Feedback & Reports

Started off with czech nymphing faster water in front of caravan park, then moved upstream to deeper water. Saw several smaller fish rise and take emerges just under the surface but could not (despite my extensive fly collection) find the right drift / pattern they were feeding on. Weather cloudy at first, then sunny with a light wind downstream, temperature mild.
Think it a nice beat but clearly need some guidance on how to catch these fish, especially patterns and method).
All in all a good day out, however disappointing that I did not land any fish :-(
Francois.

No fish (salmon) caught / seen, fished deeper pools top of beat as I would have thought it the best place to find fish. Need advice on patterns used together with techniques. Met two other fishermen who fished downstream from us but no success from their end either. That's fishing or you...

After a very early start arrived to find river at perfect height (0.82 m and falling) but carrying a little too much colour at first. We all fished hard with the double handlers on Rock Upper Rock and below the bridge but no sign so Salmo Salar. Mixed Ephemera hatched including Yellow May Duns but only 1 or 2 risers. Still an enjoyable day In beautiful surroundings and good company. Left reluctantly with the river looking spot on.

Early start. River good height at 0.82m and falling.carrying a little to much colour at first but perfect by close of play. A lovely day in great company ensued but no sign of Salmo Salar. Intermittent hatch of mixed Ephemera including Yellow May Duns throughout the day but only occasional riser.

What a difference a week(day) makes. I sense a song coming on!!! At 22deg, 0.6m and balmy (humidity was 90%), I was expecting a good day. Not so!! A brief blizzard of gnats heralded frantic acrobatics from my accompanying Grey Wagtails, but no rising trout, so I went down the Woodstream with spiders and nymphs.No offers.
Decided to fish the Rock pool, and one trout rising caught my eye.
Tried March Brown, Yellow May Dun, Tupps, and Wulff dry flies with no offers. Reduced size to 14 Dark Olive which produced an instant take and a fish of half pound. This proved to be my only fish, as a succession of thunderstorms, and heavy rain, curtailed the day. So disappointing after last weeks bag of 10 in much inferior conditions.
That sums up fishing!!!

1 Trout

An early season gem!! After 3 hrs of heavy rain up to 1pm I really did not expect such a good day, but the weather improved, the wind dropped slightly and with water .64m it looked reasonable for trout rather than salmon.
A few march browns coming down, but not much surface activity, so elected to go march brown spider on the point and egg laying grannom on dropper, subsurface on floating line. John fished similar patterns but two droppers.
I took 10 fish between 1.6lb and 4 oz, with 3 over 1lband two others around half pound. 8 fell to the point fly, and 2 on the grannom.All the larger fish taken on the point fly. 6 at woodstream, 4 at or below the rock.
For once, John Phillips only landed two small fish though he fished in more exposed parts where the gusting wind was more of a problem.
Weather is warming up and we saw the first yellow may dun, but march browns still predominant.John saw one salmon below the wires but too far down to reach with fly. None seen above bridge. Temperature went down to 8deg at 5.30 so retired----happy.

12 Trout

A rather bright day coupled with a chilly wind blowing down river meant conditions werent ideal. The river, however, was at a good level and there were a small number of insects hatching throughout the day. 3 fish hooked, two of which ended in hook pulls! Various takes, most of which were thanks to a brief, but large hatch that occurred around 1230pm. Fished mainly dries. We were rather disappointed to find another angler on the beat who was staying at the nearby campsite. He claimed to have been given (free) permission from the beat owner.
All in all...it felt tough fishing in comparison to three other stretches of the Usk that my friend had fished earlier in the week.
Thanks Wye & Usk

1 Trout

First time on the Chainbridge Beat, it's a lovely beat. Weather was cold and not much rising, even though there was a fair hatch around 12. Fished it through with the salmon rod first, no sign of any fish, but some lovely fly pools, will be back for another go soon.
Took a few trout to 3/4 lb on deep fished nymphs.
Many thanks to Barry for his kind advice.

3 Trout

Arrived with the river just under .7 on the gauge, quite cold with a brisk downstream wind. Decided to start fishing with salmon rod, got in the water at the bridge and slowly covered the pools working my way upstream, being a novice with the doublehander it was great to be in the water and for the first time feel that (after a shaky start) I am starting to cast fairly consistently! Had a pull at the top of wood stream that turned out to be a lively trout of around half a pound that was quickly unhooked and released. Fished upto the upper rocks and noticed that there was a big hatch of March Browns, nothing at first seemed to be rising but after around fifteen minutes of a fairly intensive hatch the river seemed to come alive with plops and small splashes, by the time I had switched rods things had slowly subsided? Just caught the end of the hatch, I managed to miss a couple of takes off the surface and my companion connected with two fish that unfortunately didn't make the net, after this period of excitement the river went back to its normal self and stayed that way for the rest of the day.
Tried for a salmon below the bridge late in the day but unfortunately not enough flow for the fly? Turned out to be a beautiful spring day and am already looking forward to my next visit, it's becoming an obsession??

1 Trout

A cold showery day, water just below 0.7 on the gauge and gin clear. One Salmon seen to break surface just below chain bridge and then rest 6-8 feet below the submerged rock seen from the bridge. Ten minutes casting over said fish of about 8lb before it carried on up river. Great fun