Feedback & Reports

Very hot day, almost too hot for fishing. Catch was 1 small dace, 1 trout at 12" and 1 really nice trout at 15" all caught on large May Fly.

Having read previous reports the dense riverside undergrowth (have never felt dwarfed by Cow Parsley before) didn't come as a surprise, however access is tough and though I hate to criticise the otherwise wonderful WUF I only located one of the 'access points' beneath the jungle (only fished upstream of the car park). Having said that don't ignore this lovely beat as you can reach the river in plenty of other spots, just expect a roving voucher style scramble. On the fishing - just three landed, 2 Brown Trout (to Klink) and a Grayling (P Adams) all little 8 inchers. Innumerable others missed or wriggling off. There were sparse hatches of May and Yellow Mayfly on a cool day. The water was quite silty and coloured but I don't know if this is normal for the beat. All in all a lovely secluded stretch of river but work is needed on access if only clearance and perhaps a more detailed map or signs to find the steps and rails.

I echo O.B. of Glos in his comments - the river was still very low and dirty, the banks are far too overgrown with weeds - the so called 12 access points were virtually invisible, and it seems to me that if a portion of the fee goes to the Monnow Valley Association they should ensure the access is cleared of the "elephant grass". I of course will not be visiting again.

To the fishing, only one 10in brownie on a klinkhammer and only a handful of fish seen.

WUF Note: No portion of the fee is passed on to other 'Associations'. Comments regarding access are forwarded to the fishery owners.

2 x trout 10-12 inches, size 16 Adams. I found the Monnow very low, as expected, but strangely coloured with red silt. I believe the EA are due to breach a dam upstream at Kentchurch sometime this summer, and wondered if work there might be the cause? Whatever the reason, the river seemed almost dead, with very little hatching and almost nothing rising except tiny dace. About 7 o'clock in the evening, things perked up just a little and I managed to pick up a brace before leaving.

I found this venue quite difficult due to the overgrown banks and the frequency of deep unwadeable pools. Not much fly life - one or two mayflies, yellow mays, olives and some midges. The water was fairly coloured with visibility not much more than a couple of feet. I only saw three or four rises all the time I was there. I had one brown trout, lost one and rose a couple more and that was it.

Eight trout, 9" - 13", all on dry fly.

4 trout up to 10inches. Very pleasant day but only spasmodic rises. Caught on olive and yellow klinkhammers. A few mayfly showing but the fish did not seem interested in them. Also in one area alot of dace rising.

The beat descriptions were good and accurate on both of the beats we fished, this one contrasted with the first day where access was easy, this was steep banks and long areas where you could not get to fish. Other rod from Denmark caught nothing although we looked at previous reports and used several of the suggestions on the reports. I used dry fly in the morning and was rewarded with a half-pound brownie. In the afternoon I swapped to a wet fly and had a hit almost immediately and took another brownie of the same weight. The one problem was that the abundance of wild life on the river meant that on several occasions I had drifted off watching numerous birds building nests wide range of fly life, what an experience, anyway back to the fishing. Had to walk a fair distance to the far end of the beat before I could get down to the water. It was well worth the walk as very soon I had a hit from the biggest brownie of the two days, weighed about pound and half but put up good fight took about five minutes to get him in. Shortly after took another half-pound on the drift down stream, made a total for the day of four.

Even after a little rain last night the river is still very low. Very windy, almost gail force at times! and hence very little insect life on the wing. Three trout from the more sheltered spots on nymphs before the wind and the debris beat me.

No catches or bites. Only stayed briefly.