Feedback & Reports

First time on this beat, arrived mid morning in glorious sunshine, river low but fish topping all over taking a variety of insects. Started at the downstream limit and soon caught a trout of around 12 inches, I then spent the next hour and a half targeting a single trout I'd spotted rising repeatedly mid river, obviously a good sized fish judging by its slow rises, just breaking the surface before showing its dorsal fin and then a quick flick of the tail. I covered this fish a hundred times, changing flies over and over trying to find something it's take, when finally it came up, took my fly and...I missed it! I didn't swear much, honestly.
By now it was much too hot, my arms were burning and the fish had stopped rising so I packed up around lunchtime and had a break 'till gone 4pm. I then took a further 4 fish on dries before calling it a day.
A nice beat, easy wading, plenty of fish but not as wild or remote feeling as other Usk beats.

5 Trout

7 Trout

Sunny, cloudy, river low and clear. There were plenty of rising fish, but were being highly selective. Having found a fly that worked, it was soon evident that the trout were not reading from the same menu! and fly changing became the order of the day. Catching a fish under these conditions is always more rewarding than finding that one pattern is good for the day. We managed five trout with the best two at 1.75lbs. and 1.5lbs respectively. Another enjoyable day on this beat!
Just a note of interest, to those who have fished here before, and made comments about having difficulty with the combination lock; we happened to arrive just as the Farmer did, and he took some tome to open the lock. He said: "I do this twice a day every day, and it always takes some time, I can hardly see the numbers! His wife who was driving the pickup, was splitting her sides laughing at him. So you have to be a little patient with it!

5 Trout

Very hard going all day. Little surface activity despite a bit of a hatch.

1 Trout

I was concerned that the traffic noise from the A40 would disturb this otherwise tranquil spot. I needn’t have worried. The field near the top of the beat was hosting a music festival, which drowned out all other sound. This beat had, well, a beat. I didn’t mind my day’s fishing having a soundtrack.
At first I thought the river was alive with rising fish. As I looked more closely I realised it was just the countless sand martins dipping into the water’s surface to pick off insects. The birds were feeding but the fish didn’t seem to be taking insects at the surface yet. There was no shortage of upwing flies to eat. I’ll have to review my copy of ‘Matching the Hatch’ to identify them all. Yellow mayflies were quite conspicuous, but the majority were a duller brown.
Starting at the lower end of the beat, I ran a GRHE and Pink Shrimp through the prosaically named ‘Sewerage Pool’. No fish showing. I move upstream of the A40 bridge to some of the flat glides with the wooded opposite bank. Around 3pm the fish started rising. Time for dry fly. I selected the generic imitation of a Parachute Adams #14, and cast to the rising fish.
A seven-incher first came to the net. It was a very silvery colour. I wondered for a moment if it might have been a salmon smolt.
I lost another larger fish, then took a break when the fish stopped rising.
I returned in the evening sunshine, and walked the riverbank once more. Some bigger fish appeared to be rising in the upper reaches of the beat, but the trees make casting trickier up that end. I moved downstream, and cast to some more rising fish. A ten-inch fish took the Adams.
The largest fish of the day was just shy of twelve inches. The fish helpfully unhooked itself and jumped out of the net before I had a chance to photograph it.
A nice little beat for a day’s fishing. There are some bigger fish to catch here no doubt. I’ll return.

(full report and more photos on my blog: afishingdiary.com

3 Trout

An embarrassing blank on what should have been an excellent day.
Arrived in sunshine with a light breeze down stream, plenty of swallows swooping over the bay and a good hatch. I made my way down the beat and on arrival, found fish taking off the surface. As I set up the breeze got stronger, and as always this year it was downstream. The water was fast so I fished a size 14 klinkhammer, and on the second cast had a fish on then off again. For the next hour I had numerous fish rise and lost eight, some of which were a very good size. I can't say why I was losing them, possibly because of that wind hampering my presentation. There was then a very heavy shower, which had hail stones, so I switched to nymph, but no takers. Every time the wind dropped the fish came back on the surface, and I switched so many times from dry to wet. Right at the end of the day I lost another fish this time hooked on a nymph, after many expletives I went home. Really nice beat, fish a good average size, will return for definite.

18 Trout

Caught it just right with the river fining down and the level dropping after a few rainy days. Fish fed avidly on the surface from early afternoon onwards. Variety of upwings hatching throughout the day. 8 browns in total, mostly between half a pound and a pound. Best fish about one and a half pounds, all in immaculate condition. Lost roughly the same number of fish to early self releases (barbless hooks), and missed plenty of rises too. First two fish to beaded nymph, all to deer hair emerger thereafter. First visit to the Usk and a day to remember. Will definitely be back.
Stayed at Caravan Club site in Brecon, 5 minutes drive away.

8 Trout

One 14in fish caught on a nymph in the morning before river got to high and brown to fish.
Went back at last light and fished till to dark to see and managed three more 12 to 14in fish on black dry, so made it more worthwile.

4 Trout

I can't comment a lot on the things like river conditions as we were fishing in the river for first time and also we are just beginning anglers. I've caught 1 brown trout on the may fly nymph just simply let freely it to float by the river current, I had 2 takes on the dry fly but didn't manage to set the hook.
In general it is a nice beat, there is fish movement, its close to Brecon town so it's nice mix with nature and view in the town.
My strong advice is before you decide which beat to book, is to read the Wye & Usk Foundation Fishing Reports.

1 Trout