Feedback & Reports

A week of rain ended on the Friday about noon, prayers answered and the water was down a foot by next morning. Still pushing through at quite a pace but I was going to give it a go. Only 15-20% of beat was fishable due to rate of flow making wading tricky in a lot of places but it still took FIVE HOURS to get to the top and that was only from the Church/bridge......3 fish of 8" on a 'Bloody butcher' of all things, size 14, when practicing across-and-down on a sink tip in preparation for a weeks sea trout fishing later in the year!
Not a huge catch but if this beat held the average head of fish for it's size, and it will one day soon we hope, you couldn't fish it all in one day! Well worth the 4 vouchers just for the views and wildlife...Beware, the sheep in this valley will SWIM the river to say hello!!

None, river in flood.

Didn't fish due to river level.

None, river in flood

None caught

10lb Salmon, Beat3 on Spinner

No salmon caught or seen. However one pike around 9lbs and 1 brown trout around 1.5lb. Both taken on a spinner and safely released.

17 x trout 8-17 inches, taken on various spiders, Dark Olive Sparkle Dun and Deer Hair Emerger. The spring weather threw about everything at the river Usk today, hot sun, cold winds, drenching rain. There were very sparse hatches of both large dark olives and also march browns - just a few - and rather than intense, these hatches went on for most of the afternoon. The fish were definitely interested, but it was necessary to work out which insect they were switched on to in each pool. The spiders were used for when nymphs were being taken in the fast water; the dries for fish feeding on adults in the slow glides. There were some fabulous wild trout in the catch, quite a few at 15 inches, and the best pair at 16 and 17 inches, proper black-spotted "Usk leopards." The Abercynrig estate was looking at its best and spring fishing doesn't get much better than this - altogether a memorable day.

With the main trunks of the Rivers Wye and Usk running high and coloured our chosen beat on the River Dore proved to be a wise decision. The Abbey Dore beat was running clear and at a modest level. It looked fantastic on this day forecast with a few April showers. There was also some unique overhead (helicopter) entertainment as a military training assignment was going on behind the 'wire' on the opposite bank!
We arrived in sunshine and were warmly greeted by the Tan House farmer. During the walk through two fields down to the downstream limit of the beat we had the opportunity to view many of the very inviting deep pools between streamy riffles that there are on this beat.
Within the first few casts into the lowest pool of the beat the first trout came to hand; a dry fly dropper supporting a small weighted nymph (NZ style) seemed to be the winning combination with most fish taking the nymph. A hatch of up-winged flies at about 2.00pm brought a few fish to the surface and one "fell" to a dry parachute Grannom at the first cast and another at the second cast!
Patience was rewarded in one pool when four trout obliged and the largest of all (12+") waited until last!
Three hours of delightful, yet technical, small stream fishing concluded (surprisingly!) with no flies lost and a total of about seven out-of-season grayling (one at 14") and a dozen wild brown trout (to 12+") between the two rods.

The only thing I succeeded in pulling out of the river was a lamb which had become trapped in a muddy bank near the weir. Pleased to say it was reunited with it’s mother. (Can I claim the first lamb to feature in a WUF catch return? I forgot to weigh it!)
The river was as full as I’ve seen it but reasonably clear. Little in the way of hatches. I only saw one fish feeding which I hooked (GRHE) but then lost.
The Wild Garlic was pungent (especially after a heavy hailstorm) and the Bluebells are beginning to show.