Wye and Usk July 2012 Newsletter

[Mark]

Wye and Usk Foundation Update

1st July 2012

>>>>>Evening tickets now available<<<<<

The end of June sees little change in the weather – more rain anticipated in July and St Swithen’s day just a fortnight away! It takes very little to bring on a rise in levels and the lower Wye lost far more days than it fished. Rivers are holding at much higher levels. These conditions suited the Usk rather better as it gets quickly back into shape. The effect on fishing has generally been good.

There have been some massive catches of barbel aided by the colour and fresh water on the middle Wye and this has been about the only fishing taking place below Hereford at present. The upper Wye has been fishing well for salmon and trout but thunderstorms have kept those beats below Glasbury off the water at times. So well has it fished we would have to go back a couple of decades to find a better monthly total: over 100 salmon have been caught above Builth Wells. Usk salmon have been spread about the catchment and a mixture of sizes and age classes. It has taken a long while to get going after what is now a distant memory of the spring drought.

By popular demand we are offering evening tickets on many beats of the Wye and Usk at a 50% reduced cost, allowing more flexibility within the booking system and giving people the option of fishing after work, Monday to Friday. Tickets can only be purchased by telephone on the chosen day, allowing full day tickets first option. Should a day ticket not be booked by lunchtime, an evening ticket can then be purchased and the beat can be fished from 5pm that day until midnight. This applies to Trout AND salmon fishing. This offer is available immediately on 90% of Usk beats and Gromain is leading the way on the Wye. Many other beats being confirmed next week. Please use our online booking system to check beat availability and contact Allyson or Dai in the office for further information.

Prospects: Again dodging the showers and rises is the skill, but the reward is some excellent fishing, whatever you chosen quarry

All the best from WUF.

Some beats are offering three rods for the price of two or three days for the cost of two. Please contact Wendy or Allyson at the Office Our flagship project on the Irfon, ISAC, has its own website. Click here for angler’s reports. For details of WUF’s Consultations, click here. Agency Hotline: 0800807060 Rainfall at Erwood 2012: 19 1/2” (29” 2011) Bookings and availability or Tel: 01982 560788 Twitter: @WUFoundation

[Mark]

In yesterday’s news update we stated incorrectly that over 100 salmon had been caught above Builth in June. This should have read “above Glasbury.”

Also, the evening tickets run from 5pm until an hour after sunset, not “until midnight”.

Our apologies for any confusion caused.

All the best from WUF.



Some beats are offering three salmon rods for the price of two or three days for the cost of two. Please contact Allyson or Dai at the Office.

Bookings and availability or Tel: 01982 560788

Twitter: @WUFoundation

Our flagship project on the Irfon, ISAC, has its own website.

Click here for angler’s reports.

For details of WUF’s Consultations, click here.

Agency Hotline: 0800807060 Rainfall at Erwood 2012: 19 1/2” (29” 2011)

This email was sent by The Wye & Usk Foundation.

[Mark]

Wye and Usk Foundation Update

9th July 2012

>>>>>Evening tickets now available<<<<<

We have found that this site gives the best warning of impending rain. It’s in German and you need to click Neiderslag and then click each 6 hourly forecast. The upshot is that It looks as though it’s going to rain! As for most of the year so far, it’s has been a matter of being there on the right day. At the moment, this is easier on the Usk as it fines down so much more quickly but the upper reaches of the Wye above Builth and the Irfon also come into fishing order days before the section below Builth. These have been rather forgotten for salmon after so many dry years.

For many regular anglers it has been an interesting experience finding pools that fish at higher flows though I miss fishing many low water catches here on the upper Wye that haven’t been fishable for months! The tributary (Voucher beats) are another beneficiary of the higher levels and many are fishing well, though larger fisheries such as on the Lugg are just too high this week. Downstream on the Wye, Coarse fishers continue to enjoy good fishing….between the floods and some good bags of barbel and chub have been made. Interestingly, many are reporting that silver eels are much in evidence after many years absence.

