Feedback & Reports

5 x wild trout: two small fellows and the best three at 15, 16 and 17 inches. A very cold day, with a harsh downstream wind bringing increasing rain (which we badly need, because the sluggish river is full of algae and other muck). Nothing hatching and nothing at all seen rising, so it was good to find a few taking fish.

2 x wild trout, 14 inches and 18 inches, Woodcock and Hare's Lug. A light large dark olive hatch starting around midday, but fish were more interested in march browns during the afternoon. Incidentally, I have decided for now to stop my worrying about whether this last is really Rhithrogena Germanica in the Usk or not. My reasoning is that if it looks like a march brown, hatches in numbers at times and places like a march brown, trout feed on the nymphs and duns and can be taken on patterns intended to imitate a march brown...well then, as far as I'm concerned it might as well be a march brown!

3 x trout on Waterhen Bloa during a rather sporadic large dark olive hatch after lunch and with a chill east wind blowing: 10 inches, 15 inches and a very handsome wild cock fish of 18 inches. The last-mentioned, at the end, managed to jump through the loop of line I had left trailing below the reel in the current - chaos for a while until the net was brought into play. That will teach me to play fish off the reel!

2 x wild brown trout, 14 inches and 16 inches, Waterhen Bloa from a team of spiders. Both fish in very nice condition. I thought I might as well start the 2011 season on the beat where I finished on the last day of the 2010 one. It was typical for the Usk in early season, a very cold start with fog in the valley till well after lunch. I somehow can't bring myself to fish the Usk with heavy bugs, so the river seemed dead and it was hard going until about 2.00 in the afternoon, when the first large gark olive was seen floating past. Then a busy hour and a half, first trying for a rising fish just out of range, then losing a couple, one taken in a steady glide and finally a handsome one taken in shallow water on a pool tail, which had obviously been feeding quite hard on the ascending nymphs. Everything finished by 4.00 pm.

Just popped in at Brecon on the way to an evening's sewin fishing and during the last hour of the last day of the season...1 x 17 inch brownie on a Tungsten Hare's Ear. A very nice looking wild fish to finish the season.

Beautiful day. Soft westerly wind. Sunny in afternoon.
2x Brown Trout approx 3/4 and 1 lb. Caught and released both on a Bloody Butcher. Immaculate condition. Good markings with brown and red spots. Finished at 5pm (its my boys bath night!)

(guided by Kim Tribe) 8 Trout, one estimated at 4.5lbs - length 22 inches girth 10. All returned, all caught on nymphs.

Email to Kim: "Thanks again for a great day of fishing on Sept. 2!! When you get a chance please e-mail me the pictures you took with your phone camera, especially the 22" Brown picture!

Don't know when I will return to Wales again but when I do I will definitely contact you for some more fishing and will let my friends know of you also."

1x 4" brown. Caught (and released) on a small CDC emerger.
Plenty of activity - Evening rise started at approx 1700hrs and died off after 1930hrs.
Weather changeable.
Nothing over 6" seen but plenty of activity.
A lovely evening.

Two Brown trout caught on a wet fly, both approx 6 inches, returned in good condition. Plenty of activity on the river with fish rising all day.

3 wild brown trout to 8" on #20 klink.

First visit to this beat. Fished from 2pm onwards. River in good condition with some colour after the rain. Most productive areas were the flat glides where casting to rising fish produced many missed takes. Good fish were on the feed but always out of casting range, being tight up against opposite bank. Riffles were very unproductive with nymphs.