Feedback & Reports

A cold westerly breeze kept the fish down with but a few feeding on midge,BWO and Olive Uprights. Access remains a struggle and winter floods have created some steep bank drops to a summer low river.
Best fish was probably nudging 3lb but my photography skills does not do it justice.

3 Trout

5 Trout

This was our first visit to the Ashford House beat. Parking was excellent and access from the parking to the river was well defined. Finding a spot to gain access from the high bank sections was however not so easy with unmaintained tree and vegetation growth as well as the steep banks preventing access to the river level. However there are a few access points higher up the beat and once in allowed good wading. Fish were rising from the 5pm start and increased through the evening with a good olive hatch together with the occasional sedge. They were very picky though which resulted in frustrated searches through the fly box to find a successful pattern. With limited time availability we failed to make contact with a rising fish. However thanks to a size 14 olive nymph the evening was rescued by a well conditioned 19 inch brown trout that was carefully returned safe and well.

1 Trout

Windy day, however still in the evening with a spectacular evening rise! Great days fishing.

5 Trout

Despite plenty of fly life including lots of yellow May duns not many risers. Even a E. danica sailed down unmolested. Lots of birds taking advantage including redstart, wagtails and dippers. Also a family of Mandarin ducks! Gave up on the dries and caught 2 to Klink and dink. Late afternoon numbers of trout began rising in slow featureless water. Good ones too! But so tricky to get to. Battled the undergrowth and trees to finally get one on a small olive( the trout were taking something very small I couldn’t see). Had to leave but I think the evening would have been good. Given the nature of the banks and high vegetation I would say this beat might require some agility and sweat come high summer. Plenty of fish though and lovely to see them.

3 Trout

As it was an overcast day was hoping for hatches and dry fly action. Unfortunately said hatches did not materialise so set about speculative casting into likely seams and spots with olive emergers in slower water and olive comparaduns in the riffles. This provoked loads of explosive takes but hooking and keeping the fish hooked proved a major challenge. Nevertheless an action packed enjoyable day. Access to and exit from the water up the steep banks is still very challenging perhaps even more so due to prolific undergrowth. Saw another chap fishing behind me so called Wye Usk as I was the only one booked in that day. I was asked to approach him and determine why. A thoroughly nice chap it turned out he had permission to fish the left bank (WU only have rights on the right) He was actually fishing all the river, left and right. I was lucky he was behind me ..... Learning points are that if someone knows or pays the owner of the the other bank where WU only have rights on one you could have unexpected company. This has fiscal implications if one does a block booking in expectation of a solitary experience.

Fishing Passport Note : Fishing more than half way across the river (at single bank fisheries or where staggered) does happen, but it is usually an agreement that fishery owners have between themselves and a certain amount of etiquette normally applies whereas anglers will not fish across if the opposite bank is occupied. Technically, however, it is illegal to fish more than half way.

4 Trout

Fantastic day, sporadic hatches and rises through the afternoon and then continuous action from 7pm onwards with a good hatch of olives. A few fish on PTN in the day, all others on small olive emerger patterns. Two fish of over 2lb, and numerous others over 1lb.

10 Trout

2 Trout

Good water, nymping two small brownies. no rise at the temp 15deg

2 Trout

Fished Klink and dink most of the day searching likely water. Fished a small olive klinkhammer with a size 14PTN both took fish throughout the day.

7 Trout