Feedback & Reports

This was not the first time I have fished this beat, but possibly the most frustrating in terms of actual fishing. I should say though that the reason I like these beats is not simply for the fishing. As a nature lover it really is great to feel like you have a mile of the Wye valley to yourself! And September is fantastic. Barely a canoe, and so much wildlife activity from swallows and house martins feeding off the surface, kingfishers fishing opposite me, Canada geese gathering the troops to fly north and so much more. But the fishing... The river was so full of weed which made things very difficult and was a test of patience, and skill. This was the second of two days fishing and I adjusted my techniques to the conditions and managed to bring in 5 nice size chub, all between 3-4 lbs. No barbel this time around though, whereas previous times have been very fruitful.
A word on the beat itself. Despite reading beforehand that more swims had been created, it was hard to see much evidence of this. Those 'swims' were quite treacherous and hardly accessible. I understand the WUF principles and support them, but when you have virtually only one safe spot to fish from in 1/2 mile stretch then something isn't quite right. And of course this means that the one good 'peg' at the bottom of the beat gets fished by everyone I would imagine. I tried to get to other swims but was aware of my safety and being alone it wasn't worth taking risks. I'd like to re-visit closer to winter for some chubbing and hopefully the weed will be long gone and the banks clearer of vegetation. It's a beautiful location, and I know there are good fish in there, but I agree with others that say more work needs to be done to make more swims safer and more accessible, there is a lot of money coming from us anglers after all.

5 Chub

Steep banks please go prepared to help you get the best from this section.

2 Barbel, 3 Chub

The river was in good condition but with a lot of cut weed coming down the river making fishing difficult.

2 Chub

A very poor day..fished from 10am til 8pm in 3 different swims not one single bite registered! Did not see any barbel activity all day. The only positive was the stunning scenery.

We were leaving today so fished from 12pm-3.30pm - not the most productive part of the day by any means.
Fished bomb and pellet again at the upper limit of the beat. Lots of tackle lost to snags which was frustrating at times.
Had to 'create' our own peg to get in where we needed to be but it was worth it in the end. I'm sure if we had been there for the evening we would have had more.
A long walk back to the car and a long drive home but 33 barbel over an evening, afternoon/evening and 3 hour session on the Sunday made for an unforgettable weekend!!!

6 Barbel

Good water conditions but access to swims is limited. I caught one small barbel from the very last peg and the others came from the swim by the pump in the third field. All caught on pellet.

5 Barbel, 2 Chub

A very disappointing beat and a huge let down after early success on other beats. There is serious investment needed here in opening up the water. Either that or a serious rethink on pricing this beat. I paid for majestic scenery not majestic fishing on this beat as there are not the pegs on the beat. POOR!

2 Barbel, 10 Chub

7 chub caught from various swims, most coming from the faster water towards the top of the beat in the first hour. Struggled for fish the rest of the day despite trying numerous other spots. However, really nice place to spend a day despite the lack of fish.

7 Chub

Difficult conditions. Best Chub 4lb 10 oz.

3 Chub

A poor day as far as the Barbel were concerned. Couldn't locate them in any of the usual spots on this beat. River very low and lots of surface/sub surface weed coming through making life difficult. Heavy overnight rain later and early next morning made the rest of the week (on non Wye and Usk swims) much better.

1 Barbel, 10 Chub