Feedback & Reports

6 WBT up to 10inches taken on klinkhammer and PTN's. Some fish showing in the slower sections but spooked as soon as a cast goes over them. Several small fish showing in the riffles but no signs of the bigger fish.

This was my second visit to this lovely beat, and I again concentrated my fishing on the lower half of the beat upstream of the first car park. There was a fairly constant hatch of small sedges throughout the day, and the occasional medium-sized olive came off around mid-day. Trout were rising in the slower water, and I managed four WBTs to 12" on small klinkhamers and paraduns. The largest fish was taken, but the others were all returned. I tried upstream nymphing for larger fish, working up through the riffles and checking pockets behind large rocks etc, but to no avail. I didn't see the otters, sadly.

My first time here and what a wonderful, varied and challenging stretch of water it is and, given the lowish water, so much of it accessible - so I wetted a line whereever I could! Blessedly it was a lovely day with no wind but being August, there was little emerging fly apart from a few pale wateries throughout most of the day, and consequently not too many rising fish - as usual the returning late-afternoon and evening sedges elicited no response either. Starting above the car park, I worked my way up, fishing the foam lanes, creases and likely holding spots and had a few non-rising fish on a small hare's ear emerger. I tried spiders as well but to no avail. By the time I got up to the first big pool some PWs were around and also some rising fish. I had a few more fish here including a 17", one and threequarter pounder. Having worked my way to the top of the beat and as there was no evening rise, I headed home having caught twenty classic Usk browns all of which, apart from the fish noted above, were of 8-10 inches and all in mint condition. All were taken on a couple of HE emerger patterns and on one of my pale watery emergers.

It is a lovely and challenging beat and I shall certainly come back next spring to fish it when the spring bugs are around.

Two discourteous anglers intruded on my morning on and off for an hour or so, fishing opposite me on the far bank and then, without a "by your leave" and showing zero etiquette, pitched in above me in a spot where I had been watching a few rising fish and planning my tactics to get to them. No manners at all - two young otters!

A great beat. At times there was plenty of fish feeding sub surface but I couldn't work out what type of Nypmh they were feeding on. Total caught was 3 WBT up to 11" on PTN. A handful more not brought to hand.

The day started off really tough with a few fish coming from the streamy runs, as the day progressed and we moved up the river things started to look up. We finished the with 29 fish between us the best two fish being around
1 1/2lb a piece.

I checked the Upper Usk camera at 08:30 just before leaving and everything looked set for a reasonable days fishing. I got to the beat at 10:30 by which time the water resembled strawberry thickshake.

I flicked some nymph's for a couple of hours in the likely runs but with only 3-4" of visibility underwater it was always going to be tough.

No great surprise that the tally for the day was zero.

5 tiny wbt caught on bead head nymphs. Fishing very difficult, unable to wade most of the beat. Lovely surroundings though. No fish rising.

8 fish caught including 2 salmon parr. best fish a splendid 2-12 and 2 others at about 1 lb. All on nymph mainly red or black twin tailed copper John fished either Czech style or in tandem below a dry NZ style. All returned. River high and rising through the day to flood by 6pm. Fishing tailed off as river rose. Tricky to wade in high conditions but lovely beat. Saw fresh tracks of (almost certain) otter. Bigger and wider than the mink tracks I'd seen the day before higher up near Sennybridge.

My first day on the Usk, and very enjoyable it was too! Was warned off the Wye by the booking office team and had Fenni Fach suggested as an alternative - good call; many thanks.

Lovely spot with good road access, about 5 minutes out of Brecon (ideal for a lunch time break etc.). Broken sunshine and cloud all day, with temperatures in high teens. Cold downstream wind would occasionally make things tricky.

Fishing wasn't easy, needing to ring the changes to respond to a seemingly infinite variety of water. Fished predominantly a GRHE nymph which accounted for three WBT, and changed to a Klinkhammer as soon as I spotted a rising fish (surprisingly rare), which accounted for another three WBT. Hooked and lost another three decent sized fish just to keep things symetrical. Fish were from 10" to around the 2lb mark, which was a personal best for a WBT.... much celebration on the long drive home, with shameless sing-along to Kerrang FM's cover version night.... How sad is that!!

An excellent day which seemed to balence challenges with rewards.

4 fish released between 8" and 13."