Feedback & Reports

Great day fishing on this stretch despite river being very low. Started by freelining floating breadcrust in the peg by the bridge on the RHS of the river facing downstream. Spotted some big chub under the bushes. First cast got a chub about 5lb a rod length out. Great fight on a 14ft float rod.

Then moved to the pool before the rapids 200m downstream from the bridge. Swimfeeder and halibut pellet produced 3 barbel averaging 5lb with a futher 3 fish lost and numerous small barbel and chub to 4lb. Finished the day with an hour of stick float and caster and got a small chub and some roach per cast.

3 barbel average 5lb
3 chub average 4lb
5 small barbel to about 1lb
10 chub between 1/2 and 2lb
Loads of small chub and roach

6 Barbel, 30 Chub, 3 Other

River painfully low. So much so that 95% of the bottom is visible here. I was greeted by two otters fighting/arguing half way down the stretch at dawn.
Not the start to fill me with confidence as I'd not been here before but unphased, and taking into account the river level, I decided to spend the day trotting with meat and cheese. Took chub all day (albeit sporadically) from many swims but best results were from the middle of the stretch (left bank steps/right bank reeds swim which cover the same water and about the only part where the bottom was not visible). Also had a couple from the middle of the fast run at the lower end. Great stretch to do some wading which I thoroughly enjoyed (I don't do it very often).
Met office forecast of overcast conditions was incorrect (what a shock!) and I was "treated" to a mostly sunny day which did not help sport at all in the shallow water (max depth I found was 3 1/2 foot) and made fishing in the day very hard work although I did continue to catch (but we are talking 1 fish per hour).
As usual, evening kick-started the fish into feeding and I continued to catch chub regularly until I could no longer see the float in the gloom. Biggest 5lb, smallest 1/2lb.
No sign of Mr Whiskers but not really surprised given the conditions and desperately low water. Having fished The Creel (immediately downstream) I would imagine they have dropped down there into the deeper water for some cover.
A word of warning. This is a double bank stretch which is fantastic but means you have to cross the Foy footbridge to access the right bank. If you don't like heights I suggest you stick to the left bank. I've never crossed this bridge before but it reminded me of a rope bridge over a gorge you might see in something like an Indiana Jones film (although it is wood/steel). There are 1" gaps between the treads and the whole bridge rocks and sways with each step you take. Rather unnerving at first!
I will definitely be back to this lovely short stretch but will wait until there's a foot more water on as I bet it would be cracking.

30 Chub

This was our first visit to Foy Bridge and although the river was running low we had an excellent day at a lovely spot. We started around 9am and fished the 2 swims at the end of the left hand bank. 1 of us trotted pellets and caught 8 chub of varying size and the other feeder with meat, catching 4 small barbel and 6 chub. About mid morning my friend hooked into a good fish which after a long fight snapped his rod and eventually his line (10lb).
As the day went on we moved up towards the bridge and the action quietened down. I moved to the right hand bank and the fish came back as the evening arrived, bringing 2 barbel (7lb 4oz and 7lb) along with a couple of chub around 4/5lb.
Would certainly look to return.

7 Barbel, 22 Chub

Fished at foy bridge for the first time today. Whilst the weather wasn’t great me and my father managed to have a good bit of sport resulting in 27 fish between us with barbel up to 7lb and a nice 5lb chub my dad had later on in the day. Also he managed to catch 2 eels

8 Barbel, 17 Chub, 2 Other

5 Chub, 2 Other

Fished the left hand bank from 5 o’clock to 7:30 and managed to catch a barbel just as the sun left the water. It was the only bite, so a welcome surprise given the conditions. Fished pellet on a running lead.

1 Barbel

Shortish evening session so fed a large shoal of chub from above dropping 6 mm pellets from the bridge and in extremely clear water watching the shoal grow and feed confidently. Entered the river level with the bridge on the far side and waded to the required point. Trotted pellets down the short run they were in and had 10 all over 4lb in 10 trotts before they spooked.

Moved down to the fast water at the second to last set of steps on left bank and trotted again picking up some more chub and two surprise pristine roach about 1/2 lb each before chucking my feeder as far downstream as possible in the hope of a barbel as the light faded but was only rewarded with 2 clonking chub which must have been 6lb a piece and a lost barbel (there is a big snag just as the fast water ends).

18 Chub, 2 Other

Dawn start today. The river is crystal clear now, lowest I have seen it. It was amazing being able to see all the rocks, boulders, channels and gullies such was the clarity of water. No wonder we all snag up. I did not take feeder rod to the bank. Fished a small loafer all day, wading in the faster water. Was only 3 foot deep run, trotting bread or meat. I must admit I lost count of the Chub tally, between 12oz and 4lb plus. I caught a baby barbel, 8" long, could hardly hold the little geezer, powerful. I also got myself a bigger barbel about 6lb. Lovely day float fishing. Plenty of canoes but all courteous and having fun, did not affect my trotting at all. In fact they avoided me as I was stood in the river. Brilliant days fishing.

2 Barbel, 40 Chub

28 Chub

River lower than ever and very clear. Weather mild and mostly cloudy. Started fishing late afternoon when most canoes had gone and stayed until curfew. Fished two swims but results were the same in both, i.e. innumerable chub bites, which I largely tried to ignore, but the fish either stole the bait or hooked themselves. A couple of smashing bites which I thought might be barbel turned out to be chub of only a pound or two. Low water levels must be contributing to poor fishing, but looking at my records over the last two seasons and this, I wonder if the Wye barbel fishing is in decline.

8 Chub