Feedback & Reports

12.30 to 16.30. mild 10degC with rain/drizzle. Island just showing but water clear. Banks not too slippery here. Trotting for Chub with self cocking chubber float with one shot at 18inches, C-pin and 12 hook with 3 maggots, same loose fed into swims. From Quay area 2 chub around one and half pound and 3rd weighed at 4lb 2oz caught trotting well downstream in rocky area. Lost what I suspect was a largish barbel that took off into the main flow. From bank immediatly below Wyebank entry 2 Chublets and 1 beautiful Dace weighed at 10/11oz. Then got a tangle as is only possible with a C-pin at dusk!

All fish in superb condition, nice to see smaller chub and dace which have not been so commonly caught this year are actually still there.

Blank. River was up but fishable and very clear. Tried meat and pellet with no luck. Got very wet at dusk.

13.30 to 15.00hrs. Island showing now but still good 15 inch of water to Summer level. Target the Chub with C-pin and 18ft trotting rod, 6lb line, chubber float to size 12 hook with 3 maggots and same loose fed. Directly below entry to Wyebank standing back and using length of rod, dropped line in just under bank in about 15 inch of depth. Took 2 Chub, one weighed at 4lb 2oz other around 3lb. Moved to bottom pool and waded out, same tackle for 2 more Chub of around 3lb. 15.00 to 17.15 moved to Courtfield beat. 100yds above Pub, waded out and long (40yds) trot right down under trees to submerged croy. 3 chub, first weighed at 5lb 7oz and others at around 3lb. Interesting battle with the large Chub at that range on long rod! Chub in excellent condition and full bodied, the 5lb was unusually deep bodied and dark for Wye Chub. Wye clearing and dropping, both Beats should ideal for trotting next week.
Note. In Elan area last week and all dams full and overflowing. Never seen all overflowing before at Winters end let alone Summer so where is the Winter rain and snowmelt going? Straight in the Wye!

River up and muddy, island covered AGAIN!. Kept 4 large 4 to 5 in brown slugs with orange underside whilst gardening and at dusk tried them for chub, freelined on size 8 hook to 16ft trotting rod and centrepin. Took 1 chub around 4lb from bottom of steps at Wyebank entry and a slightly larger one from stream entry. In stream below footbridge hooked a small chub which immediatly was took on the surface by a large pike well into double figures that sheared my line after a few seconds. An interesting half hour drowning slugs!

Just after it got light enough to tie a fly on I caught a silver fresh 8lb salmon from the bottom pool of Wyebank at about 7.45 am on a 2.5" willie gunn brass tube and shortly after had another take which fish came off after about 5 seconds. Thursday afternoon the river was at 1ft 6" and had finally cleared but coarse fishermen on so I got down as the light was slowly building to find the river up 6" to 2ft and on the border line to wade. It rose 2" further whilst I was fishing. Left the river at 8.30 and back at lunchtime to find it filthy again. The curse of this river - as Hutton said the crab of the river is the colour, without which it would be the fishing playground of millionaires only. Once again I was lucky to find a short near perfect slot before the dirty water returned.

Hard day, nothing on the feeder lovely looking peg. Tried trotting for dace got one beautiful little fish about 6 oz. River starting to rise with more rain. Needed lots of juicy maggots which i didnt have with me. Thanks for the advice Don, next time will come prepared to target the dace and chub

Fished end of first pool, had 2 good chub and lost a barbel on the feeder & pellet, had a go on the stick float caught plenty of dace and chublets on hemp & caster,river looked perfect.

River was running high, fast and very coloured with a lack of swim access. Fished for about 2 hours but was struggling to hold bottom with debris grabbing my line so called it a day after that. No fish.

Well I should say here and now that I booked one ticket on the web and the other by telephone and paid a kings ransom for the privilege. To rub salt into the wound Don the owner thought I had booked just the one ticket! This made me very embarrassed. Please make it easier to book two tickets on the web or explain how to do this! Anyhow the fishing was not great with a frost in the morning and the river being up 5ft. We settled into the area where the stream enters. One barbel for 7lbs 8oz was our reward. Still you can't bag up every time.

WUF Note : Wyebank will allow a party of two anglers known to one another but not two individuals - hence the reason for having one rod reserved for telephone booking only.

Disappointingly blank, but not a lot I or anyone else could do about it. Overnight rain continued to hammer down all day and Wyebank offers few options when river is moving like an express train across its width. Made a token gesture, but even Don's suggestion that the only swim offering a chance was the slack water by the level markers didn't produce. Hard to stay cheerful with rain running down your neck and the prospects of a fish remote. Packed up musing the cost of a two-day Wye trip in which I'd fished effectively for only a quarter of the paid-for time.Cheered up on way home, reflecting that with 70th birthday coming up, another completed outing on the lovely Wye is a bonus.