Feedback & Reports

12 x grayling 10-17 inches, leaded grayling fancy flies fished with sinking leader butt. A strange day. The Wye rather low and clear now for good trotting, but I started with this method in the morning and for all my efforts there might not have been a grayling in the river. Fishing a pair of nymphs with a French leader was similarly unproductive. Sat down for a while in the sun watching salmon spawning on a pool tail and noted the places we will have to avoid when fording the river for the rest of the winter. But after lunch, on this mild afternoon, there was suddenly a prolific hatch of large dark olives. We've been seeing them all week, but this time the grayling responded at the surface. I was tackled up by then with heavy wet fly gear, but no time to lose changing the system. Although I'm sure that a dry fly or a leash of delicate spiders fished on top would have done the job beautifully, I lobbed the three weighted wet flies upstream into the area of rises, pulled in to keep pace with the current and struck every time the line stopped. In only half an hour or so, this produced a dozen grayling including some nice ones. I like to think the 17 inch one was leader of the pack. Grayling Steel Blue and Yellow Bumble, both dull grey flies in size 14 with lead under the dressing, seemed the most popular, and for a while at least I couldn't go wrong. Funny creatures, grayling. Unfortunately I had to leave mid-afternoon.

12 Grayling

River running gin clear at a good level and looking very fishy, however, we worked hard all day using nymph's and klinkhammer's for no reward. DC disturbed five cormarant at the gravel run and GC saw a Salmon leap at the top pool.
Same friendly service as always from the Wye and Usk office.
Still a lovely day out in stunning surroundings.

We caught 6 good sized grayling and 2 brown trout between us. We were trotting with maggots and also caught lots of very small young grayling (2 to 3 inches long), which looks good for the future. One of the trout had a cormorant stab wound on its flank.

2 Trout, 6 Grayling

A pleasant day's trotting on an attractive stretch of river. Largest grayling around a pound and a half, some of them hooked at epic distances. Thoroughly engaging fishing.

1 Trout, 40 Grayling

Lost a couple more but the one grayling I caught on heavy GRHE was about 1lb 8oz so well worth it. Shame it had cormorant damage but was healthy enough.

1 Grayling

The river was low and clear, some fast runs but the fish were very shy. We both fished with pellet, corn, meat from 8am to 4.30pm only 2 takes all day.
I have fish this stretch before and have done much better fishing the fast runs.

1 Barbel, 1 Chub

2 x parr at less than 6 inches is all I have to declare on the grayling front. Plus 1 x out of season trout at 15 inches - a non-native with a blue spot on his belly; I guess we can blame Tregate Anglers downstream for that one. So, not a very productive day, but a peaceful and charming one: the mild winter weather and the valley at Skenfrith were just about perfect.

River in nice condition but disappointing fishing. Several cormorants seen. I'm sure they are not helping.

1 Trout, 1 Grayling

Two small grayling in the morning,and two 16" grayling about 3pm on a grhe goldhead, water was crystal clear. Also three salmon seen.

4 Grayling

River low and clear, just one grayling about 40cm, and one trout. No other offers, struggled on quite a mild day on what felt like a good fishing day. A few olives trickled off between 11-2. Really quite tough and a tad disappointing.
Watched a number of salmon chasing each other around and spawning which was nice to see.

1 Trout, 1 Grayling