Feedback & Reports

Tough day with lots of weed coming down river - lots of tackle lost. Day saved by one 5lb barbel. But interesting beat and will fish again in better conditions.

Water conditions looked perfect having dropped over the last 2 days. First time on this beat and a little daunted at first what with some tricky wading.
Blanked, albeit a couple of tentative pulls (probably only trout). Probably wasted a lot of time working out the best lies but look forward to another visit at some point.

10 x grayling 10-16 inches, 9 x out of season trout 6-10 inches. Low clouds on the hills and a strong wind blowing downstream all day, colder during the afternoon. The Irfon was much higher than I expected, from more rain on the Cambrian hills I suppose, but running clear. Nothing much rising, but nevertheless it turned out to be a dry fly day. I spent much of the afternoon parked in one spot and dealing with a shoal lying under a very powerful run, over a distance of about 15 or 20 yards, not more. I had great fun trying to bring them up and working my way through a little box marked "traditional grayling dries." Put on a new pattern, one or two grayling would rise, then the shoal would become nervous and no more rises. Put on something different and there would be one or two rises again. Grayling Steel Blue, Red Tag, Treacle Parkin and Yellow Bumble all got the odd fish or two. So did John Storey with its forward-pointing wing, the only one in this collection of size 16 artificials which actually looks much like a natural fly. The white hackled flies, Green Insect and Grayling Witch, designed for the chalk streams, as usual in my experience didn't work here. Best of the bunch was Orange Otter, a fly which has built a reputation over 70 years for bringing up non-rising grayling (and trout), and which accounted for some nice ones at the end. Personally, I believe that the graylings' interest in Orange Otter - and many of these fancy flies and flame tails - is not much to do with imitating fly life, but something to do with exciting curiosity and even, perhaps, aggression. Anybody who fishes nymphs much with an indicator will have had the experience of a grayling rising from the bottom of the river, grabbing a bright orange egg-shaped indicator and taking it down to mouth for several seconds. At times our wild grayling, bless them, can be as curious and naive as newly-stocked rainbows.

This is becoming my favourite beat although on this particular day I spent much the afternoon biteless. The last hour gave me 1 chub and 3 barbel, biggest which happened to be on my very last cast just as the light was fading at 8lb 8oz. Will definitely be back.

First piking session of the season and one very solid and hard fighting 8lb-er landed.

3 barbel of 4-8, 6-4 and 9-0 pounds plus 4 chub in the 2 to 3 pounds range, all caught on luncheon meat from a swim mid way along the first field. Lost several more fish (and a couple of sets of terminal tackle) to unseen snags. The steep, narrow woodland track is a bit of an ordeal on the way back from the river to the car, but in my view, completely worth it. A fabulous day's fishing in beautiful surroundings.

Fished from midday. All three of us were in Legg Meadow. Merv fished in the 'WUF Tree' swim and had two chub to 5lb, but no sign of barbel. Meanwhile my Dad and I both fished in 'The Bay' where most of the sport was had fishing a bowed line three quarters of the way across. I finished with 3 barbel from 6lb to 8lb, while Dad ended with 4 barbel ranging from 7lb to 11lb, with only one of the fish coming from a closer line. Dad and I spent some time trotting corn with no success.

All fish were caught on 14-16mm halibut pellet with pellet mix in a feeder. I experimented with piling in the bait with a dropper, but it didn't seem to make a great deal of difference.

A lot of canoe traffic, but all were conscious of us and kept their distance. We met the owner, as everyone seems to do on this beat. It's very reassuring that he takes such a keen interest in the health of the river!

Very picturesque stretch, caught 4 Barbel between 5lb and 7lb, 2 Chub 2.5lb and 4.5lb all on pellet and gave a great account of them selves in the fast flow.

Quite a slow day to start but it picked up before midday. Finished with 4 barbel and 2 chub between us, went away happy with a p.b chub of 4lb 9oz, it looked more like 6lb in the net!

Got there 11am river clear but pushing through hard, r/h bank looked featureless, opted for swims on l/h bank. Trying to find a piece of water not affected with floating weed being pushed down, left us with only 2 options...the first and last swims on the beat. As NP had the most luggage I got the farthest swim, fast water with a small area of slack. Chose to ball in 6 balls of heavy fish meal ground bait at head of swim, laced with 3mm, 11mm pellet and hemp. Fished meat on one rod and hair rigged pellet on the other, alternating to see which the fish favoured...meat won hands down 12 chub from 2 lbs to 4 1/2...later 2 barbel 7 and 10lbs both ripping 25m of 15 lbs braid off the reel. Lost 6 fish (think 2 were barbel) on sharp snag and weed 1/3 way across river. NP had one bite in 7hrs in first swim - lost very good barbel, constant weed made his fishing very difficult on the day. Can't help wondering where fish will hold up when winter levels and coloured water are there?