See below the lastest from WUF.  Seems we might at last be getting the report from John Lawson which seems to have been promised for several years now.  One suspects the report may well be able to have a greater effect on the Usk perhaps than it will on the Wye.

The assertion that the ' historic shift'  in the way that \Wye catches have moved primarily in favour of the lower river is not of course entirely due to river flows.  We all know that the Wye now rises and falls much more rapidly than it used to in the past, not totally due to abstraction but  to the increase in upland drainage.
Whilst river flows are essential for fish movement to the upper river the other factor restricting upper river catches is of course the loss almost entirely of the very early spring run.  \These fish took advantage of winter and spring flows which usually, but not always in the case of an extreme drought early in the year, took this major run of fish through to the beats up above Newbridge by the old opening date of 26th January.  Lowest beats never usually got going until late April, May and June by which time most of the middle and upper river were well stocked and took the bulk of their catches then  until they fished again in the Autumn.
Only in years of continuous high water did the upper river EVER fish well in the period after mid June.  Many in fact never bothered to fish at all during these summer months.  Several Erwood beats saw this effect last season!

We  are now facing the scenario of the highest winter flows ever and as such there should, if there is any comparison whatsoever to the spring run of the past, be fish well up to Newbridge in considerable numbers.
There is no excuse if they are not -other than the fact that they no longer exist.  Many times in the past the rod catch before the end of March/April exceeds the present whole seasons rod catch.
With river levels at least starting to settle at last anyone fishing above Hereford next week  should in theory, if all the 'improvements we are told about are fact, do so with the utmost confidence.  Will it happen? I'm not holding my breath quite frankly.

All the water that has been and gone this season will be for nought if we get a dry spring and summer. The lower river will clean up again under these conditions as they always have and always will.
I suspect whatever measures are promoted on the Wye by this report the effect will only be minimal until the upland sponge is restored and some of the drainage work is reversed.  Some of us beleive too that some of the WUF river clearences have exacerbated faster run down of tributary levels.  The Ithon has always run  with heavy colour in spate and so has the main river below Hay on Wye notwithstanding the increase in poor agricultural practices.  Despite saturation of the catchment for months the river levels now drop dramatically, often by several feet overnight. This has nothing to do with abstraction but it severely restricts the amount of running time available to fish entering the lower river and bound for the upper beats.

I wonder too if the EA are still having to approve abstraction and discharge licences to Farmers and to Industry on an almost weekly basis. Of course they are. We used to be able to object to the licences but we no longer know where and when they are being enacted.

Still uncertain just what conditions may be on opening day but level;s are somewhat better than they have been but a week is a long time in British weather and the question as to whether those early msw fish are still around in any numbers might yet have to wait a little longer to be answered.

Wye & Usk Foundation News Update Abstraction News It may seem an odd time to be discussing the effects of abstraction with 18" in the rain gauge here since 1st January on top of over 5" in December last year .......and never forgetting we are in the dry part of Wales! However, for quite some time - since 2008 - we have been pressing for a reduction to the amount of abstraction from both Wye and Usk. A look at the historic Wye catches show that over time, there has been a shift in where fish were caught.The section below Monmouth now lands the majority of fish, except of course during wet years. Investigation shows that the level of abstraction has increased, with a halving of compensation flows from Elan, a damping of spates and an increase in the amount of water taken for agriculture on top of a water transfer system from Monmouth to feed southeast Wales. Usk has five reservoirs and a canal, the effect of which is to diminish or clip the peaks and duration of spates and generally to lower flows especially at night during dry periods. There are fears that salmon are lost through failing to migrate from the estuary to the lower river during low flows and also that smolts are lost in these conditions on the way down. Overall, the prospect for change might seem a bit bleak as demand steadily increases plus the effects of Climate Change introducing long dry or wet spells. However both rivers are EU Special Areas of Conservation and we (the UK) have signed up to a process that seeks to rectify all licensed operations that could damage these 'sites' (Rivers in EU speak) WUF has been lucky to secure the help, technical expertise and direction of John Lawson. Before retirement, he was head of Halcrows' water resource division. Together with Welsh Water, the Canal and Rivers Trust and NRW we are working Wye abstraction - endlessly upward Upper Wye in October to provide a solution that tops up low flows and re instates spates with as little impact on water supplies and the canal as possible. A tall order but nonetheless one we hope can be achieved with some very 'smart' water management. The process is nearing conclusion and we hope to report to all river stakeholders (surely there is a better word?) in April or May via a presentation. Details to follow. You may safely assume that there has been no fishing recently but there will surely be an end to the deluge soon. All the best from WUF