Feedback & Reports

Dodged the heavy showers and electrical storm but what an interesting place to fish. Not surprisingly little surface activity and lucky to find 4 trout 6-12inches on a deep gold head pheasant tail nymph.

4 Trout

Fly fished the beat down after detailed description from the owner on the phone. Height was 0.9m on the gauge at the bridge, 6" on the Trostrey webcam. Warm and broken cloud - lots of fly life - until about 2pm when the thunder, wind and rain rolled in.
Had a very aggressive 2lb trout early on from the Upper Rocks in quite coloured water. Visibility got lower and lower and the rive came up very slightly. The colour beat me in the end but I had a lovely time nonetheless. I didn't fish much below the bridge but saw a nice fresh fish in the Wood Stream mid river.
One day I will get the water right...

1 Trout

3.45pm - 10 pound cock fish - Boat Pool.

1 Salmon

No hatch, no rise, no fish.

Not much fishing done due to downpour. When the thunder started it was time to stop for fear of lightning.

3 Trout, 2 Grayling

This was an evening booking and a gamble after thunderstorms in mid-afternoon. When I had fought my way to the top of the beat (the riverside path beside Crawnon Pool looks unlikely to continue but it is there) I found the Crawnon pouring cocoa into the main stem but fortunately it kept to the near side, leaving mid-stream fishable. The wading was something else and I was amazed that I escaped without a ducking or for that matter a tumble on the land where deep holes lurk among the boulders and greenery.
Here fish came to a team of nymphs/shrimp but in the high water presentation was not easy, the best a fish of just over the pound. The tail looked inviting but was devoid of steady risers and although I had the odd pull and saw a few 'oncers', some leaping for the fly, as I worked down towards the more accessible flats, action dried up in the last hour, perhaps a response to the now mixed coloured water coming through. In lowish water Glan yr Afon would warrant close attention and is a strong candidate for most treacherous Usk beat yet waded!

4 Trout

8 x trout 6-12 inches, Rusty Klinkhammer and Monnow Gosling. Another morning of showers found me wandering around the Monnow catchment, looking for a stream which wasn't muddy. I don't have much spare time in June; this will be the last chance at the mayfly, I thought. The Dore was pretty thick, as might be expected, but the little Dulas, surprisingly, looked reasonable. It's a while since I fished it and I had forgotten what a cracking little stream it can be on the right day. The flow is slight, but there are pools here which you cannot wade through. Not very much was rising (and only a couple of natural may flies seen) but prospecting with dry flies brought some explosive rises. Quite a number of 10 inch fish, which seems a good size for a small stream, and a very nice one of 12 inches. Finished with a pint at the Dog below the bottom of the beat. Believe it or not, Roger Smith's book Fly-Fishing the Welsh Borderlands lists a reversed hackle mayfly pattern specifically named for the little Dulas. One to try out next year.

8 Trout

Arrived 1.30pm, surprised to find the river clear. All fish taken on dry madam/march brown variants. 3pm, May fly hatch, no rises, however birds enjoyed the hatch. 4 fish to 8inches, plump and well marked. Departed 4.30pm.

5 Trout

Drove down the Golden Valley intending to fish the Dulas Brook for an hour or two in the afternoon in the hope of finding some mayfly, only to find that OB had beaten me to it - the car was instantly recognisable and one that I only usually see during the winter's Wild Stream Team's clearance sessions! The early bird catches the trout - well done Oliver! So I headed off to Lower Longtown where a brief sprint through the beat delivered one trout on a mayfly pattern. Then decided to go and fish part of the Middle Escley in the hope of finding more mayfly. Came to the conclusion that the main peak of the hatch must now be over, as very few were seen (much as on the Olchon last week). Undeterred, I kept the mayfly on, located a couple of rising fish and had a further three on the mayfly, and one on a FBPTN whilst fishing duo in one of the dubs. A pleasant couple of hours, which beat the hell out Plan B: weeding the veg bed! All fish about 8-10".

5 Trout