Some overnight rain but very little movement on the river. A few inches at Llangurig so there will  bit little effect other than to lower temperatures somewhat which should help reduce the algae bloom downriver.


Latest;
A 12lbfairly coloured  fish today for Arthur Knight from Bigswier on fly.  Another fish was lost by another angler on the Florence beat. Stale fish showing in the Station stream.  Water still a little murky




From the WUF site;

Area: Middle & Lower Wye
Beat: Lower Carrots & Luggsmouth (Booking Office), No. Anglers: 2

Cracking day on a lovely beat.

A little surprised to be confronted on our arrival by a salmon angler working his way down the beat. This is advertised as a 2 rod beat at a price of £22.50 per today. We had booked both available rods and thought the salmon anglers presence was a tad out of order.

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Look guys it's coarse fishing time now.  Your presence is NOT required on salmon beats whilst coarse anglers have paid £22.50 for the privilege.  Please know your place!!!!!!!!!!




See below the WUF Newsletter. One would think the algae problem was a new one. Its been going on for a couple of decades now. The Lugg has always been notorious for its phosphate content. the problem has been talked about for yeas.  Sewage works have been allowed to pollute for years with very little in the way of enforcement by the EA. Farmers are now the culprits but why, twenty years later has this suddenly become an issue. Well because everyone stood by while it was going on until its got to this state, that's why. How many times did we try and raise this issue and nobody listened.  Water quality is the prime ingredient for a good fishery. Would not the money have been far better spent on tackling actual water quality issue rather then a dubious fencing and copicing exercise which is showing little benefit.

The issue of cattle in the river is something of a joke in comparison . Some of the upper streams would benefit from a little enrichment, but hey you have to blame something.   Farmers will only comply if (a)forced too or (b) be compensated.  One of them virtually dug up a fishing access track this year to squeeze in just one more small row of spuds.   The field it's in will be covered in a big winter spate and no doubt he will irrigate too, oh with a licence from the EA of course, if the sun comes out for too long..
A ten metre wide buffer strip alongside all our rivers and streams is whats needed, not a fence a yard from the edge.  Pigs might fly.

Wye & Usk Foundation News Update 3rd July 2014 Algal Blooms The weather may be changing as I write but it has been far from helpful during the last two weeks with bright, hot, cloudless days. One of the consequences is that rivers suffer from algae in the water column, giving the appearance of pea soup at times. All our rivers have suffered to some extent but nowhere as badly as the Wye below Hereford. It has happened before in similar circumstances but it seems to be worse than ever this year. What has provided this 'Perfect Storm' is the wet winter washing in increased levels of phosphate (P) from all sources on which the algae thrive and high temperatures and sunshine. In turn the opacity causes the water to heat up more quickly and the murky water excludes light from other plants such as Ranunculus which tend to die off. Eventually the available phosphate is exhausted and either a drop in temperature, sunshine or high water allows the water to clear but should we accept this as inevitable? Our view is definitely not. Sewerage Treatment works are to some extent controlled and measured but not always exempt from blame. Some are fitted with phosphate strippers. The wild card is of course agriculture which though poultry, cattle and fertilizers or digestates add P in a way that is much less controlled and at the mercy of weather, and the variability of land use. WUF is running projects on both Wye and Usk to reduce the damage P and sediments cause. Both involve cold calling farmers and producing a plan to correct any problem that affects water quality as well as improving yields. Its a lengthy process and clearly enforcement of the current regulations could be much, much better. However, following discussion during the Wye Valley Partnership, we also need to engage further up the food chain with supermarkets and farm assurance schemes so that they are aware of the problems food production in our area causes. Watch this space.  Middle Wye at Ballingham...... "Green by Lunchtime" This is how some phospates get into the system Coarse fishing has not been too badly affected and the anglers' reports show some good bags of chub and barbel plus a welcome return of some bigger eels. Upstream trout fishing has been surprisingly good considering the weather while salmon fishing has been poor. Sea trout in the Tywi is starting to pick up after a lull. It's all on our website Our monthly reports (June) are almost ready for release and should be with you next week. In the meantime, prey for some more fish friendly weather! All the best from WUF