Anglers who wish to continue fishing after the end of the salmon season might turn
to trout fishing on the many small to medium lakes or reservoirs.
Most of the fisheries are well stocked with rainbows and blues. All browns are
expected to be returned. You will expect to pay about £20/25 for a limit of 4 fish.
Coarse fishing which is the most popular of all the disciplines, attracts thousands of
anglers throughout the UK. There are specimen anglers who will fish for Pike or that
special breed, carp anglers.
Shimano trout Lake willnow re-open on 27 th October
River fishing might attract anglers to fish for Grayling( Thymallus thymallus ). This beautiful fish sometimes referred to the ‘Queen’ of the rivers can be caught on a fly. Where there are Grayling in the rivers it is a good indication the water is clean. Not many anglers will take the fish for food but fish for its fighting qualities and the challenge to catch on a small fly. Sea fishing perhaps comes of age during the cold winter months with the chance of catching cod plus other winter species. The two Newport clubs, Gwent and Newport SAA fish throughout the year at various venues. They are always seeking new members. Remember that fishing is free from the shore. You can dig for bait or purchase it from local tackle shops.
Game News
Cwm Hedd Trout Fishery 07980 562876
Despite milder,calmer weather,some excellent sport has been had at Cwm Hedd.Once again,montanas and damsels dominate with both fritz and cats whiskers also working well.Afternoon fishing with dries cast to rising fish,especially off the east bank and island,has seen some good returns. Neil Evans four bagged on montanas, John Turner three to 8lb on cdc emerger, Mark Brown one taken and ten returned on fritz and minky. The Lodge Pond is now stocked with 2½ lb plus trout.
Ravensnest 01291 689564
Good blues still being taken most of them are returned. Colin Edwards had the best rainbow of the week 10 lb 14 oz. Andrew Leaves, Cwmbran 8 lb blue, his son, Nathan 2 lb 14 oz rainbow. Shaun of FOD 7 lb , 4½ lb blues. Bob Clark, Langstone 7¼ lb blue, Ian Henry, Bristol 8 lb 12 oz r/bow, Les Davies, Gloucester 6 fish 18 lb 12 oz bf 4 lb 11 oz. Brian Jones, Cardiff 6 – 18 lb12 oz bf 4 lb 2 oz.
On catch & release permits; Terry Wheeler, John Edwards, Brian Hartley, John Probert all returned 20 fish. Flies that are catching; buzzers, small lures, bloodworms and Montana. Remember if you fish c&r de barb your hooks.

Bristol Water Tel 01275 332339,
Bob Handford reports seeing the biggest brown trout caught and returned and estimated at 14lbs. He has seen the pictures on camera and it is very big. How big we'll never know but it’s being recorded at 12lbs. Winter prices and rules now apply at all the lakes. Boats continue until the end of October and bank fishing finishes on 30th November. So there's still plenty of time to enjoy a day out and while this very mild weather continues now's a good time to have a go.
Another very settled week with light North winds and some bright days. Dry and warm in the day but colder nights. All the lakes now fairly clear with a water surface temperature of around 11C. Most of the bank areas previously affected by weed are now fishable but the high water is preventing access to some places like.
BLAGDON Another good week with much improved boat results. Bank anglers are continuing to take good bags from Butcombe, Orchard Bay, Pegs and Rugmoor while the boats have found fish in the shallower areas of the lake. Many fish now feeding on corixa but anglers have reported catching fish feeding on snail on the surface. Best flies still Diawl Bach, Cruncher and stick fly. JEFF HIRST is having a wonderful season and took yet another six ponder this week. A rainbow of 6.13 with another of 4.13 were in his bag taken from the North Bank. Another bank angler also had a big fish. This one tipped the scales at 7.04 and fell to GEOFF SEAL. BRFFA held their annual bank competition on Sunday and the twenty entries caught 49 fish. TONY TORRINGTON took seven fish for 17lbs and the winners cheque and trophy. ROD NEWTON was runner up with SEAN TORRINGTON third. LAWRENCE HELLIER caught the biggest fish, a rainbow of 5.06
CHEW LAKE With the water now clearing the fish have fed better though still often away from the shores making bank angling difficult. Boat fishers have found plenty of fish around Woodford feeding on fry as well as nymph feeders from the Dam to Hollow Brook and fish taking dries around the False Island and Nunnery. With the start of the pike trials boats are difficult to find on many days but between the pike sessions bookings are lighter. This week saw the capture of a huge brown trout off Nunnery Point by RAY MITCHELL when fishing from a boat. The fish was photographed and witnessed before being returned alive to the water. (Photo will follow as soon as available).
BARROW The water has now cleared and sport has improved especially for those who fish nymphs. Not many fish moving but they will come out of the blue to dries. Some fish falling to the mouse but moving flies seem better.
LITTON Both lakes are still fishing well. The fresh water running into the top lake has improved sport there though it can be a little muddied where the Chew enters the lake. The lower lake remains clear and anglers fishing there have had some excellent sport using floating lines with nymphs and goldheads. WINTER FISHING Remember that winter prices now apply. All brown trout must be returned alive. Limit is now six rainbow trout per day.
