Feedback & Reports

I've been keeping an eye on other anglers' comments on this beat, one of all time favourites, to see if the trout were still being caught in the recent almost drought-like conditions. I was pleasantly surprised to see that trout were still being caught, despite descriptions of the water being extremely low. And with rain falling all day Monday just gone and more yesterday, I thought it must be worth my annual visit to Longtown. And it proved a good decision! Hatching cast my vote it was off to the beat in intermittently heavy downpours, but I didn't mind, the more rain the better!
The river is still quite low, but definitely up on where it has been, and I started in the pool at the top of the beat where the Ecsley Brook meets the Monnow. A couple of small fish were rising as I arrived, moving as quietly as I could, I set up with a Grey Wulff and caught two in this deep, dark pool, both around 7 inches and fin perfect.

I then headed downstream and arrived ago the large pool with the big tree in the middle of it. Again, I cast out the Wulff and caught two more! One either side of the tree. One was around 8 inches, and the fourth was best till last - probably 12 inches and treated me to a leap before haring around the pool! By now it was around 5.30 pm and I felt a pint calling. I popped into the Bridge Inn at Michaelchurch Escley, which is as lovely as everyone says - give it a go! Great beer garden overlooking the brook, tempting you back!!

4 Trout

A midday / early afternoon session hoping to see if any Mayfly still about but unfortunately nothing hatching. Not much of anything actually bit a few fish noodling around on top here and there in the slow water, and the usual low and slow approach bought me a few risers to a small tan klink. One of these was a super fish that might have gone 15inch if laid out flat on the grass. Superb condition and superb colours and the gill plates looked like burnished Abalone. Fantastic. Dropped another one off of very similar size shortly after and spooked another in the shallows. All in the vicinity of the big corner pool with the tree in the middle of it.

The junction pool had quite a few risers way back where the two flow ins meet on the bank, they where having me at it with what they where taking, I thought after a good few fly changes, but then remembered I hadn't degreased the tippet for a good while , did so and bingo up they came to a small parachute Adams but hitting them way back there was hit and miss so gave them best after one fish. The call of the Crown and a pint of Butty helped the submission!

3 Trout

3 x trout 10-13 inches, Monnow Gosling. A real heatwave now in progress and the river very low. I had to fish early due to commitments later in the day, but I found the river looking virtually dead with just the odd mayfly around from the previous afternoon. Having worked halfway up the beat and seen nothing at all, I thought I was probably going to record a blank, but then I came across the odd fish hanging round the in-flow to deeper pools and a big fly was what they wanted. Three caught, one lost, and several missed on the strike. I left around 11....which was probably the right time to arrive, because more mayfly were starting to hatch.

3 Trout

Very little water. 4 trout between 8-10 inches - very hot, tough going. Still a joy to see the Kingfisher and Dippers.

4 Trout

Cold and windy day with showers on a low and clear Monnow. No signs of fish moving, and no success with nymphs in the pools or head of pool runs. Brief sunshine at 4.00pm saw a few flies emerge and a couple of splashy rises in one pool, but could not tempt them either. So, a blank but at least back on the river again!

No fish today, the fish don't seem to have woken from their winter slumber. There were a few olives coming off but not enough to wake the fish up.

A lovely way to end the season - sunshine, kingfishers, dippers and rising trout. Two perfect (10-12") fish on a Parachute Adams brought to hand, fighting fit and a pleasant surprise from the usual 6-8 inchers on this beat - one from the junction with the Olchon and one from the "wall" pool. Another big fish from the Escley junction pool shook itself loose. Thanks to all at WUF for another year's fishing.
A shaky video of my antics is here: https://youtu.be/cAMAl0YEudo

2 Trout

Only really fishable pool was at the junction with the Escley - water level so low and even here there was no flow. No surface activity and only a couple of very sluggish follows to a goldhead nymph. Looked a very different river to my visit in early June.
Still an enjoyable day with Kingfisher(s) and Dipper(s) put in several appearances.

First time on the Monnow beats, so I thought I'd do Lower in the morning and Upper in the afternoon. Really enjoyed this beat, but found the upper beat very frustrating. A few things were hatching but not enough to bring on a rise, although there were signs of fishy life in the river with the occasional half hearted rise. I managed three trout on this beat and one was a monster, a good 14 inches, the other two 10-12 inches. All took a small size 18 DHE.

3 Trout

Managed a quick session whilst out camping with the good lady at Tan house farm right next to the river. Hardly any flow in the pools but the fish are there, and quite a few too and some of good size. A very long fine leader and skulking around behind the undergrowth Vietnam style got some results. Nothing was hatching unsurprisingly but fish where topping here and there and a size 18 CDC F fly was the favoured fly. Biggest was a 12 incher. Lovely.
Incidentally the camp site here is great and highly recommended. Lovely people at the farm and good facilities with a loo and showers. The wife was happy.
Camping, river,trout, good pub & beer at the top of the field . What more does a man need!

3 Trout