Feedback & Reports

A thoroughly enjoyable day on one of the very few beats I have returned to multiple times. Such a picturesque beat with plenty of variety of water to fish. Lots of insect life but the mayflies appear to have dwindled. Few rising so the majority caught on nymphs. Shame to have to challenge someone with a spinning rod just below the bridge. They soon cleared off but just to make you aware. I have the details of the sign written vehicle if Wye&Usk wish to pursue.

7 Trout

Touch of colour to the water which was still not much higher than my last visit three weeks ago. Bankside and overhead growth more in play which made for an excellent stalking "wild" day. Warm conditions, mainly overcast with some sunny spells very light breeze at times. First two fish on nymphs from the pool at the very bottom of the beat ( cracking grayling and 6" wbt). All other fish were wbt on dry fly from 6 to 10" (see photo for a jaffa) mainly winkled out from under overhangs. Still had variety of mayfly all day and a Grey Wulff was the most successful. Soaked up all the usual wildlife, evidence of otters with quite a few crayfish remains on the gravel shores. Had lunch watching very busy fly catchers. Mid afternoon, heading up to the top of the beat, was surprised to be overtaken by the greater striped American paddleboarder! She apologised for disturbing me and splashed her way up through all the water I was about to cover. I refrained from casting a heavy hook in her general direction in an attempt to puncture the inflatable vessel. It would only have caused more commotion. An hour and half later we met again as she made her way back downstream to the bridge. Maddening at the time, but was soon forgotten.

WUF Note: The Lugg is a publicly navigable waterway downstream of Presteigne, whatever the height.

9 Trout, 1 Grayling

A pretty piece of water and although conditions weren't ideal a pleasant day. Having said that the continuous barbed wire fences all along both banks of the beat made access extremely difficult, the occasional stiles helped but a large amount of the beat remained unfishable due to lack of access. At times I even had to resort to crawling under the barbed wire in order to access a potential piece of water.

2 Trout

Water level allowed us to wade long stretches of the Beat. Very few rising fish through the day, so nothing was taken on dries. All fish secured using nymphs and spider patterns fished up and downstream, and all safely returned. A good day out !

10 Trout, 2 Grayling

First time back here for a while, its still lovely. Escorted in down the lane by two fawns who for the life of them couldn't work out where to cross the hedge. Not much doing in the lower section at all really (apart from one escape artist which jumped into a tree and transferred my hook to a branch, incidentally followed on later by being transferred to some roots by another near the cottage). Improved closer to the midway point with a few hard hits on a dry sedge. Fished duo thereafter upstream with takes on both flies. One lump on a klinkhamer also. 7 to net some 5 more shook the hook plus similar missed takes. Absolutely no sign of any oos grayling, very surprising given past experience here.

Lots and lots of crayfish husks. Also saw a pesky mink right at the top of the beat which left rather leisurely as I arrived. I did land two of my fish from the pool that it had been fishing though so maybe I should be grateful. Thanks WUF.

7 Trout

3 Grayling

5 Trout, 2 Grayling

Small trout caught on dryfly. Fishing quite slow with very few rising fish. Weather was changeable with a cold wind and showers in the afternoon. River had a slight opaque colouration and the flylife was sparse. All the fields had been cut for sileage recently and there may have been some run off the previous night although not being local I don't know what the weather was like. There were quite a few dead signal crayfish on the bed of the river in the lower sections of the beat. I don't think they were discarded moulted exoskeletons but didn't see any signs of otter predation....

This was our first time on the beat and we thoroughly enjoyed it. What agreat spot.

1 Trout

Really enjoy fishing on the Lyepole, one of my favourite beats. Water levels low with the weather. Nice steady amount of fish throughout the day caught on beaded nymphs using a mixture of klink and dink and french nymphing. Around 4:00 a small mayfly hatch started to occur. Fish didn't really switch on but bought two up the the dry fly but didn't manage to put them in the net. A good day, most fish on the small side on this trip.

7 Trout, 4 Grayling

River quite low, hot day full sun , a few Mayfly on the water . No fish rising but tempted 4 small trout between 8 & 10 inches to a Mayfly . Fished for 3 hours

4 Trout