Evening tickets are meeting with much approval and to date the following beats are now available at half price after 5.00pm (if not already booked):

USK: Abercamlais; Bridge Meadow; Cwmwysg Ganol; Buckland South; Cefn Rhosan Fawr; Dinas and Abercynrig; Glanusk Ty Mawr; Glan Y Cafn; Glan Yr Afon; Glanusk Estate; Pant Scallog; Penpont; Glanusk Ty Mawr

UPPER WYE: Cefnllygwynne; Doldowlod; Lower GlanWye (Llyn Em); Abernant; Plas Gwyn; Ty Newydd; Gromain: Llanstephan:

MIDDLE WYE: Upper Clifford (coarse fishing only, game angling only on weekends)

These can only be booked via the office 01982 560788 Please contact Dai or Allyson. Some beats are offering three rods for the price of two or three days for the cost of two.

Prospects: Every time levels drop to ideal, good catches are made whatever the quarry. This must surely be the year that many catch their first salmon. Again dodging the showers and rises is the skill, but the reward will be some excellent fishing, whatever you chosen quarry.

All the best from WUF.

Our flagship Life + project on the Irfon, ISAC, has its own website. For angler’s reports Click here. For details of WUF’s Consultations, Click here. Agency Hotline: 0800807060 Rainfall at Erwood 2012: 20 ¼” (29” 2011) Bookings and availability or Tel: 01982 560788 Twitter: @WUFoundation

[Mark]

Wye and Usk Foundation Update

13th July 2012

>>>>>Evening tickets now available<<<<<

Did you know that there is a 76% chance that tomorrow’s weather will be the same as today? This should make understanding of forecasting relatively easy: We had a three dry-ish days and then…..more rain. Salmon fishing had got better as the levels progressively dropped, only for hopes to be dashed on day 4 (yesterday). The rate the rivers drop is now as slow as I can remember and it’s those beats with high water pools that are producing the bulk of the salmon. On the Wye, these include Spreadeagle, part of the Rectory, Ty Newydd and Abernant. As a result, fishers coming to the Wye gravitate to these beats.

For the first time in decades the upper Wye catch exceeds that of the lower river and there appears to be a good head of fish building. The Usk too is fishing well, though catch details are less easy to obtain. In the past the difficult water conditions were met with worming which gave the opportunity of taking fish during high, dirty flows and giving much higher catches.

The coming week should see fewer wet days and there will come (fingers crossed) a day when all will be fishable. This is likely to be linked with my impending trip elsewhere! Coarse fishers are getting used to fishing a river Wye about four times its usual size but nonetheless making some good bags of barbel and chub. Trout fishers are picking up fish without too much actually rising. A notable 3lbs fish was taken at the Clochfaen. Usk trout fishing has been good between spates and many of the voucher beats are in good order

Prospects: Next week (and possibly the week end) should be much closer to ideal fishing conditions and our advice is to make the most of a very unusual opportunity. It might be worth considering a longer stay and a scroll through our accommodation list will show the excellent opportunities for a short stay near the beat of your choice.

All the best from WUF

Our flagship project on the Irfon, ISAC, has its own website. Click here for angler’s reports. For details of WUF’s Consultations, click here. Agency Hotline: 0800807060 Rainfall at Erwood 2012: 21 ¼” (29” 2011) Bookings and availability or Tel: 01982 560788 Twitter: @WUFoundation This email was sent by The Wye & Usk Foundation.

