Feedback & Reports

Arrived around 8.30am with the temperature at -1, river looked lovely as usual but had a total blank. Fished til 3.30pm and not a bite.

All fish returned

9 Grayling

Staying at Michaelchurch Escley, tried Chanstone, water gin clear but beautiful stream. Hooked, but lost two out of season Brownies. Difficult in areas due to lack of crossing points in barbed wire. Very challenging and enjoyable.

The river certainly responded to rain on Friday and on Christmas day, with a 2 degree f rise in temp and a bit of colour. All fish taken on pellet feeder tactics.

3 Barbel, 2 Chub

Very hard going today what grayling caught were all between 10-15 inches all taken bouncing bottom in the deepest pools. Fished duo 3mm tungsten size 18 jig on point and 3.5mm jig on dropper size 14. All taking dropper bar one. Water very cold now but at a very good level. Was hoping for a fair few more but sadly the larger fish were not playing ball.

4 Trout, 9 Grayling

29 x grayling 10-14 inches, 3 x out of season trout 10-11 inches, trotting. These were mostly shotts. 18 inches on the Llanstephan gauge, river high and clear. Incidentally, one of the post-spawning trout had a fish tail protruding from its mouth and, as I unhooked it (from double maggot bait on size 16),the fish disgorged a partly digested trout parr rather more than half its own length. Who says that it is only large brown trout which have cannibalistic tendencies? The egret was around again. Or an egret.

29 Grayling

First time on this stretch. Managed to get two Pike at 13lb and 11.5lb. Both fish in good condition and fighting fit.
Pleased to get something as I've struggled so far on the Wye this year and blanked on my previous 3 trips.
Both fish were caught on paternostered smelt deadbaits.

2 Pike

9 x grayling 13-17 inches, 3 x out of season trout 6-14 inches. Rather colder today, although we did see the sun for a while which was cheering. I started off trotting as planned. However, whether it was due to very clear water or low level (0.458 on Cilmery gauge) or possibly amount of recent fishing, the grayling were shy of trotting gear so I changed to a more delicate Tenkara rod for the rest of the day. Nice average size of fish as we have grown to expect from the Irfon and no shotts at all today.

9 Grayling

Nothing to be seen on the surface so fished size 16 tungsten bead hares ear under a bushy klink. All the fish from the bottom of the same pool, grayling 15" ,13½ "12" all good heavy fish, trout was 10". Lost two more due to fishing barbless. Came across a 5 lb ish dead salmon with what looked like a bite taken out from the underside....I've never seen an otter on this beat and wondered what the culprit was?

1 Trout, 3 Grayling

15 x grayling 10-16 inches, trotting and a few on Tenkara. Cloudy, warm and virtually no wind. 18 inches on the Llanstephan gauge and fairly clear. Steady rather than frantic sport, but a nice average size of grayling. Once again, I was surrounded by hovering large dark olives this afternoon.

15 Grayling