Feedback & Reports

2 very enjoyable days seeing more Wye fish than for many years. Too bright and lowish water so not surprised at a nil return. Very well looked after by NJ for both days on this lovely beat. Will return soon.

very few fish showing,

Arriving mid morning what was reported to be an overcast day quickly turned into a simmering scorcher! In the absence of a farmer to taxi.... he was off to market, it was a proper march from the reserved parking to the river bank! If your stamina isn't up to it then I would advise to travel light or make 2 trips! Maybe bait up first then return for tackle?
I had a quick glance along the lower stretch which was wide and deep enough to hold fish, but somewhat restricted for access. So I marched on to the ever popular top section opposite the NT.
1st thing I saw were fish flashing across the swim to the left of the boat house. It's shallow there so a stalky approach would be needed. I baited and walked on. Met the 2nd rod. What a smashing bloke! He fished the exposed gravel bar near the bend. All the signs were there for some hook ups!
I settled on a swim back towards the boat house opposite the wall... The water was low but at this point it deepens and presented creases. I ended up fishing to a point to the right and close to the willow tree since the main run was literally a snag a cast, even with buried hooks! No joy sadly.
I returned to the left boat spot and still saw flashing.... I legered out a corn offering since I guessed the fish would by now be sick of the sight of pellet what with local advice erring on piling in kilos of the stuff!! Still no takers. I do think the heat and extreme light was killing off chances.
I moved again to the very end of the top section where the river slows and expands. This is where I was going to end up for the rest of the day. It was cool and shady and the fallen tree gave me hope of holed up fish.
I packed the pellet away completely.... So with a mixed crush of ground bait, corn and single legered offerings outside of typical! Try a 22mm pre soaked hard pellet!! I settled in.
Well..... 1st catch was a clearly gob stopper chewing chub! Who fell to the 4ft link legered 22mm soaked pellet! (Bait tech krill tuna squirt).... Clonk, spirited fight, in the net!! Well now! Who'd have thought!!!
So after that bombshell nothing more on the big baits..... So switched to triple hair corn and GB feeder. Wasnt long til another... Remarkably larger and clearly an old wye warrior chub slipped into the net. I was suitably honoured at its presence. Stonking fish!! Cleared 5lb easy!
Not the barbel catch I was expecting but 2 well earned and specimen chub are not to be sniffed at!
My advice on this stretch would definitely be to think outside of common parameters.... I mean 22mm chokers?! Really?? Yessir!
Could save a blank on any day! All in all a stunning location with varied swims...
Cannot help but think the fish had backed off to the lower stretches but was unable to get bankside to have a punt.
Ps... It gets dark here VERY quickly!.... Best leave enough light to safely navigate out of the fishery.

2 Chub

one small trout caught on a black hopper, returned too small.

1 Trout

Arrived to find river very low, and sluggish only 2 chub caught all day but I think it was the same fish caught twice!!! a very hot day quiet a lot of canoes the majority of which were very considerate and polite the only exception being 2 gobby yobs slapping the water with oars .... they discovered quiet quickly that was a bad idea!!!!! ... not the best days fishing we've had but enjoyable all the same..

2 Chub

Two hours evening fishing. Fish lying at bottom end of pools and fast water, big hatch but not great rise. Adams fly.-lovely easy accessible wading. Met local farmer-was really interested in the river and fishing. Best think I have done to buy the wild stream permit-

4 Trout

I wanted to introduce my friend Adam to barbel fishing. What better river than the Wye to do this? I have fished Courtfield a number of times so knowing this stretch well decided to take him there. We weren't disappointed as this stretch once again proved how good it is. We fished the same swim in the woods as I wanted to be close at hand. Adam fished downstream of me as this is usually the best area when two people fish close together. He ended the day with 11 barbel to 8 lbs 4 ozs and one chub about 4 lbs. I spent most of the day catching chub to 4 lbs 12 ozs and had to wait until late afternoon for my first barbel but then things went very well for me, landing a total of eight barbel. The best two were 9 lbs 12 ozs and 10 lbs 6 ozs, my biggest Wye barbel. The day was overcast so we had action sporadically throughout the day but as usual the evening proved to be the best time. The biggest fish coming at last knockings. The canoes came through in numbers but all were courteous and we had no problems.

19 Barbel, 9 Chub

My first Wye salmon. 12lbs slightly coloured cock fish caught on fly, cascade from Cafn. River 10" clear.

1 Salmon

Introduced an angler to the Wye for the first time. Conditions were spot on he caught from the start.
We finished with 3 Barbel to 6lb 2oz and 20 Chub from 3lb to 4lb 2oz. All caught on feeder with pellet or meat. A large number of good barbel hooked but lost - can not work out why but that's fishing.

3 Barbel, 20 Chub

Having never fishing here before I was on a steep learning curve from the off...
I headed initially to the upper section of the fishery expecting to make it to the bait pool.
Sadly I found out that this was not accessible... So having seen the drink far swims I made attempts to reach the island.... Note... The silt bank is VERY deep! Thankfully the willow tree rescued me from a sorry and muddy escape! Phew!
I took to driving round to the lower parking and set about fishing the deeper section just up from the fast water. It looked promising with fish moving everywhere. But after 2 hrs and many methods nothing had taken up my offering.
I took a jaunt down as far as I could go along the fast water where I found a slack eddy after a fallen willow. Scattered some hemp and say back to rig up a Trefor west style loaded hook with rough meat to bump along the crease...... Success! 2nd cast in and a pristine 5lb chub stole away!.... Great news... I didn't blank!!! But it would seem that the commotion scattered any hope of finding another fish, so I moved back up to the cow field.
I lighteded up on the tackle and cut down bait size and continued to try on the middle sections. Only 1 baby barbel fell for this and after that nothing. That's not to say the fish weren't somewhere, the 2nd rod on this stretch had better results.
It was and mixed up day with disappointments, fear, anticipation and successes. The river was very low and this cut down on opportunity but all in all and enjoyable day.

1 Barbel, 1 Chub