[Mark]

Wye and Usk Foundation Update
19th July 2012
>>>>>Evening tickets now available<<<<<
There’s a rumour going round that the rain is going to stop for a while, this despite the Royal Welsh Show and the Olympics! What are we going to talk about? How long before it’s too dry! However, preceding this forecast there has been a largish spate that will have curtailed angling effort for a day or so.
This gives a chance to let you know what WUF has been up to over the last few months: Our main project, ISAC – the restoration of the Irfon has stalled in the Irfon forest due to the weather where we had hoped to remove trees, dam up the drains and re-create natural wetlands but fencing continues on the Garth Dulas. It has finished on the Chwefru. We have introduced native crayfish into this stream. On the Clywedog (Ithon)a modification to a water off take has restored fish access to the upper Clywedog and Ffrwd Wen. In Herefordshire, The farm pollution team are working with farmers to improve the Wellington, Cage Lodon and Little Lugg. A whole farm plan is drawn up including detail of works to reduce siltation and prevent unwanted materials (pesticides silage farmyard muck etc) entering these tributaries. This is being coordinated by Mike Williams.
On the Usk, Jonny’s team has removed a section of the weir blocking fish passage on the Berthin, just above Usk. This will allow trout and salmon to ascend this important tributary. Another section of the Menasgin has been repaired and fenced; fencing on the Grwyne has also been completed. A number of other tributaries are awaiting fish passage works which this break in the weather may allow.
Salmon catches have been made between the spates with the Usk doing slightly better than the few places on the Wye where fishing has been possible. Trout fishing in the tributaries and lakes has been good and coarse fishers have made good catches if they were lucky enough to find the river dropping.
Prospects: We were expecting the rain to stop last week. It didn’t but by next week the effects of a few days without rain should filter downstream and we could have ideal fishing conditions in many places. Salmon fishers will be ready to go as the water drops to the optimum height for their beat. Trout fishers will be hoping for some warmth to bring on some more hatches and rising fish; coarse fishers will breathe a sigh of relief that they too can get fishing again without the risk of being washed downstream!
Our advice is to make the most of this very unusual opportunity – dropping and clearing water in July. It might be worth considering a longer stay and a scroll through our accommodation list will show the excellent opportunities for a short stay near whatever beat you are fishing.
All the best from WUF
Our flagship project on the Irfon, ISAC, has its own website. Click here for angler’s reports. For details of WUF’s Consultations, click here. Agency Hotline: 0800807060 Rainfall at Erwood 2012: 22” (29” 2011) Bookings and availability or Tel: 01982 560788 Twitter: @WUFoundation This email was sent by The Wye & Usk Foundation.

[Mark]

Wye and Usk Foundation Update
26th July 2012
>>>>>Evening tickets now available<<<<<
Summer seems to have arrived with a vengeance: 30° C recorded for the Royal Welsh Show. Both rivers have dropped back quickly but not to the usual low summer levels we have been familiar with over the last few years. Downstream fisheries are once again fishing and it won’t be long before we need some more rain (only joking!)
The upper Wye has caught more salmon than for a very long time and for once the beats above Hereford have done better than those below. The fly has been by far the most successful method. Rumours from the Usk tell of catches spread throughout the river, caught by a variety of methods.
Trout fishing has improved with the rise in temperature but has largely been confined to the evening. Usk, Arrow, Lugg, Irfon and upper Wye all fishing well with the odd grayling starting to feature in Wye catches. Coarse fishing has been improving as the river fell and some excellent bags of barbel and chub have been made.
Prospects: If you’ve been waiting for the lower Wye to come into condition, it already has! Cadora took fish on both the last two days and Wyesham took its first fish for many weeks. Evening tickets have proved very popular but salmon fishers need to choose beats below Hereford: Cadora, Goodrich, Courtfield, Caradoc, Holme Lacy, Aramstone to name a few. Don’t rule out the beats above Hereford if cloud and rain drop the temperature a little.
Coarse fishers need to get up early, metaphorically speaking most of the fishing this month as already been booked and next month is fast disappearing. There’s plenty of trouting available on both the rivers, brooks, still waters and reservoirs
All the best from WUF
Our flagship project on the Irfon, ISAC, has its own website. Click here for angler’s reports. For details of WUF’s Consultations, click here. Agency Hotline: 0800807060 Rainfall at Erwood 2012: 22” (29” 2011) Bookings and availability or Tel: 01982 560788 Twitter: @WUFoundation This email was sent by The Wye & Usk Foundation.