Feedback & Reports

Well we set out with dread after seeing the weather forecast, rain and cold. Sure enough as we hit the Usk valley the heavy rain started. Still the river was in good nick so in for a penny. Had tried spiders and heavy nymphs to no avail when I decided to try dry and dropper to get better control of the nymph. After a while I believe that a fish went for the elk hair caddis and on striking found I had a fish on the nymph, a small pheasant tail. Somewhat confused, I continued with this method, no mistaking the next, fish rose blind and hammered the caddis.

For the next 3 hours the fish went crazy, rising everywhere, despite pouring rain and an air temp of 6.
There were many Olive Uprights on the water but despite covering multiple fish with duns, nymphs, and emergers not another hook up was to be had. The river really is an enigma, an enjoyable day but she slapped my backside yesterday.

2 Trout

Nothing happening - no fish.

2 Trout

Lovely looking beat with many different runs, glides, riffles and deeper water, sadly I only had the chance for some fishing after 5pm. Some surface activity at arrival that finished just as quick as it started. Fished all likely holding places with emergers, then changed to nymphs and spiders. No joy but definitely a beat worth returning to!

Good hatch around 2pm. 6 BT caught

6 Trout

River clear and at a good height, but a stiff north easterly kept the temperatures down. No hatch for most of the day bar a five minute flurry of LDOs at about 1400. Both fish taken on weighted PTN variant.

2 Trout

7 Trout

6 trout up to 15 inches on tungsten nymph, then spiders which were effective in glidey water. Good hatch of March browns 12.30 to 1pm, otherwise little on the surface.

6 Trout

Overcast, with no wind. River still quite high and running fast but clear. Focused on the bottom of the Sewage Pool and the deeper parts of the run below it. No flies coming off so began with a tungsten PTN. Around 12:30 the sand martins went mad as a hatch of olives and march browns began. Trout quickly got turned on and I had a mad 45 minutes where every cast was to a rising fish. Four nice WBT to the net and lost several others. Hatch stopped as quickly as it started - but great fun while it lasted. Classic spring Usk fishing!

4 Trout

Quite an exposed beat, and it was a sunny day, which perhaps put the fish down a bit. Did not see the response I expected to a decent LDO hatch 1400-1500, and there were also some grannom about. Could not tempt a fish on a dry fly or spiders, but got five on a tungsten nymph, mostly in the seams of riffles, biggest being just shy of 2lb. Again, orange tag was the best performing nymph by miles. On reflection, I should have tried a streamer on a sinking line in the one really deep section of the beat, just upstream of the bridge.

5 Trout