Feedback & Reports

Blank. First time for me on this beat which has re-opened for the last few days of the Severn season after being closed due to low water during the summer. I had been meaning to get up here for years. Obviously I had been briefed to expect low water, but the section of the Teme I came down to was the ghost of a stream. Many yards of flat gravel shallows are only a few inches deep, and the occasional deep hole has water so clear you could see every stone on the bottom. The valley is quite delightful, particularly the cricket bat willow plantation. Lots of birdlife, I started a hare across the stubble and, without wishing to seem misanthropic, I didn't see another soul. We don't have another stream like this, except perhaps some sections of the Ithon. It's all quite open, except for the very top end where an 8 or even 7 foot rod would have been handier than the 9 footer I had brought. This is not a winterbourne where the upper waters of a brook only flow during winter months, but a mid stream section where low summer flows just disappear below porous ground. This is not unique either: part of our own Blackpool Brook has a habit of disappearing into old mine workings during a dry summer, the Surrey Mole famously gets a bit lost between Caterham and Dorking in a dry year and Yugoslavia is full of limestone streams which disappear down sinkholes and pop up again miles away and a thousand feet lower.
Anyway, during a delightful walk, enjoying myself taking photographs, the only thing missing from the equation was a trout, although I know trout of 2 or 3 pounds are occasionally taken. I tried walking down to the bottom of the beat and working up, looking for a rising fish and searching with a dry fly in the runs and deep holes. Some of these holes do look good. But despite a warm day with willow flies and pale wateries hatching, I didn't see a natural rise. I did raise a small fish from a deep hole to a Grey Duster and failed to hook it, and another turned out to be a tiny chub. I came to the conclusion that the best thing to do would be to let the winter floods repopulate the stretch and come back to try it in the spring. At the same time, there are very few absolutes in angling, so if somebody comes along and gets a dozen from it tomorrow, I'm standing by ready to eat my hat!

Took Dad on a trip for his 75th. Arrived at the bank around 12. Expected there to be MUCH more water on the beat after the heavy rain earlier in the week. Level was VERY low? Walked the entire length of the beat upstream. Saw maybe 3 fish moving and nothing rising. Upstream to the upper limit extremely difficult. Lots of fallen trees in the river and planting to the field made it impossible to fish. Returned midway and fished some of the deeper pools. No fish moving and nothing taking either dry or wet. Top or sinking. Had some lunch and began to fish downstream. More fish seen moving but nothing biting. No rise despite a hatch around 4pm. Stayed until 7pm. No rise, no fish seen moving. A disappointing day fish wise.
Wildlife: - Lovely Kingfisher sprinting around the mid section of the beat. Observed a Heron all day, he too seemed to come back empty handed. Watched a Kestrel? take a field mouse.
All in all an enjoyable day in tranquil countryside just a pity there were no fish :-(

Wet fly - 1 brown trout caught and released. Very efficient booking service. Thanks.

1 Trout

Only very few seen rising, total of 3 fish seen moving along bottom, no rises to dry fly, water conditions were low bright sun and clear. Switched to wet fly and caught one trout which was of good size at 2 & 1/2 pounds.

1 Trout

All on dry fly, a small rise and later fall, of mayfly which didn't interest the trout. Water was very low and strong winds didn't help. Two were sizeable, 13" and 11" and the others 8-9" - all returned. Not many pools to fish from and some lost through fallen trees.

4 Trout

I had intended to fish Lyepole on the Lugg but left it too late to book and this was the only beat in the area available, so gave it a go - and very glad I am too. This is a really lovely beat, running through fields and lush woods. Although the main road is not far from the bottom end of the beat, it manages to feel secluded.
A bright, warm day. The water was low, around 25cm at the crossing point marked on the map near the car park. All the rocks I turned over had a reasonable clutch of invertebrates clinging to them and I saw a few healthy looking shoals of fry in the margins, but there was nothing in the main, shallow runs where the sun was pretty unforgiving. There are plenty of deep pools dotted along the length where I expect fish would hold, but I didn't spend much time on them as I'd seen a couple of rises along the edges of the long, sweeping bends. The outside edge of the bends was a little deeper, perhaps 3ft, and the overhanging bank created a band of shadow, perhaps a foot wide. It was in this band that all the fish seemed to be holding, very gently sipping the pale yellow and brown mayflies that were trickling off throughout the morning. Dropping a pale yellow cdc emerger right on their noses pretty much guaranteed a rise and then an explosive run. I was very surprised by the size of the fish, particularly considering the depth of the water. Nothing under 12" and one went like a rocket straight round a tree stump, promptly breaking me off (3.5lb tippet). I managed three fit, healthy looking specimens and lost three more before it got too hot around 1pm and I had to head home.
Great day, many thanks WUF.

3 Trout

Weather sunny, windy and warm. Water low and clear. Little hatch beside olives and a dribble of mayfly. Nymph unsuccessful. No rising fish but changed to dry olive variant at midday. Resulted in two fish .. First 2lb 2oz second 1lb 3oz. Left river at 1400.

2 Trout

Although a large hatch of olives/mayfly, etc little or no rise all day. Water level low/clear and temp mid 20's - with little or no wind. Main fair for the day was a parachute sedge and a Adams size 16 on the point. Raised several trout, but largest (2lb 7oz) came to the sedge. Other fish came to the Adams each around 1lb.

3 Trout

The fishing was so poor on Tuesday that we did not fish on Wednesday. Please see my report for Tuesday. I would appreciate your comments on your annual netting of this river and presumably an expectation when accepting bookings that fish would be present on this beat.
WUF Note : See WUF Note on ID: 20538.

Fished Tuesday saw no fish apart from the one caught at end of day- a 1.5lb Brown in excellent condition. Because of the lack of fish sightings we did not fish on Wednesday as booked. Heard from two different people that this stretch of the river is netted by you every year - and no fish returned after drought in the summer. No wonder there were no fish to be seen - not even fry. It is a beautiful stretch of the river but if you are going to net it every year you should make it clear when advertising this stretch that the likelihood of catching or even seeing a fish is minimal.
WUF Note: This section of the Teme occasionally dries up in hot summers due to the local geology (flows remain upstream and downstream). When it does, Natural Resources Wales and/or the Environment Agency carry out fish rescues. The upstream migration of trout to spawn grounds every winter should ensure that a new stock of fish is present for the start of the season. If such a rescue takes place we close the beat for the remainder of the season.

1 Trout