Feedback & Reports

It was a bit of a trek to get to the start of the beat but once in the water wading was comfortable in chest waders even with extra flow from the recent rain. I only left the water once to get past a fallen tree.
I landed 7 fish (and missed a few) including 2 approaching the pound mark, all took a beige klinkhammer.

7 Trout

5 1/2 hours on the Dore today from 10am till 3.30pm. About 35 to hand maybe more. The four grayling came from two deep pools early on taking bead head fished below size 18 midge dry. Took maybe 10 trout to midge then they switched to mayfly bringing 20+ more to hand. All fish between 8-14 inches the grayling between 12-14 inches. Cracking day. The Dore is carrying bit more water than the other Monnow beats.

31 Trout, 4 Grayling

I walked downstream a couple of fields on the right hand bank to where a brook enters the river. Access is discouraged almost everywhere by the fence topped with barbed wire. I could only get in using a tree which had fallen across it. Most fish were caught on nymphs and one on dry fly. I kept hoping for a bigger fish, sadly on this occasion they were only 4 - 7 inches.

5 Trout

Fished for about 2 hours this evening. Managed to hook one fish but it got off in some roots. Lots of midges in evidence but few rises.

Fished this for the first time on a beautiful sunny spring day. River was a good height and clearing. A few insects were hatching but nothing rose to them. Four trout to a small gold headed PTN with the largest 12oz. A few hours work to tidy the river of winter debris would make dry fly fishing easier but perhaps that is cheating?

6 Trout

I started fishing a little way downstream from the bridge, and worked my way up past 3 gates across the river, so probably haven't covered half of the beat. Water fairly clear and too deep for wading in places. Fortunately I'm fairly athletic, so wasn't too put off by the absence of any recognisable paths.
Goldhead nymph fishing produced one take, somehow missed, luckily there were fish rising in just a few places. A brief period when I managed to turn over the leader nicely and land a black gnat parachute delicately ahead of feeding fish, instead of in the branches on the opposite bank, resulted in two 8 inch WBT.
I would definitely visit again.

2 Trout

Really NOT IMPRESSED with this beat.
Went to the beat under my Wild Stream Season permit BUT after walking down to the beat start I was left dismayed at the appalling access!!! I could not get to the water ANYWHERE on the lower half of the beat.
Frustratingly the access on the LEFT bank is VERY GOOD all along the stretch, might I suggest that the foundation negotiate anglers an access on the left bank?
Very disappointed and frustrated. Would have been even more perturbed had I booked and paid for this through the Booking Office.

WUF note - The Wild Streams beats vary considerably from beat to beat. Chanstone Court is a very wild beat but the rewards can be excellent. Anglers are advised to use our Anglers feedback section to research beats before fishing them.

Peering over the brush on the walk down to the start of this beat, can only whet your appetite for the hours ahead. A succession of runs, pool's and glides that would have you reaching for every pattern and rig you could muster, I was not expecting a water like this for some reason.
But, alas you can't have everything. A quite cold drizzly day turned to a down pour with thunder and lightening by 2.45pm, a dampner to say the least. No hatch (really?) no rising trout. Fished with nymphs only to connect with two o/s Grayling at 10/12 ins, quite impressive I thought for a water this size? Both returned with TLC. I'm thinking this beat would be great in the summer but I would imagine the foliage may make things a tad more difficult than this time of year but as I said, you can't have everything.

2 Grayling

Fished afternoon only, above bridge. 4 seasons in a day, wind, rain, hail and glimpses of sunshine between the squalls. Water slightly coloured. A few olives seen coming off with the odd rise to the naturals, but was short lived. Fished NZ style, 3 wild browns caught on nymph. Largest circa 12" (very nice fish) and others 8" or so.
Lots of woody debris following recent flooding etc. Bridge needs clearing.

3 Trout

4 trout to hand, but not one of them would tell me where all the grayling were! Ha! I let them go all the same!

4 Trout