Feedback & Reports

Hi, had 3 Barbel to one rod 11lb 7oz, 6lb 6oz and 6lb 5oz. Fishing conditions were tough with terminal tackle being lost on snags due to flow. Also banks were quite difficult to fish as rain made the steep banks slippy. However we all had a great time and look forward to visiting again soon. Although the other three rods did not catch, one other had a chance with a missed Barbel bite. We fished pellet with feeder and on reflection should have fished heavier feeders. 3oz feeders and 4oz leads did not hold bottom in main flow and quite quickly found a snag! Overall over the moon with 11.7lb Barbel though! Thank you for the opportunity, countryside was stunning.

3 Barbel

Spent the penultimate day of the upriver season (my last) at the Dolgau beat as a guest. The river looked perfect when I arrived but rose a little during the day. Tried my damnedest for 10 hours but the salmon simply beat me. They were lots about and showing just once at the smooth tails, and the rapid heads of the pools, then vanished, going through like torpedoes. So I caught nothing, but did that matter to me? No, not in the slightest. I was doing what I like best; angling in the upper Wye. Well to me, the best bit of true angling is yet to come, and I can’t wait till November to once again spy, stalk, and then watch the magnificent Wye salmon jump at the falls, and finally dig that nest and lay the eggs.
My grateful thanks for the exciting angling go to Richard the owner of the wonderful Dolgau beat.

Fished from first light to noon. A tough morning. 3oz feeders no longer holding bottom so forced to fish the crease about four rod lengths out. 2 chub around 3.5lbs and a cheeky little minnow. The banks are very slippery so be warned!

2 Chub, 1 Other

Fished from 2pm til about 6pm when darkness came. Caster and hemp accounted for many small fish for first hour then we went to meat on swim feeder or direct. Fabulous sport. Fished very close to bank. Barbel around 6-8lb, chub from 2-4lb. Beautiful condition fish. The barbel pulled so hard and go off like a train on the first run. Heart stopping stuff on a scenic, quiet beat.
Accommodation for the night and breakfast at nearby Southbank House was excellent and would highly recommend. Dinner and good ale in the 'Bunch of Carrots' nearby very tasty too.
Will come again, for longer.

4 Barbel, 6 Chub

1 chub, 1 barbel lost. First time on this stretch.

All fish returned. Very disappointed as we were unable to fish more than 500 yds of the upper beat due to barbed wire across the bank and river preventing access. We had two rods booked on the upper beat and one rod on the lower beat.

3 Trout, 1 Grayling

Brown fast water. Caught on pellet.

4 Chub

7 Barbel, 3 Chub

1st time we have fished this section, we thought the swims were limited.
The river was in perfect condition and dropping. My friend fished for Barbel and blanked. I fished the float and caught all day, 2 trout, small salmon par, 3 grayling, loads of dace, 1 good chub and some chublets. There are so many dace of about 5 inches long in the river. In 2 to 3 years it will hopefully be like it was 40 years ago when you could win matches with 70lb of dace. There definitely has been an explosion of young dace and chub which bodes well for the future.
Overall a lovely day.

2 Trout, 3 Grayling, 1 Chub, 50 Other

Another good day on the Wye with fish caught steadily throughout the day.