This Weeks Catch:
Chew Valley: 340 fish taken by 225 rods, average 1.5 per rod.
Blagdon 360 fish taken by 172 rods, average 2.1 per rod.
Barrows: 153 fish taken by 136 rods, average 1.1 per rod.
Litton 23 fish taken by 8 rods, average 2.9 per rod.
Total fish taken from all waters: 45,536 fish to 16,168 rods, average 2.8 per rod.
Beanhill Lake
Some very nice sport is coming still for those fishing dry flies at Beanhill, although the evening rises can be frustrating at times. A few decent browns have been taken on Shuttlecocks, Grizzle Gnats and the like. Enjoy it while it lasts. I had a nice teaching session the other day with an angler completely new to fly-fishing, and after he had got some rhythm to his casting, he managed to take a rainbow off the top with a dry Pheasant Tail he had bought at the local shop. That is not a bad way to catch your first trou
Seven Oaks Trout Fishery 01446 775474
There are some cracking fish coming out. Les Ashroft from Caerphilly took a nice 11 lb plus 2- 7 pounders on a rubber legged daddy. Troy Jenkins 7 fish for 23 lb bf 6 lb. Graham Davies had the best fish of the week a rainbow of 15¼ lb plus another one of 3½ lb. Many limits are being taken.
Dyffryn Springs 07740869620
Trout fishing is picking up very nicely with relatively mild weather keeping the fish near the top. There's been plenty of evidence of fry feeders in the margins and some big brownies have been taken. Mike Evans from Newport had a four fish limit weighing 24lb from the same lake Doug Saunders of Cardiff had a rainbow of 6.5lb and John Goodfield of Pontypridd had another of 7.5lb. Tony Smith of Cardiff returned a brownie of around 9lb on Waycock, on. Tim Stephenson of Llantwit returned seven rainbows on small buzzers
On the rivers.
We are coming to the end of the salmon season on the rivers, while the Upper Wye grayling fishing is really starting to be good about now. Oliver Burch spent a day at Glanusk Park, where gillie Stuart Jarvis took one look at the size 8 Willie Gunn I had tied on and declared it too large for autumn salmon on the Usk. Poring over his fly boxes, he came up with a little Dee Special, a scrap of yellow and black hairs, tied on a size 16 treble. Then he made him tie another one on as a dropper, just 30 inches up the line. His theory is that, if a salmon takes the dropper, the tail fly will wrap itself round the fish’s body near the tail and stay safely out of harms way as you play it. He swears by small flies at the back end, particularly for cock fish, and the idea of two flies being seen close together, he thinks, appeals to their natural aggression: “looks like one thing chasing another, and that interests them.” Fishing two such tiny flies on a double handed rod was a new experience for me; a couple of out of season trout fell for it, but I did not move a salmon all day. He decided two weeks late t try his luck on the Wye. After the salmon it’s grayling time. It was a glorious mild morning as he stepped into the tail of the huge Cwngifran pool at Pwll y Faedda. Olives were already hatching and fish were rising. I had a team of 3 North Country Spiders made up on degreased 3 pound nylon leader and a Greys 9 foot 5 weight Platinum X rod. This is a lovely way to fish this pool when the fish are on top and the steady gliding current makes it easy to produce yards of drag-free drift as the team runs down the escalator just a couple of inches below the surface. Second cast produced a grayling of 8 oz. Then a slightly larger one. Just a little further out in the pool, there was quite a decent rise. He waded out waist deep and covered it. The rise came again, but I didn’t connect. One more try. Just a little sip this time, but now the leader drew away decisively and I struck into what for the first seconds of contact might be have been a big grayling. Then I knew it wasn’t as the leader moved very steadily up the pool. I got a sight of both droppers, so whatever it was had taken the size 14 Hare’s Lug and Plover on the point. Then a large bronze cock salmon rolled over on the surface before making the first of a series of runs. ‘’I think it’s irresponsible to deliberately target large fish with overly light tackle, but when push comes to shove, it’s amazing what a little rod can do’’. The fish kept charging away into the great expanses of the pool – one of the largest on the Wye and relatively free of snags - and when he stopped Oliver, kept walking him back towards the shallows where he eventually planned to beach him. Round about this time, the hotel guests came out from breakfast and down the lawn to see what was going on. And with them came the cook, and the gardener. Jeremy, the proprietor was shouting “Is that what I think it is?” before running to the garage for his big net. There was something Fawlty Towers like about the scene – Jeremy is quite a tall guy come to think of it - and an old gentleman with a moustache and a smart blazer kept saying: “Salmon, eh? Splendid show!” Half an hour later, the drama came to an end and the salmon was in clear sight wallowing in the shallows, all red spots and heavy kype. Jeremy made no mistake with the net, which was not as big as it might have been for this one. The tiny hook was removed from well inside the maw of the beast and we measured him at 34.5 inches, which is around 17 pounds, before releasing him back into the pool. Jeremy came to me later and told me some of the guests seemed to think the whole thing had been staged for their entertainment. Meanwhile, the grayling continued to rise and kept him busy for the rest of the day. I wonder what Stuart will say about that fish – that it just proves his theory about small flies? And what was a big salmon doing, rising steadily in an olive hatch, just next to a shoal of grayling?