Feedback & Reports

1 Trout

River low and canoe traffic heavy, as fully expected on a bank holiday weekend but had a great time trotting meat for some chub. will return for sure.

6 Chub

I fished here again, almost to the day, for the first time in four years. On a fishing-perfect, almost windless, cloudy day, never have I seen the river so low and the fish so inactive during the last 14 years’ fishing this wonderful beat. We can only think that the prolonged spell of unseasonably “hot” water has negatively affected the fish, particularly and perhaps not unsurprisingly, the grayling. Only today, for the first time in a month or so (?), has the water temperature been a safely fishable16-18 degrees. Grayling in particular have been much more responsive during the last two months in the significantly cooler upper river down to Doldowlod, below the Elan confluence. We covered the beat from top to bottom, with the old man, concerned about his verticality, sticking to the less perilous features! Fish were caught on jigs and spiders and, as usual in August, there were a few pale wateries and some sedges, but hardly a fish rose even in the usually prolific areas of both halves of the beat and, in stark contrast to the upper river of late, fish were very reluctant to get off their backsides for a passing emerger. Nonetheless we had some fish on a #16-18 pale HF emerger, grizzle EH caddis, CDC and Elk and a deer’s hair emerger, with trout to 12” and grayling to 13” plus the bonus of GR of Letton’s 8lb barbel on a brown Jumbo Gum peeping caddis! All fish safely returned. Many thanks to the owners for maintaining impeccable access. Hard to see the river below Builth becoming more prolific until we have lots of cooling rain and much lower daytime temperatures i.e. probably not any time soon!

14 Trout, 15 Grayling, 1 Barbel

First time fly fishing so unsurprisingly blanked. Had to be 40-50 good rises just off the bank from 7 till 8. If I could manage to get a fly successful in the water would have been a great trip. Water level was also way down

5 fish including one of about 3/4lb from below cronkley bridge. Missed about 7 million takes on a kinkhammer, not sure it was right. Beautiful setting, exciting fishing, scary wading!

5 Trout

Lots of surface activity, but a lack of wind and minimal ripple meant that it was easy for the fish to see that the flies were artificial, so many more attempted takes than fish landed.
All fish taken on dry flies, best fish were around 1/2 lb.

5 Trout

10 Trout

13 Chub

Convinced there's something wrong with th river. Fished this stretch for many years but not in the past several.....would have always caught at least a few trout.

4 Trout, 1 Other