Feedback & Reports

Lovely start to the day with mist in the valley and bright sun above. Mist burnt off quickly and the rest of the day was a mix of cloud and sunny spells with a gentle to fresh breeze. Very little in the way of insect life until the early evening when a very few small upwings were spotted, so we spent most of the day fishing nymphs and a couple of hours with dries.
Five trout between 4-8" came on weighted caddis nymphs around lunchtime while the 5 grayling ranged from 7-15" and were all taken in the early evening. Two fell to CDC olive patterns, the other three to hares ear and polyphaetus nymphs. The largest was from the pocket water just below the bridge.
A fine day out.

5 Trout, 5 Grayling

Second day of our annual pilgrimage to the Wye. Arrived around 9am and got the 'Taxi' down to the beat. Well worth it. It was a pretty hot cloudless day. Walked the beat and we both fished swims opposite the NT gardens. Another case of nothing doing until the evening. My mate caught a few nice chub. Really memorable day with my first close encounter with a Wye Salmon of around 15lb that shot out like a torpedo to attack my pellet as I was reeling in—sadly all but too briefly on the line. This was followed by a pristine Chub at 4lb 4oz then another surprise—a Pike at 6 1/2lb. Then a specimen Perch took a lunge at my hook bait but didn't connect. Finally a stunning Barbel just shy of a double at 9lb 12oz, just as the light was fading and the farmer had arrived to drop us back. Not the best in terms of numbers but a very enjoyable day. Will definitely return to this beat. Maybe on a weekday when there are less canoeists about (though most were couteous) and not so many screaming kids in the picnic area.

1 Barbel, 4 Chub, 1 Pike

My first time on this beat. A balmy temperature for the time of year, combined with (unusually) no wind.
The water was very clear and fish spooked easily. I only saw rising fish under the tree canopy and they proved frustratingly difficult to cast to. It was impossible to target them with a roll cast as the canopy was just above the water and the unfurling leader simply hit the trees. A side cast was also tricky due to the confined space restricting one's back cast. I am an intermediate caster at best and I think this beat was just too technically demanding for me. Not even a take for my efforts.
It's certainly a lovely looking beat and I saw one sizeable fish just below the bridge, so there are fish in there. If the catch returns are to be believed, the Upper Crai is incredibly lightly fished - mine was only the third visit this season.
Note that the field system on the left bank is in a poor state with bad drainage and standing water. If you try to follow the fence line back to the bottom of the beat, you find yourself stuck in a corner. The field entrances are quagmires, so you are better off striking off directly up the side of the valley until you hit the road and then walk down back to your car.

A warm sunny day. The odd rise but, around midday and early afternoon, little surface activity. Two trout, around 10 inches to a parachute Adams.

2 Trout

Fished for a couple of hours on this wonderful stretch. Levels fairly low but managed to land three healthy brown trout of about half a pound, all safely returned. Plenty of other takes on a combination of parachute Adams and gold beaded nymph in fast water raffles. Care needed when wading as some of the bedrock sections very slippy.

3 Trout

Water levels low, clear and slow running. A number of fish were seen and spooked as a result but none caught.
Noted invasive weeds along the bank, significant stands of both Japanese Knotweed and Himalayan Balsam.
(WUF note: noted and added to the list!)

Oh dear, I ummed, I arred, shall I shan't I? Should of stayed at home. River crawling at a snails pace as can be expected with only a few small fish showing. Nymphing produced a few and the dry size 20 pale watery rose the rest. Size wise all small 6-10 inches with none of the larger grayling making an appearance. Rain and more rain needed, still a lovely beat.

4 Trout, 6 Grayling

No fish caught. Very bright day. Only fished from 12 noon-3pm

12 x grayling 11-16 inches, Red Tag, Grayling Steel Blue and Orange Otter. A delightful morning messing around with a dry fly rod and a box of old-fashioned flies on a couple of Irfon pools.

12 Grayling

River really low and initially chilly but lovely sunny day. Fished late morning and through afternoon. Mostly fished a leggy soft hackle upwing dry size 14 and a smaller light olive bodied bushy f-fly type thing on a 3 weight and skinny tippet. Copper head nymph at close range sorted out couple of 14" fish. Only fished bottom of beat in unhurried fashion. No pools to speak of with the water so low, so stealth needed, was bit like chalk stream fishing today. Fish switched off a bit as day progressed to be replaced by tiny salmon par that attacked anything. You don't want more than 7' rod here really. Picnic tables abound, take the hamper.....

20 Trout