Feedback & Reports

Fished a very low Middle Escley in the morning and pretty much caught every trout I saw rising ( around 4 or 5 !!) The ones that weren't rising of which there were dozens I spooked very easily in the low clear water. Only managed about a mile of this beat before heading back to the van for dinner. Moved on to Upper Longtown for the afternoon to find one of the biggest mayfly hatches I think I've ever seen in progress. The Monnow was also low but the trout were locked onto the mayfly in just about every deep pool. Great fun for a few hours catching a few, loosing a few and missing quite a few more by striking too quickly. Rises seemed to calm down about 4pm and I'm sure the evening spinner fall would of been magnificent but to be honest after fishing the Escley all morning I was done in!!

4 Trout

Started at 12 noon. Lots of missed takes to dry fly. Lost three that came off before landing. At 6:15pm took a 12" WBT by the adventure playground under a tree overhang on the far bank. 7:45pm 6"WBT in the pool opposite the garden of the opposite house. Both fish took a #16 winged and hackled Greenwell's Glory. Fine day some cloud, some sun.

2 Trout

2pm - 3:30pm... Steady trickle of mayfly, plenty of gnat & blackfly with the odd brook dun!
Cast to risers throughout approx the first half stretch and induced a few non showing fish by fluttering may & hand of the wind style !!
4 fish @ approx 12", 2 fish @ approx 16"
Plenty enough for one day!! Saw a squirrel catch and eat a mayfly!!! That's why they are so fat around here!!

6 Trout

As the unrelenting westerly was still blowing down the Wye and Usk valleys, I decided to head for cover in the lee of the Black Mountains on the upper Monnow for an afternoon session. At 9 degrees though, water temperatures are still very low for the time of year(same as the Arrow at the weekend) and, combined with the wind, the trout don't seem to be happy! What a difference to this time last year on this beat with trout nailing mayfly. This afternoon there were enough midge, large brook duns, olives and mayfly to get fish up, but remarkably few did. The water was still carrying some colour but that will clear very soon now. Decided to fish duo with HE emerger and flashback PTN and had fish, risers and non-risers, on the emerger and as many on the nymph - mainly 7-11 inches. Oh, and one on an LBD Duck's Dun pattern. If we can just get rid of this cold westerly and it warms up a bit, the bugs are there and the fish should be at it for sure.

10 Trout

Beautiful day but only saw 1 fish rise. 1 trout 6-7" on weighted nymph.

1 Trout

Very slow today. Arrived 1pm and decided from the off to fish size 18 beadhead nymph. About 2.30pm they switched on hitting nymphs in the fast streamy water and heads of pools. Fished till 4pm, all fish between 8-13 inches mainly around the 9 inch mark. Water temps still low. A steady hatch of large dark olives began at 2.30 but not a single rise to the dunns.

16 Trout

Had an hour on beat after fishing the Olchon. 8 to hand in the hour taken on deer hair emerger.

8 Trout

Water low, I fished from 9am to 5pm. Only dry fly fishing. The fly of the day was a small klinkhammer with a grey body. 2 trouts about 13 inches.

9 Trout

Skinny water today with very bright skys made for a tough few hours. 8 to hand taken on size 18 CDC emerger, lost a few also. Rain needed to fill the streams up again. Largest 13 inches, the rest between 7-10 inches.

8 Trout

River level low but still coloured from the rain early in the week. Very few fish rising and almost no hatch to speak of. Took one brown trout (7/8 in) on a black 14 klinkhammer and a lovely grayling (again in the 7 to 8 inch range taken on GHHE).
Vegetation getting slightly out of hand but river is fishable in waders. One kingfisher and 4 dippers helped the day pass by.

1 Trout, 1 Grayling