Feedback & Reports

Lovely day despite horrendous shower in the afternoon.6 x chub including my personal best at 6lb 1oz !! 3 x over 4lb. 4 barbel including 1 x 5lb 2 x 6lb 1 x 8lb 2oz.

Lovely day's fishing, thanks to Don who readily gave his time to show us the river. We were all pleased to see identifiable pegs with good access. I struggled to catch with just one chub to show but the other three shared 13 barbel, 3 chub and 2 eels. I think we will be back.

I said we would return and we were not disappointed,we fished 2 days and between us we caught 22 barbel 6 chub an eel and a very hungry dace that had a go at the halibut pellet. The successful method was groundbait feeder with hair rigged halibut pellet.

Hopefully we will return in September or October for another go. If you want to catch fit well conditioned barbel I recommend this fishery and would like to thank Don and Rudi for the information the gave us over the two days.

19.00 to 21.30hrs. From swim half way down Leggs Meadow, 2 chub of around 3lb and 4 barbel of 9lb10oz, 8lb approx and at last, after telling visitors where they are and seeing them catch but failing myself, my first Wye double at 10lb 6oz followed by another of close on 11lb. All caught on large halibut pellet, size 8 hook and 12lb line and swimfeeder from what appears to be a deeper gulley under far bank where salmon frequently lie and jump.

Mid morning to mid afternoon spinning for Salmon as many jumping and rolling throughout the beat, tried everything without success and to add injury to insult got drenched on Leggs croy when one landed beside me! They were still there in evening, a few dark fish in residence plus silvers and some Grilse.

It appears a slug of water from a local downpour on Friday passed towards Monmouth and these fish may have moved up to Courtfield, however the river was up 18in, muddy and rising this Tuesday morning.

On arrival at the car park at the bottom of the beat we were greeted by Rudi who gave us a helpful account of what to expect from the fishery.
We spent a long time walking and looking around the beat before deciding where to fish after the worst excesses of canoeists had passed at about 4 o'clock. A nice variety of swims of varying character to choose from.
JM decided on a swim in Leggs Meadow which I had dithered over - and I chose what I thought looked like a classic barbel spot down towards the lower end.
The river was low and in need of rain to get the barbel movng throughout the river.
They didn't show up in my principal swim or the other couple of spots I tried, although I did catch 8 chub to around 4lb. There were salmon jumping regularly and I'm pretty sure I saw 3 different fish.
Meanwhile, JM back in his slower water had done what I fully expected (having rejected the swim myself) and caught a brace of barbel, losing a third. Best fish 8:02. He also spent some time watching and trying to tempt a huge chub which was harrying the fry in front of him.
We both had the pleasure of meeting Don, the fishery owner, who was helpful with advice, very interesting on all aspects of his fishery and the Wye scene in general, and clearly passionate about it all.

Caught a 9lb or thereabouts fresh salmon late Saturday evening along Legg Meadow in the Courtfield fishery, from the nearside bank, on 2" green and yellow devon minnow, size 10 double. Fish holding all through the Courtfield; there must be several score of salmon in the fishery. Very difficult to tempt. Caught this fish casting upstream to cover a regularly showing fish, just out from the bank, using a fast retrieve.

Two of us fished from approximately 2pm to 8.30pm and managed to land 3 barbel between 8lb and 8lb 10oz and a chub of 3lb 8oz. All fish falling to legered meat or pellets.

A nice stretch of water and I will definitely fish again, although canoe traffic can be heavy at times.

Excellent advice provided on fishing Courtfield by Don and Rudi who couldn't have been more helpful which made fishing a previously unknown stretch of water much easier.

Caught three barbel to just under 8lb and three chub to 4lb between the two rods. River very low and clear. Very tentative bites. Plenty of salmon crashing throughout the whole beat all day long.

Fished from early 0630 until 1900. I saw so many salmon in this beat that I lost count of sighting. These were both resident and travellers, I think about 20 different salmon mainly on the croys and in front of the house.
Tried everything I could think of to no good end. Don let me fish down through the "Run" last thing but without result in respect of salmon.
Final result; Salmon nil, Shad 1 about 2lb, Pike 1 about 18lb on a Mepps, Brown Trout 1 about 1 1/2lb.
Does anyone want to buy any Salmon kit? Think I'll go back to barbel.

This report is for both Wyebank and Courtfield. Fastastic stretch of river. Struggled a little in the morning, all fishing the lower section of Courtfield, with a couple of small chub between us. Had a good chat with Don (the owner) at lunchtime, who was very friendly and put us onto the 'going' swims. Two of us fished swims in the meadow at the top of the Courtfield beat. Beautiful setting, and excellent fishing. Must have had around 20 fish between two of us over three hours or so, mainly barbel, the largest going 9 lb 5 oz. The other two in the party fished the pools on Wyebank, and had a few small barbel. Thanks very much to Wye and Usk and to Don - we'll be back!