Feedback & Reports

Complete blank. River very brown. Seemed quite high, but it was my first time on this river so not sure what are "optimum" conditions.

First time I have blanked here for a year or more. No bites at all: nout. Still, lovely hot day and a great place to be by the water. Still very overgrown.

3 brown trout, best 12 inches in length. Two caught on a grey mayfly on the point and 1 to a PTN dropper. Wet day and some difficult fishing conditions: terribly overgrown and I had decided not to return until access was improved but glad I went.

Bright sunny day with water very clear, no fish rising a decent WBT seen but not caught, single dace on PTN - have to say access to water now in need of advice from Ray Mears or other jungle expert. The map provides a number of access points of which less than 30% are useable making most of the river beyond easy reach. This is a fantastic stretch of river in great need of maintenance to secure better access or provide a free machete for the £20 fee, the beat is currently very poor value for money.

I really love this stretch of water and have fished it many times with lots of success. I have to say though that I was finally overcome by the state of the bank undergrowth to the extent that I only stayed for a couple of hours with a catch of just one brownie of about 11". Moving between my favourite stretches of water has become too much of a challenge. I will go back, but only when my options elsewhere are limited or in early season when the vegetation is not so dense. It would be great to see work done to improve access to this stretch of river so that it can be enjoyed to the full by all.

Yes this beat is very overgrown, but it is a lovey beat and would probably be booked up far more often if access was easy as well. So I did not mind too much crashing through the undergrowth to get to the water (be warned it is not cow parsley it is hemlock)! I had a Lovely brown trout about 14 inches and what looked like a rainbow of about 12 inches (how did that get in there)! a few dace and at last my first grayling, all on kinks and paras.

6 trout caught on mayfly, varying from 8" to 12". Some nice hard fighting fish. Lots of rises and many other fish hooked but not landed.

Very hot day, almost too hot for fishing. Catch was 1 small dace, 1 trout at 12" and 1 really nice trout at 15" all caught on large May Fly.

Having read previous reports the dense riverside undergrowth (have never felt dwarfed by Cow Parsley before) didn't come as a surprise, however access is tough and though I hate to criticise the otherwise wonderful WUF I only located one of the 'access points' beneath the jungle (only fished upstream of the car park). Having said that don't ignore this lovely beat as you can reach the river in plenty of other spots, just expect a roving voucher style scramble. On the fishing - just three landed, 2 Brown Trout (to Klink) and a Grayling (P Adams) all little 8 inchers. Innumerable others missed or wriggling off. There were sparse hatches of May and Yellow Mayfly on a cool day. The water was quite silty and coloured but I don't know if this is normal for the beat. All in all a lovely secluded stretch of river but work is needed on access if only clearance and perhaps a more detailed map or signs to find the steps and rails.

I echo O.B. of Glos in his comments - the river was still very low and dirty, the banks are far too overgrown with weeds - the so called 12 access points were virtually invisible, and it seems to me that if a portion of the fee goes to the Monnow Valley Association they should ensure the access is cleared of the "elephant grass". I of course will not be visiting again.

To the fishing, only one 10in brownie on a klinkhammer and only a handful of fish seen.

WUF Note: No portion of the fee is passed on to other 'Associations'. Comments regarding access are forwarded to the fishery owners.