Feedback & Reports

10/6/08 Upper Winforton - I can't sing the praises of this beat more highly if I tried. I wascompletely taken with the whole place. Although I blanked, I saw 9 good fish moving by Cowpond and Walls & Steps. My companion, with whom I have fished for over 50 years, commented it is the best he has seen the Wye since the seventies, having fished it on and off over the years.

11/6/08 Middle Hill - Sadly once again a nil return, although 1 fish seen. Elliot Penn who was also fishing the beat reported seeing several fish earlier (about 5am!)

I'm happy to admit that my lack of results is due entirely to lack of skill and not the lack of fish!

Salut Simon

As the matter of fact the (very) high light was on Monday (something like 70 trouts with 5 or 6 between 40 and 50 cm). On Tuesday we found the Irfon as colored as the Usk, so we could not fish. On Wednesday we just sang in the rain. Fortunately on Thursday we discovered the marvelous Penpont beat (thanks Wendy) with around 40 trouts caught. Friday the hatches were very poor on the Usk ( around 20 trouts in total) and on Saturday, I guess we should have followed your advice and fish for salmon but we thought we were not skilled enough and kept on looking for trout (around 30 caught) that were smaller than on the Usk.
Anyway the week was great, the welsh's much more friendly that on a rugby field and your welcome and advices very good
Thank you again
A bient?t

Dear Ladies,
Both Simon and I would like to thank you for your help during our trip to the Usk and Irfon. The weather was wonderful, as was the glorious countryside but the fishing was tough. We report the following:
1. Beat R11-9th June 08. 1 x 1.5lb grayling from the very bottom beat on a pink shrimp after much stealth plus a few 'small' trout on a black up wing-type of fly. The water was difficult with the upper part of the beat low. No evening rise after a bright and very hot afternoon.
2. Beat B35-10th June 2008. Just stunning water!!! We were both blown away by the beat, pools, falls, holes etc etc. Very very hard and only a few little trout to show out of fall pools on PTNs. The evening rise lasted for about 10 minutes max after a hatch of some dunns. Sadly, apart from these few minutes, there was nothing to cast at but the
water made up for the lack of fish. We will return!
3. Beat B26-11th June 08. Dull and a few moments of rain. No factor 15 here. It looked very fishy and we were asked to look out of salmon but reported none at the end of the day. Just two mini trout on very small Adams type flies. A few rising in the afternoon and we had to leave at 17h. Challenging and character forming fishing! It would help
to have some definition of the beat, limits etc as well as turn left and left again off the road just to prevent further excursions to the cows field! I must admit I fished for a while not knowing if I was on beat so tended to be less adventurous up and down stream. Very good to be there.

Well, we have returned to Switzerland. Here our report of last week at the wye and the usk.

3.6: Llangoed Beats - Hard fishing during the day, nice evening with the dry fly. There were a good raising and we got some beautiful trouts. Grayling was difficult.

4.6. Doldowlod - Beautiful surrounding. With goldhead nymph 3 beautiful graylings. No trout.

5.6. Pwll-y Faedda- During the day (with some large rainy showers) excellent fishing for trouts and graylings with different sorts of nymphs. In the evening it was perhaps to cold, so we were not succesfull with the dry fly.

6.6. Fenni Fach- It was better to fish in pocket water with nymphs than in long, slowly runs. In long runs it was good fishing with long leaders and classical wet flys. Daniel and I did some good trouts. In the evening with dry fly was not so bad, but trouts are not raising regulary.

7.6. Penpont- Like you have said fishing was very hard and extremely difficult, because trouts here are very spoky. One brown trout over 2 pounds I have had with the nymph, but also a nice day in these beautiful area.

Daniel and I were very satisfied for these 5 days. Sure, we come back, as soon as possible.

Greetings from Switzerland

1. Cefn Rhosan Fawr

Light rain, periods of heavy rain and sunny intervals.
Few fish rising or nyphing; limited hatch. Three brown trout: 8" , 14" and 13". Very fat and in superb condition. CDC Klinkhammer; CDC olive; and sulphur Klikhammer.

