Feedback & Reports

River back to low water conditions and the fishing slow.

1 Barbel, 7 Chub

Well, what a difference a day makes. No discernible change in temperature, light wind, so back in the same swim. Same tactics, rig, bait. Just one barbel to 8lb taken in the morning, otherwise quiet. I will be back.

1 Barbel

5 trout on bubble and worm. Changed to fly, 1 trout 2lbs, using a Cats Whisker. Goods days fishing, many anglers had their quota. Weather overcast till noon easterly wind.

6 Trout

Arrived for first light and after walking the entire beat, opted to start in the Wood Crib. At 11am and without a bite, the decision to move was simple. Moved up stream and baited various spots that took my fancy and settled into the swim with the drain cover (done alright there previously). Again, very slow so roved about flicking luncheon meat under bushes and overhanging trees. Eventually felt something pull back and instantly recognized the frenzied fight as only an Eel fights, damn those serpents! Still, a fish is a fish. Resettled back at the drain and didn't have to wait long for the first Barbel, a stunning little fish of around 2lb. Followed this with a Chub of 4lb 7oz. It was not very long before the 3ft quiver came into the equation, eventually resulting in a barbel of 7lb 4oz. This fish gave absolutely everything in the fight and took nearly 10mins to recover. She went away strong and well in the end. No sooner had I recast, the tip was bouncing again, this time a chub of around 3lb. Finally as the light began to fail the best fish of the day returned to the folds of the landing net, weighing in at 8lb 4oz. Looked every bit of a high 9lb fish, tiredness had obviously set in clouding my judgment! All fish fell to either sweet corn or halibut pellet, hair rigged over a feeder of hemp and crushed halibut pellet laced with corn and 6mm pellet.
All in all a satisfactory day considering the conditions and the lack of water. Only one disappointing thing to report. When I was dropping bait in various swims, I arrived at one, to find a half used tin of sweet corn, an empty beer can and various other wrappings and the lid off of the sweet corn discarded in the undergrowth. I cleared this up and took it away with me to dispose of. I do hope that this was the remnants of a poacher and not an angler that had booked through the WUF!
Thank you Don and WUF for keeping this lovely beat available.

3 Barbel, 2 Chub, 1 Other

Fished to pool near The Island.
2 Barbel - 7.4lbs and 5.4lbs.
2 Chub - 2.5lbs and 3lbs.
Fishing then disturbed by an incident involving a group of canoeist. Two boats hit a tree in the fast water at the top of the stretch the river was covered in allsorts of equipment.
At first annoyed with the disturbance but quickly realised that a member of their party was hanging from the tree in the fast water, he could not swim and didn't have a life jacket on. We managed to get a life jacket to him and then get him on to dry land.
Pleased to be able to help but no further fish caught...

2 Barbel, 2 Chub

Started fishing just after 10am, river looked low but had a nice peaty colour. Lost a barbel at the net, looked around the seven pound mark. Had three chub after. Don came down and we had a catch up walking back to the car. Had lunch and on went the waders. Fished out a bit further and caught seven barbel and eight more chub. Lost a few feeders but the reward of catching these hard fighting pristine fish is a very small loss.

7 Barbel, 11 Chub

Only fished Lady Alexander's Catch pool. Overcast in morning, bright in afternoon. Lower access gate does not open cleanly; need to regrade the path surface. Fished well in morning with better fish being caught (grayling to 1.5lb) on bead head hares ear fly. Very difficult in the afternoon once sun came out but able to tease a few out of the deep fast water using heavy bugs and Czech nymphing.

1 Trout, 8 Grayling

Slightly misty conditions in morning. Started at Bridge Pool in the faster water and picked up 5 grayling fishing across and down with a team of spiders and a beadhead bug on the point. Moved up to the tail of rock Pool where the same tactics yielded another 8 grayling. Grayling mainly taking the beadhead bug point fly. Both these beats are full of salmon parr, which augers well for the future. 3 nice brown trout taken from the Ty Mawr pool on beadhead hare's ear flies.

3 Trout, 13 Grayling

Most fish caught on PTN a few on the Adams both size 16. Slowed in the afternoon when sun came out. Beautiful quiet beat.

20 Trout

A lovely Autumn day on the Wye but fishing still was challenging. Very little by way of a hatch - just a few olives and no silver tourists to be seen so the salmon rod was waved more as a statement of intent rather than with serious expectation. The fish have had a tough year looking at their current condition - all the sizeable trout up to 16" were underweight for their length and both they and the grayling carried significant numbers of lice. Still a great beat though - we hadn't really fished the bottom end before but there is some fantastic water for dry fly. Best grayling also 16".

13 Trout, 7 Grayling