Feedback & Reports

River still in flood conditions, very coloured water and fast flowing. Fished with heavy feeders to hold bottom, utilising a variety of hook baits including, boilie, sausage and cheese flavoured halibut pellets along with pepparami sausage. Chub taken on cheese flavoured halibut pellet.

1 Chub

All fish caught using meat on GB feeder and
ledger tactics.

5 Chub

Fished for salmon on Ashford Bend and Beech Pool but nothing happening, about midday the wind rose and the rain moved in so retired for lunch. The Usk Valley was looking beautiful, though Autumn closing in, maybe a chance for salmon over the next week or two when the water clears as the river has been high for a decent amount of time. Tight lines to others.

Good day for 2 anglers in the accessible swims in the upper section, the lower section did not have any accessible areas. When the river is at the level it was, this beat cannot accommodate 4 anglers. Barbel went to 7lb 8oz, chub to 5lb 2oz.
Didn't appreciate the flail hedge cutter being used a couple of yards away from us, with debris flying dangerously close.

7 Barbel, 6 Chub

2 Chub

One of those days. River fining down after flood, mild conditions, all looked good. Fish 2nd cast then went dead. Otter popped up so I decided to move. Fished 4 swims on the feeder with pellets and then revisited each swim later. Very quiet, lots of chub taps but few proper bites. Water very cold. Probably a day for bread and maggots.

2 Chub

1 rainbow trout caught on bottom using worm... Left early as wind was to strong.

1 Trout

This looked like a lovely beat and had plenty of potential... However

upon arrival, I called the contact number given in Fishing Passport download instructions, to obtain the gate code. David was surprised that we needed the lock combination and it wasn't included in the pack from FP. This made me wonder if anyone else had fished it recently
There was also no mobile signal at the fishery so we needed to drive back to Redbrook. I recommend calling in advance to get the code!
Once inside the locked gate, the access from the road was very steep and slippy. My (VW T5) van struggled to get out of the car park ramp, and back up to the road. It had been dry for 2 days and my tyres are pretty new.

We walked down to the water to scope the river and access to wading. It was tricky to find the ladders as the brambles and ferns were a couple of feet high between the small trees on the bank, but when we found it, I checked the depth, using a 6-foot stick. ALL of it disappeared into the water and I didn't touch the bottom!!!

with all the beat requiring wading for access, we could not fish the beat at all.

In addition, the colour in the water (willy-wonka chocolate River) meant that spinning would have been the only way to catch but it was not permitted after June

I am absolutely gutted not to be able to try for a Salmon here. I booked this as a special trip for my father-in-law's 80th and thought some decent rain would have given a chance of fish moving up from the sea, with a perfect high tide earlier that morning.

The location was excellent and despite being a little unused, looked good in lower (and clearer) water conditions.

We abandoned the beat and instead visited the Bigwell Fly Fishery in Redbrook, which I can highly recommend
Hopefully, we can make a return trip to try again, sometime

6 Chub