Feedback & Reports

Fished a relatively wind-free, and blessedly cooler day on the Upper Wye below Llanwrthwl, and then the last few hours of daylight at GPAIAC. Water temperatures: 14 degrees C on the upper river thanks to the Elan outflow and now down to 18 degrees at Builth. 1 degree lower up-river than last week, and four degrees lower at Builth where it would have been unfishable last week. Fish were happy to rise all day until last light to a #16 and #18 Hares Fur Emerger. As usual at this time of year, when simply prospecting creases, necks and tails, foam lanes and under trees, most fish taking this fly were non-risers looking up. However, the best lady on the day did rise, just once - fortunate to be in the right place at the right time for this lovely 17”,1.75 pounder! Trout 8-12” and most grayling 12-14”. Had a couple of fish on jigs EU nymphing, and two on a Red Tag spider, but the rest were off the top on the HFE. Delightful! Not a lot of fly about: midge and sedges around at times. No upwings, so just one or two spinners flying in the evening. Unsurprisingly, hardly a rising fish all day.

10 Trout, 12 Grayling

Feeder with pellet hookbait

4 Chub

1 Chub

River ver low , barbel caught on sausage flavour pellet, chub all
On luncheon meat

1 Barbel, 4 Chub

Lovely few hours of catching decent chub on the pellet wag, barbel caught late on from the fast water both around the 5lb mark.

2 Barbel, 30 Chub

A difficult day. The river conditions were as bad as I can remember so we weren't brimming with confidence when we set out and we were proved correct. Hardly a movement on any of the rods through the whole session.
Despite the state of the river and despite the W&U request, abstraction is ongoing at an alarming rate judging by what we've seen this week up and down the Wye. Clearly economic factors outweigh environmental factors in this case, understandable probably if you're a farmer but not at all helpful for the river system as a whole.
The other was an eel around 2.1/2lb, safely unhooked and returned.

1 Other

7 Chub

2 Chub

2 Trout

13 Trout