Advice on Mocca stretch of the wye!

[chris_p]

Hello, I'm a long time lurker but first time poster! Names Chris, from Dorset.

As you can see from the title I'm after some information regarding the river Wye Moccas fishery stretch, as I will be staying at the Red Lion hotel this weekend, really cant wait. I'm mainly looking to target Chub & Barbel, I'd be happy with either! (or both )

I was hoping someone could advise me as to what sort of weights are needed to hold bottom along this stretch? (during regular flow) and if its good stick float territory. Also any advice on tactics would be great, for example, I'm not sure wether to go along with a specialist approach in mind and ton of pellet, or just a good few pints of maggot for the block end feeder!

First time on a new water can be a bit hit and miss, so if anyone wants to share their gained wisdom from fishing the water.. well, that'd be great. Might even help out some others along the way .

Cheers, Chris.

 

[dorsetandchub]

Never fished that stretch but, as a fellow Dorset angler who fished the Wye for the first time this year, just wanted to wish you all the best.

Let us all know how you got on when you've fished it?

All the best. Phil.

 

[chris_p]

Never fished that stretch but, as a fellow Dorset angler who fished the Wye for the first time this year, just wanted to wish you all the best.

Let us all know how you got on when you've fished it?

All the best. Phil.

Thanks Phil, how did you find it when you fished it? which stretch did you fish? I'm a bit in the dark on this one as I wasn't the one who booked the trip!

I'll definitely be sure to update after fishing

Chris.

 

[Titus]

There used to be a maggot ban on the wye until October. i'm not sure if that is in force still.
When I have fished that area it has been pellet feeder for a few hours to build the swim up if you like the static approach or pellet hooker and a half dozen loose pellets over the top for half an hour before moving on if you prefer the roving approach.

The river is a mixture of fast rocky glides and deep slow pools, you will find every kind of classic barbel swim you can imagine. At normal summer levels you should not need more than a couple of ounces but if you are fishing close in you can get away with a couple of swans on a link ledger.

I love that part of the Wye and have spent many happy hours roaming the banks and controversially, paddling the rapids.

 

[geoffmaynard]

I live about ten minutes drive from there, in Hay on Wye and fish the river near me every week. You are coming at a great time. So far this season has been rather lack-lustre with clear water and low levels to go with the heat. The recent rains have turned everything around and the river is now fishing its head off! My buddy and I are putting in 2 or three hours in the evenings and getting a bite a chuck. This evening we had 4 fish in 2 hours to 11.14. Yesterday evening we had three barbel to 10.04 plus a couple of chub. All on trout pellet. A 2.5oz lead is easily enough for most swims and I just use a small PVA bag of pellet and/or a feeder.
Avoid maggots unless Mike at the Red Lion tells you he has an EA bait dispensation, as they are banned. Some fisheries do have dispensations, but I'm not sure if the Red Lion has? Anyway, you'll only get minnowed out using them.

 

[Jim Crosskey 2]

Chris, I'd go with a pellet/ groundbait feeder approach, with meat, pellet and corn to fish on hair rigs. Geoff knows his stuff, the river is full of very active small fish at the moment and i can't imagine that fishing maggots would be terribly exciting (plus as said they're mostly banned)

The only other bit of advice i'd offer is don't be scared to move around. My experience suggests that if the fish are there then you'll get a bite within three or four casts. So if it hasn't happened within that time frame, it's probably worth having a look somewhere else. And unlike other (perhaps smaller) rivers where it's all about finding the features that you can see (overhanging trees, obstructions to the flow etc), I've tended to find that fishing the wye will often involve fishing "blind" to an extent, especially with the colour in that you're probably going to find this weekend. (I fished it this weekend just gone and it was absolutely chocolate, so I suspect some of that will still be in). My main criteria to look for is an area that's relatively clear - i.e. you're not casting in to the mother of all snags - with a good flow and depth. And don't be fooled into thinking that distance equals fish. Quite often the fish will be a quarter of the way across or less, so don't be afraid to have a look closer in if the flow and depth are good.

I'd agree that a 2oz feeder should do the job, but worth having a few 3oz or 1oz weights you can add just in case. Take plenty. As I alluded to earlier - the wye is very very snaggy, so I tend to fish 12lb line and a 10lb hooklength - not necessarily because its needed for the fish, but more for the abrasion resistance it gives you against tackle loss.

Good luck indeed - its a beautiful river full of beautiful fish. I really hope you find some.

 

[geoffmaynard]

Jim is right about keeping moving. The wye can have a 100 yards without a fish in it, in what look to be classic barbel swims, then suddenly you find a swim where all the fish are, then 100 yards with nothing etc.
River clearing and colour dropping out today. Fly fishing this evening. Bring a fleece, it's like October out there!

 

[dorsetandchub]

Thanks Phil, how did you find it when you fished it? which stretch did you fish? I'm a bit in the dark on this one as I wasn't the one who booked the trip!

I'll definitely be sure to update after fishing

Chris.

Hi Chris,



If you go the features section on the site and go back a month or so, read "Mr Average Goes Large" - it'll tell you all about it.

Take care and best of luck,


Phil.

 

[chris_p]

Well, after writing a short essay and accidentally deleting it.. here goes my second attempt at a reply .

Wow, thanks for all the responses guys, really appreciate it! That's exactly the sort of information I was after, come tomorrow I'll be off down tackle shop to stock up on a few bits, with a bit more confidence .

