Feedback & Reports

Slow going for 2 modest chub.

Two rainbow trout, one and a half and two pounds, one taken.

Water level down - the boy caught 2 barbel early in the day both on pellet. I went on the pin feeding hemp and corn under a loafer float with corn on the hook. Chub and large dace a chuck until Mr Pike turned up - went back on feeder fished pellet and had 4 more barbel and 3 decent chub to round another enjoyable day on this lovely stretch of the Wye.

I haven't fished this stretch of the Wye for 25 years and my how the fishing has changed in that time! Stick float and maggot are no longer the order of the day - it's big feeders and pellets all the way now! It's still a cracking stretch of river and the surroundings are fantastic at this time of year. It was a pleasure to meet Don the owner and hear all about the recent catches. Like the Wye of old it's all about being in the right place at the right time. On this session, I had one Chub around lunch time then sat patiently until the action started at dusk. First I had another Chub (both fish were around 3lb) then two Barbel followed - 8lb 6ozs and 9lb 9ozs. They were beautiful well-conditioned fish. Meat was the successful bait, feeding Elips pellets and Hemp in a feeder packed with Hinders 'Barbel Bomb' groundbait. I fished in Legg Meadow (peg 5 on the peg guide on Lower Wye Fishing website). Many thanks to Don and Allyson at the Wye & Usk Foundation for their help. Can't wait to come back!

4th and 6th October fished. 15 Barbel to 10.02 caught plus a Pike of 17.02 which was hooked when retrieving the feeder. Very pleasant two days spent at great location.

The river was very low but I saw a couple of big fish show in the bridge pool so I fished through that with the fly and then the spinner. I then fished down through all the pools. My favourite pool from previous years - the cusp between Lower Flats and Lower Pool - was unrecognisable which was a pity as I had had a few good fish there. Fishing through Upper Flats towards the end of the day I had a tug at the top of the pool and then a take half way down. It was a 6lb grilse - perfectly silver and not long in the river. A pretty perfect day really.
Thanks to all at the Wye & Usk Foundation for this brilliant facility that you provide.

2 x grayling 15 and 16.5 inches, 1 x out of season trout 8 inches. A nice brace, but I think I was quite lucky to get them. I haven't fished the Arrow (or Lugg) for months as the webcam has shown no sign of fresh water for a very long time. However, I had booked the Leen well in advance, remembering what a very productive beat this can be in October, as well as a charming place to spend the day. When I got there, however, I was taken aback by just how low the river is. Almost no flow through the pools, slime over the bottom, duckweed in the edges and pond-skaters the only insect life to be seen. A rise somewhere might have provoked a dry fly approach, but I didn't see one. The only method which seemed to work was hand-retrieving a couple of light nymphs very slowly along the bottom of a deep pool - because there was no flow to move them in the normal way. The grayling caught there looked healthy enough, but fought rather sluggishly in warm water. I left early afternoon, with the temperature in the high 20's, and concluded that the Arrow is best left alone till some proper rain actually falls on Radnorshire and N Herefordshire to cheer it up a bit, after which I am sure it will fish as well as ever.

Roving - 2 roach, 7 chub to 3lb+, 1 small 4lb+ barbel.

15.30 to 18.00hr. Wading, long-trotting and feeding maggots on 16 hook under overshoted small chubber and expected the small barbel and chub to move into swim at lower end of Wyebank, several dace to 12oz but slow going and bites ceased after sun left water.
18.00 to 20.00hr. Same swim, ledgered large halibut with heavy swim feeder solid in mid-stream. Instantly into barbel so they were there! Total of 12 barbel, 6 to 10lb 14oz, non of the recent small barbel nor any chub. As it became darker the bites became more prolonged little tugs prior to powerful runs presumably as barbel feeding on smell omly.
It seems when this shoal of large barbel moved in the small barbel and chub caught recently have possibly moved out. One barbel with scar on side was present when large barbel were caught earlier in season when water levels were similar to todays. Hopefully if autumn levels are maintained these fish will show in Octobers catches.

River the lowest I have ever seen it. A blank day. Waded the beat in chest waders. It was still a good day out. Will now await the rain before I visit again.