Feedback & Reports

Fished at Fownhope 5 on Sunday 23rd Aug. Had previously read about the landslide and having to go around the wood but that does not tell you anything. For instance you do not mention that the footpath that goes by the private house is almost impossible to climb in wet conditions due to the nature of the ground which is clay. Would it not be a good idea to start a forum or request others to leave contact no,s on there feedback so you can get a better idea of conditions. On a more serious note as wye and usk receive money for day tickets i would assume they would be liable for any injury or even worse death. I may set up a forum if you decide not to because i think its very important for all anglers to exchange information.
WUF Note: The path up and around the wood at Fownhope 5 can be difficult, especially when we have had a period of wet weather. All river banks become more hazardous and more difficult to move along in wet conditions so we ask all anglers to bear the conditions in mind when fishing anywhere, not just waters in the Passport. If access is an issue, please contact us and we'd be happy to advise. There are plenty of already well-established, specialist fora where anglers can exchange their views.

Arrived at the riverbank to a horrendous thunderstorm with torrential rain lasting 2 hours. Added to extra water from the previous day, the new influx turned the river red before our eyes! This was much to the barbel's liking as we caught 20 up to 8.8 from two separate pegs between lunchtime and 6.30.
The Creel is a beautiful stretch and it was good to chat with the owner and his wife later in the day.

20 Barbel, 2 Chub

We were booked to fish the river, however overnight rain and more in the forecast meant the river was on its way up and full of debri so we moved to this Stillwater. A lovely location, shallow and silty. Surface fishing took one ten pound common with float fishing taking a few Rudd and roach.

1 Other

First time at Middle Hill Court. Lovely accessible beat. The river now has a good colour to it with a fair amount of flow. A lot of debris and weed being carried down made fishing difficult at times. The rain today did not let off during the A.M with one torrential downpour/thunderstorm followed by constant steady rain. This lasted until mid afternoon. Nevertheless we still managed to bank 3 barbel and a chub between us. The rain stopped bringing with it some bright sunshine into the evening, with temperatures getting quite warm compared to what it had been in the previous hours. We both continued to catch steadily for the rest of the day into the evening until it was time to leave.
All fish were caught between the parking area and the 'end of beat' sign. Method used was feeder at no more than a couple rod lengths out aiming for creases or features.
Bait used was boilie, pellet, paste and meat combinations.

11 Barbel, 2 Chub

River fairly low, but a pleasant warm but overcast day. Lots of Chub caught on legered pellet/meat. Finished off the day with a Barbel of about 3lb around 7.00pm. With these low clear conditions the Chub will often feed all day but you have to wait until the evening to catch the Barbel. As always a pleasure to be on the Wye.

1 Barbel, 15 Chub

Had an enjoyable days fishing sometimes catching sometimes not. Really enjoyed listening and watching the red kites which were nesting in the woods opposite. Most fish came once the canoe action had ceased and everything had quietened down.

3 Barbel, 3 Chub, 1 Other

As always such a pleasure fishing the Wye. Fish were all caught in the morning and evening, this is the first time I have experienced a midday lull on the Wye at this time of year. All Barbel were in fantastic condition weighing 9lbs 12oz, 8lbs 9oz and 7lbs 10oz. Chub went up to 4lbs 6oz. Salmon were continually leaping all day through the length of The Vanstone Pool. I have visited Middle Hill Court for the last 5 years, this is a fantastic beat with great access which I will continue to return to. Moving forward I really would like to see some effort made at the bottom end of the beat to make more accessible.

3 Barbel, 17 Chub

We had a lovely day, albeit lacking in fish. 1 Barbel 8lb and 1 eel, both on meat. A lovely stretch of river and hopefully will return when the level is higher.

1 Barbel, 1 Other

Great day on Creel with 4 barbel and 3 chub. Water was low. Will return to this strech again. Many thanks to WUF and the owner for providing such a beautiful streach of river.

4 Barbel, 3 Chub

We arrived early in the morning for our first visit to Wyebank and made our way down to the bottom pool to bait up. The river was clear and very low, we were a little concerned that we might struggle in the conditions. We trotted floating crust for a couple of hours starting from the shallows working our way down to the bottom pool. I was pleasantly surprised to find the Chub most obliging and of a good average size. We landed 13 Chub to 5lb 3oz (PB for me) and most fish were over 4lb. We fished the bottom pool through to about midday and landed 4 small Barbel. Canoes had started to arrive and we decided to leave and come back for an evening session.
Arrived back about 5.30, baited up and went for a pint and returned about 7.00. Fished the bottom pool where we had a fantastic evening session landing 12 Barbel. Some very small ones but also fish of 4lb 8oz, 4lb 11oz, 6lb 12oz and the last fish of the evening 9lb.
I would like to add that in the build up to fishing at Wyebank I read many of the catch reports from the beginning of the season. For the most part the fishing had been prolific. This however had not stopped a number of people moaning about SMALL BARBEL (surely this is such a positive) the PATH which yes is a little tricky but it is on a river bank which through the winter I suspect is in many places under water, this obviously makes it very difficult to maintain. CANOEISTS, they have a right to the river as well, we avoided the peak times but found those we encountered to do there best to avoid us and all were polite. It is a privilege to fish the River Wye and I would like to thank the WUF, keep up the good work.

1 Trout, 16 Barbel, 17 Chub