Feedback & Reports

My first time on this beat, indeed my first time back on the Wye for a couple of seasons. What a wonderful place to fish. Peaceful, secluded and in beautiful surroundings, a total and welcome contrast to my usual urban existence. It’s not a place for the unfit though, the admittedly fairly short walk back up the path to the car at the end of the day with my tackle had me wondering how long my corpse might lie undiscovered!
I fished the first field, on a low and clear river and had four barbel to 8lb, and lost a fifth to a hook pull after playing it almost to the net. All of the fish were pristine, long, lean bars of gold, pretty as a picture in the sunshine and fell to very whittled down boilies, straight lead and PVA bags of mixed pellet.
I have to mention the swans, which were sometimes a nuisance in spite of my best efforts to move away from them - there were more swans on this beat than I’ve ever seen anywhere outside of a sanctuary. I gave up trying to count them when I got to 40. I did consider a move to the faster, shallower water at the top end, but my inherent laziness won out in the end.
All in all, a very enjoyable day on a splendid venue.

4 Barbel

2 Chub, 5 Other

Nice stretch. Difficult banks but worth it.

12 Barbel

Tough day, roaming available swims

3 Barbel, 2 Chub

I had not tried this beat before and I found the river running well and clear. A warm, cloudy, still afternoon and all looked good. Walked the bank in the first field and found a few accessible swims (and a few more that I might have scrambled to a few years ago, but not anymore!). Settled down in my chosen spot and had a good barbel on my second cast. A quiet hour followed and I was then into another fish which I lost in a snag. another longish wait, then a third bite and a second barbel. That was the end of the meaningful action with just a few chub rattles and the evening was entirely unproductive. However two decent fish were sufficient reward for a first visit on this attractive beat.

2 Barbel, 1 Chub

Caught all fish on pellet feeder, warm sunny day

3 Barbel, 1 Chub

Slow during the day apart from moderate sized chub on the float. Barbel from 6pm. A very pleasant beat with a variety of swims.

4 Barbel, 8 Chub

2 Barbel, 6 Chub

5 Barbel, 4 Chub

First time on this beat. Travelling light was good advice. I was the only angler on the beat and fished pretty much every swim over the course of the day. Beautiful day, started at dawn with the mist hanging over the river and fields, rested in the heat of the day and started again around 4pm. Classic Wye Valley beat with plenty of wildlife, a handful of canoeists and wild swimmers all of whom seem unable to enjoy the river noiselessly. Irritating but no more. Only two fish today, but they were worth every penny.

2 Barbel