Feedback & Reports

Glanwye. 2 grayling (1 was 2lb), 1 brown trout about 1lb.
Cefnllysgwynne. 4 chub up 3lb, 3 grayling up to 2lb.
Plas Gwyn. 2 chub biggest was 4lb, 1 grayling 2lb.
Abernant. 1 chub about 2lb,1 grayling 2lb 4ozs.

Both rivers were a bit low and clear,with some bright sunny weather fishing was hard. We did not catch as many as this time last year but the quality was better.

The Everlook Guesthouse in North Road, Builth Wells was excellent, the best we have stayed at. Cannot recommend them highly enough.

What a beautiful spring day although the NW wind had a bit of an edge on it. Bird life in abundance - Woodpecker, Raven, Buzzard, Long tailed tits everywhere, Fieldfare, the list goes on and they were singing their little hearts out! This was our first visit and boy is it a gorgeous spot - so peaceful. Carpets of snowdrops on the banks.
The river looked great and around midday there was a smattering of Olives putting in an appearance but.... not a rise seen and boy was it tough. Every pool looked so perfect and despite some serious fishing I managed 5 Grayling and D. got 4. All were around the 10" mark and fell to shrimp patterns with plenty of weight in them.
There are some seriously deep holes on that stretch and I do not think we could get down quick enough in the flow in those, but generally, I believe that they were not hungry apparantly!

One or two more covers over the barbed wire in the lower area would really help - check out my torn chesties!

All in all a really enjoyable day in a great location - will return when the season progresses - that is a promise.

Best wishes

I had a trip Sunday to Abbeydore with vouchers. A very pleasant time in the golden valley with a walk round the abbey and a pint of cider to finish it off. One grayling of about 7 inches, which proves they live there I suppose.
I'll come back when they are rising a bit.

Lugg at Mortimer's Cross, Monday: What an interesting beat and what a lot of water to learn! I spent most of the morning walking down to the bottom end, from the chalk stream-like manicured section at the top to the wild and woolly bits at the bottom. Then, beguiled by the warm weather, sunshine, snow drops, rooks nesting and LDO's hatching, I made the mistake of trying fishing near the surface when I should still have been heavy nymphing. When I finally figured the fish were staying down I changed to lobbing tungsen as usual and got just three grayling - 8", 9" and, very memorably at twilight, a 17" male fish from the bridge pool below the mill which took me splashing over 100 yards down the main run before I could get below it to use the net. I can't think when a grayling caused me so much trouble.

I would like to come back when they are rising a bit there, but I suppose we only have this one for the winter?

Best wishes.

A good day on a very clear River Lugg at Lyepole, the fishing was tougher than usual but a good stamp of fish to 2lb. All fish caught on tungsten bugs/nymphs with short line.

WUF comments: GW 9 Grayling, CW 9 Grayling & 1 Trout

A perfect day for fishing and a cracking looking water.We fished hard and covered all of the 1.7 miles of river but could not find the fish (well only a few) better luck next time?

Rod 1. 1 Brown trout.

Rod 2. 1 Brown Trout, 1 Grayling.

Rod 3. 1 Grayling

Great day weatherwise! Warm and sunny. Difficult fishing though! Only managed to land 5 willing grayling all around a pound or so and all but one from the same run. Had a mad 15 minutes when they came on the take. Missed more than I hooked. Biggest one I guess was nearer 2 pounds.
Mainly caught them short lining on twin beaded nymphs and heavy shrimp type bugs.

Results for 17 February on Abernant. I'm finding the rivers pretty difficult at the moment although there's nothing wrong with the levels now and temparature is coming up. If I catch anything, I'm getting plagued these days by post-spawning trout - quite aggressive they are - where the grayling should be. I think salmon anglers fishing with sinking lines are going to have the same experience when they start next month. Trotting in Lady Alexander's Catch and Upper Stone Catch, 5 out of season trout, including a
2 pounder, followed by a single 15 inch grayling just before dusk.

On the Cammarch Hotel middle and lower Irfon beats 14th February, a friend and I both blanked entirely.

The coarse anglers are blaming rock salt from the roads washed in with the snow melt. I wouldn't know about that, but it's always good to have an another excuse!

Cheers

Another good day at Lyepole despite cold & snowy weather all fish caught short line bugging with tungsten-headed nymphs/bugs.

WUF comments: 24 Grayling & 1 Trout

Got there at 11.00am and both decided to head upstream fishing heavy nymphs. We found the fishing extremely hard going and caught a total of 5 Grayling between us, mostly from the top half of the beat.

I have been grilling our brother G. all morning who was fishing there yesterday and 'bagged up' using the same flies that we struggled to catch on!. His report, I'm sure, will follow later!

Modest results only on Pwll y Faedda Saturday. 25 odd grayling between 3 rods, all of them small. Come to think of it, some of them were very small.

All taken with bugs hard on the bottom...because that's where they were and because I forgot the maggots!