Feedback & Reports

Was around 10am on location. Did use a 5wt 9ft and caught beautiful brown trout and grayling (most of good size and healthy). Used several different dry flies during the day. Around 3pm until 7pm it rained and became more difficult to catch. In the evening it was dry again and only in the first hour they where raising once in a while. Beautiful location and easy to move along.

7 Trout, 2 Grayling

Poor and difficult evenings fishing. Only managed to rise a single fish.

First fish was best of the two day trip - about 12 inches.
Other was about 5 inches, much the same as yesterday on the Monnow. Water level was inevitably fairly low.
We tried to access the water by the bridge on the road to Longtown as the red marking on the supplied map clearly shows availability to the road there. The gate is padlocked and the gentleman at the house opposite politely told us the beat did not start there and we were to access it through the gate by the parking layby. We later saw that the gardens of property down to the bank anyway rendering that access impossible?
We did that and reached the water and enjoyed some lovely glides and the odd pool working upstream. For first time visitors some indication of just where the no fishing stretch begins is badly needed - I was wading the water and really had no idea but just guessed.
Best fishing was without doubt just above the weir.
Two very happy days - yesterday on the Lower Longtown beat and today. Thank you for making it available.

2 Trout

Overcast day with little rain, river very slow and clear.
We both tried pellet, paste, sweetcorn, meat and still unable to get many bite. All chub were caught on the float and were under 1 pound.

8 Chub

A really lovely stretch of river reminding me of rivers in Scotland with well defined deep pools separated by runs or small falls. Level probably a little low. A few fish moving, plenty of insect life hatching. All three trout were approx 8-9 inches and apparently healthy, safely returned. 2 caught on bead head nymphs and 1 on a grey dun, about size 12.

3 Trout

All looking pretty quiet when I arrived with no sign of rising fish as I walked to the bottom of the beat. Very difficult access on the way up: July is probably not the best month to fish this beat. When I finally found a rising fish to cast to I was immediately joined by a gang of young bulls who waded straight into the water and scattered the fish. I know gang is not the correct collective noun, but I use the word advisedly. And no, they were not bullocks - they had the anatomy to prove it. So after one tiny trout and one diminutive grayling, I decided to cut my losses and head for the main river Wye. As things turned out, it was a very good move!

1 Trout, 1 Grayling

So, having discussed bullocks with the wonderful Alyson from WUF, I was booked on to Abernant for the rest of the day. I got down to the water at about 11.30am and was into my first trout very soon afterwards. It was a terrific afternoon netting a total of 14 trout and 5 grayling before I had to head home just before 6pm. Most of the trout were quite small in the 6-8 inch bracket, but the best was just under a pound and a really lovely fish. With only a few fish showing on the surface, I fished nymphs and spiders. At one point I had two cracking grayling on the same cast which always makes for something of a problem when landing them. Thankfully, they both went back safely even if they did take a while to revive. The best grayling of the afternoon was around a pound and a half. This is a terrific beat. Thanks again to Alyson for sorting it for me.

14 Trout, 5 Grayling

River was very low and clear, had to keep changing to keep bites coming , altering baits, hook-length etc. My mate worked really hard for his fish. Majority of fish fell to pellt, either feeder or float fished. Stretch is very short and with these conditions, not many swims.

3 Barbel, 20 Chub

Magic evening. Fished lower beat from 5pm. Some fish rising when I arrived but couldn't tempt them . Switched to nymphs and had 2 nice trout of about 8" and 1 of about 12". Then saw my first wild otter which appeared from nowhere on opposite bank jumped into the river, explored the pool and headed off downstream. The encounter only lasted say half a minute but was still magical.

3 Trout

5am start again and first barbel caught at 5.10am. 5 barbel in total caught in morning session. Came back at 5pm and and had 1 more barbel and 1 eel. Left early for the long drive home. Another great day on the Wye.

6 Barbel, 1 Other