Feedback & Reports

Staying at Michealchurch Escley for the annual Christmas pilgrimage, took this chance to try at Chanstone, normally it would be Turnastone but no longer available. Terrible freezing rain, challenging wading, difficult banks to negotiate. Did have three takes but missed them all.

Tough going with poor access and trees. It will be a real job getting this beat up to standard. Plenty of fish rising, managed to catch two but rose others.

2 Trout

2 x trout 7-8 inches, Rusty Klinkhammer. Cloudy and humid weather, one or two showers. A tough session without much sign of life on the water (the two fish taken came from the same pool). Very much overgrown. We are definitely going to have to do some major pruning on this one come winter.

2 Trout

Reasonable flow and very inviting pools. Need to use chest waders to be able to progress along the river as bank access is limited due to the shrub growth inside the fence line. Was only able to make headway for 100 yds each side of bridge due to anno domini/lack of chest waders that day. Please note that WUF directions are misleadingly laborious from Abbey Dore, so, much better to go straight by main road to Vowchurch and then a short spurt to Chanstone Court (see OS map and reference). No fly life, or pulls from the deep, but scope in the shallower streamy water.....

1 Trout

40 mins fishing before the promised rain arrived (had started at 9.30ish). Three quick fish then deluge forced us to abandon and head to the pub for the rest of the day.

3 Trout

It was a bit of a trek to get to the start of the beat but once in the water wading was comfortable in chest waders even with extra flow from the recent rain. I only left the water once to get past a fallen tree.
I landed 7 fish (and missed a few) including 2 approaching the pound mark, all took a beige klinkhammer.

7 Trout

5 1/2 hours on the Dore today from 10am till 3.30pm. About 35 to hand maybe more. The four grayling came from two deep pools early on taking bead head fished below size 18 midge dry. Took maybe 10 trout to midge then they switched to mayfly bringing 20+ more to hand. All fish between 8-14 inches the grayling between 12-14 inches. Cracking day. The Dore is carrying bit more water than the other Monnow beats.

31 Trout, 4 Grayling

I walked downstream a couple of fields on the right hand bank to where a brook enters the river. Access is discouraged almost everywhere by the fence topped with barbed wire. I could only get in using a tree which had fallen across it. Most fish were caught on nymphs and one on dry fly. I kept hoping for a bigger fish, sadly on this occasion they were only 4 - 7 inches.

5 Trout

Fished for about 2 hours this evening. Managed to hook one fish but it got off in some roots. Lots of midges in evidence but few rises.

Fished this for the first time on a beautiful sunny spring day. River was a good height and clearing. A few insects were hatching but nothing rose to them. Four trout to a small gold headed PTN with the largest 12oz. A few hours work to tidy the river of winter debris would make dry fly fishing easier but perhaps that is cheating?

6 Trout