Dry and fine conditions forcast for most of next week so all areas should have good conditions as the river falls away with attention increasingly on the lower beats assuming fish will still be coming in, which does look likely.

One fish from the Spreadeagle yesterday to davin Rance 9lbs
One from Lower Ballingham. 12lbs on F/C to James Downes



As indicated earlier having had heads down in the bunker all last year,  with this years improvements WUFs director is now all over an Internet forums telling us how things have improved -due to them of course.  Sea survival seems to have increased this year - a miracle except that they don't actually know if it has or not, They seem surprised at a goodish year following a poor one. Take a look back at historical wye catches, That's always happened many times before and damn,  there was no one there to take any credit when it rose, or deny the blame if it failed.

However he recently, yesterday, made this amazing statement;

"The first thing to understand is that the decline on the Wye started following the peak year of 1974, coincidentally, the year the hatchery started....... or was a coincidence? From that year there was no effort made to halt natural barriers blocking tributaries and fish passes were not fitted to the majority of the weirs built on the Lugg and elsewhere. The belief was that by limiting the area in which fish spawned, patrolling and losses through poaching could be reduced and the hatchery would top up the areas above the barriers. The result was the serious decline which is so well documented including the complete extinction of salmon in the Lugg above Hampton Court NK "   (WUF Director) my brackets.

Not only is this amazing it is of course completely untrue,. A lie. To suggest that  people deliberately restricted the spawning to make it easier to patrol and substitued a hatchery imput to compensate for it is as I say a lie.  Not only that its an insult to those who were in charge of the river in those days. They may have had their faults, has indeed has the Director in bucket loads, but it's a slur on many no longer here to answer back and he should withdraw it. Except there is no chance. Never known him admit to being wrong about anything in over 40 years.!!!

We even had this triumphal note from deputy Simon Evans;
"Surprisingly quiet day in the sunshine yesterday with only 8 reported."


Congratulations on your 24lb fly caught fish Simon -welcome to what used to be our world.!!