Lower Beat, Llangoed
Cuckoo Flowers
River Wye, Llangoed Beat
April 23rd
The River Wye was a little low. When was I last able to say that? It is certainly a year ago. But with the web camera showing a level of 10 inches, the river was decidedly slower paced. Llangoed beat has a great variety of water and so it can fish well at many heights of water. It's also a long beat, so if the fish have to change position because of the falling water height, they are still likely to be somewhere on your water.
The lower section is a relatively new addition; and fascinating water it is, composed of deep pools and a long straight gutter. Fish obligingly showed themselves and were duly covered and some caught. Most of the rises appeared to be to something just subsurface. There were few flies in evidence; mainly grannom. My hunch was the trout were feeding on the small number of pupa racing to the surface.
The upper section has three famous salmon pools, which fortunately also hold trout, grayling and on occasion dace. Some barbel were seen at the head of one pool. There were three or four fish and I wondered whether this was a spawning group? Whatever the cause, it was a delightful sight on a lovely Spring day. Trout were caught: they didn't come easily but their capture was all the more sweet for that.
Lower Beat, Llangoed
Cuckoo Flowers