Feedback & Reports

Turned out to be a very difficult day. There was a lot of weed coming down the river which did not help with bait presentation. We ended the day with 1 chub of 2.5 lb and 2 barbel of 6lb and 7lb, all fish taken from the deeper water half way up the first field. The top salmon croy was unfishable because of the very high winds and excess weed coming down the river.

Nice bit of colour to the river. Fished from 9.30 until we had to leave at 3pm. I had 2 barbel and a chub within 3/4 hour, thinking it was looking good it promptly went dead!
I moved up towards the shallower water and had a couple of chub then moved back to the deeper water. I finished with 5 chub 2 barbel, other rod blanked.
What a killer the hill back away from the river is if you try and go back to the car fully loaded.

Bit of a struggle to begin with. Hooked and landed a barbel within half hour of arriving then the swim went dead. I gave it another couple of hours but could not tempt any more fish so I moved up towards the shallower water. Found a likely looking spot, but only managed to tempt 4 chub. Very interesting wading around in the water, baited up a shallow clear spot and found a barbel feeding there an hour later, left it to it. Moved back down river and there was some fish in the first swim finished with 6 chub and 8 barbel.
I should perhaps mention that the swim I fished looked like somebody else had fished it recently but I don't think this stretch has had many bookings lately, poachers perhaps?

Plonkers with paddles mercifully absent today, just a few good-mannered groups and family crews. Sadly, the fish also went missing. Well no, they were there, safely tucked underneath the bank-to-bank streamer weed festooning the 70 per cent shallows that comprise this beat. It was hot, bright and clear and they would not look at baits on 8lb bs rigs (no point going lower, you simply wouldn't land any barbel hooked). Probably emerged to mop up all my free offerings under cover of darkness, by which time I was struggling manfully up Cardiac Hill to the car, with no barbel and only a smattering of chub of no great size to my credit. Conclusion: Probably a better autumn and winter venue than in this low water spell.

Hot sunny day, arrived at 07:45. Lovely area but access to river limited in middle section. Fished pellet feeder and had a couple of early rod taps that were probably liners.
Picked up a couple of chub just after lunch but no barbel showing.
Lots of salmon jumping and birdlife to watch when the fishing was slow.

3 barbel to 7-05 caught on swim feeder and elips pellets. Floating weed again a problem.

Beautiful peaceful beat, caught one barbel 5lb and one chub 2lb, mate lost a clonker! Trouble in the afternoon as river rose 2 feet in an hour and forced us home! Saw several salmon leaping, including a cock of about 16lb.

I arrived at 2 pm and after stopping to chat to a fellow angler in the first field I headed all the way upstream to the Salmon croy only to find it had been taken over by a canoe stag party dressed as Bananas and using it as a dance floor/sun deck, pumping music, heavy drinking and diving into the river sent me back downstream and I settled into a swim to fish between swathes of weed, no bites for 2 hours had me reeling in and having a siesta.
I moved back to the deeper water around 6 pm and baited and waited and waited, action came at 8pm in the form an 8.6lb barbel and that was it, a few plucks and taps after that but nothing developed, first time home in daylight this week and a stunning sunset on the way back to Ross.
A tough day at the office.

Steep walk to the fishery - some nice swims first part of the river, then very inaccessible except for one swim at the end. Managed four chub on pellets during a short evening session. Many thanks- lovely river

8 barbel and a chub from swims at the top and bottom of the fishery. All on the usual pellet and feeder approach. First visit to this beat. The location really lovely (all the Wye beats are, of course, but particularly good scenery here). Much of the beat is heavily weeded and inaccessible - one can imagine many barbel tucked away in the weed. River was still carrying some colour and it took some work to find weed-free spots to place a bait in the downstream swims.

The previous comment about strong tackle is well made - you do have to bully your fish away from the weed. Some of my fish had mouth marks suggesting that they had already been caught once or more since the start of the season - unfortunately this is becoming a common feature in the heavily fished swims throughout the Wye. There were big fish showing in three spots throughout the day. My first assumption was salmon, but after a carp swam under my rod top I began to wonder....