Feedback & Reports

It was a treat to be back on this beguiling stretch of water after a long absence. The early start from camp near Crickhowell seemed a bit optimistic under an entirely cloudless sky and fierce sun and after two lean days on the middle Usk in slightly gentler conditions I thought I would largely be going through the motions today.
An early silvery ten-ouncer not far below the first access point was then followed by a long, painful reminder that trying to control a long, three-fly cast finishing in a small beadhead with a cast over the wrong shoulder (to avoid the tree line) is likely to end in tears - sooner, and frequently, rather than later. By lunch, and an overdue change to a two-fly set-up and down-and-across tactics over the right shoulder,with dries failing to bring fish up, I had reached the Poplar Pool where a good stream jinks down past the island. Deciding to fish the inviting pool above the Highwell bedrock, this time I was taken downstream on the shrimp point fly by an explosive fish which later made a pound and a half and looked suspiciously like one of the sparse run of sewin that are sometimes mentioned in Brecon area catches. Who knows?
Sticking with the nymph rod brought a further fish of 1.25 pounds - a stock fish I soon realised, though quite a tidy one - and another perhaps decent fish on and off. Both of these came from the bottom reaches where fish were visible in gullies in the bedrock as I passed. Later the anticipated evening on the head of the beat was a disappointment with only two tiddlers to PTNs and two rises to dry - neither even touched on the strike - in the dreamy final pool, Long Gutter. All the same, a lovely day in the Fenni Fach wilderness, albeit a relatively underwarding one. I survived those boulders and bedrock in lowish flow but isn't it time WUF commissioned a medal for everyone who takes on Fenni Fach and finishes the day without a wetting?!

5 Trout

5 trout to 1lb landed 4 lost. Haresear nymph, Adams dry. Thousands of flies, very few fish rising. Beautiful stretch of river, fly fishing as it should be.

5 Trout

Arrived at the river at around 2pm to find prodigious hatches of olives and midges, along with the occasional mayfly. A few fish were rising but I decided to explore the faster water first, from where the best trout of the day (2 1/4lb) took my copper john nymph. Things really got going after about 4pm when a decent rise began to build. Finished at 7pm with a further 11 trout, all caught on CDC emergers and most between 1 and 2lb (all released).
I heard someone comment last week about the good quality of Usk trout this year. All the fish from Fennifach were in outstanding condition and fought like trout more than twice their size.
A wonderful few hours fishing on what is always a stunning stretch of river.

12 Trout

Just had a few hours in the end, but well worth it.

8 Trout

Weather and river conditions seemed ideal but surprisingly no fish taking the dry fly and no rise at all between midday and 19.30. We had 5 fish between us varying from tiddlers to just over three quarters of a pound and missed about the same again. Unlike last year when I took all my fish under the trees, these fish were caught just off the centre of the river.
All taken on a gold head fished with a Klinkhammer on the point.

5 Trout

Wading treacherous, water coloured, much of the river unfishable for novice river fly fishermen, advice was asked when booking and perhaps the extra water changed the nature of the fishery, but I would question sending inexperienced river wading anglers to Fenni Fach. One plus point, saw two salmon making way up river within couple of feet of where I was standing. My fishing companion also saw an otter midway up the fishery.

Warm bright day with goodish olive hatches. Fenni Fach is a beautiful wild stretch of water, heavily wooded with challenging slippery wading and many overgrown banks. Sporadic rising fish taking olives, I caught five to roughly one and an half pounds in weight, all on small weighted hares ear fished upstream.

5 Trout

A distinct change in the weather overnight. Sunny, warmer and, most importantly, the wind had dropped. Fenni Fach is a beautiful beat, but never easy fishing. Water low and very clear, which made the wading much more manageable. Steady hatch throughout the day, but fish activity was sporadic, concentrated around lunchtime. Of the trout caught, 4 were very good fish in the 1.25 - 1.5 lb range. 2 to heavy nymph fished deep at head of pools; 2 to klinkhammer towards the tail.

7 Trout

First time on this beat and with a cold wind blowing down stream I was not expecting a lot of action. A slow but steady hatch of a variety of upwings got a few fish rising in one particular pool. I caught six fish of between 1-1.5lb and was broken off by two larger fish. Olive klinkhammer, Adams and black bead head nymph were the flies.

6 Trout

Nothing caught.