Feedback & Reports

As always I phoned up Woody from Woody's Angling shop in Hereford before I came up just to check on river conditions and what methods he'd recommend (he runs the Hereford Angling Association which owns quite a bit of fishing on the Wye so he always knows what's working). He told me that the river was running clear and low and suggested maggot and block end feeder would be my best bet. Unfortunately I'd just been down to my local tackle shop in South London and bought a load of ground bait, pellet and a few more cage feeders - so this was filed for future use and I went back down and got several pints of maggots as I was planning to start fishing before Woody opened.
As it turned out I got a late start and went by the shop in Hereford anyway - I took my smartphone with me and got a close up image of this section of the river on Google Maps (satellite) then got him to show me the best swims to fish.
So I started in the top field above the rapids - just down from the first groyne of stones there's a big dead tree and about 40 yds down stream from this is a pool. I fished there for the morning and had a couple of Barbel, then in the afternoon I went up to the top and fished the furthermost swim with the steep bank. I had another Barbel here and luckily I'd also bought myself a decent landing net with a very long handle whilst getting fishing information that morning, otherwise I'm not quite sure if I'd have got it out. I had a few dace after this but that was the end of the Barbel for the day.

3 Barbel, 4 Other

Saw quite a few salmon moving through, but failed to connect with any.

First visit on upper Wye, hard to find the place where the grayling are posted. Fly fishing with dry flies (not the best) and nymph. Wind at the end of the morning.

5 Trout, 6 Grayling

Starting with some rain in the morning, fising nymphs in the lower half of the beat without luck all morning and early afternoon. Finaly hooked 2 beautiful grayling over a pound about 5pm on a olive klinkhammer. Great days fishing.

2 Grayling

Landed an 18lb cock fish from the Dog Hole. Lost another from the V, caught on a Bann Special.
Canoe traffic very light today (only saw one), but lots of detached weed coming down the river today which was a nuisance. Really enjoyable few days on the Wye. Thank you!

1 Salmon

Weather dry and overcast. River low. Fished from various cribs with a variety of flies but caught nothing ! Saw 6 or 8 fish throughout afternoon.

Chilly grey day but stuck with dry fly and caught in 3 1/2 hour slots of activity. 7 grayling, a couple at 14" and nothing smaller than 10" caught on a variety of flies and a couple of oos trout, one about 12" and one so small I thought I have hooked yet another leaf.
Glad I wore thermals as by mid-afternoon was losing circulation in fingers.

7 Grayling

Fish rising everywhere from 10.30 to 6. Couldn't tempt many on the flats: very picky, rejecting size 20-12 of most fancy and imitative patterns in my boxes delivered on some 3lb sight free extreme. Some were keen for cdc pale watery imitations but generally very wary. In the fast water however they were happy to take a large humpy and klinkhammer confidently with some fantastic takes and many good fish lost, a great days fishing!

12 Grayling

Had a look - water quite low so decided not to fish - as well as a 'Wash Off' policy, I think the day could come when there should be a'Low Water' policy?

WUF note: Unlike spates, droughts and low water do not suddenly arrive. Our gauges give ample advance warning of low water conditions!

River low and clear. Hard going but enjoyable

3 Barbel, 25 Chub, 5 Other