Feedback & Reports

A very bright day with water conditions low, so we knew it was going to be difficult to catch barbel. We managed 12 chub between us to 4lbs on mainly pellet tipped with sweetcorn and fed pellet. It was not until the evening that the barbel responded to the pellet and managed to bank barbel up to 7lbs.

We had a great day and look forward into fishing Middle Hill Court on September 1st, a big thank you to Wye & Usk Foundation.

A very bright day with water conditions low, so we knew it was going to be difficult to catch barbel. We managed 12 chub between us to 4lbs on mainly pellet tipped with sweetcorn and fed pellet. It was not until the evening that the barbel responded to the pellet and managed to bank barbel up to 7lbs.

We had a great day and look forward into fishing Middle Hill Court on September 1st, a big thank you to Wye & Usk Foundation.

15 x trout 6-7 inches on dries. A very hot day and the river very low, but a particularly nice walk up a beautiful valley. Also, don't be misled by the lilliputian sized trout reported by this angler - there are bigger ones in there! Rather surprisingly, it appears that nothing larger than 10 inches has been reported to the WUF but the fishery is rightly described as improving. In the low pools I saw two very heavy trout, one of them a spooked fish which dashed downstream past my legs. I got a good view of the other from the bank above, a remarkably fine trout of at least 18 inches, sucking down flies as calm as you please. And now comes the inevitably sad part of the story: I rose this beauty with a fly cast from below, but only pricked and scared him. Never mind, I know where he lives. Further evidence that the upper Irfon now has some big trout to compare with the lower river can be seen under the Llanwrtyd bridge and below the beer garden of the pub.

A very bright day with water conditions low, so we knew it was going to be difficult to catch barbel. We managed 12 chub between us to 4lbs on mainly pellet tipped with sweetcorn and fed pellet. It was not until the evening that the barbel responded to the pellet and managed to bank barbel up to 7lbs.

We had a great day and look forward into fishing Middle Hill Court on September 1st, a big thank you to Wye & Usk Foundation.

The day was hot and dry, river very low. Was not expecting too much but was very suprised to find the chub in obliging mood but only on light line and small hook with single grain of corn. 15 fish to three and half pound. As light values went down about 5pm changed to hair rigged pellet and took 7 barbel in three hours to 8 pounds. What a great day! Will be back when my arm stops aching!!

7 barbel to 8lb 6oz, say 15+ chub to floating breadcrust to about 3lbs, 3 dace.

Warm bright afternoon and evening 23-24C. Lots of insect activity including the occasional Mayfly, which the trout ignored totally. The trout rose freely to any small dark traditional fly provided it had a tail and despite slow responses on my part five 6"-9" were hooked and released.

Calling the access to the water as "tricky" in the beat description is something of an understatement, downright difficult would be more accurate. Or am I getting old?

7 browns up to about one and a half pounds. All on dry fly, all returned.

24th was a bright and hot day - was never going to be easy! We started off on the lower more open part of the beat and had a couple of small fish and rose and missed a few more. In this open water across which you could wade in the bigger pools every fish was visible - and so were we!

So we headed off up in to the woods where a few more smaller fish were foolish enough to be caught and then returned to the big pool in the middle of the beat as evening was falling at 7.30

A few more fish were rising and one decent one was had - a 16" wild fish, another Usk beauty deceived by the para ginger quill. Total bag 6 fish to 2 rods.

Not much insect life seen hatching - occasional yellow mays, olives and blue winged olives - but plenty of sedges over the water and a lovely spinner dance over the fields as we departed. The swallows were enjoying themselves......

It never ceases to amaze us on the Usk how fish lie right in against the bank in water so thin it must hardly cover them. You only see them as a bow wave charging off in to the deeper water! Trout behaviour on the Usk seems very different to the Wye - water that would be teeming with fish on the Wye seems unproductive on the Usk. In the past however I would have said that there was a better chance of good trout on the Usk but I think that the Wye has improved so much it is rapidly catching up in the fish quality stakes.....

8 fish with 3 at 3/4-1lb. All returned. Smaller fish on dries, black gnat, sherry spinner. Larger fish on nymph GRHE and hotspot PTN. As much action in last hour between 7-8 as in the rest of the day. River very low but once the light was fading on what was a hot sunny day the river was peppered with rising fish. Also saw mink along the bank. Foundation site was very useful in providing advice for the beat and easy to use to book. Great value.