Feedback & Reports

SK and I enjoyed our day on Upper Bigsweir yesterday. Water very low but we did see about 6 fish. Non caught!

Fished 2.00pm - 9.00pm, I had a terrible experience, my complaints are as follows:

Barbel: As a Great Ouse regular, I'm not used to starting at 2.00pm in clear water and catching a Barbel within 30 seconds of casting out. I was pouring a cup of tea when an 8-pounder tried to take my rod to Hereford. Fortunately I was only disturbed by four Barbel throughout the course of the evening.

Chub: They fight too hard. Twice I hooked large Barbel and emitted yelps of joy, only for the fish to miraculously turn into a three-pound Chub.

Salmon: I was just nodding off when a large Salmon crashed out of the river and woke me up. Please remove them from the river.

Canoes: I was lead to believe that I would be entertained by parties of canoeists capsizing, having water fights etc. Only four or five passed and all were disappointingly courteous.

Despite the above, and because I am a selfless individual, for the appropriate remuneration I would be happy to fish this beat on my own every day until the end of my life, just to ensure that no other angler is forced to suffer in the way that I was.

Beautiful beat in wonderfully peacful valley, not too marred by the lack of water. Heavy showers dampened what looked like a great afternoon at the outset. Temperatures dipped with the rain and the fish went quiet, but water temperature warm to the touch and as soon as the rain stopped they were back. Three WBT and Eight Grayling to about 15", all on dry fly with a crazy half hour's evening rise when the rain finally stopped.

Lost my favorite pair of Oakleys, so if anyone finds them will happily oblige with a bottle of their choosing!

Quiet start on pellets, changed to meat and caught 5-1/2lb barbel straight away. Four other good bites but didn't catch any more, left mid afternoon.

After heart stopping moments in the Heirag when a fish hit the spinner, only to see a very large chub come to the surface, to catching my first salmon in the Ferry Pool - a cock grilse of about 7lb, safely returned of course. Many thanks to all at the Wye and Usk for making this possible, what a fantastic days fishing.

No rise and very few flies on the water, but still managed to catch 8 fish between us including a 12" grayling and a 12" brown trout (stockie). This water always has something to offer and is amazing value.

Seventeen barbel and three chub caught throughout the afternoon with five fish lost. The river was very low and clear and access around the orchard had only two viable swims. With extra water these will not be fishable. Other fields are very open up and down stream but will not suit anglers not wishing to fish near to livestock. There are bulls in all meadows. Nice place though.

2 rods fished 4.30pm - dusk on Thursday 11th and all day Friday 12th, one a relatively experienced Barbel fisherman and the other hoping to catch his first Barbel. On Thursday we caught 17 Chub and 6 Barbel between us - naturally the biggest Barbel at 8:12 fell to the beginner! The fish went really mad for the last hour.

On Friday we caught 18 Chub and 8 Barbel between us - fishing was OK throughout the day, but oddly the river went completely dead from 7.00pm when the full moon rose above the horizon and we didn't get a bite after that point.

3 grilse seen below Chimes beat.
Nil return. Water v low, even after Thursday's torrential rain.

3 Brown Trout 10 " 11½" 12½". Lost 2 others which were also nice fish. All returned.