Feedback & Reports

11 x trout 10-18 inches, Tungsten Hare's Ear, Waterhen Bloa, Bastard Adams and Jingler. This is the MTAA's Usk water just upstream from Abergavenny. Plenty of water coming down, and the river seems particularly cold at the moment. It was a truly horrible day for weather, cold and with a drizzling rain running down the back of the neck. You would not have thought there would be much doing, but the Usk was in a mood to be kind. Started with nymphs, the first large dark olive duns seen around midday, went on with spiders and finally took the last four fish on dry fly with quite a number of rises going on in various parts of the pool. Some very nice fish too - the bag included two at 15 inches, one at 16 inches, and one at 18 inches, all in nice condition if slimmer than they will be later in the year. Stuart Jarvis'Bastard Adams definitely out-fished the Jingler, when I tried them both. The hatch and all rises finished quite abruptly at 2.30, but then, as if insects were changing shifts, a rather sparse hatch of march browns began - the first I have seen this year. I waited around to see if the trout would react again, but they didn't, presumably being replete with olives by that time. I went off home happily enough.

11 Trout

20.5 lbs (weighed & photo'd) fresh hen fish at 3.30pm today in superb condition. 3in Devon minnow.

1 Salmon

A cold day, but fish started to move at about 11. Lard dark olives hatched, not in any great numbers but got the fish moving. A nice beat, the lower section is lovely! Will be up to fish this again soon.....

9 Trout

Hard day again with .9m and ENE. We both blanked.

Fish were caught on dries and nymphs, nothing big with the best fish of 14". Some larger fish were pricked when nymphing but did not stick. A steady trickle of olives and a few March Browns came off during the day with Grannon showing latter on in the afternoon.

14 Trout

Fished the Taff from Rhydycar up this morning for a couple of hours. River had dropped from the recent rain but still pushing a bit. Fished a team of nymphs up river with a french leader and managed to pick off a dozen or so trout. All trout ranging from 1/2lb up to 1 1/2lb.

12 Trout

10 x trout 9-15 inches, Waterhen Bloa, Jingler and Bastard Adams. Well, the flood has dropped away again but my word, it felt cold at Brecon in a north-easterly today. The water, which must have some snow melt in it, felt colder than on opening day. Perfect conditions for the large dark olive in fact. The hatch was late - I didn't see a dun until 1 o'clock - and all over by 3 o'clock, but the river was quite lively for a period. Switched from spiders to dry flies as the fish switched from nymphs to duns.

10 Trout

A really lovely day on this stunning beat. River falling after Friday's rainfall but in pretty good nick with the little colour giving the fish some confidence. Did hope for a LDO hatch to happen, but no sign so kept to deep nymphing with some success. Managed 8 trout, biggest a slim 2lb fish which will be a lot bigger come summer. All the rest were between 1/2lb to a pound. So a good standard. Caught fish all along the beat, which I imagine could be fantastic when the fish are up in the water. Only fished till 1pm as had to do the Mother's Day thing!

8 Trout

Very cold by the Beacons this Sunday, both wind and water. Water level high and quite dark - clearly recent rains still having an impact. Good days fishing, but nothing caught...
Did see a small hatch around 2pm of dark olives, but no fish rose.

1 trout 11" and another hooked and lost.
The snow fall cooled the river down on our arrival, and fly, and the number of rising fish increased each day.
I would also like to point out that the second parking place at Fenni Fach was not in a fit state to use due to ruts and wet conditions, and nor was the track unless in a 4x4. We spoke to the farmer who said he has asked the WUF to make this clear on the beat instructions. This may or may not be true, but I would certainly ask for the beat instructions and maps to be amended accordingly.

1 Trout