c. 16" and two of 18". In total, 32 lovely fish, all carefully returned. All taken on a traditional Adams (dry); size 14. After difficult days on the Wye in previous years, this has reminded me just how productive the upper Wye can be (or has the fishing improved?). My favourite river.

River looked perfect on arrived at 9am. By midday the river was starting to rise fast and colour up. Perservered for another hour but there was only going to be one outcome - pack up and go home. Presumably the mornings fishing doesn't qualify for a wash off?

Gorgeous morning - til the rain started falling! River started colouring up significantly during the morning, and by mid afternoon was a chocolate torrent. No salmon caught - a couple seen as the water started to rise.

I made a bit of a miscalculation here when I booked the previous evening, totally under-estimating the amount of rain due to fall on the Cambrian hills overnight. When I got to the beat, I was taken aback by the water height and rather wished I had taken a salmon rod instead of a trout ticket. Still, Abernant does fish reasonably well for trout and grayling in high water if it's not too mucky, so I had a quick whizz through with a team of spiders to establish that, no, they were not coming to the surface. What's more, the water was clearly still rising and colouring with more and more debris floating down as the morning went on. I think it rose 13 inches between 8 o'clock and midday. So, I switched to heavy nymphs and for about an hour found a few fish prepared to take on the bottom to the side of the main flow - first 3 nice grayling, then a smaller grayling, a single modest trout after a long gap ... and then nothing. I finally gave up at midday. 4 x grayling 10 - 14 inches, 1 x trout 10 inches, all on a Pink Shrimp.

Started the day with fishing down the main pool - and watching an otter fishing up the other bank. Only when we were directly opposite ( 25m) did he stop and we had a 30sec staring contest "excuse me I'm fishing here" after which he vanished into thin air. Water looked perfect but no sign of a fish at all throughout the day. Only at the end of the day 10 lb hen fish on T&L in Abernant stream - returned. Lovely day as ever.

Fancied fishing the big rod and hoped that the promised rain might liven things up in the evening. Thus enjoyed a couple of hours flailing away before switching to trout & Grayling. About 4 trout and 6 grayling including the smallest Grayling I have ever seen - about 3 inches!
Very little rain actually fell later on but a really enjoyable day where every rock could be seen and its position noted for the future.