It is this reason why each year myself, family and friends make the journey up the motorway to sit on the banks of the Wye. The Wye is an amazing location without the fishing that's on offer,in addition a lot of the beats you can fish and not see another person let alone another angler.
To be honest last year I didn't make as many trips to the Wye as I would have liked. The trips we did make however were truly memorable. The first of these trips was with a small group of friends to a venue just outside of Foy. Travelling early morning to go fishing always has that special buzz and this session was no different. As we arrived at the venue which we knew we had all to ourselves for the day we looked at the areas we would target first. My opinion was as it was early season I would be targeting the shallower,faster and more oxygenated stretches of water. Having fished the stretch I knew exactly where to start. So we trundled down the steep banks and into the first swims. Everyone was using what has become the standard Wye Barbel tactics, A feeder some ground bait and a big pellet. We waited till we were all ready and then a little like a match cast out together in search of those bronze beauties. Bites can often come quickly on the Wye but this was not to be one of those days.
After about an hour of inactivity I decided a move was needed. Some days on the Wye you can expect to catch a fish every 15 minutes or so. So if your not catching they are not there I think. However after trying a few more swims but with no success I was starting to wonder if there were any Barbel in the area. I then moved in to the fastest swim of the day, a 5oz feeder was needed to hold bottom and the area was very weedy. Not letting these things deter me though I cast downstream to a slacker crease line about 3/4 of the way across the river. It wasn't long before I began getting hard knocks on the tip. These were classic signs that the Barbel were attacking the feeder to get at the pellets inside. After an hour I had managed 3 Barbel including a lovely fish of about 8lb. We had found them at long last. My friend Steve had also managed three fish from the swim just above me. My friend Kev had also managed his very first Barbel!!! It was hectic to say the least. The fish had obviously remained grouped up after spawning.
After about an hour of inactivity I decided a move was needed. Some days on the Wye you can expect to catch a fish every 15 minutes or so. So if your not catching they are not there I think. However after trying a few more swims but with no success I was starting to wonder if there were any Barbel in the area. I then moved in to the fastest swim of the day, a 5oz feeder was needed to hold bottom and the area was very weedy. Not letting these things deter me though I cast downstream to a slacker crease line about 3/4 of the way across the river. It wasn't long before I began getting hard knocks on the tip. These were classic signs that the Barbel were attacking the feeder to get at the pellets inside. After an hour I had managed 3 Barbel including a lovely fish of about 8lb. We had found them at long last. My friend Steve had also managed three fish from the swim just above me. My friend Kev had also managed his very first Barbel!!! It was hectic to say the least. The fish had obviously remained grouped up after spawning.
As the light began to dim however the action slowed in the shallow swims and we decided to move back to our first swims to see if anything had moved in on some of the bait we had put in. Not long after moving my friend John began battling with a very powerful fish in the fast flow. From the view of the fish in the water we felt certain it looked like a double. Which for the Wye is a very special fish. We quickly netted the fish and it was weighed in at a little over 8lb. Crazy really as it looked every bit a double figure fish and a really impressive specimen.
Regardless of the size John seemed very happy to have caught the fish which is exactly what the Wye is all about. The action which we were hoping would have gone from strength to strength then slowed right down as we headed in to darkness. I did however manage one more Barbel, just a small one about 6lb. We packed up very happy with the days fishing on the Wye and were keen on coming back to try another stretch.
With the joys and stresses of work our plans to return to the Wye got put on hold for a while. It wasn't until early September when myself and my friend John set off to fish a stretch of the Wye known as the "Courtfield fishery". This stretch is owned by the Wye and Usk foundation and can be booked with up to four anglers a day. I chose this stretch as both myself and John wanted to catch our first double figure Barbel. From looking at previous catch reports this was the place to do it.
Soon after arriving we walked the stretch and were surprised at the variety of swims on offer. Fast shallows with rocky pools then running into slower deeper stretches. With this sort of variation we knew we were going to have to stay mobile to find the fish. Tactics would be as before but with a few different hook baits to try such as Meat and Boilies.
The day saw us fish what felt like a hundred swims before eventually we came to an area surrounded by woodland.My swim was an adventure in itself which involved climbing down the bank with a rope to get to the water. John was just above me in an area he felt confident in. We sat and waited for over an hour before we had the first indications of fish. My rod tip began to bounce and tap but without any strikeable movement. I felt for sure that this was Chub messing with the bait so I changed my paste wrapped boilie over to a large lump of luncheon meat to see if that would get a better reaction. First cast on the meat saw a solid pull round and I connected with the first fish of the day a Chub of about 3lb.
The next cast saw me connect with another Chub. This one was a much better fish at a little over 4lb. The day was starting to look better and with the light fading we felt certain a Barbel would be on the cards.John then also managed to get amongst the Chub by using meat on the hook.
My swim was now alive with activity from what looked like to be a very big shoal of Chub. The bite I was to get next however was anything but a Chub bite. The tip just hammered round with incredible force. Before I picked up the rod I knew this was the Barbel we wanted. As I played the fish it thought hard and long in the shallow water. Every time I pulled it closer it shot away again across the flow and out into the river. After a battle of about 15 minutes we set eyes on a big river Wye Barbel. My meat hook bait was still hanging from the fishes mouth when we slipped the net under it. What a fight and what a fish too. Once again the fish looked every bit a double and I felt certain it was mission accomplished for me. However it wasn't to be and the fish weighed in at 9lb 12oz, a couple good meals away from being the magical double. It was however a personal best so I did not care about the weight. The sheer beauty and size of the fish also made the actual weight far less significant. As I held the fish upstream in the flow to return her I thought this is why I come here.
The bites then soon came to an end for me but I wasn't worried. John on the other hand became a man possessed and caught a number of Chub as we went into the hours of darkness. In amongst these Chub however was another stunning Barbel and the days second PB. We weighed the fish at 9lb 10oz and Johns new personal best Barbel. All the fish fell to the meat which just appeared to be the days killer bait. John was over the moon with his fish and as we packed up we congratulated each other on our new personal bests. A quick glance back at the river before leaving would then make me say "What a place". It would turn out to be the last adventure on the river Wye that year but its a venue I will always return to as long as I've got a rod in my hand!!
Tight Lines!!!!!
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