Feedback & Reports

The river was in great condition when I arrived at 11am. I got to the riverbank and found plenty of fish rising. Within 5 minutes I was into my first Usk brownie. A lovely fish of about 1 1/4lbs with more than a hint of red in it's flanks. The fight had seriously disrupted the pool I was fishing so I moved to the downstream end of the beat where I met the owner and discussed some possible tactics.

Over the next 2 hrs a further 2 fish of approximately the same size but minus the red hue were taken on #16 para adams while working the bottom 100yds of the beat. 2pm saw the hatch cease and fish stopped taking off the surface. So I moved upstream and briefly worked one of the pools mid-beat with some nymphs and no success. I then left the beat approx 3pm and headed homewards.

We arrived to find the river pushing through nicely, with periods of bright sunshine, which warmed the air/water well and encouraged good hatches throughout the day. Sadly this was not matched by rises with just the occasional fish showing. 4 Goosanders and a Cormorant were present which may account for the apparent deficit of fish on what is a fantastic beat.

We manged 5 trout between us mostly small except for a 3/4lb one, this was when there was more cloud cover.

1 small trout to a wet fly. A few fish rising when the rain stopped. Lovely beat, but found it it difficult fishing on the upper section - couldn't get to right bank, & overhanging trees all the way up the left bank, which made for tricky casting.

Just a note to say that I caught 3 brown trout (each around 1lb).
Challenging but enjoyable fishing in low flow conditions. Also saw 3 mink!

Another tough day with crystal clear low water. Arrived at lunch time and eventually hooked 3 good WBT to 12 inches on a Gary La Fontaine deep sparkle pupa. Missed a few takes also + caught 1 minnow on a CDC & Elk !!

6 WBT up to 10inches taken on klinkhammer and PTN's. Some fish showing in the slower sections but spooked as soon as a cast goes over them. Several small fish showing in the riffles but no signs of the bigger fish.

This was my second visit to this lovely beat, and I again concentrated my fishing on the lower half of the beat upstream of the first car park. There was a fairly constant hatch of small sedges throughout the day, and the occasional medium-sized olive came off around mid-day. Trout were rising in the slower water, and I managed four WBTs to 12" on small klinkhamers and paraduns. The largest fish was taken, but the others were all returned. I tried upstream nymphing for larger fish, working up through the riffles and checking pockets behind large rocks etc, but to no avail. I didn't see the otters, sadly.

My first time here and what a wonderful, varied and challenging stretch of water it is and, given the lowish water, so much of it accessible - so I wetted a line whereever I could! Blessedly it was a lovely day with no wind but being August, there was little emerging fly apart from a few pale wateries throughout most of the day, and consequently not too many rising fish - as usual the returning late-afternoon and evening sedges elicited no response either. Starting above the car park, I worked my way up, fishing the foam lanes, creases and likely holding spots and had a few non-rising fish on a small hare's ear emerger. I tried spiders as well but to no avail. By the time I got up to the first big pool some PWs were around and also some rising fish. I had a few more fish here including a 17", one and threequarter pounder. Having worked my way to the top of the beat and as there was no evening rise, I headed home having caught twenty classic Usk browns all of which, apart from the fish noted above, were of 8-10 inches and all in mint condition. All were taken on a couple of HE emerger patterns and on one of my pale watery emergers.

It is a lovely and challenging beat and I shall certainly come back next spring to fish it when the spring bugs are around.

Two discourteous anglers intruded on my morning on and off for an hour or so, fishing opposite me on the far bank and then, without a "by your leave" and showing zero etiquette, pitched in above me in a spot where I had been watching a few rising fish and planning my tactics to get to them. No manners at all - two young otters!

A great beat. At times there was plenty of fish feeding sub surface but I couldn't work out what type of Nypmh they were feeding on. Total caught was 3 WBT up to 11" on PTN. A handful more not brought to hand.

The day started off really tough with a few fish coming from the streamy runs, as the day progressed and we moved up the river things started to look up. We finished the with 29 fish between us the best two fish being around
1 1/2lb a piece.