Feedback & Reports

I fished a wild stream for a first time as a participant on the Wild Stream Day event. What a fantastic day! Coming from still-water fly fishing background, I was daunted before the start but soon getting a hang of it; thanks to our superb guide Tony, who is very knowledgeable. I learned so much from him in a couple of hours; how to read the water and various technique. I was over the moon to catch 4 beautiful wild-browns on size 14 Klinkhammer. I cannot thank Usk & Wye foundation enough for this wild stream course; excellent value for money.

4 Trout

This beat was fished on Sat 13th May as part of the LAFA Wild Stream Fishing Day and a number of fish were caught.

Still plenty of water 3 trout about 8 ins

3 Trout

A little colour still in the water, and a cloudy humid day. A quiet afternoon, ringing the usual changes, and eventually getting one small trout on a weighted nymph. At about 7.30, well before dusk, I suddenly started to catch fish on a duo rig: the dry every time. And in several different access points. 30 mins later it all stopped. No discernable hatch, but I need glasses for everything these days.
As usual with the wild streams access now is problematic. The bank growth in the middle half mile requires that you to get in at the bottom and wade all the way up in chest waders. I walked round in my leaky thigh waders and enjoyed the countryside; putting a fly in the water is only part of the fun!

5 Trout

Beautiful sunny evening. No fish seen, none caught. Most of the lower beat below the ford inaccessible due to fencing and overgrowth. One heron. Mayfly still active.

Boy do you have to work hard to catch trout on this fast moving brook. I was pleased to get 3 little beauties to hand having 7 or 8 long releases throughout the day. No fish topping even though there was the occasional mayfly lifting off so every fish was taken on a ptn. The wagtails were filling their bellies on them and putting on a great show.
What I didn't expect to see was mink and not just one individual, as bold as brass slipping in and out of the water.
A lovely quite place to spend a day, many thanks to the Foundation.

3 Trout

Fished for about 5 hours on a reasonably mild and overcast day with the sun breaking through later in the session. 11 mostly small trout caught on a PT nymph fished underneath a Klinkhammer. There were a handful of mayflies hatching as the afternoon went on with a few fish rising for them. I also saw what looked like a mink entering the water opposite me in the second field upstream, shortly followed by two large splashes against the bank right next to me (presumably from the mink).
Access not too difficult although there are a couple of trees across the river on this beat.

11 Trout

A beautifully sunny day and the Hindwell looked to be in perfect condition with a good pace of clear water on it.
However no fish rising and only one small trout and one small grayling fell to size 16 Pearly PTN. It is interesting to see that there are grayling in the Hindwell.

1 Trout, 1 Grayling

Accompanying 2 participants to provide advice on a Wild Streams Day event, I found the Hindwell to be running clear and in good condition. Access to beat was fairly reasonable with the late spring and the sunny conditions saw a hatch of mayflies around lunchtime, although we saw no rises all day. We all caught fish - 6 to one event participant and 2 for the other with the largest around 9". I caught 1 fish with only a few casts made using a weighted nymph. This is a truly wild stream beat in beautiful surroundings.

1 Trout

Persevered with klinks for most of the day, without success. One decent fish and several more missed with a beaded hares ear in the deeper pools in the middle section.

1 Trout