D of E

By British standards this is truly a massive water of great historical importance to the history of angling, boasting some of the largest salmon ever caught in Great Britain. It is both a coarse and game river and also hosts a number of other recreational activities, such as canoeing. A long-distance, waymarked footpath can be followed for almost the whole length. The river itself rises at about 2200 feet high on the slopes of Plynlimmon mountain in Wales and flows 156 miles before entering the Severn Estuary at Chepstow in England. It drains a huge catchment area of 1600 square miles and flows through the towns of Rhayader, Builth Wells, Hay on Wye, Hereford, Ross on Wye and Monmouth. Important tributaries include the Monnow, Lugg, Irfon, Ithon and Llynfi. The whole of the river is classified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Despite its size, the Wye is still characterised by spates and depends on regular rainfall for the best catches.

On the River Wye the salmon fishing season extends from the 3rd March to the 17th October, with some minor variations. All salmon caught between the 3rd March and the 15th June must be returned unharmed. Between the 3rd March and the 31st August fly fishing and spinning are the only permitted methods. Fly fishing is the only method allowed between the 1st September and the end of the season.

The brown trout season extends from the 3rd March to the 30th September.

The season for grayling and coarse fish runs from the 16th June to the 14th March. Fly fishing is the only permitted method for grayling during the trout season.

Fishing opportunities on the Wye

My map shows only a very small part of this major river, running some 15 miles or so from Hay on Wye upstream towards Builth Wells. This is one of the most beautiful stretches of all and is classic fly fishing water. Good catches of grayling can be achieved in the Winter. Prolific salmon returns in the past and a good local supply of large country homes such as Whitney Court on the riverbank made public access to this stretch very difficult and expensive, although the collapse in the spring salmon runs over the last thirty years have made it a little easier and cheaper to obtain fishing.

For some years now I have featured the excellent conservation work being undertaken by the supporters of the Wye and Usk Foundation. Another innovation from this group is the recent publication of its very useful and informative booklet called the "Upper Wye Passport". This describes all the fishing beats that visitors can either reserve direct through the Foundation's own booking office in Builth Wells or on presentation of pre-paid vouchers that are also supplied by the Foundation. Much of the fishing is on stretches where the Foundation has already undertaken habitat restoration work and on which fish stocks have already started to improve. Some of the fishing is catch and release and you will need to work hard to stalk some of the more elusive wild trout to be found in the Upper Wye and its tributaries, such as the beautiful river Irfon. Prices for day tickets will depend on whether you are fishing for trout, grayling or salmon.

Those of you wanting to try the beautiful upper River Wye and its tributaries, such as the Elan and Marteg, should contact the Rhayader and Elan Valley Angling Association, who have masses of fishing on these rivers as well as on the main Elan Valley reservoirs and a smaller stillwater named Llyngwyn Lake, just north of Builth Wells.

One of the most comfortable places to ask about fishing is the Griffin Inn inLlyswen, about 5 miles upstream from Hay. This most attractive old inn has excellent food, comfortable rooms at reasonable prices and a genuine Fishermen's Bar stuffed with angling relics. They can help with ghillies and control access to a variety of local waters.

Another excellent choice would be the Caer Beris Manor Hotel further upstream at Builth Wells, or you could try the Cammarch Hotel at Llangammarch Wells, which has some 5 miles of fishing on the rivers Cammarch and Irfon, all of which is available via the Wye and Usk Foundation voucher scheme described above. If you prefer Bed and Breakfast accommodation, pretty Kilsby Country House near Llanwrtyd Wells is very well situated for fishing on the Upper Wye and its tributaries and you will get plenty of good advice from the owner, who is a keen angler. They have their own self-catering cottage as well. The Glaslyn Estate also has some nice cottages with fishing. For more nice cottages in the Upper Irfon valley try Cwm Irfon Lodge.

Conservation

The catastrophic decline in spring rod salmon catches from about 4300 in 1967 to about 650 in recent years is attributed to many factors, including the cooling of Britain's coastal waters and excessive drift net fishing. The potential impact on the survival of the salmon as a species and on the many commercial interests associated with rod fishing locally led, in 1995, to the establishment of the Wye and Usk Foundation and the initiation of the Wye Habitat Improvement Project (WHIP), a partnership of various agencies and institutions.

As a result of their hard work, funded entirely from levies on fishery owners and donations from anglers and other bodies, as well as European grant aid, a great deal of work has been done to improve spawning streams, build fish passes, remove obstructions, reduce acidification and mitigate the adverse effects of agriculture on the sensitive ecology of the river. The coppicing of riverside trees and the fencing off of banks to prevent erosion caused by grazing farm animals will also have a beneficial effect on wild brown trout. Much of this work has depended on the goodwill of local farmers and other landowners.

Recent changes in the fishing byelaws, introduced by the Environment Agency, also enforce the mandatory release of all salmon caught by anglers before the 16th June and prohibit angling other than with fly or artificial lure before that date. Net fishing is prohibited before the 1st June. Only time will tell whether these initiatives succeed and much depends on the actions and attitude of individual anglers. The fact is that salmon stocks in the Wye continue to decline and everything must now be done to preserve what is left for the future.