Feedback & Reports

A nice afternoon in the sun, but I blanked. River was nearly back down to normal levels after the recent floods and looked great (just in time for the closed season) but I didn't get more than a couple of knocks on the rod tip. Should have brought maggots and my silvers gear but was after Barbel. Will be back in June!

First time I've booked this beat so took me a bit of time to decide what to do with it.
River colour was good and it was less than a meter up but pushing through strongly.
Access to the beat is good with parking for one vehicle at both ends of the beat with an easy flat walk along the whole length of the beat. Quite a straight beat with a large bend at the end so limited options if the water levels are high but should be more to go at with normal levels.
Ground was firm on Wednesday but I could see evidence that someone had difficulty getting off the parking so care should be taken in wet conditions. Looks like recent floods have battered the banks and eroded what must have once been nicely carved out pegs.
Salmon anglers were working away along the opposite bank and were polite.
Tried a few swims around the middle and at the bottom end of the beat but the Barbel eluded me. Persevered with maggot on the float before giving up and reaching for my faithful barbel rod to chuck the feeder with hemp and maggots. Managed to tempt seven lovely Chubb in fin perfect condition ranging from around two and a half up to four and a half pounds from the faster water. Great to be out on my favorite river, many thanks to the Wye and Usk Foundation for being so helpful and finding me a decent beat at short notice.

7 Chub

Nice stretch, water very fast and lots of snags. Lost at least 15 hooks. 2 barbel between 3 rods.

2 Barbel

Both Anglers used Halibut pellet on a hair rig. River very high, chocolate in colour but dropping around 1' over the two days. Friday 28th, 1 Barbel caught around 5:30pm about 4 pounds in weight. Chub of about 5lb caught 10 minutes later.
Both fish extremely healthy with no marks or signs of being caught before. 1 Barbel caught around 10:30am on Saturday 1st March, fish weighed around 6lb, caught on the same method. Weather wise Friday a.m was rainy but cleared later.
Saturday 1st March began with a hard frost but then produced the most stunning Sunny and at times warm day. We were given some great advice from Adam Fisher who joined us for over an hour on Saturday morning. He was recommended to us by the Wye & Usk Foundation so thank you. Thanks also to local Tim Gaunt for pulling us off the parking mound at How Caple as our van had got stuck and we had been struggling to get it off for an hour or more when he stopped to help. We stayed once again with Carol at The Old Mill in Hoarwithy, for us
there is quite simply nowhere better.

2 Barbel, 1 Chub

No sign of barbel or chub to any baits. Fished hard all day on all available swims.
Spoke to the bailiff on the opposite bank who said we would struggle, he was bang on.

Beautiful venue with some great swims. Weather conditions were spot on and the river looked great too. We started in the last peg on the stretch, fishing into the edge of the large slack. We sat here feeder fishing with maggots for the best part of 4 hours without a touch. We then moved to the opposite end of the river and had a similar result. We spent the last hour of the day pike fishing and managed a pike each. 16lb 12oz and another of 10lb 12oz both taken on dead baits presented close in.

2 Pike

Just the 2 Chub today, both caught on bread flake. Fished nearly every swim but they just were not having it or I'm not very good. Still, better that being at Work!

2 Chub

Barbel not feeding but 6 chub made it worth the effort.

6 Chub

As close as I want to come to the B-word on WUF waters! A last minute booking, having read some pretty lean results and a few blanks reported in the last week or so, I didn't hold out much hope for barbel - but thought the local chub might still be game. Not so! Our first time at How Caple and it's another beautiful stretch - however, this grey drizzly day was as dull and lifeless under the water as it was above. While my brother searched for a pike with no luck, having eaten my lunch by about 9am for something to do a chub of about 3.5lbs finally gave me reason to put the landing net together. Happy days!
Still, better to be on the bank than not and we're lucky enough to have the Wye on our doorstep when others have to come a long way to enjoy it. We tip our hats to you!
Thanks WUF.
PS another 14 greedy cormorants to chalk up on cormorantwatch.org too. Our record sighting this year still stands at an appalling 66, over the Lugg in Hereford.

1 Chub

River still dropping slowly, walking up from the lower limit, settled on two trotting pegs but not a bite between us, either on float or feeder pellet. Moved to first peg at the lower limit and fishing for last couple of hours resulted in Chub of 2lb 8oz, 3lb, and just under 4lb. Two on luncheon meat and the other on pellet feeder. Disappointing days fishing but the peace and quiet of fishery was excellent.

3 Chub