Feedback & Reports

5 x trout 7-8 inches on small Klinkhammer. A close, drowsy August afternoon with occasional showers. Nothing much rising, so I fished the water to bring a few up, but managed to miss more than I hooked. I also lost quite a good fish which might have been 12 or 13 inches. Just two late mayfly seen wandering on different parts of the beat, both looking slightly lost and bemused as if realising they had missed their chances for procreation - probably I should have introduced them to each other? Another curiosity today were several adult yellow eels about 18 inches long, lying out of cover and in plain view. One was so dozy I scooped it up in the net without trouble for a closer look. I suppose their migration time is close.
Longtown under the Black Mountains is always a good bet for brook fishing when you have an hour or two to spare. There are four beats here (and others not far away), so you can always find something free. And it's classic small river border fishing. Working up these streams, Monnow, Escley and Olchon, I like to think of Canon Eagles, whose home patch it was over a century ago. He apparently fished not dry, but with two or even three wet flies on a short leader, banging them down on the fish's head with a plop to provoke a take. I can't think how he managed it. Interested in many things beyond fishing, he seems to have been a much more attractive character than the rather selfish dry fly fishermen Edward Powell, the clergyman who came after him.

No salmon, 1 jack pike to a spinner. Heavy weed growth through much of the beat.I saw a few grilse during the evening and gave up when the heavy rain set in.

No salmon caught or seen. Water a nice height for fly fishing, but the clarity was poor, 3 feet by the evening just. Thunder storms kept washing in debis. Would be nice as previous anglers have said if a strimmer could be used on the paths especially to the top pools. Also with such a nice beat why is there no pool names on the map and no information on salmon cathes or lies?

15 Barbel 9 Chub on pellet and boilie.

Turned a good Grilse of about 8lb tight to the middle bridge parrapet in the upper bridge pool to a cascade. Briefly hooked another in the small pot on the left bank just above the lower pool at the bottom of the beat. Tried smaller flies & a mepps all to no avail. The river was in perfect nick about 1ft up. Did not see or contact any other fish.

5 Rainbow on worm.

Hooked a 16lb plus hen salmon just upstream of Rock. Played for nearly 10 mins. Lightly hooked on orange small brass tube, long distance release. 0.65 on Chainbridge gauge with a little colour, a few showers, perfect. Another salmon seen splashing through at narrowing by Rock. Fished also below bridge to Oak/Cables. Fly working well and wadeable at this level.

Blank

Heavy rain on the day limited time on the water but the late afternoon and evening were fine. 5 brown trout caught to 1lb. All returned. More fish took but missed. Size 16 deer hair emerger successful. Only managed to fish about 20% of the water which looks varied & good. Wading very tricky in coloured water - slipped and got wet trying to reach a 2lb+ fish coming clear out of the water to take insects.

19 Barbel and 2 Chub all on boilie. Biggest 9lb. 6 fish lost through cut offs. Landed a few fish with hooks still in them. Certainly a long old walk.