Feedback & Reports

Another blank to chalk up for Colonel's Water!

The day didn't get off to the most auspicious of starts. My original plan was to fish the Taff, however the overnight rain had lifted the river to over 1.2m, so far too high to fish.

The Irfon was showing 0.65 on the Abernant gauge first thing, so I decided to try somewhere new and booked the Serenity House Middle Irfon beat just below Llangammarch. I walked the entire beat top to bottom, and I picked out only two places where it was safe to enter the river. The entire beat is heavily tree-lined and essentially unfishable in those conditions. Thankfully, a quick call to the WUF secured a refund and I switched to the Colonel's Water.

First off, the beat itself is fantastic, and access is very easy. There are numerous pools, glides, riffles and flats to choose from which look as though they should hold lots of fish. I hooked into an OOS brownie in the very first pool I fished and although it shook itself off the hook, I thought boded well for the day. Sadly, it did not. Not even a sniff and I fished the beat top to bottom and tried every nymph in the box.

Sadly I don't think I'll be back on the Irfon for grayling this season, the Taff is a much better bet. I've caught more grayling in two visits to the Taff than I have on six attempts on the Irfon!

Blanked - Tough day with some unexpected heavy flurries of snow. The Kingfisher looked rather amused at my shivering and my feeble attempts. Regardless, enjoyed the escape before busyness of 2026 begins! Happy New Year all - Tight lines!

River fining down from the recent high levels.
Water incredibly clear.
Only one tiny grayling caught on a gold head nymph.

1 Grayling

Sadly no catches today.

One grayling caught and released. Water running high due to rain.

1 Grayling

I wonder who is going to be the first to catch a fish on this beat this year?, 4 anglers have tried and 4 have failed!. But I did meet someone who has caught plenty here but he had four legs and whiskers so that doesn't really count. Yet another of the irfons beats destroyed but otters!. Checking my diary i last fished here 8 years ago and had 32 fish in 2 visits , oh I times have changed! , the beat has changed as well, the top end is only accessible with low water due to all the barbed wire fences and I was certainly low today and very clear which helped me see absolutely nothing!. Sorry about the moaning but I say how it is, anyway it was great too be back in Wales my last adventure was on the river Test and that is a complete joke of a river give me the wild waters of Wales any day!. Thanks WUF for having me this week, it been a challenge.

Lovely stretch of water, river clear with some nice pools, didn’t catch a single fish or have a bite! Also did not even see a fish, a small hatch came off midday and I didn’t see a single rise… I guess one of them days…

No fish caught, few visible, couldn't tempt a take from the few rises I came across.

No fish, I think it was a bit cold and the river was quite low at about half a metre on the Cilmery gauge. Still nice to get out

Only small fish evident today. Nymphs/grubs and one surprise taker to a dry klink on the dropper.

5 Grayling