Feedback & Reports

I have just spent the most fantastic two days ending my season under the expert guidance of Frank Williams.

Over the two days we had an incredible number of fish with 56 coming from Maes y Beran and a further 10 fish from Pandy followed up by 34 from the Half Moon beat. Just an utterly good few days. Best two fish were 16 inches and 15 inches. To say that some of these fish were wild would be an understatement. They would better be described as furious or at least that's how they seemed every time I hooked one.

Big thanks to the Monnow Fisheries Assoc. for all the work they have done to make these beats available and of course to the WUF for there work in setting up the passport.

I will be back in 2011.

Arrived to find the river up a little but looking perfect, settled into a swim which was very slippery to get into. Finally got sorted and had a barbel 3rd chuck, a lovely fish of 10lb 9oz. After 4 hrs sitting in the rain, no more fish. I decided to go for a walk with my rod, fishing several swims, and finished the day with 3 more barbel of 5lb, 9lb 12oz, and a last cast fish of 10lb 13oz. A really good day was had, thanks.

Nil caught - nothing seen rising and little evidence of fish in slightly coloured water. Not an easy beat to fish - high banks and overgrown in many places.

An overcast and misty start with fish taking spiders and Grayling Steel Blue (many thanks to Oliver Burch for his advice on this) and a small hare's ear emerger. Not many rising fish, but as the mist disappeared and the breeze got up mid-morning, leaves fell from the trees and, where they collected in the creases and foam lanes, fish began to sip. Tiny aphid patterns and small F flies then took fish and still proved effective until late in the afternoon. A few small olives around from midday but not much of a rise from mid-afternoon onwards - fish still taken on the spiders and risen with the hare's ear. Over the day I had a few trout and 35 grayling, mainly in the plus or minus 9 inch class, but fish of 12-16 inches as well, the best about 1.5lb. A lovely autumnal day.

I had to go back after my last visit! 9 trout caught many missed and unhooked, but a fantastic days fishing and from the ford to the wier took 7hrs. All fish took gold head nymphs - 8 in hand at 10" and one at 2lbs. Fish were rising to a hatch of olives for 45 mins, changed to dry fly patterns but no joy, so went back to the nymph. Sat at the wier where an otter was playing and calling, dippers were flying by all day. A lovely end to the trout season, now for the grayling. All fish returned

Booked the day prior through the Booking Office which was helpful as always. Arrived on the day and was introduced to the water by Mr. Picton, who's information proved invaluable due to the length of the beat. River was high. Hardly any fly life was observable and consequently almost nothing was rising. That said, I have no doubt over the abundance of resident fish. Managed to take two brown trout to 16 inches and a chub of just over a foot all on a klinkhammer. I rose a few more, but failed to hook them. A perfectly enjoyable day on a lovely stretch of river that one could easily spend a week. I look forward to returning.

River low and clear fed a few places with hemp and corn unpreductive before lunch moved downstream into deeper water the boy caught a 7lb barbel second cast, both had eight barbel and three big chub between us. I lost what looked like a double figure barbel at the net - gutted. Never mind, back to catch the bugger very soon.

Really easy to find this beat, directions and map were spot on! Started in the favourite swim 'Boys Rocks' - first cast and a barbel was hooked and landed about 7 or 8 lbs, followed by 4 more in the next hour or so, all around the same size. Should have moved really as things went very quiet, but it was such a nice peaceful spot, except for the traffic on the nearby road! Eventually after another 4 or 5 hours that flew by, moved further down the wilds and found a nice spot in the trees, caught another barbel about 7lbs before leaving for home. Thank you WUF

River, and fishing, suffered from tree felling on the Malthouse beat resulting in leaves and branches on and in the river. No rises until late afternoon when Pale Watery and olives appeared. Magnificent 12" trout and small grayling caught on Diawl Bach.

River was 2 foot up but managed several barbel, best of 9 pounds and a few chub. My wife had a dozen chub and 1 barbel. A special day for my 60th birthday. Superb fishery, terrific ghillie - Colin. Will be back soon