Feedback & Reports

4 x grayling 9-15 inches, 1 x out of season trout 10 inches, trotting with centre pin. This beat fished marvellously well during the late summer and autumn, but has been slightly disappointing on my couple of winter visits. They must be in there somewhere!

Morning spent on the lovely Courtfield. River cold with snow melt, coloured and falling. 2 x 5lb Chub on meat and 7lb Pike on a spinner, not a bad mornings work!

A dour sort of day, with the sun failing to make an appearance and the air tempertature around 5-6 degrees. The river was dropping after last week's rain, although was still a bit too coloured for fly fishing. I spent most of the day fishing with Czech nymphs, although a sparse Large Dark Olive hatch after lunch brought a few fish up to the surface so I had a somewhat hopeful half-hour on klinkhamers and paraduns. Fish? None, but thankfully I didn't have any canoeists or cormorants to contend with.
I last fished this beat in October and found a large grayling shoal in the riffles immediately below the access point. I didn't find any fish there today, and fished from the top weir all the way down to the lower limit. If anybody knows where the grayling are currently shoaled up feel free to let us know!

Very many thanks for arranging my fishing at Upper Bigsweir. I throughly enjoyed my day. Water 46 degrees so just ok for barbel and I eventually caught one weighing just under 7lbs.

10 grayling, one at 12oz, the rest in the 1lb 4oz to 2lb range. Also a chub of about 4lb.

After another enjoyable visit to the Bateman Arms in Shobdon, we arrived at Lyepole about 9.30. The rain overnight had increased the speed of the river somewhat and made life very difficult for our inexperience. No bites but a glorious beat with pairs of dippers a and a mother otter and 2 cubs spotted on the island at the upstream limit. Will try again next autumn.

Managed a chub (4lb) on my first cast of the day, on luncheon meat, and then not another bite till late afternoon when a smaller chub was had. The track up to the upper part of the river is only accessable by 4x4. It's not a hard track. The access to the lower section is only a very short walk.

Inspired by O.B. from Gloucestershire's last visit to Cefnllysgwynne I decided to sneak in one last Grayling session (long trotting with the centre pin) before getting ready for the new trout season. Sadly I picked the wrong day weather-wise. It rained heavily all morning and then, once the rain stopped, the river rose by over a foot and turned chocolate brown. Needless to say, there was no sign of any grayling, and the only fish caught was a very unexpected (but nonetheless welcome) 1.75lb rainbow trout. I'm assuming this is an escapee from a hatchery rather than stocked (?). I wasn't sure of the etiquette on taking non-native fish, but it was in great shape so I treated it like an out-of-season brown trout, and returned it.
I love this beat so will be back again for the grayling in late Autumn, when I hope for a catch return like O.B's.

12 x grayling 12-18 inches, trotting with maggots. Irfon back in good condition. Most of them were a very nice size of around 15-16 inches.

Tough day, couldn't find any fish with the float rod but did have two chub on stewing steak and a couple of other bites while roving about. River was coloured and up a foot or two.