Feedback & Reports

Weather overcast but dry. River slightly coloured after the recent rain. Good hatches of flies of varying types but only the occasional fish rise. Caught 4 beautifully marked small trout. Two on a Gold Head Pheasant Tail and two on an Parachute Adams - all fish safely returned. Lost the biggest trout (1lb?) on an Olive Klinkhammer, after it jumped clear of the water and dislodged the fly. It looked like a fine specimen! The new styles and gates make for easy access to the beat, but it is very difficult to get access to the river at the top end through the wood. Overall a great day out.

4 Trout

A quick evening visit on the way back home and river was rattling along nicely with a freshet from the recent rains and also carrying a fair tinge of colour and the bed where you could see it has had a nice flush out. Could be good this week I guess !
Nothing much moving on top but some huge olive spinner clouds buzzing around over the river and the swallows and swifts where revelling on them. A size 14 clownshoe caddis got me the one fish so was happy with that.

1 Trout

After previous nights heavy rain the Arrow at Titley was showing slight colour which got worse as the day went on.My client returned a brownie of about half pound and missed a couple more on dries but by lunch time the river was too coloured for dries.

1 Trout

Intermediation course at Gliffaes. Lots of rain lead us up the system in search of clear water. We found it.

17 Trout

Managed a couple of hours mid morning before the height got too much. First time out for salmon this year, hopefully not the last.

I've been keeping an eye on other anglers' comments on this beat, one of all time favourites, to see if the trout were still being caught in the recent almost drought-like conditions. I was pleasantly surprised to see that trout were still being caught, despite descriptions of the water being extremely low. And with rain falling all day Monday just gone and more yesterday, I thought it must be worth my annual visit to Longtown. And it proved a good decision! Hatching cast my vote it was off to the beat in intermittently heavy downpours, but I didn't mind, the more rain the better!
The river is still quite low, but definitely up on where it has been, and I started in the pool at the top of the beat where the Ecsley Brook meets the Monnow. A couple of small fish were rising as I arrived, moving as quietly as I could, I set up with a Grey Wulff and caught two in this deep, dark pool, both around 7 inches and fin perfect.

I then headed downstream and arrived ago the large pool with the big tree in the middle of it. Again, I cast out the Wulff and caught two more! One either side of the tree. One was around 8 inches, and the fourth was best till last - probably 12 inches and treated me to a leap before haring around the pool! By now it was around 5.30 pm and I felt a pint calling. I popped into the Bridge Inn at Michaelchurch Escley, which is as lovely as everyone says - give it a go! Great beer garden overlooking the brook, tempting you back!!

4 Trout

Despite the weather I had 3 hours on the river in the afternoon. River is only slightly colored and in the first pools trout were rising to mayflies. Biggest trout was around 11". Best pattern was a simple mayfly imitation fished in the surface.

11 Trout

Not been to this beat before, but water still appeared high after the recent rain and was very coloured. High water level and some very wet steep banks made access difficult. The access path on the left bank especially has become very overgrown and difficult to use. Tried a variety of flies at various depths but no success.

River in flood. Not able to fish even from the banks.