Deep and shallow nymphs tried without success. Lovely beat, really enjoyed walking the full length and both tribs. I would consider the Senni and lower trib (can't remember the name) barely fishable, as they need coppicing.

2. Abercamlais
Cool start followed by lovely sunny morning. Only two rises seen. Quite difficult conditions. Two lovely fat browns; 14" and 15". PTN goldhead.

Only two hours fishing, early morning. A really nice beat. I found the wading quite straightforward. Very easy access.

Summary.
Two lovely days on the upper Usk. Despite quite difficult conditions the fishing was superb. I would certainly book these beats again. Thanks again to the W&UF. Keep up the good work.

Had a good day yesterday in spite of colour and height. I M-L caught a lovely 18 pounder in the Pipe which I followed with a measly 5lb grilse dripping with sea lice ? both on the fly after Ray had told us that the fly was a waste of time!

The reason for this is to say how well all the paddlers behaved during the day, out of over 50 only 1 came marginally in front of me which was due to the inexperience of the 12 old girl. All were polite and we exchanged a fair bit of banter, quite like the Tay. 6 came down while Ian was playing his fish, kept well out of the way against the far bank, stopped to watch the action and seemed genuinely delighted to ?participate? and passed on the news to D H who was spinning below and must have covered the same fish earlier.

WUF note: This took place on the navigable section of the Wye

Catch report from my day on the usk (Pantyscallog) on Sunday. Only 3 fish, but check out the photo, well chuffed, i could have gone home right then. Tipped the scales at just under 3lb (i did subtract the weight of the net!), almost had a heartattack when it decided to jump so high it actually hit the branches of an overhanging tree!!!!!!!!!!!!, Not to mention trying to fit it in the net! Especially with a 2lb leader on!

Fish were very spooky and had to stalk this one on hands and knee's accross the Mossy boulders.

Good hatch of Very Large Brook Duns, best at about 2pm. Other 2 fish, 1 of about a 1lb, and a little tiddler of under half a pound, all 3 fish safely returned.

Thought I'd let you know how I got on on friday at Pantysgallog - sorry for the slightly late feedback. The morning was very wet with persistent rain, but the river stayed quite clear. There wasn't much rising, but I did manage to get an absolute beauty on a deep nymph, fished NZ style. Over 19" and weighed 2lb 14oz, it gave me a real scrap on my 4-weight and took some time to get in. Nearly lost it at the net - so big it wouldn't fold in on the first attempt, flipped in the air and I had to catch it at the second attempt, like a giant, angry pancake!

The rain gradually cleared but then there was a sudden spate in the early afternoon. The water turned to chocolate and I nearly went home, but after 90 mins it was clear again! The insects started to hatch in the afternoon so had far more bites - caught 3 more trout including 1lb 3oz and 1lb 13oz fish. Olive uprights and BWO hatching, but they took a small Parachute Adams. Had a number of other bites too. Great fishing in a really beautiful beat - thanks! Attach a couple of photos of the big one and a nice river shot if you're interested!

May 17th. Beat 27 Cefnllysgwynne R. Irfon
12 trout to cir.1 lb. with one accidental grayling. All returned. River was in fine shape despite rain on the previous day. Olives were coming of along with every thing else including 'Green Drakes'.

May 18th. Beat 8 Gromain R. Wye
18+ trout to cir.1lb. 4ozs. All returned. Again river was looking very good. While on the Boards at Llanstephan at about 10.15am. an Otter came past me just three feet away! I dont know who jumped the most. It made my day which then got better & better. All my fish came to a size 12 Waterhen Bloa just sub-surface. What superb water!

I now look forward to the 14th. of June when I will be 'On The Rocks'. Thank you Wye & Usk you did me proud!

Beat: Bridge Meadow
weather: overcast, mild
fly-hatches: yellow may duns, olives, midge
30+ Trout to biggest 2lb+ on yellow/olive klinhammer
some tiddlers but average about 1lb

One of the best days i've ever had on a river. Fish everywhere sipping down the big yellow duns. Caught plenty, lost plenty and had a great day. Average size was amazing too.