Feedback & Reports

Day two and struggled up here today ,very quiet, mind you it was a late start today and have the feeling I missed any hatching flies. Might have done better with a sunk fly I guess but enjoy the dry so much along here .Bit less tree climbing too! Some impressive clouds of large spinners (LBD?) gathering over the water though as I contemplated the return journey up 'The Hill'!
Alas I didnt make it up to the 'tunnels' at the top section today. There be the home of good fishes....well , usually.
Maybe the fish where just waiting for the mayfly, who knows hey. I think it is maybe better for them up on this beat but the one fish was a cracker and rose it first time I covered it so more than happy.
Kingfishers where very busy and saw some Sand Martens too . Great.
Even better parking up here now with the new gateway and considerate farmer it seems leaving plenty of good room for parking , lots of room,and always stand a while at the gate in to the field admiring the fine view before the descent.

1 Trout

First time on this beat. Lots of variety of water with some lovely dry fly flats, shame it was a cold day which limited the hatches. No fish bigger than 15” but all in great shape, larger fish were feeding on Iron Blues in the tails of the Salmon pools in the evening but were easily spooked.

13 Trout

Water very low and clear as Gin. We all needed to get new knees if we were going to be successful as crouching and kneeling is a young mans game. Fish beat us.

6 small wbt to gold head nymph.Hooked and missed as many. Wading a challenge -rocky and slippery underfoot and I eventually took a tumble. Very few fish rising but a great day on a beautiful beat.

6 Trout

2 Trout

Weather was better than expected a little rain but not much, cloudy with some sunshine and a very light breeze. Insect life was good, with hatches of Mayfly and Yellow Sally's. However black flies were the order of the day, and fish were caught on a black klinkhammer, black spiders and hare's ear.

9 Trout

4 Trout

8 Trout

Our planned day's fishing was reduced to 1.5 hours as car and family problems conspired to keep us from the water, which was a great shame. In spite the river carrying some colour from overnight rain I did manage to catch a trout of 1 1/4 lb and a small Grayling on a dry parachute Adams. Would love to see what the rest of the beat looks like!

1 Trout, 1 Grayling

Cold with chilly breeze. River fairly low; sporadic rises, with no pattern or repeat rises; so hard to evaluate fly, tactics etc. Most successful tactic was size 16/18 black wet fly, fished just below the surface. Missed a few takes, lost a couple and managed to bring 2x BT to net, 12"-14". (Same tactic, fishing with MN, same beat 3 days later, produce 7 fish).Czech & French nymphing not my thing but would like to think that these techniques would have been productive as plenty of fish in the beat and the whole beat was accessible. However, the majority of the rises were in slow moving, shallow water. Usually find the Usk very productive in the last daylight hour but left early, due to low air temperature and lack of belief that there would be an improvement in surface activity.

2 Trout