Feedback & Reports

Cold start to season with bitter wind, cloudy with weak sun showing for short periods only. Fished mainly nymphs with no success but as a novice in river fishing and new to the water, look forward to returning in more favourable conditions!

2 x wild brown trout, 14 inches and 16 inches, Waterhen Bloa from a team of spiders. Both fish in very nice condition. I thought I might as well start the 2011 season on the beat where I finished on the last day of the 2010 one. It was typical for the Usk in early season, a very cold start with fog in the valley till well after lunch. I somehow can't bring myself to fish the Usk with heavy bugs, so the river seemed dead and it was hard going until about 2.00 in the afternoon, when the first large gark olive was seen floating past. Then a busy hour and a half, first trying for a rising fish just out of range, then losing a couple, one taken in a steady glide and finally a handsome one taken in shallow water on a pool tail, which had obviously been feeding quite hard on the ascending nymphs. Everything finished by 4.00 pm.

A very cold opening day on this new beat which has some lovely water although a little high. A few dark olives were hatching early afternoon but no trout were seen rising. Both rods were fishless however we did see a beautiful salmon being returned which was very encouraging.

Fresh hen salmon approx.18-20lbs from platform at bottom of steps [right bank The Rocks Pool].Caught on an orange pot bellied pig using DT#10 Sink Tip. Hope this amazing start continues all the way to end of season.

5 pike to 18lbs all taken on dead baits and all in the morning. Lovely and warm when the sun was out - bitter when not. Map and directions spot on. Lovely beat, will try and get back before the season ends. Thanks WUF.

Hard days fishing, quite chilly though the sun broke out in the afternoon and there was a trickle of large dark olives, but nothing moving for them. River still carrying a tad of colour. Just 3 fish between us, one very small 15cm whilst the other two were 47cm fish.

Cracking day was had. Arrived before 8am walked up to the top of the beat for a look, baited up a couple of swims in the middle section and left them a while we had a couple of bacon rolls. Cast out and was straight into a barbel. We fished in several places and had fish in most of them. Finished the day with 14 barbel and 9 chub. Stayed at the Cottage of Content. Reasonably priced room but food is quite dear. Very nice place.

7 chub to about 4.5lbs on spam or corn.

Excellent day, thank you! Weather was pleasant and river up a little with a brown tinge but nothing dramatic. Tried lots of spots from the water pump to the top of the fishery. Found fish in several places and finished up with a fin-perfect barbel and some cracking chub including a 'dodgy' (exactly on the scales) 6lb beauty. Pellet probably accounted for most bites but rotating meat and corn livened things up when needed. Bites came on and off all day. The area where the bank has been marked with poles was the most productive. (Last Summer we were so grateful when the farmer strimmed sections of the tall balsam and nettles to make access easier and marked where he'd done it with the poles. Now the spate has wiped away all the bankside weed, the poles look redundant). Echoing a previous contributor, in wet weather the track from the farm-yard to the river can be slippery on the way down and tricky on the way up. Also, don't wear your best shoes for driving as to open the farm-yard gate you have to paddle through considerable M&S. You can park in the farm-yard if you don't fancy the track. Failing that, take the wife's car.

Very sunny day amidst all the rain and gloom. The barbel did not seem to make much of it and it was left to the chub. 8 fish to about 4lb from the middle of the river down to the Oaks. May have lost a barbel at last knockings from the viaduct. I think I can confirm that the last entry did see an Otter, as I saw a pair of them at point blank range popping up over the area I had baited earlier. Do they like the smell of halibut pellets; and can I blame their appeance on my lack of success with the barbel?