Feedback & Reports

These small streams are really a challenge and a puzzle, especially with river levels being so low. With no decent rain for the last few weeks it really felt at times that I was fishing in puddles rather than pools!
I was new to this beat and it did take some working out. Much of the first section is right bank fishing only, but it is fenced and steep, so pretty much unfishable. Then there are sections that appear on the map to be no fishing at all. It was slightly confusing, but no major problem.
I had read previous catch reports with good numbers of fish being caught, but I was a little dispirited walking up through the shallows, but eventually some small fishable spots appeared, but it was hard going. You really do need to get to know these beats.
And what a variety – wide (ish) and shallow, tight and narrow, deeper pools, slab rock sections higher up, overhanging trees in some parts that made fishing near impossible (lots of tree and branch debris), then more open spots where you could cast properly… and of course a stunning location in beautiful countryside.
It was warm with light cloud and bright spells during the day. There was also a bit of a breeze, but most of the beat is tucked away so this didn’t really affect things.
There was a beautiful and varied show of fly life in the evening, but I stuck to the tried and tested Klinkhammer indicator with Hare’s ear or Pheasant Tail nymph. I managed 6 WBT of varying sizes in the day (missed plenty too), and then took a break late afternoon and fished the beat again (at greater speed) in the evening. I managed another 4 more WBT before dark, one putting up a great fight, especially for its size. Three of the fish were caught in the last final pool at the very end of the beat by the footbridge.

10 Trout

Fished with two boys and OLIVER Burch. Fished all day. Mayfly evident and fish rising. Casting massively improved. Three small wbt takes and one victoriously landed. Water low but wonderful array of pools to be fished and beat free of serious obstacles. Thanks to Oliver Burch for well guided and patient day.

1 Trout

All on mayfly ranging 9-15". River very low and clear - fish mainly in larger pool tails and heads.

12 Trout

I was hoping that a little of last weeks rain may have still been in the river but not so unfortunately but we go with what we find but is running very low indeed .
A quiet start in the morning with the fly but mayfly started to show in reasonable number approx 12pm till about 3pm and some olives knocking about too .The fish where pretty eager to the dry fly (a bit too eager at times!) but seems I was rather a bit too on the strike ! A better fish than me today would have added a very good number to those that did find their way to my net !
Masses of spinner in the fields and bushes in the evening but no real fall to speak of.
As always an absolute joy to be wandering about this time of year in the shadow of the black mountain and fabulous to see the trout feasting and looking very fat and fine ! Seems there's quite a good number in the river here at the moment .

Note to WUF...your most likely aware but will mention anyway...approx 100yards below the assault course thingy theres a humdinger of a tree across the river , bank to bank, and a huge amount of brash built up on it . Maybe 5 foot tall? A beaver would be proud but we don't want any of those do we.
Shame as was a cracking run and pool there but know the value of LWD (even if well over done here!) and the trout will be safe here for a while I guess

6 Trout

18 x trout 6-15 inches, Parachute Adams, Monnow Gosling, Mohican Mayfly. Most fish in the 10-12 inch range and in very nice condition. A bright and cool start, but warmed eventually to a muggy and cloudy afternoon, with one very light shower. The river was still slightly coloured recent after rain. Conditions just about perfect in fact, with plenty of rising fish. Olive Uprights around during the morning so fished a Parachute Adams; mayfly began at lunchtime so swapped to a size 12 Monnow Gosling on a 4X tippet, and finally a big Mohican to take the last fish in the top pool by the bridge. Enormous numbers of olive spinners hovering around .

18 Trout

4 plump brown trout, 8 to 12 inches. All to a #16 light olive dry. Lovely days fishing on a lovely stream. Quite challenging with the developing tree cover but all the better for that!

4 Trout

1st look at a wild stream beat this year and it was nice to be back! Arrived about 2.30 Quite warm and sunny. Upper monnow would benefit from a little rain as well as my fields back home. Caught 3 trout all about 8" on grhe nymphs. A few rises in the odd deeper pools but not enough to make me change tack. Spotted: dipper, kingfisher and heron and I fished to the end of beat for the first time too. Great few hours!!

3 Trout

A bright, mild day on the upper section. We only managed about a third of the beat but saw a few fish rising in the lower pools. We fished a mixture of small drys and small ptn's. We both had a few knocks on the nymphs but nothing landed.

3 Trout