Feedback & Reports

No Salmon seen or caught. River a 8", too low for fly fishing but we persevered anyway. Next time will take a spinner if the river is this low.

The river was low and clear, so we headed for the lower end of the beat where the fast water was (indicated in previous catch reports-producing fish). Lechmere's pool also showed signs of a good head of fish too but this was to be the back-up area if the lower beat didn't produce. To say the chub were jumping up the rod was a understatement! It was incredible, with lightening fast bites on banded pellet on swim feeder methods instantly. Fishing from 3pm until dark, the sport was fantastic on a truly awesome beat. Impeccably kept and a real jewel in the WUF crown. I want to pack in work and live there in the hut!

19 Barbel, 21 Chub

Caught 2 barbel in between the pillars from the first swim of the beat, both barbel weighing 7lb. The first barbel I caught I noticed there was someone's barbed hook still in the fishes mouth along with a trace and swivel. My barbless hook just came straight out with one finger but the barbed would not budge so lucky I had my forceps on me I managed to get the hook out, there was a bit of blood but the fish was ok. I gave the barbel plenty of time to recover. 3rd fish I caught was from middle of the beat, another barbel, this time weighing 6lb. 4th fish I caught was a small chub of about 2lb. I didn't weigh the chub but caught it a bit further up the beat.

3 Barbel, 1 Chub

1 Barbel, 7 Chub, 1 Other

Another lovely day on this beat. Cool in the morning saw the odd salmon leaping, but all was quiet throughout the hot and bright day. There were trout rising, but easily spooked, particularly in the calm waters. Caught a salmon parr. I also saw shoals of fry - hundreds of thousands of them, and had 20 sightings of kingfishers.

Very hot but decided to pop down for a couple of hours in the afternoon. Not much moving and river very low and stale.
Drifted a small nymph through the faster (relative), deeper (relative) pools.
But a "red letter day" as I did catch my first every salmon - all be it a parr with delusions of grandure taking a 14 grhe (had gone up about 3 sizes to avoid the parr that were snatching at every cast).
Also a trout parr which took nymph as it was just touching water as I applied floatant to the klink - and having now caught both it is very easy to distinguish between the two species.
Were kingfishers aplenty which confirmed high level of fry and parr. Just no sign of anything above 4" - where do they all go when the water is so low?
Tributaries now desperate for water. Also had a look at the Lugg at Lyepole on way home and that was as low as I have ever seen it.

2 Other

Lovely afternoon's fishing. Persevered with dry flies, but nothing came to the surface. Nil return, but a pint at the Bell proved sufficient to restore my faith that next time it'll be different.

4 chub to 2lbs and 1 barbel to 6lbs in the first hour then weed started drifting down river.

1 Barbel, 4 Chub

River perfect at 8" on the Ddol Farm guage and running clear, so that helped the wading on this beat where some care is needed at all times. Very sunny all day with little wind. Some sedges present a.m. and p.m., a few small olives on the water in the afternoon and some big spinners in the air in the evening as well. A few fish rose off and on all day and I even caught my last lady at 8.30pm when I could barely see the olive that I had cast to the rise. Lovely stuff! As at Abernant last week, the grayling were in heads-up mode but here some trout were rising too. Fished a single emerger most of the day and took fish on it as well when fishing duo with various small nymphs, none of which elicited any response. Most grayling of 13-15" and trout 14-15". As usual at Doldowlod, the absence of smaller year-classes of grayling is always a concern. Undoubtedly the goosanders, four here today, have a say in that. Took rising and non-rising fish on small hare's ear and dark olive emergers and one on a Grayling Steel Blue. The little olive was by far the most favoured. A lovely day right through to the dusky finish!

8 Trout, 14 Grayling

All fish caught on dry fly, hopper and red quill. River very low and clear and a very bright sunlight so quite difficult but still fish rising though several takes missed. Familiar with the beat but haven't fished it for years, pleasantly surprised by the number of fish moving. Its a fabulous stretch of river well maintained.

1 Trout, 3 Grayling