Feedback & Reports

17 x trout 6-8 inches, Rusty Klinkhammer. At a time when virtually every kind of river fishing is being affected adversely by lack of water, this one is holding up better than most, despite clear, slow pools and slime on the bottom. No monsters, though. Smaller fish today and uncounted numbers of parr.

17 Trout

12 x trout 6-10 inches, mostly smaller ones, plus a lot of parr as usual, on a Rusty Klinkhammer. Given that it was quite chilly and almost autumnal this morning, 7 degrees on starting, I was quite happy with that. Power company engineers have opened up some sections to the light, having pruned some trees to give room to the lines.

12 Trout

Overcast and chilly but recent rain had put some babble in this brook. Simple wading but for the most part under canopy and I was thankful for my little 6'6" brook rod allowing a cast in some pretty tight places.
A trickle of small and medium olives encouraged sporadic rises. Stubbornly stuck to dries (CDC emerger for the meanders and para adams for the riffles) and was rewarded with 12 wbt, for the most part 4"-7" but one chubby 10"er, it's fins trimmed with a striking flash of red.
This beat provides 3 to 4 hours of stealthy fishing and would be enjoyed by anglers who enjoy tight casting with small tackle at modestly sized wbt. I loved it and will return.

12 Trout

I last fished this brook 2 years ago and found it much better than it was then, especially for access. My visit was not helped by Western Power's gang of men cutting trees where their lines crossed the river but I managed to coax 5 rises from an apparently lifeless river, hooking two and landing a little beauty of 8". A good enough day and I will visit it again next year on our visit to the Forest.

1 Trout

16 x trout 6-10 inches, Rusty Klinkhammer. An early morning visit on a cooler day than lately. Given that we are at the end of a hot and dry month, this one is holding up reasonably well, better than I expected in fact. All the Forest streams still have a reasonable flow. Several aggressive 10 inchers in the bag and a strangely coloured, almost black fish, otherwise healthy enough, from the top end.

16 Trout

Dozen or so to hand in the couple of hours fishing. Few to size 18 CDC emerger, the rest to size 22 bead head nymph. Very low water moving at a snails pace. All were taken in the faster oxygenated water. Stealth was key where possible.

12 Trout

Short session 4-7pm water low and clear. Small amount of fly life but not on the water, small number of rises seen. Caught 2 trout, 6 & 8 inches on dry fly.

2 Trout

Another triumph of hope over experience. Water very low but several very small and amazingly quick offers, two of which stayed on long enough to be identified as salmon parr, another as a small trout.
Amazing to think of salmon making their way up this brook but it does save an awfully long trip to the headwaters of the Severn.

1 Trout, 2 Other

15 or so to hand, all to loop wing emerger between 2pm and 5pm.

15 Trout

9 x trout 6-9 inches on a Rusty Klinkhammer. A couple of hours fishing for myself on a hot afternoon during what has been a very busy month so far. It was a real treat. Fish were in the runs and pool tails rather than the deep water and very ready to rise. Quite a number of smaller ones and quite a number missed as well.
A couple of apologies and an explanation about what is one of my favourite local streams. I'm the chap who usually trims this one and I did it early last winter, working in the middle of November. I was quite pleased with it when I finished, not that we reckon to clear away too much - just a few branches here and there removed so that you can get a strategic cast away; plenty of cover left so the fish have places too hide. But then came storm and tempest along with bank-high floods, and by the time the season opened we were confronted with quite a mess. Apart from the changes in the bed of the stream, there are now several trees across and lots of odd branches in the way. Nothing to be done right now - volunteers all busy fishing - but we will get back to it this winter. Also, I'm embarrassed to have to apologize on behalf of my fellow-Foresters for the rubbish in the stream. To be quite honest, there is not likely to be a possibility for a major clear-up soon, given the number of skips we would need. It's an ambition. Still, try to consider that a tractor tyre embedded in silt never did a trout much harm and there might even be one hiding beside it. Last but not least, I noticed a while ago that a reporter felt that the WUF should have warned him that there is a sewage treatment works alongside the beat. It seems a bit obvious to point it out, but there are two villages up the valley. In fact most of our valleys have sewage treatment works. Thank God! Can you imagine how it would be if they weren't there? If anybody is worried, be reassured that the treatment works does not discharge into the stream but via a long pipe which goes far out into the Severn estuary. It's still a pretty stream with lots of little trout!

9 Trout