Feedback & Reports

FIRST OF ALL IF YOU ARE AGED OR A LITTLE DODGY ON YOUR LEGS ME THE FIRST AND MY PAL THE SECOND DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TRY AND FISH THE WOODED AREA. SPENT A HOUR WALKING UP APTLY NAMED HEART BREAK HILL ONLY TO FIND THE PATH IN THE WOODS TOO DODGY TO WALK DOUBLY SO IF IT WOULD HAVE BEEN WET. SO AN HOUR WALKING BACK . DONT KNOW WHY THE DIRECTION SEND YOU THROUGH THE HOUSE GARDEN ,UP SOME STAIRS THEN VERY STEEP HILL WHEN THERE IS A PERFECTLY GOOD FOOT PATH OPPOSITE THE SEWAGE GATE BY PASSING ALL OF THOSE OBSTACLES? WE SETTLED IN THE FIRST EASY SWIM BY THE HUT CAUGHT 5 SMALL CHUB ALL DAY SAID WE WOULD PACK AT 6 ON THE DOT ROD PULLED ROUND AND A 9LB BARBEL SAVED THE DAY .

1 Barbel, 5 Chub

2 Chub

1 Barbel, 6 Chub

7 Barbel, 38 Chub

All barbel caught from the wooded area on feeder fishing tactics.

6 Barbel, 60 Chub

Chub caught in the morning very slow though the day all barbel caught in last 2 hours of light lucky stones being the spot.

4 Barbel, 17 Chub

River was very low and caught most fish on meat, barbel came along as it was getting dark

3 Barbel, 22 Chub

4 Barbel, 12 Chub

Back on my favourite beat and had another great day. Despite some rain, the river is still low but at least it’s cooled off a tad.

I started very early and as I was setting up on the Lucky Stones I was greeted by a stunning rainbow. It was the clearest I’ve ever seen and prompted an impromptu burst of Judy Garlands “Somewhere over the rainbow…” which, annoyingly, then led to an earworm that lasted pretty much all day. (Apologies if you’ve now got it).

Unfortunately, there was only a pot of chub at the end of my rainbow, amounting to 40 plus through the day in many different sizes, shapes and ugliness on various methods (rolling meat, feeder with meat / pellets). The chub monotony was broken in the morning by 1 beautiful bronze barbel, an eel and a gudgeon – a rare catch for me on the Wye and reminded me of many happy days of my childhood spent on the banks of the Black Country canals before they got filled with abandoned shopping trollies, Ford Anglias and dead bodies.

The middle part of the day was very quiet bite wise, so I took a break and enjoyed the entertainment provided by the armada of canoeists who had evidently been sent downstream with the brief on how not to drown but still be an ace buffoon at the same time. They were all very friendly and apologised for any disruption caused, none more so than the grannie and grandad with two grandkids who somehow managed to do a handbrake turn mid river and smash directly into the boulders on the opposite bank, causing all four occupants to violently jerk forwards as the boat hit the rocks. If it had a been a Mini Metro there’d be a whiplash claim.

Headed back around 8.30 before the bats came out to play.

Stunning beat, total tranquility and loads of fish – what more could you want?

1 Barbel, 40 Chub, 2 Other

Fished in the woods. Arriving at 10am, the session started with a bang, 3 barbel in first 3 casts, between 6 and 9lbs. With a clonking bite a chuck, this was going to be an epic day.... Then a group of 4 canoes hoved into view. Two got stuck in the shallows and the passengers got out mid river. One vessel then drifted off on its own. Two others went to rescue. Cue lots of banging, shouting and splashing around. They caused chaos in the stretch for 30 minutes. This pretty much killed the barbel activity.

I persevered and ended up with a fair few good chub and 3 more barbel in the last hour before dark. So on balance a very pleasing day. Especially in the low water conditions.

Two things if you're fishing this area:
1. Take lots of hooks, I lost count of how many were bent on rocks or lost when snagged.
2. Leave well before dark. There are a couple of points in the woods where the "path" really is too close to the edge for a weary angler laden with gear. No-one would hear you scream from down there!

6 Barbel, 21 Chub