Just in case anyone is interested, I called the Red Lion and was told that maggots aren't officially allowed on the stretch.

Really looking forward to getting on the bank now, hopefully the river will treat me well! After reading all your comments (and a few articles) I think to start out I'll try something like 12lb main, 2-3oz pellet feeder, possibly on a running leadclip with a length of tubing above, followed by a couple of feet of 15lb striptease to hair rigged pellet/meat, for a static rig. If that doesn't produce a bit of meat rolling might be on the cards . Gonna travel light, just one rod, bankstick and a net as well as the essentials.


Titus, Geoffmaynard, Jim Crosskey 2 and Dorsetandchub.. Thanks for the responses!

I'll definitely update with some pic's, might even try my hand at putting together an article .

Chris.

 

[Paul Neate]

I'll definitely update with some pic's, might even try my hand at putting together an article .Chris.

How did you get on?

I've fished that stretch a couple of times over the years, but to no great success -- more a result of my woeful skills than the quality of the venue, I suspect.

 

[chris_p]

How did you get on?

I've fished that stretch a couple of times over the years, but to no great success -- more a result of my woeful skills than the quality of the venue, I suspect.

Well, I can tell you this.. I wont be writing up an article for that trip

The outing got off to a bad start when Keith arrived ahead of me at the Red Lion only to be told that the guy had no record of the booking! Luckily we managed to get into another hotel which was about a 20 minute drive from the water and very similar in price. We got the fishing for free for all our troubles.

Once a new place to stay was sorted we headed down to the river to have a look around to prepare for the two days of fishing ahead. The setting was very picturesque, with views of the tree laden valley and Herefordshire countryside in the background. The river itself contained a range of swims, from deep pacey runs to wide shallower stretches only a few feet deep, though I did notice that the bankside cover was a bit thin compared with stretches I had seen in videos online. Still, we walked away optimistic having chosen to fish a deeper sweeping bend (on beat 3 I think).

Saturday morning we headed down to Tesco for a quick cooked breakfast and arrived on the bank at 8am, very surprised by the lack of other anglers. Keith fished a deep hole on a bend and I myself fished slightly upstream mid river just beyond the creases formed by a tree that had been washed down in floods. With the first fifteen minutes or so Keith had pulled out a new PB chub of 5lb, which got us both thinking we were onto a winner . But despite the good start nothing we did could get a bite, tried a range of hooklengths and bait, lightened up our rigs to minimize disturbance and tried a few different swims. But despite all our efforts we didn't manage a fish between us for the rest of the day.

On Sunday we headed up stream (beat 2 I think), we found some very promising looking swims, but again couldn't get a bite. We tried a few swims and ended up moving back to beat 3, but alas.. no more fish.

So there you go! To be honest, I wont be going back there.. I got the feeling that it's a bit of a hard water, and just doesn't have the population of quality fish that other stretches of the river do. Maybe we just got unlucky, but that's the vibe I got, and fishing's all about listening to those gut instincts .

I did enjoy the trip, its just the shame that the highlight of the trip was the pub grub and not the fishing! I do intend to try other stretches of the wye when I have the chance, but for the moment I know I can do better down my locals; the Hampshire Avon and Dorset Stour.

Chris.

 

[Paul Neate]

Sorry to hear your trip didn't go as well as you might have hoped -- sounds a bit like my last visit to the place a couple of years ago. I just assumed it was my lack of skill. A friend of mine had a cracking couple of days there last season, including a couple of doubles, but he is skillful/jammy (delete as appropriate!).

 

[Titus]

By this time of the year the place has been hammered and I found it responded better to the stealthy roving approach rather than the pick a swim and sit it out method.
I also found an early start to be better, I liked to be on the water before first light then back to the pub for breakfast after several hours fishing, I would then pop into Hereford or up to Hay for a few hours in the book shops before heading back for a mid afternoon meal and heading back down the river for the evenings fishing.
Most of the fish I have caught there during the day have come literally from under my feet, lured out from the undercuts which are present on the outside of most of the bends.

If you are a bit of a social animal you can still get back to the pub in time for a few pints as my recollection of the place is the opening hours are a bit like a length of elastic.

 

[T Rocca]

I have been there a few times, true its not the easiest water, can be good if you know what you are doing though............. everyone wants 'easy' these days! You learn nothing on an easy water.

 

[geoffmaynard]

You were warned! "Local knowledge pays, on those difficult days" even on a good stretch of water - and where you fished is a good stretch.
I'm sure you would out-fish most people on your home water too, unless they got lucky and dropped into the right swim at the right time.
I like to walk my customers around our beat and show them where they are likely to get the best results depending on the river conditions. A guy fishing my bit this weekend (this part of the river is only ever lightly fished, too far for most people to drive, yet only 15mins from Red Lion) had 13 barbel with two to 9lb+ and 10 chub to 5lb between fri eve and sunday midday. All in daylight and all avoiding canoe hours. This is one of the most boring looking swims on the fishery. But the river was in perfect nick, he's a very good angler and he's fished here (and blanked here) before. So don't judge the Wye on the basis of one trip. Cultivate local knowledge for best results.

 

[ktmsx525]

I'm over there from next Wednesday, staying at the Red Lion. Does the proprietor there help out at all with advice and such?

 

[geoffmaynard]

Ask him. Order one of his steaks first and he'll be more amenable His name is Mike.

 

[ktmsx525]

thank you for that, much appreciated.