Feedback & Reports

Fishing in my t-shirt for the afternoon, who would have thought so in Oct. Not a salmon seen or touched though. My first year salmon fishing though so the learning curve is steep. As ever a really nice stretch with some quality runs. Lots of scouting done for next time. Did catch 6 trout though, one had me wondering for a second or two.

First time on this fishery parked in the orchard car park at the top end of the fishery and walked the whole beat. I decided I was parked in the wrong place and drove to the parking lay by at the lower end of the fishery.The river is a bit deeper here and in these low water conditions looked more likely. It is a really nice place to be at times I felt I was in a nature reserve with ducks, swans, cows, all sorts of birds including kingfishers and later on bats and owls putting in an appearance! The available fishing swims were a bit limited and more could be created with a bit of tree cutting work. Really struggled to catch in the low and clear conditions losing a feeder a cast in my chosen but obviously rocky swim! Decided to do a bit of roving using 4aaa shot swinging round under the bushes using luncheon meat for bait. This did the trick and finished with 4 Chub weights..3, 3.5, 3.5 and 2lb. 2 Barbel weights 3, 5.5lb. I was enjoying myself at the end!

Two salmon released. A 10lb hen caught by the fallen tree at the bottom of the Rock Pool and a very strong 12lb cock salmon at the top of the Chine. Both fish were clean and fell to a small silver stoats tail tube on a floating line from around 6p.m.

P.S. 10 lbs hen salmon released at Rock Pool last Friday.

11 x grayling 13-18 inches, 7 x out of season trout 6-10 inches, on various dries, mostly John Storey. A slow morning under grey skies prospecting some remote parts of the fishery, and catching only unseasonable trout. This was followed by a move mid-afternoon, contact with grayling and then great fun experimenting with patterns until the light faded and I could no longer see the fly on the water. At one point I watched large but nervous grayling come up for the fly 3 times in a row as it tracked over them, and each time drown it without actually taking it. A change of pattern and a few seconds later there was a solid take, virtually impossible to miss. There are some lovely grayling in the Irfon this year: the best three fish for the day were two at 17 inches and one at 18 inches.

By the way, NN from Brierly Hill (2nd October) asks, rhetorically and even somewhat bitterly I suppose, if anybody knows a brand of wader which doesn't leak. If anybody does, I wish they would tell me, because I have long concluded that idea belongs with the philosopher's stone, perpetual motion and other desirable but unobtainable objectives. Simms G3 Guides seem to last for about one hard season, after which you have to start repairing leaks. The 5-layer parts going up to the mid-thigh seem to be about bullet-proof, but trouble starts coming around the crotch seams in the 3 layer section. I note the new Simms G4 version is 5 layer up to the waist, which might solve the problem, but look at the swingeing price to be paid in the UK! Also, are 5 layer waders really that breathable? There is a strong argument for buying cheap waders and just replacing them now and then. Sometimes you get a surprise. I have a pair of cheap Vision Flywaters, bought a few years ago for sea trout fishing, which involves climbing over barbed wire fences in the dark, crawling up steep banks on hands and knees and other activities supposed to be bad for waders. Amazingly, they seem to have survived all this abuse undamaged. In the field of neoprene waders, I am also reminded that I own a pair of Vision Extremes which have now done 9 hard winters of upper Wye grayling fishing. I repaired them for the first time last year. Vision took these off the market a while ago, but they are now back by popular demand. I can't say if the new ones are as good as the old ones. (I don't get a retainer from Vision by the way and I am sure the WUF will edit this if we aren't allowed to recommend products!) You can always recognize Vision Extremes at a distance; they are most unflattering to the figure and the wearer looks like Michelin Man. I originally bought them with the idea that those Finnish chaps at Vision must know something about designing waders for very cold conditions. Mind you, I have an aunt who once bought a Lada on the theory that a Russian car would be good for starting on cold winter mornings, but that's another story...

Had an great days fishing in the wood crib area had seven Barbel biggest 10lb 3oz three 8lb plus one 7lb and finaly two five pound plus fish, all caught on halibut pellet could not have wished for a better day.

Our third visit in as many weeks to the Wye and, at last, my first barbel at 7lb caught just as light was fading. Between us, we also had a few decent chub to just under 5lb and another smaller barbel. We thought about fishing near the confluence with the Lugg but the sight of 9-10 Mergansers working the pool made us think better of it. The Mergansers flew off but no doubt they will be back - I logged them on the cormorant watch site. A lovely stretch of the river - we'll definitely be back.

Arrived at river with 0.86m on gauge and a perfect colour.(rose 6cms and started colouring more in next 6 hrs). After over twenty undaunted visits this year persistence finally paid off with my first salmon, a 12lb cock fish on a yellow/gold Flying C. It was reddening and swam off strongly after release. I'm so thrilled!
I would like to say a big thank you to two Toms, both great company on the river and who impart their wealth of knowledge so freely. Tom Richards (of the WUF} was helpful with my retrieval style and choice of lures and
Tom Hannon showed me the high water lie from which the fish was enticed. Lastly I am so grateful to the WUF for reconnecting this Gwent boy with his angling roots (first cast a fly for trout on the Usk fifty years ago) after over thirty years of living in Wiltshire. You are doing a wonderful job.

Fantastic day! A dozen barbel to 9lb 15oz and chub to 5lb 4oz! Bait used was pellet and boilie. Tried a bit of pike fishing but only hooked and lost a 2lb ish eel.

Great day! 4 barbel, 2 of which were doubles, biggest 10lb 6oz. Bait used was boilie.

2nd day, fished the top/middle and the botton of the beat. 10 barbel and 2 chub caught on a variety of meat and pellet baits.