Feedback & Reports

Simply stunning day. Easy to find, lovely spot and even a lovely drive through the welsh lanes to get there. Approx 15 brown trout to 12 inches caught, on little dries with the larger fish coming on nymphs in the deep runs, fish feeding all through the day. Some tricky casting but a great challenge. Beware though - the Escley trout have eyes in the backs of their heads! Had to head off around 5pm but I would think the evening rise would be explosive. Thanks to the Foundation for introducing me and facilitating access to this kind of fishing in the UK and not far from home. We don't realise how lucky we are sometimes.

Very low water with small sporadic hatches, better in the morning getting quieter towards evening. Around 20 browns between us and 3 grayling plus 2 salmon smolts.

I was at a bit of a disadvantage with this beat as my chest waders were leaking so I'll admit I probably didn't get the best out of this beat.

It wasn't helped by the fact that someone else jumped onto the beat in front of me. They were not there when I walked down to the beat start but I could see them above me by the time I got to the voucher box. There was no car parked at either parking area so they were presumably dropped off or possibly staying at the Pilleth Oaks B&B.

This is a potential problem with having two parking points for the beat. Perhaps it would make sense to restrict parking for this beat to one location - the wet condition parking area being the best option and perhaps move the voucher box nearer to this point.

Leaving that problem aside, I only fished the bottom half of the beat and caught 4 WBT to 9" on PTN and Beadhead nymphs.

1 small brown trout and 1 Grayling of 3/4 lb were caught. Fly: parachute Adams. An enchanting beat, but very few fish seen or rising! Compared to any beats on the Usk, in my view £25.00/day is a bit steep for a trout rod!

Just to let you know what seems to be going on in my recent outings on the waters I fish.

Here on the middle Wye there are now enough Yellow Mays to get the fish going. I had 15 trout to two pounds on the water which my fishing buddy fishes at Winforton last Friday afternoon. Most on my YM emerger pattern and a few on Ollie Edwards's Yellowhamer and on a YM F Fly and paradun. As usual most fish though were very actively nymphing, covering lots of ground in shallow water chasing the emerger nymph - the b*****s are difficult to track as they are never where they were when you last saw the rise. They love 'em! As so often seems to be the case, only a few fish were seen to take the dun.

There are also quite a few Large Brook Duns and Olive Uprights about on both rivers over recent weeks and Ducks Dun style flies representing these have done well.

On the Usk waters I fish above Abergavenny and at Ashford House, fish (as well as feeding on all the usual culprits) are also feeding on microcaddis pupae. These little 5mm olive jobbies are being woofed down like Dolly Mixtures and emerger imitations have proved successful. One Usk fish I spooned last week had just six other food items in it and the rest, over 100, were microcaddis!

No catches or rises. Very good website.

I had intended to fish the Lower Longtown fishery but was beaten to it by my late arrival. As it happens it didn't matter as I had a terrifc day with almost as many fish lost as caught. Finished with 8 trout around the 8 -10 ounce mark about 10 inch or so. All on small mayfly patterns. Mixture of flies hatching up until about 4pm when everything stopped including my sport. Lovely fishery not so lovely barbed wire!

Bright warm day with a gentle breeze. The river a little lower than seasonal. Little more fly life with occasional signs of fish rising. More enjoyable day with four fish caught. Two in the morning and two late afternoon. Caught on a mixture of nymphs and wet fly.

This was a good gentle start for a beginner to these beats and this style of fishing.

As expected I left a few flies in the trees and on one set of flood gates, trying to cast below the wire and through the central gap to a fish rising above (got there in the end and hooked the fish - though it dropped off).

That's one fishing memory that will last!

Finished the day with 6 WBT to 10" plus a small grayling on a flashback PTN. The trout took Olives and Tan coloured Klinkhammers, size 14.

Very little fly hatching or on the water.

All in all agreat days fishing.

A few small trout caught, all returned. Best 8oz. Idyllic setting but very bright and hot for fishing and called away early pm. An enchanting scene, but not too fishy today. Who cares?