Season Review 2006-2007

The salmon season 2007 was certainly different. In late winter we had floods until the end of January followed by a short spell of low clear water to Feb 10th, when it became fairly obvious that ranunculus growth was absent and blanket weed was covering much of the river bed. Then it went into flood until returning to fishing condition on the last day of the coarse fishing season when Glyn Weeks member of the Courtfield Fishing Club had a huge bag in excess of 100lbs of chub and dace from the stream mouth at 2ft.

From the 17th March until May 11th we had an extraordinary drought.No weed at all allowed the river to drain away and blanket weed got pretty bad.
Grannom and Mayfly hatches were poor compared with last year although the meadows were covered with huge mating swarms of mayfly on the 17th May. During May and June the river was up and down like a yo- yo as the weather deteriorated and 'red as a fox' exacerbated by the pipe laying, followed by the big flood in July. During the intermittent low water levels of May - July algal blooms became very bad.
The lack of weed, blanket weed and algal blooms were all matters I raised with the EA but never had any satisfactory reasons, outcomes or follow up from their investigations.
All of this rather conspired to make  the river unfishable for much of the time. I had  a good afternoon with flying C one day when I caught several trout 4 decent chub and a follow from a large double figure salmon and, on the 9th July during a brief drop in levels to perfect clear water at 2ft 6ins I caught a 9lb fish below the Wyebank crib 1ft out from my recent hard revetting, in 2ft of water.
The most extraordinary  catch of the summer  went to Steve Davies, Lydbrook local, who on  the 12th July  had 6 barbel, smallest 9lb  the rest over 10lbs with the two largest 13lbs and 14lbs plus 6 chub average 5-6lbs. A truly epic afternoon top end of the Legg meadow.
After my return from North Wales things at last improved on the salmon front and I can honestly say that fish have been in the fishery in numbers of a dozen or more, all the time till the end of the season. Ian Pawly and friend on  WUF tickets lost a grilse off the Wyebank crib, caught a 3lb trout same place  and a 3.5lb trout below the metal hut later in the day. Another WUF ticket holder Andrew Holloway had a 9lb cock fish from the boat pool (moorings below metal hut).

The most noteable catch of the season for game fish was Barry Odger's magnificent 6lb seatrout caught below the willow bush above the ferry pool, upstream of the island. I believe this is possibly one of the largest Seatrout caught on the river Wye and certainly is hereabouts.

Compare the Salmon and the Seatrout for the examples of their differences:-
nb. Not the most detailed of photographs, this Seatrout had large spots along it's back which unfortunately don't show too well.

Several reports of touches, knocks and pulls were reported and a few small seatrout taken and lost. All of this on fly.

So what are the predictions for next year?
 The most notable upturn this year was the significant run of grilse being 2-1 fish. In theory this points to next year producing a solid upturn in 2 winter springers, 2-2 fish. Next year has been forecast by the WUF as the beginning of the return of salmon in numbers to the Wye. This forecast is still on target. In the upper catchment parr are now present once again where they have been non existent for years and as Simon Evans tells me, some are as fat as herrings.
Season Rods are available for next year - 2008

All the best for the winter
Don Macer-Wright