Feedback & Reports

Having fished this beat for weeks at a time for every year that it has been available via the Wye & Usk foundation, it has been very clear to me this week that something has fundamentally changed here since May of this year when I fished it last.
I fully appreciate that there has been a drought since then which will have been tough on the trout population but am afraid that there is more to it than that. The fish are extremely wary this week and have barely been feeding on the surface even in decent fly hatches. The answer, to my mind at least, has presented itself on a number of occasions when big fat cormorants have surfaced nearby, so full of fish that they have sometimes been barely able to take off.
I have never before seen even one cormorant on this beat, let alone at least 4 of them, and when you add them to the normal host of goosanders, heron, egret, otter, mink & osprey feeding 2 adults & a chick, all over a period of exceptionally low river levels with high water temperatures, it is hardly surprising that trout stocks seem to have declined dramatically in recent months.
I understand that the beat has recently had a change of owner, who I hope will be copied in on this feedback. I suspect that he or she should consider making an application to the EA for a licence in respect of the cormorants in the not too distant, if the stretch is not to emptied of its usually thriving wild brown trout population, which would be a great shame.

1 Trout

1 Trout

River in perfect condition having risen over the past week following rain. Surprisingly little surface activity though. Handful of blue duns seen & 3 fish caught on imitations.

3 Trout

Typically moody day on the Usk - almost dead for most of the day other than one take on a Klink, but they switched on for one short olive hatch when I caught all eight within about about 90 minutes! All off the top on small dries, and had a couple more come off the hook. All released as usual. Weather much milder today - indeed had to wear a jumper and casting was tricky into a stiff downstream wind. Lots of bird life - sand martin, kingfisher, dipper, grey wagtail, sandpiper, oystercatcher, red kite... and also a cormorant fishing in one pool! River quite low again, getting to summer low levels.

8 Trout

A hatch very late, maybe 10-10.30pm, though hard to match - a small olive and medium sedge worked a bit. Lost a big fish in the flats (on the sedge in near-dark), which went like a rocket for the far bank for a minute or two. Darn.

2 Trout

A variety of small olives, pale wateries and a few yellow mays hatching in the afternoon - sparse but enough for the fish to get going. 11 browns up to 15", all but one caught on dry mayfly patterns. Heard a cuckoo up calling for a long time up near the top end. On the way back found the farmer had released a bull and large herd of cows with some very young calfs into the field that neighbours all of this beat - would have been dangerous to walk through as they were near the gate, had to bushwhack through a steep and overgrown bank to get back on the other side of the hedge. Others beware, access is tricky at the moment and not really suitable for anyone who can't negotiate a steep and overgrown bank. Lovely day on the river though, thanks again!

11 Trout

V hot day, river low & stale with little surface activity.

1 Trout

Warm sultry evening with plenty of surface activity. 2 BT caught & released on Small BWO.

2 Trout

2 Trout

Just me fishing. River looked rather low for spring, despite rain a few days ago? Made for tricky fishing in the daytime with clear water and sunny conditions - trout very spooky. Very few mayflies hatching today, but there were quite a few midges, some very small sedges and a few spinners - managed to get three on small dry flies (missed a few more bites especially from the small ones!), the other came on a nymph. Three biggest were 12-13" fish, all returned as usual. Lots of sand martins back, lovely to see. On the negative side - masses of Himalayan Balsam and Japanese knotweed shooting up again everywhere along the east bank!

4 Trout