Feedback & Reports

Fenni Fach is one of my favourite beats, but it can be hard work. And yesterday was no exception. Good looking water, lovely weather, plenty of flies, but no fish. After 3 hours it's amazing how encouraging a 2½oz trout can be! That's about the size of both the ones I caught. Must have been doing something wrong...

2 Trout

River was a little murky on arrival which surprised me - maybe a weekend thunderstorm, or just that this is a lower beat than I usually fish? c. 3ft visibility at start, but it fished well. Maybe it encouraged the insects, and/or the trout were less wary than they would normally be in the sun? I was hoping for a green drake hatch, did see just a few duns and spent spinners of those but it never really materialised and the trout did not switch on to them. However there were other mayflies hatching, in particular yellow may. I've never seen so many yellow mays hatching - in my experience these are usually very sporadic with just the odd one or two. Not here - still not loads but it was steady enough through the day and the trout were definitely on to them - all eight trout caught on yellowish-green dries, either emergers or spinner patterns later on. Not electric for most of the day, but if you looked hard and walked the beat you could usually find one rising. Most were caught late in the day - then the yellow may spinners came out and for about 90 minutes it was epic! The largest fish of 16" came then, but it was rather a lucky dip as most were sipping the spinners very delicately, so often impossible to say if the trout were big or small. Average size was good though as usual for the Usk - most fish were in the teens. Some tricky wading and casting to reach the best swims, from tight spots with trees and bushes close behind - glad I chose the bamboo rod today as most of them demanded a good roll cast, there was no other way to reach them. I just woudn't have been able to make the cast to cover most of the fish with a faster-action rod. Also lovely for playing the fish - the give protects the tippet so well especially in close quarters with cover nearby (and feels great too). Bamboo is not dead! All fish released as usual. Thanks again for a lovely session!

8 Trout

Superb really pretty long beat with easy access along its length. As with the previous day on the adjacent beat with bright sun and low clear water wasn't always easy to catch and had to get into some tricky positions under trees to produce fish, but lovely fish it did produce.

5 Trout

A pleasant morning spent wading down beat 3 from the top and then off the bank to the pool on the bend. No takers but a decent fish showing at the bend so they are about! A little too bright after lunch so I didn't venture any further but there was a second fish topping in the pool at the head of beat 4.
2 x incidental Shad

2 Other

Plenty of fish, generally small ( C 8-12ozs ) but very willing and great fun on small dry olive flies

7 Trout

No fish

4 Trout

nothing seen or caught

5 Trout

2 Trout