Feedback & Reports

Very wet and rising river resulted in an almost inevitable blank.

Apologies for the tardiness of this return. Had escaped London and the tediousness of the Jubilee celebrations for a week in Wales with the family. At very short notice Alyson managed to get me a rod on the beautiful Rectory beat and was most helpful in directing me to the booking office to collect beat maps and information. The Wye can at first be a daunting task for the fisherman (I usually fish the smaller Usk) but the beat information supplied was extremely detailed with hotspots, notspots and dangers clearly indicated. Because of this I always felt "in with a sniff" and although the fish were not co-operative that day other than one possible pull this info acted as a virtual ghillie and made me feel if I was fishing with an unusual degree of confidence, if not any actual competence. The beat itself is arguably the most 'complete' section of the Wye I have fished with a wide variety of water and relatively straightforward to fish in low-medium water conditions. Particular stretches of note include all sections of the The Rock Pool, The Bridge Pool, just upstream of and through the Mill Stream to the Rectory pool itself. Weather ran the whole gamut of optimistically overcast to hopelessly but gloriously sunny and it was a great place to while away a day on the water. I will definitely be back.

Very bright hot day nothing rising but loads of fly life.
Numerous trout and grayling caught on little wet spiders in the riffles. Fish showing in various pools but not interested in anything we could show them.

Highlight of the day a 4lb cock brownie early in the day took a black salmon fly by JP. "Biggest trout off a river in 37 years."

Other highlight a pint in the Bridgend Inn

All fish returned.
Lovely day on a super beat.

Another great afternoon on this beat with hatches of sedges, olives, mayflies, yellow may duns, hawthorns and gnats leading to some terrific dry fly fishing. Ended up with around 25 hard-fighting trout and a few grayling, the best two trout again were in the 1.75lb region. All fish were released.

River was clear and 1ft 8" only dropping 1" during the day. MS had a 14lb slightly coloured hen fish from Ty-Mawr on a spinner. Another 2 were lost; Ty-mawr and tail of Rock pool. Fish seen in Rock and Gravel catch. Half a dozen trout and 2 shad on salmon flies.

Started at 10.30am with one rod trying for a salmon, the other going for trout. No joy with the salmon but a variety of flies kept the trout rising throughout the day with a combined catch of over 30 trout and several oos grayling. Biggest trout was around the 1.75lb mark, with lots over a pound. Emerging olives were the most successful patterns although several fish were also taken on nymph. All fish released.

A beautiful 15lb fresh hen salmon from Bridge pool. Took a carefully presented size 10 Cascade just between the two rocks and gave me a very dour and strong fight. Had a 1.5lb trout from same pool and a strong pull in the Spring pool (Gromain beat) that I am 90% sure was a salmon.

Thanks for your advice and introduction to the Wye - I had no idea it is such a wonderful river and offers such superb fly fishing.

Stephen had 2 in the morning, 17lb from Rock pool on a 1 1/4" tube and 19lb from Ty Mawr on a flying C. I fished in afternoon and added another from the Rock pool on a small shrimp fly, a bar of silver but only 7.5lb. Gave me a surprisingly good scrap for its size and went back strongly. River at 2ft 2" 5ft visibility and dropping very slowly.

Water 1`11" at 0700 dropping to 1`10 at lunch, clearing nicely until the rained arrived early afternoon.
Hooked something heavy on the dangle, but it was off very quickly. Saw nothing.

Fished for 1.5hrs in afternoon catching a 8lb colouring hen from very tail of Gravel Catch on a size 6 Bann shrimp. Saw 2 others running through. River 2ft 3" and 3ft visibility with a bit of Ithon water coming down.