Feedback & Reports

Managed a days fishing on the Upper Taff (Merthyr Town water). Despite the very low water there was a Lot of ldo's and the occasional bwo on the water too. The fish were in the faster water rising. Managed to catch two dozen or so fish ranging from 1/2lb up to colossal 4lb plus fish on an ldo pattern. Even though the river has been stocked I only caught one stocked fish.
I also managed an hour on the lower Taf Fechan and managed a dozen fish on a single klinkhammer in the fast pocket water.

24 Trout

Rough weather, green damsel sinking line 1st time double 1 fish on point 2nd came up and snatched the dropper both landed.

8 Trout, 5 Other

Lovely stretch of river. Water low but plenty enough for the purpose. Downstream wind so mostly wet fly. Black Pennell took the majority. All small - in fact, suspiciously similar in size. Wondered whether it may have been the same fish five more times. Anyway, he's hopefully going to get older and wiser and much, much bigger.

6 Trout

Cool overcast morning followed by sunny afternoon. Water dropping very slowly at about 8" and 50F - no significant rise /rain since end of March. 3 Salmon showed in Vanstone Stream & Vanstone Pool, but nothing caught.
50 canoes between 11:00 and 14:00 = mostly extremely courteous and well behaved.
Huge improvement to the access to the pools compared with 2 yrs ago - well done Mick!

14 small trout to 8 inches, all taken on size 14 March brown spider from mainly pacey water, great sport but this venue is a tough cookie, I would advise that only fit agile anglers attempt this venue. Great day BUT I don't think I will return, I'm knackered!!! Thanks very much WUF.

14 Trout

Fished in the morning with the Salmon Rod, starting at the Rock Pool where there was no sign of any Salmon but did take 3 trout, all 8-10 inches, How they managed to get a double hook Cascade in their mouth is beyond me!
Saw a Salmon move on the far bank just below the Mill Stream, approx. 8lb. Struggled to cover from the Left Bank so crossed over, but to no avail.
Got the trout rod out for a few hours and took a few small fish, very difficult fishing with nothing rising of note.

7 Trout, 2 Grayling

Lovely day with sunshine and low clear water, fish very challenging and picky, caught all on a bwo and one on a mb, many refused after a splash. Activity from 13:00 to 16:30 and only in few areas.
Saw few fish with white head, behaving strangely, possibly a fungus?!

7 Trout

Total beginner. Third day fly fishing and first day on a river. Didn't catch any fish (see above), but that was not the main purpose of the day. Practised the basics and had an idyllic day on the river. No canoeists seen, no pollution to report.

A wonderful to day to be out - a little too bright and sunny if anything.
It was my first time on this beat and it became obvious from the off that it was going to be a challenging day, as the first (of many!) Trout spooked with me still a good 5m from the river...and I wouldn't consider myself to be overly heavy footed or lacking in watercraft!
However, things looked much more promising after a lovely 10" WBT, followed by a considerably smaller specimen, in my first half dozen casts in the pocket water above Hergest Bridge. A couple more smaller WBT followed over the next few hours, as well as 3 better fish that opted for an early release (ahem).
Having reached Malhallom Bridge for a late lunch, I continued to the upstream section of the beat, where it appeared there was an intermittent hatch attracting a few splashy rises. Another lost fish was all I had to report though.
For my first time on such a small stream, I was very pleased with 4 fish caught and 4 more lost and would definitely book this beat again...but the sight of the numerous dark shapes bolting for cover that accompanied my day shows there is much work to do in my approach to small stream wild trout.
Aside from the fishing, this is a truly beautiful beat with lots of variety of water to tackle - pocket water, shallow glides, deep pools and no end of riffles. Just knowing I had a mile and a half of water to myself (aside from a pair of Dippers) made for a very relaxing day. The banks in Spring were wonderful; Wood Anemones lining the stream and a few Bluebells just starting to come through. Highly recommended.

4 Trout

Not much activity all day it's was cold in the morning but in the afternoon, caught a 9" brown trout on a PTN fished 2 ft from the surface.

1 Trout