Feedback & Reports

River level right down at top part of beat. A bit further down it was completely dry. Met EA representative, Pete Giles who explained that fish where being rescued from stagnant pools by electrofishing and that this part of the river does dry out often in summer. Did catch a 2.5 lbs brown (taken) on a black ant, size 14 hook in one of the deeper pools (>6 feet!) further downstream. Fish in excellent condition! The Teme was flowing further downstream of the beat and tried my luck in pool by the bridge leading to Bucknell but didn't see a single fish. Fallen trees had recently been removed and so a nice gap to be able to cast with a 6 foot, 4 weight. Water quality superb despite the very low levels. How different it was this weekend compared to February when I couldn't find a place to park the car because of severe snow levels.

1 Trout

Half-pound trout taken and returned above the bridge on the upper beat in the late evening on a black-and-red bibio. Water levels low, water clear some breeze. Lots of trout rising but few taking, 6 others missed. Sewin seen and active.

1 Trout

I fished from 6am to 9pm. Water low and clear. Hot day. Biggest Chub 4lb 8oz. 1 Eel, no Barbel. Didn't even see one. Tried to find them with my polarised sunglasses but no luck. Fished two swims. Left bank in the middle by the stump and right side just under the bridge. Chub from both swims. Second time I've been here. I have not idea where to find Barbel here. Maybe back when the water is higher and more colored.In the afternoon 2 families arrived on canoes, stopped just in front of me and had 30 min break with children throwing stones in to the water. I have no idea if they allowed to stop anywhere? A happy and unhappy day on the river.

10 Chub, 1 Other

Weather hot and river low. Not a bite all day. Lots of canoes most of whom were well behaved, but some decided to ignore the code and messed about right infront of me.

Fished 11am to 7pm, several lost in the morning. Fishing grey wolf with size 16 pheasant tail copper nymph New Zealand style. Late afternoon after 4pm, several hatches took small brown trout in the rougher water, some to the dry and some to the nymph. Access tricky in places but great fun, water was low, very bright conditions, tough fishing.

8 Trout

The river was incredibly low after such a long hot and dry spell. Fortunately there was some cloud and a bit of breeze to help. Low water obviously means there is less water to search so I concentrated on the deep gutters and pools. On some parts of the beat that was all that was left. Glaslyn Flat was a dry bed except for the channel under the far bank. Took two nice grayling and a trout (all returned) on a John Goddard emerger when the fish started looking up in the Penrhw sections.

1 Trout, 2 Grayling

8 Trout

One foul hooked Minnow. We were beaten by the tropical conditions.

1 Other

This really is a magical little bit on the Monnow. Good pub as well, the Crown at Longtown. I didn't hold out much hope given the low water levels, but I've done ok here in the past and thought I'd better give it a go having not fished the Lower Longtown despite having paid for the ticket. The Monnow was also terribly low, but I had some hope when I saw a couple rising to flies in one of only three fishable pools. I hooked 2, both of which got off almost straight away, on a small wet fly. In the next deep pool, again I connected with a good-sized wild brownie, and in the crystal clear waters I could see it was easily a pound plus. Unfortunately, as it approached me and saw the net it had one more shake of the head and it threw the hook! It was a very frustrating moment, given the hot weather, the trek over the fields and generally boiling alive! But it shows what a great stretch this is when you can still hook a beauty in such poor conditions. The beer at the Crown was beyond superb in restorative terms.

A lovely days fishing shared with a good friend. Like yesterday at Ty Newydd the fish were occupying the shallow, well oxygenated riffles and succumbed to small nymphs (size 16 & 18) fished in the French Nymph style. Nothing of any great size with the largest grayling at just over a pound or so. TP's catch comprised 10 grayling, 4 trout and approximately 20 parr whilst RG weighed in with 12 grayling, 9 trout and about the same number of parr.
Footnote ; the wading in the top half of the beat is very difficult but from the middle down to the end it is as easy as it gets on the Wye.

13 Trout, 22 Grayling