Feedback & Reports

Saw fish rising when crossing Bredwardine Bridge at lunchtime today, so decided to go and wet a line on the home patch in the rain in the afternoon, in anticipation of everything dirtying up tomorrow after the rain! In spite of the 7 degrees and pretty steady rain (but no stair rods), but being blessedly still, with little or no wind, yellow mays continued to come off during the afternoon and fish were rising to emergers and some to duns. All rising fish that were caught proved to be trout and all were caught on a yellow may emerger pattern (if interested, see Gwent Angling Society website for tying details). Also saw some mayfly - good news maybe for the prospect of their also now beginning to show on the brooks and streams that hold them in the WUF catchment.

6 Trout

Started fishing at 5:00 am worked down through Maddox, Corner pool, and into The Vanstone with fly and spinner. River was in good condition, nice clarity but too much silkweed washing through though. No fish seen but a good day, cant wait to go back.

Trout were caught on size 12 dry flies and small nymphs. A lot of rain all day and temperatures like in April. At least no hail!

4 Trout

One of the best days I've had in a long while. A really lovely beat, interesting to fish and easy wading. Started around 10am working upstream. The only trout I saw were those that skittered away from my clumsy approach and a couple lying under overhanging branches and knots of vegetation. Spent two hours trying to sneak up and flick little casts at them with nothing to show except a collection of twigs. Around midday the trout very suddenly started feeding on the surface. A gentle hatch carried on all afternoon and evening - it was still just about going when I left at 6pm. Unsure of the entomology, I initially assumed LDO but when I got hold of a couple they were paler, more brown in colour with yellow legs.
Trout were rising consistently which made for exciting fishing but I was unable to effectively match what was hatching. I went through most of my box, taking a total of 5 and losing 4 more on a mixture of CDC Dark Olives, Cillabaetis Comparaduns, Royal Coachmen and Red Quill Duns. Largest was around 10 inches with the rest between 6 and 8. All returned.
A very exciting day I shall remember for a long time. The only thing that stopped me going on until dusk was the steady rain and cold that eventually left me unable to tie knots without dropping the contents of my fly box all over the floor. I'm sure somebody more competent than I with exactly the right colours in his box would have landed dozens more over the course of the day.

5 Trout

There were plenty of fish showing but rain and wind stopped play, so a nil return!

The cold wind made fishing very difficult but I found two trout below the weir (8 amd 12 inches). They both fell to a gold head hare's ear. Just the odd rise seen above the weir but casting was almost impossible most of the time.

2 Trout

Cold water, cold wind, hail and rain - still it's only May after all! Nothing seen, never mind caught!

One salmon caught in Biblin's run at 3.15 pm. It took a 2 inch copper tube fished on fast sink tip and measured 28 inches. Nothing else seen all day.

1 Salmon

One fish about 10lb,taken spinning at Redbrook, another lost. Levels still too high for bottom beats. A few fish seen but no great runs of 2SW summer fish as yet. Intermittent shoals of smolts still passing through. Numbers seem better than recent years.

1 Salmon

no salmon caught or seen