Feedback & Reports

Water quality fair, perhaps not as clear as had been expected.
Not many rises, however both fish were caught on dry flies.

2 Trout

Did not fish after booking, was offered greener pastures at Upper Bigswier!

8 x trout 9-13 inches. The first time I have managed to get a day for myself on Monnow Valley, this year, but better late than never. I wondered in fact if I would be too late for the mayfly (I was, although I saw just a few of the big flies). The weather was cold and overcast with a big wind and threatening rain which never quite arrived. Although there were a few insects of various sorts around, most of the day was extremely slow going with very, very few rising fish. I spent the time fishing the water and having a crack at the ones I did see move. By early evening I had done the whole beat, got myself thoroughly tired, and taken just a couple from glides on an Adams and one from under a tree, which seemed to be waiting for terrestrials shaken out by the wind, on a Black Klinkhammer. Plus I had lost quite a good fish at the net, as you inevitably do. The game changer was a spinner fall of blue winged olives immediately before dark which suddenly brought the river to life with good fish rising regularly. A Parachute Tups seemed to work. I lost some more fish - inevitably the better ones - but was kept busy right through into darkness and didn't get packed up and away till nearly 11, tired out but cheerful. An interesting and memorable day, I thought, with what Bernard Cribbins once called a "reassuring level of difficulty."

8 Trout

Difficult fishing due to access issues and vegetation.

Other commitments meant we weren't on the river until 14:00 in overcast and very humid conditions. Initial rain cleared and precipitated a hatch of absolutely allsorts - mostly various duns but a few large mayflies.
Sadly no fish landed but three lost - two took PTN and one a March Brown dry. Sadly the rising fish were spooked by a couple of helpful kayakers who seemed to enjoy scattering a family of juvenile ducks.
Nonetheless - this is a lovely stretch. It'll be the full 12-hour shift next time.

The morning was very quiet. Nothing hatching, nothing rising. A few yellow mays and mayfly started to appear mid afternoon. Around 4pm the trout switched on and I had five fish and missed a couple more over the next hour. By 5pm everything had stopped. All fish came to a large (mayfly size) adams, who needs Mohicans, life's too short!

5 Trout

5 Trout from 9 to 14 inch, all in super condition and fighting fit condition, lovely ...
River was fairly quiet with just a few olives and mayfly popping off, turning over the stones revealed plenty of Nymphs of all descriptions and a fair shrimp population and some huge sedge cases too! Lovely bit of river with some fabulous dry fly runs and glides and yes access is a bit tricky as has been noted before but just have a wander round and you"ll find a way through OK, the 'vertical' bank sections are deep and slow anyway and not much fun to fish the fly.

A good bonus is that there's no barbed wire fencing, tightly strung waiting to put holes in your waders and ones other parts down there ...

5 Trout

Some mayfly and olives on the water. Caught 2 brown trout, 1 approx 1.75 lb caught on a GRHE emerger and 1 approx 0.5 lb caught on a Mayfly.

2 Trout

This is a very disappointing beat. The bank is very largely steep and overgrown, often completely impassable. Even in the current low water much more than 50% of the beat was too deep to wade. One nice pool at the top but small recompense.

1 Trout

A few fish were rising regularly but not tempted by numerous dry flies I tried, mostly klinkhammers, although I think I missed one or two chances. I am unused to river fly fishing methods and would like to come back sometime with a guide. The sound of drums from the Mill House was unexpected in the countryside, but I got used to it after a while.