Feedback & Reports

First visit to this stretch and have to say I was a bit surprised by the lack of fishable swims and the poor maintenance of the access steps at the top end given the day ticket price. However, the river looked the part and I rotated 3 of the swims at the top and caught fairly regularly throughout the day, although I did take a long lunch break from midday until 3.30pm. 5 barbel to 9.01 and a couple of decent chub made it all worthwhile.

5 Barbel, 2 Chub

River was up and coloured, with considerable flow - perfect for Barbel. 8 Barbel in all; 1 x 7lbs, 5 x 8lbs, 2 x 9lbs with largest fish 9lbs 4ozs, all on standard feeder tactics. Most fish caught on the uppermost swim of the beat, (much to the entertainment of the visitors to the botanical gardens) but some also found opposite the boathouse. Wonderful fishery unsurpassed in terms of sheer beauty, quantity and quality of fish. Thank you for a great birthday, fishing the Wye.

8 Barbel

Arrived at 2pm, weather overcast to start but the sun did make an appearance later in the afternoon, very warm and humid. The river was very low with a green brown tint and lacked any real flow resulting in a covering of silt and algae on the river bed, when wading I left a cloudy brown trail behind me, I'm no expert but the river looks like it needs a good flush through.
The fishing was very tough going, no hatch and very little fly life about but I persevered with dry flies, at one point I was standing in shallow water and could see trout all around me but they stubbornly refused dries, nymphs and spiders!
Perseverance finally resulted in a take or two which I missed before finally hitting one that stayed on just as I was about to give up and go home. A far cry from the last time I fished here when the trout were almost suicidal.
A lovely beat, full of fish but difficult today.

1 Trout

A wonderful beat although the fishing was a little more challenging than on our previous visit. Usual tactics of swimfeeder and pellets or meat were used. Barbel ranged from 5lbs up to to 8lbs. Chub were around 3lbs each. Lots of wildlife including an Otter boldly swimming downstream in mid river.

4 Barbel, 6 Chub

Brigadier Howard Ham 13lbs Rogie tube Little Kitty Gwili Gibbon 12lbs Cafn Cascade Peter Fraser 7.5lbs Turn pool Rogie size 8

3 Salmon

Fishing by 7.30 a.m. after an early start. Greeted by a resident showing on Rock. River in a word - perfect. Worked very hard with the double handed but not a fish seen. Very surprising. More rain and some big tides needed ?

Fished for a couple of hours late afternoon. Excellent beat, the water running lower than I expected with the recent rain but still fishable. I took 3 small trout and a grayling from the faster runs with a gold head pheasant nymph but missed several more on the dry. Not on my game and should really have had double figures. I put it down to the really aggressive herd of cows that ran at me forcing me to beat a hasty retreat and scramble over barbed wire. Must be something in the water of the Honddu.

3 Trout, 1 Grayling

A hard day as fish were had to find with the odd one caught here and there mostly on pellet.
Note: The gate code opened the entry from the road but NOT the inner gate. As a previous post had indicated the lock could be sticky we played with this for 5 mins without success. Finally had to resort to lifting the gate off the hinges to gain entry. We refitted as normal afterwards but other less able may be stumped and would have a long walk ahead!
WUF Note : The code is correct for both gates but the locks are fiddly and stiff so it takes some patience to open them. The owner has been informed of the problem.

8 Barbel, 3 Chub

Water slightly coloured but clearing and about 16inches up on summer level. GC started the day with a cracking grayling around the 2lb mark and followed this up with 4 more plus a couple of small wbt and 5 salmon parr. DC had a few on and off (blaming barbless hooks not poor technique), then later in the day connected with a fingering grayling and 6 wbt one of which was around the one pound mark and in fantastic condition.
Very little surface activity with no sort of hatch to encourage fish up. Another good day they can't take away from us.
Many thanks to W & U and the fishery owner.

8 Trout, 6 Grayling, 6 Other

River at high summer level, strong flow and good colour, weather overcast until 16.00, then sunny periods. Fishing from 15.00 until dusk. Barbel came steadily, and as seems usual on this beat, several below the pound mark. Lost by far the biggest fish after 7 or 8 minutes to a hook pull. Nevertheless another very rewarding and enjoyable day on the Wye. All fish to pellet/feeder tactics.

10 Barbel, 1 Chub