Feedback & Reports

River up and muddy, island covered AGAIN!. Kept 4 large 4 to 5 in brown slugs with orange underside whilst gardening and at dusk tried them for chub, freelined on size 8 hook to 16ft trotting rod and centrepin. Took 1 chub around 4lb from bottom of steps at Wyebank entry and a slightly larger one from stream entry. In stream below footbridge hooked a small chub which immediatly was took on the surface by a large pike well into double figures that sheared my line after a few seconds. An interesting half hour drowning slugs!

1st time on Glan-y-Cafn, water and current ideal for spinning. Healthy half pound sea trout caught and returned from a bronze mep. Little activity otherwise.

No salmon caught. The day started very misty but then the sun shone. I gave it a couple of hours then gave up.

What a difference a month makes! Having found a distinctly friendly and welcoming river on an overcast but pleasant day in September whilst on holiday when I fished this beat for the first time, I persuaded a mate to come with me on another visit to barbel utopia... only this time, the river was high and charging, we had frost overnight followed by bright sunshine all morning and the reception from the river was hardly open arms... In the circumstances (particularly having read through numerous catch reports here) I suspected that we might have to wait for the late afternoon for a feeding spell, and so it proved to be. Fishing from 10am, neither of us had so much as a twitch to get excited about. Then at about 4.40pm, JC hooked and lost a barbel in the swim three down from the powerlines. Next cast on the same spot, a barbel of 6lb8oz was landed. This persuaded NPH to move from swim 2 to swim 4. However, what neither of us was prepared for was that the feeding "frenzy" would only last 20 minutes, as after 5.00pm no more bites materialised. Worth a 170 mile round trip? I would say "yes" - as the sight of a leaping salmon (twice!) and a peregrine falcon are things we don't generally get treated to on the thames. We will be back. Thanks to all at WUF, the access here is fine but next time I might hhave a more realistic evaluation of how mmuch bait I really need - as climbing the steps on the way back to the car with unopened bags of groundbait and pellets is demoralising!

Very strange day, the water was a good height and colour, weather changed from brilliant sunshine to rain and back to sunshine again (very cold in morning however). Didn't see any sign a salmon (other than a half eaten head on one of the banks). However I did have a 4lb brownie 1st cast, as I was just checking how the fly swam!
Very nice beat and for the Usk very easy wading.

A short day, before heading home. Water dropping. Two barbel, one chub and some dace. River felt full of life once more.

Arrived to find the river up four feet in a couple of days, but the water did not seem too cold for a result. 2 average size barbel taken on pellets around mid-afternoon, and a couple of missed half chances made for an interesting day.

Arrived midday. River was up and coloured (but not as high as the section by Ross) and we felt confident of a few barbel during the afternoon, early evening.

Unfortunately our confidence was misplaced and in spite of baiting and fishing a couple of areas all we had to show for our efforts was just one chub! First ever barbel "blank" on the Wye!

River coloured, and medium paced, G. caught 7 Barbel,
P. caught diddlesquat.

Biggest Barbel 7.5lbs down to 4lbs, all clean fish, no otter or cormerant marks.

Bait consisted of Halibut pellets, boilies, sausage
A beautiful setting, extremly tranquile, will be back.

P. 1 x Barbel 6.5lbs plus lots of small dace.
G. Diddlesquat.
Bait; bronze maggots, pellets, boilies.