Feedback & Reports

Conditions were not ideal - very low water, and a cool east wind - but it was great to be back on the Usk. Caught one trout of about ½lb on downstrem nymph, and saw one other rise.

1 Trout

I arrived at 11.30 to find an angler fishing from the middle of the river below where the Cynrig stream enters the Usk. This confluence denoting the top limit of the Abercynrig and bottom of the Dinas beat on the true right bank. Having pointed this out politely he then waded back to the Abercynric beat bank right through the productive run below the Cynrig.

I later returned to find his mate in the same position. Again I pointed out the boundary between the beats. In response the chap said, quite correctly, that the boundary on the true left bank was below the Cynrig. The fact of the matter is that it is impossible to access this stretch from the true left bank due to the bankside growth thus it requires access from the top of the Abercymrig stretch on the true right.

Not wishing to spoil my day or indeed anyone elses with an argument I left it at that.

The reason for mentioning this is that fishing in this manner completely ruins the frequently productive top stretch of the beat for those fishing Abercynrig. It would be helpful for Wye Usk to remove the bottom stretch of Dinas below the Cynrig on the map to avoid potential confusion or conflict given that it can not be accessed from the true left bank anyway.

But it did not spoil my day.

On to the fishing. Much colder today with temps only 7C mid morning, cloudy and a much stronger blustery wind which settled mainly upstreamish happily. Very little hatching although the occasional March Brown drifted down around 1 pm. Birds were hawking from time to time and a few slashing rises here and there indicated that something must have been going on albeit sporadically and lightly. Set about the seams and riffles with and Olive Comparadun and by end of play at circa 16.00 had netted 6 trout. 4 were stunning condition fish around 2 – 2.5 lbs and the other 2 wee chaps of about 12 oz and 8 oz.

Yet another super day on the river.

6 Trout

River was very low and clear. A cold northern wind made fishing conditions difficult. Very little fly life seen during the day and only sporadic fish rising. Persisted with dry flies for most of the day and caught fish on black humpy, black klinkhammer and Jingler. Nothing on nymphs. Beautiful stretch of river, just a shame it was so low and a cold wind.

7 Trout

River very low, no fish caught

9.5lb salmon from the Vanstone pool - to a 1.5inch conehead. Fresh but damage to one side of its head. Taken at 11.00am - Very pleased to catch my first Wye Salmon! Saw others in the Dog hole in the afternoon

1 Salmon

4 Trout

River was 0.31m on the Ross gauge, giving good wading access to all the pools on the beat. A few canoes in the morning, but not excessive traffic and all were polite. 1 salmon seen splashing in the tail of Vanstone, around 10lb. No fish caught.

2 Trout

Fished for a couple of hours in the evening. 1 grayling caught on PTN.

1 Grayling

12 Trout