Feedback & Reports

Fast cold water, little access on the lower 3/4 of the beat due to water levels so efforts concentrated on 500yds south of the bridge at the top.
Despite best efforts no fish were caught but Steve Willis' Pork Pie and Quails eggs at lunch were excellent and fortified us for the snow shower that followed.
Well we are the Oxford Ice Fishers.

Good river conditions. Nothing caught.

Two small brownies caught on a greenwells and released. A beautiful stretch of river. Heavy rain in the morning and a warm sunny afternoon. Very little surface activity. Saw two salmon but hardly a trout. Access is okay when working upstream - if you can find the steps.

2 Trout

Bright and sunny with water low but with a tinge of colour. Lots of caddis flying, and some olives and stoneflies but the few rises were small fish or salmon parr. 8 trout, up to 12 inches caught mainly on a tiny nymph but one to two on a dry. Close encounter with a black mink on the bank, but no otters this time.

8 Trout

Good level to the river and just a tinge of colour on arrival. Promising start with a few small trout to GRHE. Some truly tropical downpoors added more colour to the river and the fishing slowed down. However three further trout added 8-13inches made a very satisfactory day an a excellent antidote to the recent low rivers.

6 Trout

River quite high and fast and gusty winds, and the water very coloured. 1 small trout about 6 inches returned.

1 Trout

Did not fish for salmon on the day; booking the salmon ticket was always optimistic. River level was fine for trout of which we saw plenty but caught none.
We didn't fish the lower beat pools (Blue and Chain) as getting into the river appeared a lot easier than getting back out. Generally the beat is lovely and we found the easiest access where a stream runs in a couple of fields upstream of Ashford House. We had no problems wading.

Imagine my disappointment to find on arrival a rise going on at 0930 in the morning when I had imagined a quiet time simply sitting in the sun and enjoying a summer break. Catching them was another matter in gin clear and low water where the fish were moving constantly, as if in a lake! Is there a more beautiful valley than that of the Usk?

1 Trout

Lovely day but sadly no fish.

A few small fish seen. None caught. One other angler fishing.