Feedback & Reports

8lb fresh small summer salmon caught Legg Meadow crib 2030 hrs Friday. Coarse fisherman saw 2 salmon showing throughout the day, one below Legg meadow crib the other above the crib off the weedbank. I caught the fish below the crib spinning small black flying c.

My son booked this beat for us so that I could try and catch my first Barbel, mission accomplished the weight 6lbs, I was over the moon. It didn't last long as my son caught one that went 8lbs 4oz. Sod's law that your son catches one bigger than you.
The day was really good because on top of the Barbel, between us we had 24 Chub up to 4lb 12oz. Caught on pellet with feeder and straight lead and also on the waggler fishing pellet. I would say this fishery is well worth a visit considering it was our first and will be looking to come again.

I booked both this beat and Wyebank which I fished in the evening with a fly rod. First time here but I know the river here, but my advice to other anglers is fish it early, say 7am til 10am and late, say after 5pm and be content with a break from fishing whilst the circus comes to town in the form of the canoe armada. Plenty of entertainment to be had sitting having lunch in the Lower Lydbrook car park as I did, watching them turn over, fall in, etc. I would not thought it was possible to gather together so many fools in one place.

Back to the fishing, clearly plenty of salmon in the beat I saw them early in the morning on Legg Meadow Crib and just below the Wood Crib in front of the house. Spinning I hooked something large at 0830 and lost it a minute of so later before it had time to declare itself a salmon. Caught and hooked and lost loads of shad and a large Chub during the late afternoon weighing perhaps 4lb. I will fish it again but I'll make sure it is not during school holidays. Going when I did was surely my schoolboy mistake.
Finally a suggestion, would it be possible to cut back the overhanging bankside trees below wood crib so anglers would find it easier to wade the edge of the deep water channel and fish down towards the house?

Landed a lovely conditioned hen fish 11.15am just over 32 inches, approx 13lbs, caught on silver and black spooned salmon red flying c, caught off the wood crib with water level just below 0" (summer level) on the Lydbrook gauge. Quite windy, with strongish upstream wind above the island, but calm through the wood. Algae getting bad around midday.
Only 4 canoes by 11.30.

Arrived at the river nice and early (5.15am). Intended to fish the double hander down Wyebank before the canoe traffic built up. Strange colour to the water so decided against the fly and fished higher up on the Courtfield beat on the flying C. Nothing doing. Eventually moved back down to Wyebank with the double hander and had two brownies on a silver cascade including 1 beauty of approx 1.5lb. By late morning the canoe traffic was getting out of hand and had two near misses. These people seem to fall into 3 categories. a) The courteous one's who do all they can to avoid anglers. b) The courteous one's who aren't capable of steering a boat and c) The downright rude one's who don't care about anyone else on the water. By late morning it was just too dangerous to be stood in the middle of the river. I have never seen so much traffic and reckon it's only a matter of time before there is a tragedy.
Moved back upstream in the afternoon and had 2 pike (biggest approx 8lb) and a plump shad (approx 1lb) spinning off Legg Meadow Crib. Top meadow was unproductive.
Many thanks to Don Macer-Wright for his tips and help. Will be back.

No salmon but a good fish did show in the morning. Lots of Shad evident around Legg Meadow and Legg Meadow crib. Kept moving to avoid them but still accidental captures.

Down beat 06.30am after night shift for breath of fresh air. Cold sunny morning with mist rising off the Wye, stunning ambience! Not optomistic as river extremely low. 1 salmon kelt possibly just into double figures unhooked in the water and swam off at reasonable pace.
Caught in fast oxygenated flow just 10mtrs below the island where there is a deeper hole (the barbel hole) on pink and copper bladed flying C fished deep and slow, held back against current. Are there any more late kelt holed up in pools as these waiting for a flush to take them to the sea as we seem to be seeing many salmon in this area of the river lately.
Early twait shad shoal seen above island on Friday that seems to have moved on up river. Large 20lb plus spawn laden pike and attending jacks and also barbel spawning in shallows easily seen due to the low water. Exceptionally large hatches of Mayfly and similar of late.

None caught but still an enjoyable day with interesting pools. 1 decent salmon followed my flying c into the bank in the top pool but couldn't get him to take. Very hot day with the normal Sunday canoe traffic. Handily situated pub in between the lower and upper beats.

Nil catch. One very savage take. Nice beat with good variety of pools. Enormous evening hatch.

1 salmon, about 7th cast of day at bottom of steel steps in lower part of beat. Yellow/silver flying C fished mid-depth, 2ft, positive take on near edge of main flow. About 1 or 2inch of fresh water from yesterday but water still clear. Overcast with upstream breeze causing surface ripples.
Silver fish with sealice on gill covers and flanks, 38in long (96cm) took 20mins to bring to net after several long powefull upstream runs. Had to net land as fish rolled main line around tail as it was brought into shallows. Swam strongly and undamaged upstream on release.
My first salmon, thanks to Donny Macer-Wright for his expert advice and constant encouragement and also to W&U for their weekly report last week which recommended trying The Courtfield and Lower Wye beats which led me being on the river bank that day instead of odd jobs at home!