River Wye - Paradise Found, Opportunities Missed…

[FishingMagic]

This is a dedicated thread for discussing article: River Wye - Paradise Found, Opportunities Missed…

 

[barbelboi]

Enjoyed your write up Jim, I was certainly taken in with the rugged beauty of the location - Geoff's got a little bit of heaven there.
Jerry

 

[itsfishingnotcatching]

Good write-up Jim, I've never seen this stretch of the River Wye, (despite driving past "Black Mountain View" every time we go to Wales) but the countryside and views on the way to Glasbury are tremendous.

 

[The bad one]

Some who fished it this summer would say it's Paradise Lost because of the 100s of paddlers coming down it each day.

 

[Jim Crosskey 2]

Thanks folks!!

It is abbsolutely stunning, and I'm sure we will return - however, might leave it until the canoe traffic is lighter as it did rather put a dampner on it. I think the key thing for any wye trips I make in the future will be to ensure that I get the beginning and end of the day on the bank as that seems to be the best time for a bite. I suspect avoiding the weekends is probably also a good idea, but thats not always possible if you have commitments inbetween.

I'm off again in October, be interesting to contrast that with the trips I've already had in June and August.

cheers
jim

 

[Skoda]

Just read this Jim, really enjoyed it, many thanks. Beautiful scenery, good company, great expectations and a few challenges and puzzles to work out…perfect! I had a similar experience a couple of weeks ago in Yorkshire. The bigger fish were not really having it so I got the float out and rediscovered ‘trotting’, something I haven’t done for many years. I amazed myself when my arm automatically moved to mend the line. Good luck in October.
Thanks again
Andy

 

[geoffmaynard]

Glad you enjoyed it Jim. I'm only sorry that I wasn't around at the time to give you a few pointers because it looks a much easier stretch than it is and local knowledge is very important here. Like much of the Wye, there are some areas which are stuffed with fish and others which... aren't!
I usually try to walk visiting anglers around the fishery before they start and give them as much info as I can. Your trip coincided with very low clear water I think? Not the best of conditions to be fishing the shallower swims but you can never tell can you? The other day a guy had 9 barbel to double figures from a swim which the following day produced just one chub!
Next time I'll give you the guided tour first And yes, avoid weekends and the canoe armada if you can. The Fish Legal team are working on them so we hope to see an improvement by next season.

 

[Jim Crosskey 2]

Thanks Andy! I know exactly what you mean, once mending the line is hardwired in to the brain you can't remove it. Its something I learnt to do when I was about ten without really ever being shown or reading about it. I was getting really frustrated trying to get a float to go where i wanted it (on the far bank of a fairly narrow small trib of the thames) with the seven foot spinning rod i was using at the time. Then for a birthday present, I got given a hollow glass 10 foot float rod (seemed enormous at the time) and hey presto! I could suddenly keep the line in a pretty straight line behind the float by lifting and mending. Though truth be told, it was probably the hours i'd spent trying and failing to do the same thing with the shorter rod that had actually taught me what I should be doing. On this recent trip, I actually missed a couple of absolutely sailaway bites because i was so pleased with myself for running the float where i wanted it and was enjoying looking at it so much!

Geoff, it was pretty low and most definitely clear. Bit bright during the middle of the day too, though what has really puzzled me is the fact that it didn't switch on again in the early evening on the Friday - which was just a bit bizzare given how frantically the chub had fed during the morning spells. Still, i guess its these little mysteries that keep us coming back for more. I will make sure I let you know how we get on with the next trip in a few weeks time!

 

[Skoda]

I can’t remember when ‘it happened’ for me, I suppose it just got easier and easier as fished in all conditions. I didn’t start fishing until I was 15, and I always started float fishing, I only legered when the wind was too strong for trotting, but nowadays it’s often the feeder to start with and float fishing if nothing else is happening.
It’s my annual outing with the lads next week; we’re giving the Severn another go (I know!mg. I’ve been checking the EA water levels every day; the Wye is rising a bit, the Swale is rising a lot, but the Severn is flat lining. It’ll be gin clear, bright, sunny and dour during the day (I'm packing my float rod). I might persuade them to fish until dusk. Already got the BAA tickets for Mon/Tue so planning alternatives. Possibly Avon at Pershore?
I have a close friend who farms just north of Hereford so planning a solo trip to the Wye in October/ November when the water levels look good.
Andy

 

[jasonbean1]

i had the pleasure of fishing the stretch last year on one of steve popes trips, very nice little stretch to fish on. the small group i was with we all struggled due to the low clear conditions, me and my mate managed one barbel each and a few chub trotting.

i would like to fish it again with only 2 anglers max so you can work the swims through the day, however the pricing would be just too much with the travelling distance as well.