Feedback & Reports

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.

Fished in the sun from 9 a.m until 1 p.m. Although there has been no rain recently in the Golden Valley, the Dore is carrying a lot of sediment (not unusual) resulting in very turbid water in the deeper pools, reduced visibility for fish and a need for careful wading. Had vainly hoped that I might find fish more active here than on the main rivers! Saw essentially no fly and only four rising fish, two of which were caught on emerger patterns and the other two completely inaccessible in the overgrown upper section. No other fish raised on these or other patterns (unusual for the normally free-rising Dore fish) and nothing on nymphs and spiders. It seems that "Daytime Torpidity Rules OK" here, as elsewhere on the main rivers during this spell of hot weather.

The marginal trees on this beat could do with some serious attention in particular, but not exclusively, upstream of the bridge. Riverside annual weeds now also well developed. I hope that the English football team do better this afternoon than I did this morning (but I rather doubt it!).

Blank but what a place to blank. Very pretty stretch with mixed cover. Good variety of water but day very hot and sunny with river very low with all the weed covered rocks high and dry and the river flowing over bedrock and pebbles. Saw a few decent fish holed up under the banks and maybe I left too early in the evening when they might have ventured out a little. Also saw a cheeky mink who, it should be noted, also drew a blank.

Phew wot a scorcher! I wish I knew where the barbel had hidden from the sun and heat because I would have got in there with them!

Nevertheless, arriving late and finding the deeper pools occupied, we still managed a 7lb 'gudgeon' and numerous suicidal chub to about 3lb.

Echoing a previous contributor, access is greatly improved with a number of strimmed areas which are also marked with poles (wooden ones) that you can spot from a distance or attach yourself to at those swims not blessed with a flat spot for sitting on. All canoeists well behaved.

Lovely day despite the extreme temperatures - thanks WUF!

5 Barbel, one 10lb 2oz PB for the Wye. 2 Chub both between 4/5lb. All fish taken on pellets. Very hot river very low. Ian Boney very helpful.

I fished Ashford House yesterday morning from 6.30 a.m. and saw very little fly. Apart from oncers there were very few rising fish and so we gave up at 1 p.m. My fishing buddy and I had only six fish (but one of 2.25lb) with most taken in running water rather than in the flats and pools, and all on a hare's ear emerger.

By way of contrast, I fished Ty Mawr on the Gwent Anglers water last Thursday evening late and Friday morning very early and had a lot of fish once they started rising. They rose for the last hour or so before dusk and, apart from the oncers, had pretty well stopped rising in the morning by 10 a.m. Fish mainly taken on mini-caddis pupa shuttlecock and small black shuttlecock midge.

Interestingly there appear to be no mini-caddis larva homes on the stones at Talybont whereas there must be billions at Ty Mawr - local species diversity never ceases to amaze me!

Me and my mate fished the beat for 4 days taking 20 barbel up to 8lb and 16 chub up to 5lb. We fished method feeders with 17mm halibut pellets. A little slow during the day when it was very hot. All in all a very enjoyable 4 days fishing.

Me and my mate fished the beat for 4 days taking 20 barbel up to 8lb and 16 chub up to 5lb. We fished method feeders with 17mm halibut pellets. A little slow during the day when it was very hot. All in all a very enjoyable 4 days fishing.

River low, but carrying a little colour. Very bright and hot all day. 2 anglers caught 24 chub to 5lb and 3 barbel to 6lb on a variety of baits, pellet, meat and paste.