Feedback & Reports

The morning of 3rd March found us travelling on the M4 full of anticipation. Our first glimpse of the Usk at Glan-yr-Afon filled us with hope. The easterly wind was doing its damage throughout the day, penetrating my 5 layers of clothing and the wading was treacherous. Scouring the gutters and deep pools with a cocktail of heavy flies did not produce anything. Even the latest gammarus inspiration that was tied especially for this trip did not produce. So it was perching on a rock with a comfortable padding of lichen and waiting for the large dark olives. Suddenly at around 1:30 in the afternoon they started popping one by one on the surface. Eyes fixed on the water and head revolving like a periscope, I waited for the fish to rise. It was not to be. I could have changed to spiders, but resisted the temptation for more than an hour until it was obvious that surface action was not on the menu. Eventually I succumbed to a waterhen bloa and a partridge and orange with a gold head on the point and headed for a fast glide. A few casts later a lovely wild brownie became airborne and marked the beginning of the season. I had another pull and that was it for the day. Companion number two managed to find some fish rising further upstream and lured three to the dries. That’s the Usk. A lovely river, but it does not give up its wild fish easily.

A very gold and blustery opening day. I waited for the hoped LDO hatch but I only saw 4 LDOs all day. A trout rose for one of them and I covered him and hooked him, but ended up losing him. This was was my only action of the day. Lovely to be out on the river again.

An enjoyable start to the season. Water still high but sight of a springer that showed in corner tree gave us confidence. Kelts splashing in most pools and working a floating devon through the Rope produced three very well mended examples. Barbless hooks meant they all went back without leaving the water. 1 was sizable and led to thoughts of it being an opening day fish for a few minutes before it caved in.

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2nd March, Cammarch Hotel beat R8: 1 x grayling 14 inches. Irfon surprisingly low, clear and very cold indeed. I'm guessing a lot of the catchment is still frozen up.

Two grayling caught, best at 15", one other lost, on grey/green flashback shrimp. Water very cold and clear, beautiful sunshine and heavy morning frost. Great way to end the grayling season

A lovely warm sunny spring day at last. The river low but with a little colour. Surprisingly hard going with the chub proving elusive and reluctant to feed. Managed to weedle out 3 in the end, all on meat. Also caught a rainbow trout on bread of about 2 and a half pounds. Don't know what he was doing there?

Fished on 25th & 26th Feb 2010 : Chub 12 of them, did it blow on Friday!

On Wednesday we had Chub (3) & John lost a Barbel on 3lbs bottom & 16 hook.

Blank. I had planned to trot maggot for grayling, but when I got to my local tackle shop for bait, they had closed. "What's the point being open?" the proprietor said later. "Nobody goes fishing in this weather." A self-fulfilling prophecy if ever I heard one. So I went down with fly rod and lobbed tungsten bugs into a muddy current without result until it began to snow again. I really do think its about time spring arrived.