Feedback & Reports

Oh - what could have been! My final hour from 7.30 saw the river come to life with an evening hatch - during this time I caught 2 x 14 inch trout in the upper section of the beat rising near the far bank to take a CDC olive - what I would have given for it to have been like that all day.
The morning and most of the afternoon was cold and very windy; so much so I retreated to the comfort of the car for a couple of hours. The only highlight of the lower beat was seeing an otter swim straight towards me in the section of water above the fishing hut - now there's someone who can fish!

2 Trout

2 x BT on spiders in faster water, during afternoon (both around 10 inches). Unfortunately had to leave just as evening rise began.

2 Trout

1 3/4lb, 1lb and two at around 10". Caught on Yellow May Dun.

4 Trout

A lovely beat, very quiet place to lose yourself for the day. The river was slightly coloured and really fancied my chances early on but fishing was difficult. Took two small fish from the large pool at the bottom of the beat nymphing. Moved further up and started to target the far banks under the overhanging trees with a dry even though little was rising, which produces two fish to about a pound.
As this is a split beat, after a few beers for lunch at the Bell, moved to the upper beat, which at first looked a bit bland and not very fishy. Turned out to be very wrong as the stretch between the bridge and the Lodges proved to hold a lot of fish, took another 8 but lost twice that amount, 3 of them being good fish. Fish hard fighting, in beautiful condition and all seemed to run straight towards me and shed the hook. I always use barbless hooks but have never lost so many fish.
Good hatches of Sedges, Yellow Mayfly and other uprights and also some 'Proper' Mayflies which you don't see too often on the Usk.

12 Trout

3 x BT caught and released safely - 9, 12 and 16 inches.
All caught on PT parachute.

3 Trout

A very long stretch of water. Long stretches of flats. Some nice pools at either end. Very very bright day and also low water.

11 Trout

A fascinating beat: despite real challenging clear-water dry fly flats at the top end (where an eight-inch brownie made my day by taking a long hard look at a #18 midge pattern – twice – before spooking horribly at a similar-sized CDC spinner) the upper half of this beat is dominated by long, largely featureless canal like stretches.
The lower section feels slightly more diverse, and this was where I hooked a really fine 16” trout in one of the fast, gravelly shutes. Some of the fallen bankside willows seemed to have been cut back a little too strongly, however: leaving these in place as sweepers (as on the Breconshire Fishery, for instance) would produce more bankside habitat for fish of all sizes.

1 Trout

Very warm sunny day. A hatch of blue wings started about 11.30 and lasted for bout an hour. Landed one of 2 pounds then hooked into a big bruiser around 4 pounds. Played him for a few minutes trying to keep him from reaching fast water, put brakes on and we had a mexican standoff for a split second, he won hook straightened, adios amigos. First time on Usk, good size of fish rising in this hour period then river fell silent.

1 Trout

A very bright and fine day. I caught one 3/4 lb trout at the side of the Bridge Pool at 2pm when there was a brief rise. In the morning on the lower beat I saw one salmon moving upstream. I stayed at the Manor Hotel which was welcoming, clean, good food and a pleasant place to stay.

4 x BT on Adams Parachute all returned. 9in, 10in, 12in and 17in. Several lost.