Feedback & Reports

Llanstephen Guage 8". Fished 10 till 6.30 on a generally calm, warm, partly cloudy day. Perfect! Became even more perfect at about 11.30 with the "catch of the day" - an osprey above us, heading down river on its way home. But back the fishing - a few PWs, but not many, was about it apart from some sedges late afternoon. Some fish rising all day, but not many. 75% of the fish we caught were non-risers. Given that fish were looking up, we fished emergers pretty well all day and all of the fish caught were off the top. GW used small olive and brown parachutes, and latterly a brown bodied Duck's Dun. DC had just about every fish on a size 16 pale hare's fur Duck's Dun, with a few on a HE parachute as well. The best trout was 13" but every grayling, bar four, was 9-10" - that's 70 single year class grayling! We've never experienced anything like this before on the Wye where one year class is so prolific and so dominates catches. The other ladies were 11, 12 and 13", and more the sort of fish that in recent years have formed a significant part of catches on this beat. Where are the older fish? Whatever the reason for their absence, the 9-10" grayling spawning year was clearly very productive in the Wye catchment. What was so good about conditions that year? Let's hope that the FEBs don't feast on these fish. If they don't, a few years hence, the quality of grayling fishing should be something to behold? All round, not a bad day.

4 Trout, 74 Grayling

Please see report already submitted by DC. Wonderful trip and the number of small fish bodes well for the future.

33 Grayling

Day started 12 degrees and overcast/light rain. Forecast was to brighten up. Water was low, but pushing through with the faintest of peat stain to colour, so fish in depths were hidden. The only issue was a blustery downstream wind, which was cold. Weather turned bright and cloudless about 2pm. there were soome insects hatching and a very few rises.

Stuck to dry: para's and a mixture of grey, brown and even the odd black. Size 14 worked best. Tried to cover the whole beat, but the wading on the lowest part was a real ankle breaker and I gave that up. The best pool turned out to be the 'main' field pool, which is some 300 metres long and a great glide. Action in tail and head. Middle 100m almost dead.

I fished 2 sessions. The break (to stock up with flies and tippet: Thanks Sports Fish, but they do a good impression of a wounded rhino...) didn't improve my reaction times. I literally lost count the number of times my fly was taken and I managed to miss them. Maybe 40? The ones I got were 3 in am session and 2 in evening. Most were 7" to 11", but the prize of the day (week?), from the rough water at the head of the productive pool, was a stonking 21" grayling that was only just hooked in the lip on a HE dry of my own tying on a Moser barbless hook. which any will tell you are bloody useless as hooks... They are effectively bent pins and have a tendency to revert to type under any pressure... Lucky me!

The day ended cold. My car said it was 11 degrees (from a high at 4pm at 17) at 8:26 pm. That is why the rise was so pathetic I guess...

Another great day out. Thanks WUF!

1 Trout, 4 Grayling

Very warm day with fish rising all day. Most taken on a light coloured size 18 klink. Two very strong fish of over a pound & a half but the rest all around the half pound mark or less. River bank alive with families of long tailed tits peeping away which were a delight as I sat eating my 'docky' in the shade with the dogs (who had the crusts).We are so lucky to be able to just book such a beautiful chunk of the riverside at will. Thank you.

16 Grayling, 2 Other

A lot of water, 2 trout caught on PTN - returned

2 Trout

River at 10" on the Llanstephan gauge, which is higher than usual for mid August, with a touch of colour. DD mostly fishing dry fly, JD fishing a team of three wets (though swapping methods later). We didn't fish the beat hard, taking our time to enjoy the lovely scenery and occasional kingfisher, but caught regularly from about 2 til 6pm. All grayling in the 8-10" range (except for one tiddler) caught on olive nymph, Hancock's Pet, grey duster and red tag. Unusual absence of the larger grayling often caught on this beat.

11 Grayling

First time at this beat and there are some wonderful stretches of water. There were only a few parr rising in Lady Margarete's and no sign of salmon anywhere. Very few other fish seen.

I like the Edw pool very much. I wondered if the WUF Gardening Elves could pay a visit.... The very top of the beat is heavily laden with Himalayan Balsam and pretty much inaccessible... There are a couple of small trees on two jetties that could do with being removed. Any chances?!

4 Trout, 4 Grayling

2 Trout, 38 Grayling

Picked a warm, calm day with a few PWs from quite early and the odd one on and off, together with some sedges, later during the day. A few YMs as well and even some mayfly at the mouth of the Edw. Some rising fish throughout the day so, as there was some fly and fish were clearly looking up, I stuck to emergers. That said, fishing the foam, more of the fish caught were non-risers rather than risers. The trout were 12" fish and all but three of the grayling were 8-10" ones and the others were only 12-13". The preponderance of this year-class of small grayling (and I even caught some graylets as well) seems the norm this year at Abernant , Ty Newydd and GPIAC, when I've visited, and I wonder where the numbers of the usual larger fish have gone as, if these guys are looking up, so usually are the larger ones? Great for the future though as it was clearly a very good spawning year when these guys arrived on the scene. Let's hope that the FEBs don't get them before they put on some more meat! Most fish taken on a size 18 pale HE Duck's Dun and the rest on good old Grayling Steel Blue. A huge thank you to WUF for getting the strimming done on the bank on the top half of the beat. Made for a much safer walk up and back - a job well done.

2 Trout, 38 Grayling

Idea river levels (great for August) but quite cold and gloomy with persistent drizzle and light rain. All fish bar two came to a size 18 BWO emerger or snipe and purple spider, the other two to a jig nymph fished deep. Many fast rising small grayling either turning before they took the fly or too quick for my reflexes, but the bigger ones connected solidly. Best grayling 12 inches, brown 10 inches, on a spider from the first pool in the Edw. A lovely beat to explore again early or late season.

3 Trout, 7 Grayling