Feedback & Reports

The Irfon was lower than last time I fished this beat more than two years ago, making wading easier in the bottom pool where I picked up two decent grayling on sedge imitations. Four others to 16 1/2 inches came from the top pool along with a small brown trout, mostly on a size 20 olive klinkhammer. Fish were rising sporadically all day, but with more enthusiasm and conviction as the day wore on, I had brief contact with four before the first came to the net.

1 Trout, 6 Grayling

Fished from the start up to the top calmer stretch mainly with heavy bugs (e.g. Golden Nugget); using a 'hybrid' Czech/ French nymph style in the faster water. But I struggled to make things happen, mainly because I'm more competent fishing off my right shoulder (this is left bank water) and, I was occasionally unsteady on my feet among the spicy wading. Did catch one small trout more by accident than design. Tried a dry also on the way up in a few spots but no interest whatsoever; which was frustrating because the river looked perfect. Finished the outing on a dry caddis in the top section of the beat and rounded matters off nicely with three immaculate Grayling, all of about 1.5lbs. I saw a fox, a cormorant, two Red Kites and received some odd looks from the sheep as I sweated my way up the steep meadow on the way back to the car. The deeper pool looks interesting for a return visit.

1 Trout, 3 Grayling

Great afternoon fishing. Caught 3 good grayling one of which was nearly a pond. Two to weighted nymph and one to dry fly. No sign of any trout. Only sporadic rises but there was good fish activity.

3 Grayling

I blanked. River high, but falling after heavy rain. River quite coloured.
This long beat has a very significant gradient and very fast flow in the main channel, although I mostly fished the pool area at the head of the beat. There was very little obvious fish activity, although there were a very small number of small, splashy rises in currents near the pool which I believe were probably grayling. Line control and avoiding drag was a more-or-less constant problem.
Overall, excellent surroundings, but a frustrating day.

River very low. Only fished an hour, 1 small trout on wet in faster water - a couple lost.

1 Trout

Fished from 16.00- 18.30. A few sedges about. Fish 6-12''. All on elk-hair caddis.

3 Trout

First time on this beat, although it was obvious after 24 hours of rain that the water level was up and pushing through just that bit too much. Plenty of nice looking runs but difficult to fish the boiling water properly. Eventually fished back to the starting point where the water was a little steadier in the large pool at the top of the gravel bar. Here were one or two rises that revived hope. Fishing a klinkhammer resulted in just one trout of 10 inches followed by a smaller one that got off. Three out of season grayling also caught, largest 13 inches. Very satifying end to the day considering I thought I would blank.

1 Trout, 3 Grayling

Nothing caught. Definitely chest waders would have been better than the thigh waders that I had on and that are shown in the Passport book.

2 grayling caught in the pool as you enter the river, the water level prety much the same as I last visted in September but again you can see how high it has been in recent weeks. This is a nice quiet stretch but is a bit of a walk to the river.