Feedback & Reports

24th was a bright and hot day - was never going to be easy! We started off on the lower more open part of the beat and had a couple of small fish and rose and missed a few more. In this open water across which you could wade in the bigger pools every fish was visible - and so were we!

So we headed off up in to the woods where a few more smaller fish were foolish enough to be caught and then returned to the big pool in the middle of the beat as evening was falling at 7.30

A few more fish were rising and one decent one was had - a 16" wild fish, another Usk beauty deceived by the para ginger quill. Total bag 6 fish to 2 rods.

Not much insect life seen hatching - occasional yellow mays, olives and blue winged olives - but plenty of sedges over the water and a lovely spinner dance over the fields as we departed. The swallows were enjoying themselves......

It never ceases to amaze us on the Usk how fish lie right in against the bank in water so thin it must hardly cover them. You only see them as a bow wave charging off in to the deeper water! Trout behaviour on the Usk seems very different to the Wye - water that would be teeming with fish on the Wye seems unproductive on the Usk. In the past however I would have said that there was a better chance of good trout on the Usk but I think that the Wye has improved so much it is rapidly catching up in the fish quality stakes.....

Two fish, returned, both about half pound on diawl bach & PTN, weather hot but great day in peaceful setting.

We were washed off Gromain today - many thanks to the folks in the office for efficiently sorting us out an alternative venue!

The Usk was slightly coloured when we arrived but falling and clearing throughout the day. Weather was rather more like end of September than flaming June - grey and a cold breeze. Sporadic hatches all through the day - mayflies, yellow may duns, large & medium olives and blue winged olives all identifed. Never enough to get the fish feeding solidly but they were there none the less....

12 fish came to hand - 3 x 14" fish looked like stockies going by their fins but the rest were wild usk fish. Top prizes? 16" and 19" beauties - spotted like leopards and built like torpedos with big rudders. The 19" fish took 10 mins to land on a 4 wt outfit. All fish taken on dries - parachute ginger quill and parachure greenwells.

Another super Wye & Usk day on a beat we had not fished before - but certainly will again. And many thanks to the owner David for meeting us at short notice and showing us the lie of the land.

5 WBT to half-pound, 3 on #18 gold head PTN the other 2 on #18 parachute adams. All safely returned. Missed a few takes with a red spinner in the early evening. The larger fish seemed strangely elusive today - first time this season on the Usk that I've not managed anything larger than half-pound. Evening rise seemed thwarted by a stiffening breeze which got quite chilly.

Little fly life, a few rises and only one trout (8") caught, not a great day.

River was low and a little coloured from the rain on Saturday. Lovely beat but you need to be a confident wader on this beat. Netted 3 WBT, 2 around 14" the other 6". Missed loads of takes and nibbles. Fished goldhead PTN #18 downstream through the gutters and pools. One fish taken on an olive klinkhammer #20. Good hatches of mayfly throught the day. Lots of midges too.

Caught 2 x 13" beauties via a Deer Hair Emerger and a cold ducking via clumsiness. Miraculously managed to find my expensive varifocal specs in 3 feet of water after a 20 minute search. Thank you God!

2 wild brown trout: 1.5lbs, 2lbs, one smaller
Size 16 Beacon Beige, Tups.
Steady hatch of medium olives and later BWO
Cool, breezy. Lovely few hours.

Fantastic day out, plenty riverfly life mostly upwings, Was a bit on the cold side but managed four brownies all of a decent size, but all evaded the net...one was a real stonker smashed the leader and torpedoed off downstream. Varied flies used, but imitative patterns seemed best. Already trying to find an excuse to return!!

One of those 'four seasons in a day' days - there was even a roll of thunder in the afternoon (only the one, mind). The wind was much lighter than had been forecast which made it possible to fish most of the beat comfortably. In between the showers, there were some good hatches, mainly of olives. Fish not showing in great numbers, but enough to give away where to try. They seemed in particularly picky and fickle mood and I lost count of how many were hooked, or part-hooked, and lost. Still, six lovely fish caught. The best was only a tad under two pounds: a real Usk beauty.
By the evening, the rain had set in with a bit more purpose, so I left a little earlier than planned. The only real disappointment was that the Gliffaes Hotel could not fit us in for dinner on the way home. I should have booked when I booked the fishing.
The drive home was through torrential rain and thoroughly unpleasant. I guess it kept up for much of the night because the gauge showed the river much higher. I'm very glad I didn't book for Sunday instead: high water and high winds are not a good mix!
Sincere thanks to Seth for some really helpful advice earlier in the week. It is always worth taking the time to get in touch.