Feedback & Reports

12 x grayling 12-16 inches, 2 x out of season trout 12 and 15 inches, Pink Shrimp and Tungsten Hare's Ear. The dry spell continues, so Arrow is still very low and clear. I worked on some of the deeper runs and dubs with a short rod and two heavy nymphs - only one fish seen rising to some pale watery duns hatching during the afternoon so it didn't seem worth changing method. This was in fact a really nice bag of grayling: just two smaller fish and all the rest were like peas in a pod, 15 and 16 inches, which is most encouraging. Three or so years ago, more than half of the catch would have been stocked trout put in during the summer. Now the stocking has ceased and I am convinced the wild fish will have benefited (both the by-catch trout on this occasion were wild Arrow fish). Otherwise, Herefordshire looked as good as it always does in autumn colours (I admit this, even though I am a Gloucestershire man) and apples everywhere waiting to be picked.

2 Trout, 12 Grayling

Got to the river at about 10am. The river was quite low (0.5m on the gauge) and gin clear. I started at the top and worked my way down the beat on the caravan park side. Not a peep, apart from, bizarrely, a silver scale on the hook from wood stream. Lunch in the pub and then investigated below the bridge. Again, very quiet, although I saw the first salmon jumps by the wires at about 2.30 pm. And then, at about 5pm everything changed. Back up at the Rock pool, salmon started jumping. I turned a good fish in the throat of Rock pool, switched to a red FC and then about 20 yards below the fallen tree a coloured 15lb cock fish took. While playing it, it scared an identical fish that I had evidently just waded past, which shot into the air not 6 feet from me and gave me the shock of my life. Safely landed it swam away happily. As the fish were still showing so I went down the pool again. Same spot, not 10 minutes after the first, another fish was on. Another kyped, coloured cock fish, this time of about 8lbs. I've never caught more than one salmon in a day and most often catch nothing so a red letter day for me! Thanks too to Barry for his considered advice on the phone too. To the 2016 season!

2 Salmon

Cloudy with cool northerly downstream wind, low water at 8" and 50F. 6lb coloured salmon from bottom of Gabions and 8lb Salmon from Vanstone Stream, both on #12 red shrimp. Much Himalayan Balsam in flower along bank.

2 Salmon

On a low clear Wye after just a couple of fish on a day ticket water the day before, we were prepared for a hard day. This is a beautiful stretch and a nice drive to the river bank parking. We spread along the beat in the morning from the van stone pool to the Rope pool and mainly fished pellet and hemp through block end feeders and had nothing on pellet at all. One good chub to float fished maggot was all we had to show for our efforts up till about 1.30. Pete was fishing the downstream stretch and had persevered in the same swim all day when he eventually had a good barbel on blockend with maggot, after spending most of the morning on pellet. The rest of us followed suit in our own swims and what followed was truly great fishing. Before packing up at 5 pm we had 19 barbel to just under 8lb and another 3 good chub. The fish were in excellent condition and fought well , especially in the swims rife with streamer weed. Pete also had a 1lb trout in his bag of 9 barbel. Perhaps the fish just came on at that time and we would have caught on pellet but we were happy to catch on maggot.
An earlier entry stated that few swims were available. Apart from Luggsmouth where the whole bank is walkable I would say this stretch has got more than enough swims (with the added bonus of no far bank anglers)and we tried most of them

1 Trout, 19 Barbel, 4 Chub

12 lb Cock fish from beat 3, taken on the smallest fly in his box. Well done Jim

1 Salmon

River low and clear , R Thomas had 1 barbel 8lb 2 and a perch around a pound in the slow water third field down from bend, enjoyable day fantastic wildlife; pellet / sweet corn used, triple corn hookbait caught barbel, worm for perch as we left at 7 pm a few barbel started topping, and flashing opposite the building with scaffold on it would be worth staying a bit later and fishing there, unfortunately 7 pm was the latest Mr Richards would pick us up and didn't fancy the walk back to the car park area!

1 Barbel, 1 Other

5lbs and coloured. On a red Ally's Shrimp.

1 Salmon

River low and clear with floating weed and fallen leaves a bit of a nuisance. Started in Boys Rocks at 1.00 pm but had not a touch until 4.00 pm when I moved to a swim downstream until dusk. Same result! Neither barbel nor chub interested in pellet or meat. Some maggots might have been useful. Oh well, I guess we all have a bad day now and then!

Seven and a half pound fish to Peter Gibbon from the Corner Gutter.

1 Salmon

Several fish showing but failed to tempt anything.