Feedback & Reports

Fish returned.

1 Trout

All fish under 6"

4 Trout

18 x trout 6-15 inches, Parachute Adams, Monnow Gosling, Mohican Mayfly. Most fish in the 10-12 inch range and in very nice condition. A bright and cool start, but warmed eventually to a muggy and cloudy afternoon, with one very light shower. The river was still slightly coloured recent after rain. Conditions just about perfect in fact, with plenty of rising fish. Olive Uprights around during the morning so fished a Parachute Adams; mayfly began at lunchtime so swapped to a size 12 Monnow Gosling on a 4X tippet, and finally a big Mohican to take the last fish in the top pool by the bridge. Enormous numbers of olive spinners hovering around .

18 Trout

River very low and nothing rising. Saw a few trout but tried nymphs and dry flies to no avail.

A plump half-pound trout, safely returned. Caught on a para Adams, at about 4pm, in a pool with a good many rises. It took on a long line, and by the time I had played it all the other fish were spooked. Beautiful beat, but in the upstream section too few gates/stile from the field to the river. From the top limit I had to wade back down for over a quarter mile, before I could get out, and the first 400 yards above the bridge is inaccessible because of a barbed wire fence. ( Later, I realised I might have been able to enter the river below the bridge and wade up under the bridge.) The section below the bridge I didn't try, as a camper was active on the bank, and drove a truck down it.

1 Trout

River running clear even after all the rain, a few fish rising to the occasional mayfly but hard going due to bright sun at times. The cold wind that arrived at 16.00hrs seemed to put everything down.

2 Trout, 1 Grayling

Good 3 hour session plenty of fish rising. There were a lot flies including May Flies, Black Gnats and spinners. I landed 2 fish and lost 2 more on a wally wing May Fly.

2 Trout

Fished from 14.00 to 19.00 all fish on the dry fly small black gnat

6 Trout

A fabulous way to spend an afternoon in the glorious sunshine and an evening in the bouncing rain.
I continued to develop my rod and river skills, especially my forte of catching nothing whatsover. There were fish rising to take the plentiful covering of midges but my midges were mostly clinging to willow, alder and even a proud beech. Leaves, branches, trunks and roots - in equal measure.
Surprisingly deep pools (I had to turn back and scramble around the bank several times) and fast flowing riffles. I fished about 30% of the beat in 4 hours. There are many happy days of fishing here for those who love the challenge of overhanging trees, undulating river beds and canny wild browns. Lovers of chalk streams look elsewhere.
I shall return.

Couldn’t really have been much better. I had not fished this beat before and I was a little worried that it would be a bit noisy sandwiched between the main road and the train tracks. Apart from about four trains the rest of the day was peaceful and tranquil.

Weather was warm and mainly overcast with a few brighter spells (but most of the stream is shaded). After a very dry period we had just had two days of rain, so I was expecting conditions to be better than recent weeks. The Honddu was still relatively low in sections but it did have a good flow to it, with a bit of colour, and if you searched them out there were some very good looking deeper sections… and plenty of fish.

I have never caught so many WBT in one day before (I fished from approx. 9.30-5). They came spread throughout the day, with a bit of a rush in the last two hours. All sizes, from little 6” beauties, right up to a couple of much bigger fish that put up a good fight. And there were quite a few that I missed. All caught on a Klinkhammer indicator dropper set up with either a Hare’s Ear or Pheasant Tail nymph (the later gave best results).

I’m new to fishing small streams and their challenges, but when the fishing is this good I don’t really need anything else.

Note: In the directions to the beat, the chicken coup has now gone, replaced by a caravan.

14 Trout