Feedback & Reports

Fished left bank only. River still a little high and coloured. However I fished the fly as I much prefer it to spinning. No luck so switched to Flying c and after a few casts just below top steps of the Vanstone a salmon took but only stayed on about one minute!
Am putting in a plea for better access to the top pools on the beat as I would dearly like to follow in Pashley's footsteps!

WUF note - Bank clearance and access work is due to carried out on this beat.

Some fish showing in the Vanstone Pool but no takers. Water carrying colour - fishable but only just. Thank you.

A cloudy, thundery afternoon and evening with occasional showers. Water level was 1 foot 4 inches, but rather black and dirty so I opted to spin. 2 x cock salmon, both at 32 inches. One was a coloured fish which had presumably been in for a while; the second, just before dark, was fresher but showing a very nasty bite wound either side of the adipose fin, which I put down to a seal attack.
The by-catch was interesting. One greedy chub on a Flying C was no surprise. But from the top of the beat, a very large cock brown trout of 24 inches. Sad to relate, although it looked in good condition and with plenty of girth, it came in like a log with no fight at all. I made sure it was another chub until I actually saw it. Even sadder to relate, it woke up as I was unhooking it while standing in the river and with a couple of head-shakes neatly and very painfully transferred the spinner from its kype into my hand. He was off and I was on. I know, I should have used the forceps. The air was blue for a while and by mutual agreement we skipped the photography. By its colouring, this quite definitely was a brown trout and not one of the Wye's rare sea trout. I wish I could catch one like this on the fly, but I never have, and as far as I could see he looked like a confirmed carnivore. He certainly left his mark on me.

Made a very early start and was on the river by 5.30. Lost a fish in the Vanstone at 6.30 and missed a good take in the Maddox a bit later. 1st canoes through at 8.15 but didn't start in earnest till gone 10 and were mainly through by 3. Mostly happy to stick to far bank.
Caught a 3lb chub in the Maddox but despite trying everything couldn't get any more offers in the Maddox, Vanstone or Cornertree. Broke for lunch and in the early evening tried to suss out the upstream pools. Still hard to figure out what is what but there is some nice water and some new access points have been cut.
First run through what I think is the Island pool and I caught a 10/11lb cock fish on a size 12 cascade that had probably been in a week or 2. Very strong fish that gave me real battle. Fished on until 9 in hope of another with quite a few fish showing, but wasn't to be. Well worth the early start though.
River was still carrying a bit of colour and was the running at around a foot. The information on the web beat description would seem to be incorrect as it describes the stones in the Maddox as being exposed at 1 ft 7, however yesterday they were submerged.

I thoroughly reccomend this beat.

The directions to fish frome the A40 bank were very poor the correct lay bye was hard to find so we gave up so and fished from the Ross bank. The bank was very steep and the water very hard to access and really this beat has is only for the fit and agile angler. However once in the river the fishing was good and the river looked and felt right. I tried a fly for the morning with no success. At lunch time was sat on the bank in amongst the bushes and saw a decent fish rise in the pylon pool, cast at it with a red flying c and it took first cas. This fish was a superb 18 pound bar of silver that fought for 20 mins before being safley landed. Fatastic fun. At 3pm the same flying c accounted for another 10lbs fish in the same pool. Despite the awkward access to the water throughout, what an amazing day out. Thanks very much to the Wye and Usk Foundation.

Coloured cock salmon, about 16lbs, taken on a small double fly on full floating line from The Island pool.

Fishing the top of this beat too much of a scramble.

Fly-fishing from 10AM to 6PM. Few jumping salmons seen but nothing caught. I have tried plenty of flies (Tubes, stoat tails, etc...). Many canoes on the morning.
The upstream pools are very dangerous to access on the right side (downstream). The last pools are better.

Bit of a disappointing day with no salmon caught although they were definitely in the beat around the Vanstone and Maddox, saw several.
With the heat in the middle of the day I adopted an early and late approach going home once the first canoes arrived and coming back to fish in the evening.
My beef is with the state of the banks and the river inaccessibility at the upper end, Pylons, Doghole, the V, etc.
Having parked the car as far up the beat as possible I spent 45 minutes walking up the river to try and access the beats top end.I found it was impossible and in fact in a lot of places I couldn't even see the river.It was clear to me that no one had been there in quite some time and that would include a man with a strimmer. So my early start was a waste of time because by the time I'd found my way back to the Maddox and Vanstone a hour and a half has past without me wetting a line.
I feel the Foundation should comment on these factors when anglers book a beat. I know bankside vegetation grows in the summer but it would be great if access points could be cut to the riverside at the least.

WUF note - After not being fished for several weeks due to high water, the banks had become overgrown but strimming work and clearance work has subsequently been carried out with further work planned for the near future.

Saw and touched nothing all day. Water dropping and clearing, should be good for weekend. Not sure how one fishes the right bank when water that high? Too high for me to risk on my own.
I lied, I lost one. A canoe about 11.10am, gave a good fight until the hook came free LOL

Nil Return. River too high and coloured. Had a good go on the fly and then spinner. 3 fish seen running but difficult conditions. Will try again next month.