Feedback & Reports

Water level very low, overcast but warm. Day was spent with Chris for a days guidance on salmon fishing instruction learning to spey cast etc and other ideas for trout fishing and reading the water. I found this day a very useful time and much enjoyed the company of Chris.
I look forward to putting what I have learned into practice later in the season when conditions are better and salmon could be about in Sept/Oct.

1 Trout

Good day generally weatherwise, gusty downriver river wind, annoying but bearable. Plenty of flies coming off but very few rises so not much opportunity to fish the dry. All fish taken on small black CDC nymph, long nymphing which always works well here especially when the levels are quite low. No fish greater than a 1lb taken from various parts of the river. A great day and can´t wait to come back to one of my favourite beats!

9 Trout

Highish water after recent rain but clear. A very beautiful setting. We had some small trout (best about 1 lb), but yet again we were unable to stay for the evening. Wonder what we missed?

7 Trout

Water improving well after recent floods. Quite a few insects about but few fish rising. 4 fish caught on small nymphs the rest on dries. If a rising fish was targeted it would often take. Successful patterns mayfly duns or hares ear parachute Adams size 14. Very pleasant day.

11 Trout

Gusty conditions but much better than the forecast. The river was another world today, alive with flies of all shapes and sizes from midges to mayfly and even a few big stoneflies. The fish were lying low. Very few rises despite the fly life. Either replete or feeding off the emerging nymphs. Perhaps the chilly wind was keeping them down. A fascinating day on the river.

I brought zero fish to the net - did not even hook & loose any. The first hour or so I saw no evidence of trout at all. No rises, no sighted fish, no spooked fish despite a reasonable hatch happening. Eventually I saw a few tiddlers (2-4 inch brownies) and then a few in the 5-6" range but nothing connected. I am not sure why - I was using the same setup from the previous day (Parachute Adams as an indicator with a nymph dropper - Bead head PT #16, Hare's Ear bead head jig #18, etc..) which saw me catch 9 fish to the net and about twice that many hooked & lost on the lower Escley. I eventually sighted a 2-3 pound brown but he was a foot off the bank in 6 inches of water in no current. Watched him for 5 minutes as there was no way to actually cast to him & then he buggered off. After 5+ hours I was, to say the least, disappointed in the day's catch but the weather & scenery was glorious. It seems that much of the Wye/Usk Foundation water can be a bit of potluck where some good inside knowledge is a big help - that insight I got from a serious salmon fisherman on the Wye who ran me through each of the beats & gave them a thumbs up or down as to fishiness.

The fish weren't hungry today. We fished from the lowest part of the beat from just above the camp site, avoiding the campers. We saw a few risers around midday but after that until 5 when we left we didn't see any more trout. Insect life was limited to a few isolated small hatches with no fish activity.
The water was crystal clear. I nearly trod on a lamprey at the top of the beat near the bridge which was a bit surprising, more for the lamprey than me. Just a bit unlucky today I think as it is a very beautiful and varied beat.

Great beat few fish rising. 2 small trout caught on goldhead nymph.

2 Trout

Largest fish 2lbs. Very enjoyable day good conditions.

4 Trout

One trout, about 1.5 lb, on a bibio. Abundant fly life but few fish rising.

1 Trout