Feedback & Reports

River still low and clear, the recent rainfall has not affected the level yet. Fishing was slow to start with but gradually picked up with grayling rising to the emerged fly on the surface. A couple took nymphs but today was a day for the dry fly and good sport too even if the fish were all small.

2 Trout, 9 Grayling

The weather was perfect, but the river was very low and gin clear so the fish were easily spooked. Small nymph patterns fished deep proved the best method, with individual fish taken from various swims across the beat. Perhaps too early for the grayling to form shoals?

6 Grayling

This was my attempt to catch my very first grayling. There were a few olives in the air around lunchtime, and a few fish rising in 2 pools upstream of the bridge and in the straight section further up. I had a few rises to my Adams but sadly either missed on the strike or they came off. So I blanked. Weather was pleasant, with just a little rain. Anyway, really nice place. Wading was fine but I felt a bit creaky climbing over the stiles (age, I'm afraid). Thanks to WUF for making this possible.

I can assure R.B. from Bromyard that he must have caught this beat on a bad day, having said that, it can be "peggy" and some clearance works are required. £15 for Grayling is ok but, you would be upset to pay £25 in peak summer and have a number of glides and pools covered by fallen trees/over hanging branches. May be something for WUF to consider in their next round of work party duties?
Anyway, back to the fishing (& no exaggeration required). I can normally expect to hoover a few more out but the river is extraordinarily low and, bright conditions, whilst handy for the angler, are never that great when the river is so low & clear. I picked up some nice fish towards the top & bottom of the beat, with a few Grayling (about a pound) falling to thoroughly explored weighted nymphs.
Very enjoyable day but would benefit from a work party asap.

3 Trout, 15 Grayling

A couple of hours post lunch. River low and clear. Some fly life but nothing rising. Had 1 small grayling on nymph. Lively and in v g condition but feel inferior to some other 'returners' - I suspect they greatly exaggerate? Returned to car before venturing upstream only to find it wouldn't start. Tried to phone the AA but no signal. Fortunately, a very kind man in the holiday cottage helped and took me to a red BT phone box up the hill which worked. Had to wait nearly 2 hours for AA - from Worcester - said they had nothing out this way. He fixed the prob in a minute - fuel air lock and showed me how to prime - he saw my kit and said he was a keen angler - we talked for a bit - I told him about W & U. Now very dark with no chance to go upstream. Very many thanks to the holiday cottage syndicate!

1 Grayling

Fished from 9am till 1pm, caughth quite few grayling with nymphs and 1 brown. No much activity on the river, did not see 1 fish rising even if it was a sunny warm day. Spectacular beat!

1 Trout, 20 Grayling

Heavy rain in the morning, but managed to catch quite few brown trout with nymphs, one over 1 pound. Dry afternoon with some sun, catch well on dry flies, mostly grayling.

6 Trout, 20 Grayling

A strange sort of day; summer's end a nighing on one of Housman's rivers (OK, he was more of a Teme and Severn man), a marriage proposal spelt out in nightlights under the Bridge (did he - or she - say "yes", I wonder?)and the grayling not being where they should be.
I note that a couple of previous correspondents have had trouble locating grayling these last few weeks. I had a similar issue today. The nasty downstream wind and a low, clear river may have been factors; but I suspect that it was largely down to the unseasonably warm weather fooling the Grayling into thinking that it was still summer. Whatever the cause, the grayling were not where I expected them to be today, with banker runs not producing and, with one exception - when I picked up 5 fish in as many casts, from a non-descript piece of water just below the weir - none of the 5 or 6 fish per run that I associate with Lyepole at this time of year. The trout were all small, the majority of the grayling were in the 8-10" bracket, with a couple at 12" plus. All on the same Endrick Spider.
That's probably it for me this year on the Lugg. Roll on the Mayfly

4 Trout, 18 Grayling

Caught a 12" trout on Adams and missed several others on dry fly. Only had 2 indications on nymphs and caught a grayling of 8" and one of 3" on goldhead hare's ear.

1 Trout, 2 Grayling

Rained all morning and into the afternoon, so I delayed arrival until 3pm as the forecast was for drier weather late in the day.
Still raining on arrival, but only light so I made my way down to the end of the beat and began fishing upstream with a nymph. The water was still low and clear despite the downpour, but no takers.
Got back to the bridge in the middle of the beat with about an hour of daylight left and, as there had been some fly activity, switched to a dry fly and continued upstream. 3 trout caught before fading light brought the day to an end.
Lovely river and surroundings - mist over the hills looked very dramatic.
I must be the only angler not to catch a grayling from Lyepole, but I enjoyed my visit all the same.

3 Trout