Feedback & Reports

A changeable day weather-wise. Occasional rain and chill wind interspersed with some lovely warm spells with the sun almost making it through the cloud.
The river had a little colour to it and seemed a bit higher than this time last year. No sign of movement in the morning so I fished various weighted patterns on a sink tip, having some aggressive knocks on a diawl bach that resulted in two wbt in the quicker sections towards the top of the beat, 6" and 9".
At about 2pm there was a very short hatch of what I'm pretty sure were March Browns. It lasted long enough for me to execute a panicked line and leader change, the sound of trout launching themselves at the struggling March Browns rising to a crescendo as I snapped my first rushed attempt at a knot and then hooked myself on the first false cast. It was all over before I got my fly on the water and I only saw one more rise for the rest of the afternoon but I carried on with dries being rewarded with a really lovely 14" wbt that came out of the depths for an olive cdc.
A very enjoyable start to the season.

3 Trout

Still and misty, drizzle in afternoon and heavy rain after. Not cold.
Hatch at 1pm for about half an hour, fish rising and caught 3 around a pound.
Tried nymphs rest of day, nothing.

3 Trout

An inauspicious start as the rain started once over the Severn bridge. Still it was warmer than last May's visit and much less windy. The rain stopped around noon. This is a lovely beat; the water was crystal clear and quite low. Very little fly life seen, mainly LDOs but did I see a couple of March browns? To the fishing, all caught on GRHE upstream bar one on a spider. All released, all a good size and all gave a good fight with plenty of jumping. Best just over a pound - still quite skinny for their length. The streamy water at the top of the beat was the most productive.

7 Trout

Lovely stretch of river, a little high, 1 or 2 small hatches (large dark olives I think) during day, largest at 12:30pm. 1 wbt 11" taken on Kites Imperial at around 5pm on lower boundary of beat.

1 Trout

In spite of very cold conditions, around 4 degrees C at start of day, there was a reasonable hatch of LDOs in the middle of the day and a few fish rising. Two fish caught with one taken appox 1lb. Both fish caught on a poly-winged dry Greenwells Glory. Several other fish hooked and lost. An enjoyable days fishing on a beautiful stretch of the Usk - will definitely come back.

2 Trout

Lovely beat, probably better with a foot or so less water. Small hatches of March Browns at 2pm and 4pm when the sun shone though no fish showing on the surface at all.

3 Trout

Cold and windy day overcast and some rain.
Mid day a very brief hatch of March Browns which saw a few fish rise. Rain came back in and hatch and feed stopped.
No fish caught but still a great day.

Another amazing day on the Usk, very cold downstream wind to start with so threw a nymph around for a while in the faster water at the start of the beat but to no avail so moved up stream. At 12.20pm the Olive hatch started and the river came to life with lots of rises throughout the mid section of the beat, I managed to land 2 fat 1.5lb BT on a winged Olive and lost several more, its great to get back on the drys again.

2 Trout

Another lovely day albeit with slight, fresh downstream breeze. Saw odd rise (maybe 2 or 3 all day) but we expected more given previous day (on another beat). There was also a flush hatch of March Brown at around 12.45pm (not LDOs surprisingly of which there were very few) but if the fish were taking these it was occurring sub-surface. Great to see them though. My experience (fishing once or twice each year in early season) is that this fly is making something of a comeback on the Usk. Does anyone share that view? Pair of Goosander and one Cormorant shared beat with us and doubtless fished better.

Lots of sun, clear water 4C-10c on car computer. No flies, no trout seen, no salmon seen. One expensive picnic!