Feedback & Reports

1 fresh 14 pounder, cock - Gravel Catch (tail). Willie's Imperial, size 8 (ish). 1pm. Lost another in The Bridge Pool
Great lunch time! And with 5 from the beat at 2pm, a terrific day for the beat.

River in best nick for a while (2ft and clear) and fished for a hour in morning and another hour in the rain in the evening. One hand shake in the Gravel Catch first up but no further action despite the other rods having fish of 15, 15, 14, 12, 10 and 9lbs. Saw one fish show.

A red letter day on a lovely beat with good company. 3 salmon caught, 9,10 & 15lb. All slightly coloured but belters all the same. Great to watch others take fish and a very easy drive home, very happy!

After a six day blank in Norway and several other blanks it was nice to finally get off the mark with a coloured hen fish of about 8lds from just above the big Rock in the Rock Pool. Had another more lively fish on for quite a while and two other pulls all around the same spot.
1st time through the Gravel Catch landed a bright silver Cock fish of approx 12lb, no lice but very fresh, taken from above the power lines.
Throughout my day I must have seen over 30 fish including a tail walking Grilse which would show after I had covered it. Both fish taken on a Red Cascade and safely returned.
A shame to see so few fisherman on the river!

River coloured with Ithon water. Would have been a wash off but the large number of running salmon apparent kept you plugging away. Saw 20 or so show in two runs down the gravel catch alone. A mix of fresh run salmon and grilse and a few big coloured springers.

Interesting beat with a great variety of water. Started very early and fished the Rock pool very thoroughly for no result only to be shamed by Simon Evans who fished it after me and pulled out 2 fish.
Weather remained awful all day and the river rose quite a bit. I then concentrated on the gravel catch, which is a lovely bit of water and was finally rewarded with a beautiful fresh salmon of aprox 12lb.
Thanks for all the advice and direction Simon.

2 rods fished whole day. River holding at 2ft. 1 very fresh hen fish of around 11lb from Gravel catch around 9.30am. Another strong pull missed in Bridge pool in the morning and a fish lost in the Bridge pool after 20 seconds in the afternoon. 4 shad. Saw four salmon show which is notable as have seen very few in past month or so. Trout were steadily rising all day in the Gravel catch and Bridge flats.

A disappointing day - having arrived at crack of dawn, I did not catch anything apart from 1 Chub. Didn't have a pull or touch from anything resembling a Salmon. Saw one move but nothing. Work intervened at Midday, and I will bet that the fish started to be active late afternoon/ evening.
Met a very nice Gentleman on the beat, and I hope he had some luck as the day wore on!

A disappointing day considering the conditions, but having said that, the top of the river rose during the morning, could this have put the fish off?
However I did have an interesting experience at the top Rock. My line was swinging round nicely as a swan decided to swim over it. The line went tight, the swan jumped and I cursed and wondered how I was going to unhook a swan! The swan then went downstream but the line went upstream. Reality then dawned....
It was not a happy ending because the hook popped out with the fish beaten at my feet. Such is fishing.
I too met a very nice gentleman in the morning!

Manufactured 35 mins on way back from work. With river at 2ft 6" I dipped into the bridge pool. 4th cast right in the neck line pulled away and a bright silver 12lb cock fish was the result. Now had 25mins so moved down rapidly towards the rocks. On the way had a slam take mid river and very strong fish roared around pool, twice having 100 yards of line out. Thought I was into a Wye special and phoned for assistance. Shortly after assistance arrived fish showed for first time and it was only a colouring hen of around 17lb. Landed it just in time to rush back to car and get back in time to pick up kids from creche.