Feedback & Reports

The day did not look that promising if I'm honest with very bright sunshine from the off. Having read the reports from previous summer anglers, my heart was set on fishing in the wood, so down the path and through the garden and up the hill I went. The hill, whilst steep is really not that bad at all. It is a slightly longer walk than with some beats but this is an outdoor pursuit after all! Once in the wood, I started at about 9.30 in the swim one down from the lucky stone. My first cast was hit by a chub on the second it made contact with the water, and a similar pattern followed with pretty much every other cast! Luncheon meat outscored pellet in terms of how quickly they'd be on it, but the result was always chub. Nothing truly massive - 4lb 4oz was the biggest I weighed... however, I doubt that many of them were under 3lb either.

Once I'd caught 10 in that swim, I decided to move upstream a little to the lucky stone swim. It was snaggier here (I'd not lost a single hook or feeder in the previous swim) and the chub were not quite so voracious. However, they did continue to bite. Sometime around 12, a rather different bite occurred, pulling the rod right round and sure enough, a barbel was hooked. However, somewhat frustratingly the hook pulled out after I'd been playing the fish for a minute or two. Next cast, another barbel bite and again I played it for a bit but then got cut off on rocks. Next cast, barbel - hook pull! Finally, fourth time lucky - I got one in. The interesting thing here being that in an area that had been producing chub after chub, it suddenly turned to barbel after barbel. However, that was it. Next cast produced a chub. And the next one....

There was then a relative lull in proceedings, so I went back over the hill to do a little float fishing in the swim below the hut. Feeding mashed bread, flake on the hook, I took three decent chub in quick succession before the swim completely died on me. I half-heartedly threw a feeder out in the same pool, but with bright sunlight overhead I had a distinct feeling that you'd need to be on the river much later before things picked up again. England's bow in the world cup was calling, that ridiculous unfounded optimism that each new tournament brings... so I called it a day around 6 and headed back to the Green Man - a final tally of 21 decent chub and just the one barbel, that's not a bad day's fishing given the times that I chose to fish.

1 Barbel, 21 Chub

8 Trout

Understand the EPA's reluctance to clear the margins (pat-way). My waders were none the better got walking through brambles. Interesting meet with a few researchers looking at insect life on the river. Species are up and river healthy. Upper beats produced two grayling - biggest 11". best one took beaded PTN size 16.

2 Grayling

river low with lots of weed catching the line 4 chub on pellets nice day.

4 Chub

Very hot and sunny day on the glorious Wye. Fished several swims from the lower reaches up to the church which is unusual for me and caught chub in all of them, most fish taken on the drop and even shortening the hooklink and swapping to a heavy feeder didn't deter them. Had a couple of barbel between 6 and 8lb and a number of chub between 2 and 4lb.

As with most beats it was just a glorious place to be.

6 Barbel

Wonderful days fishing. Friend unable to come so I had the beat to myself. Chose to fish the bottom end of the beat as there were anglers on the far bank in the top end of the beat, which looked far more barbel. So ended up fishing a slower swim but i had the place to myself and just enjoyed catching chub to 5lb. And then I had a surprise.......a beautiful 8lb barbel came along and picked up my luncheon meat. Fabulous day, thank you.

1 Barbel, 10 Chub

Our second day was a bit more productive having found a couple of pegs where the fish seemed to be. Lots of chub and barbel turned on around midday, all to pellet. Unfortunately we had to pack up around 6 otherwise more fish would have been caught. A 12lb cock salmon was also taken that took some beating!! A good couple of days to start the season off.
WUF Note: We are very grateful for reporting the salmon capture. However, this fish won't be added to the "official" salmon catches as it was not caught on fly or spinner.

1 Salmon, 10 Barbel, 20 Chub

2 Trout

2 Chub