Feedback & Reports

3 Trout

Beautiful wild and secluded beat. Water crystal clear. Series of shallow pools, runs and riffles, including some spectacular low waterfalls. Wading is extremely difficult because the stones, boulders and rocks are as slippy as ice - no exaggeration. I wore rubber soles and could only stand very precariously, I went down numerous times on to knees and wrists, and it would be easy to get a full soaking (or worse)or damage rod/reel. I started fishing at 1000, which was too early given the conditions on the day, the river only really came to life in the afternoon. Until fish started rising I concentrated on running nymphs through riffles at the heads of pools, and hooked two fish on a heavily weighted pink tag, but the hook pulled out on both. From about 1800 fish, some of them big, were rising consistently in most pools, but they spooked very easily in the shallow, clear pools and I could not get them interested in the large variety of dries and emergers that I tried. I think I was probably lining fish, even with a 12 ft leader, I might have been better with something lighter than a 5 wt rod - but there are some good fish there. With hindsight I should have focused on tiny dries later on in the day, and ultra stealth. No fish landed, which seems crazy, but I am happy.

Fab weather. River in great nick, strong and gin clear. Wading with caution. WBT caught between us from 11AM til 6PM. Sizes 8” to 12”. French nymphing in faster water at bottom of beat and near waterfall. Single tungsten PTN did the job. Fished right at the bottom. Beautiful beat.

6 Trout

Impossible to fish as flooded

WASHOUT RIVER NOT FISHABLE

All three trout were small. The water was high, but still fishable.

3 Trout

2 Trout

Very low water and clear. Not a fish seen.

8 Trout

River very low - 0.22 on the NRW Trallong gauge, but at least it is cold. Shower at midday washed a month's worth of road dust into the river so it turned murky but that didn't seem to bother the trout. Sporadic rises, occasional upwinged flies but no sustained hatch. Two very good trout in dries. The upper Usk holds big trout, but not big numbers of trout, I think. A pair of goosander seen flying downstream. This is a very beautiful beat.

2 Trout