Feedback & Reports

Saw a window and went for it. Lower river still unfishable so choose a beat higher up. Spinning am on beat 3 and 4 and after lunch fly on 5 and 6. Nice to be out for the first time this year.

I started when the river was 1ft 10 ins on the Brecon webcam and it was carrying quite a bit of colour - more than you would really like for trout. I managed a pounder fishing spiders towards the bottom of the beat but the downstream wind wasn't great. Just a few LDOs appeared and nothing responded so I headed to the top of the beat where there was a lovely hatch of LDOs underway with March Browns in among them, but nothing moving to them. I spotted a sole riser and he took my artifical, so another pounder. By about 2pm the March Brown hatch was pretty heavy and quite steady but nothing moved to them. Then at about 3pm with the river having dropped back a few inches and starting to clear quite nicely the fish switched on for about 15-20 minutes hitting emergers and the odd dun. I pricked two fish and by the time I was ready to target some more, the river went back to sleep. It was always going to be a difficult day but great to see such healthy hatches and no doubt the fish will start to rise in earnest soon.

2 Trout

Went out just to wet a new line, river rising and cold so did'nt stay long

6 Trout

3 x trout 12-15 inches, Waterhen Bloa and Dark Moorgame spiders. A tough midday session with a cold downstream wind - it actually felt much colder than the 7 degree air temperature recorded. The river was also very cold and doesn't seem to be dropping much - I guess that snow-melt is feeding it steadily. A fair old trickle of large dark olives between 12 and 2 but, for the most part, the trout were not rising for the duns on the surface. I suppose it is still too cold and we must be patient for a few days more. However, today's catch would have been just one trout if was not for WUF supporter John Lewis, who mentioned during one of those long bank-side chats that he had noticed a couple of fish show on the far side of the river. Anyway, John feeling rather chilled went off for his lunch and I tried the spot with spiders for a pleasing result. Many thanks!

3 Trout

I spent a few hours on the river today between 11 and 2.30 p.m. Cabin Fever critical by now, so it had to be done! The water was higher than the optimum and pushing through but clear, with 1’ 2” on the Brecon guage and 1.18m at Llanfoist. Snow-melt is still coming into the river everywhere, with a small rise over the last couple of days both on the Usk and on the Grwynne Fawr, in spite of there being no rain. So, the water was cold at <6 degrees, as one would expect, but not so cold that fish weren’t active. Today the air was 10 degrees at arrival but it felt colder in the wind, and then got a bit breezier later on and had dropped to 6 degrees by 2.30p.m. Neither the trout nor the LDOs approved of that – but in a lull between about 1 and 1.30 p.m. there was a good 30 minutes’ hatch of flurrying LDOs and a few fish rose. I saw four, rose and missed one, then hooked another which took me across the river and emerged, substantial, irate and a foot or so out of the water, at which point it pushed the long-distance release button! The other two came to hand - neither substantial, of just 10-12” and both rather skinny - but they helped to make my day. All on a size 16 dark olive Duck’s Dun. I had dropped another reasonable fish on the third cast of the season, whilst nymphing for the first hour or so, so the hatch proved to be a timely arrival. All in all, a pleasing first day out on the river! I also saw one, just one, March Brown. More to come for sure as the tide goes out, and as temperatures rise. Be prepared with the other rod already set up with your favourite MB emerger or dun pattern on it - those MB hatches, of which there could be several, are infuriatingly short-lived! Two - three weeks to Grannom time? Yippee! No more rain please and, as for the white stuff..................!

2 Trout

7 caught using worm and spinner. Pretty decent size fish to. A good day

7 Trout

Wonderful to be back on this part of the river again after what feels like a very long five months away - Nothing caught or seen Salmon wise; but the water was at 6 degrees, with a good height and perfect colour for a few hours fishing in the Rock, Bridge and I also enjoyed being able to slowly work the fly through the depths of Ty Mawr pool. If there was a Springer about, it was resolutely disinterested in my fly! It can only be a matter of days before the first fish comes off GLLR.... really excited at the prospect of a fresh season ahead: best of luck to one and all!

Water clarity was improved by the end of the day but still a lot of water pushing trough and it hold the level all day.

1 Trout