Feedback & Reports

Fished up the runs with a gold ribbed hare's ear size 14 nymph. Great fishing for Wild Browns, caught eight up to 1.5lbs. 3 hours of relaxation in a wonderful geological location. Slippery under foot. One salmon showed in middle of the beat. Not many rises and no takers for the dries but perhaps I was not on the river late enough.

8 Trout

Both c.1lb. Low water, few rises. Caught on nymph.

2 Trout

6 x trout 6-15 inches, Deer Hair Emerger. A day changing gradually from warm to cool and then rain as an Atlantic front came over. A very few olive uprights, yellow mays, and later some true may flies, but little reaction on the surface from the fish yet. I found myself roaming up and down the beat looking for risers, although those found would usually take. As usual at Monnow Valley, I have a "big fish / great escape" story to tell. This one rose once upstream of my position and took my Deer Hair Emerger with a great swirl a few seconds later. There followed about two seconds connection after I set the hook, then one angry jump showing his impressive dimensions, and he broke the tippet. I suppose I was holding rather hard because he was right next to alder roots, but that will teach me to use adequate nylon!

6 Trout

Caught two trout to 10" on an olive emerger; lost a few more. Plenty of fly life and lots of fish rising. Also plenty of rain and wind resulting in a few tangles. Saw a family of 3 otters swimming up stream. Nice beat but the wading was tricky.

2 Trout

15lb Silver Salmon caught on Spinner Irish Rubber wasp yellow tail. Caught at 5.30pm lower side of Redbrook Fisheries.

1 Salmon

Great day but no fish - only saw a couple in the evening. Excellent beat and Nathan the ghillie is highly knowledgeable and helpful, especially with my novice guest.

Cool, cloudy, breezy. River in good order. Half day Both fish small, on klinkhammer. Quite a few fallen trees in the river - legacy of winter gales?
A possible stand of Japanese knotweed on right bank inside first bend above Titley Bridge. I am no expert, and hope I am wrong, but I thought it best to report, just in case.
WUF Note: Many thanks for the report of possible JK - we will investigate.

2 Trout

Unforgiving and b'tard head wind (at least Force 7!) hampered what would have been an epic visit. Midge in the morning gave way to clouds of upwings from lunch, mainly olive uprights. Low water kept the clunkers down but there were no end of wild fish to 12 inches rising sporadically. Given difficult casting and spooky fish, perhaps 'cos of wretched otter that plagued my steps (but at least did give good photo opportunities) the score was lower than it might have been, but who's counting in such a magical place.

8 Trout

I know that the salmon itself determines what fly at what depth and of which size it will take and that almost all salmon (most of the time) behave differently to each other. But it is high time and the right time for them to begin taking small flies on a floating line!! Clearly the salmon in the Wye have not read their salmon fishing books and need to bone up on AHE Wood, Jock Scott and others before leaving the estuary. One slow draw and a thump on the dangle is not sufficient to call these salmon in Goodrich well read...lovely beat and glad to be fishing it regularly after an absence of twenty years.

Aberedw has disappeared off the booking office site so maybe this was my last fish of that beat. 20 WBT all to dry a most fish were the typical 10" Edw trout. Water fairly low and very clear. I knew I was in for a good day when my first three casts rose two fish (that were too fast for me until I had my eye in). I do hope that the missing beat is a temporary glitch. If not the passport has lost a good one! This was day 1 of a four day trip to the WUF.

20 Trout