Hi all

I'm fishing the Monnow at Kentchurch this Saturday with two friends. None of us are the greatest fishermen!! What tips, on flies, wading, water clarity etc. Are there any mayfly hatches yet, will the rain over the next few days adversely effect things too much? All help greatfully received. Thanks to Tigermoth who has been advising and has been very kind.

Barny

The rain has yet to colour the water much so far but it is coming down hard and could begin to change things. But my guess is that the river should be fishable on saturday. If not, then try on on one of the upper tribs where it will clear quicker. The Monnow nearly always runs with a bit of colour and makes fishing that bit easier.

A few Mays are coming off but it will remain to be seen if the fish have switched onto them. There should be plenty of sport on olives and although the yellow mays will be trickling off all day, the Monnow trout do not think much of them until they fall as spinners in the evening.

Flies: Greenwells glory (parachute or upwing) and parachute Adams, F fly and tups indespensible #12 for the evening rise if there is a fall of yellow mays. There may be some hawthorns about so that could be a possibility otherwise Klinkhammers are a great search patern for this river, as any other.

Enjoy, you will be fishing the cream at the very best time of year.

I fished last week when there was still some colour in the water from Monday's heavy rain and had a number of fish on a klinkhamer, one or two on a sparkle dun and a couple on pheasant tail nymphs. The colour of the water didn't seem to stop fish from rising and was probably a help in disguising my approach.

Many thanks guys. Getting very excited, first proper fishing trip of the year!!

Let us know how you get on.

Heavy rain in this area......................river coloured this morning!!!!

I fished the Monnow at Skenfrith last Saturday for an hour and had two trout up to a pound and a small grayling. There was a hatch (in between the thunderstorms) of alder and yellow mays (not many of the latter). Only a few fish were rising and I failed on the dry. When I switched to sub-surface on a goldhead Princes Nymph (below), it had a much better reaction.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

James

Thanks again, will check the fly box, but I think I have that of something similar. When you are fishing nymph New Zealand style, are you fishing the dry fly or just using it as a strike indicator?

I ask, as some of the dry flies mentioned, Klinkhammers etc, I would have thought would struggle to support a any of the gold head nymphs. I was thinking of trying New Zealand style, having seen it mentioned on the forum and the combinations of flies in this thread seem to be either / or, not both.

Thanks again

Barny

ps JCT love the picture, could put that in my fly box

Barny - where abouts on Kentchurch estate will you be? I am fishing there on saturday also - Garway FFC - weather allowing - Garway share the Home Beat with a couple of guest rods, maybe see you on the water somewhere?

Some goldhead GRHE's, PTN's and Copper Johns were succesful for me and Sewinman last weekend. On the dry, Grannom patterns, Klinks and Hawthorn have all done well for me. Cranefly recommends Parachute Adams and he's not usually wrong

__________________
"A homeward tramp thro' mist wrapped night,
With heart and creel in common light,
Complete content, the day has brought it,
They fished for pleasure - and they caught it"

P F Morgan
taken from the catch record book at Llanthony Hotel, Honddu Valley, Aug 1942

www.monnowlogue.com
www.monnow.org.uk

A smaller klinkhamer probably would get dragged under by a beadhead nymph. I usually use something more substantial when fishing "NZ style" - something along the lines of a stimulator, humpy or deerhair sedge. If fishing an unweighted grhe or ptn then almost any dry should do the trick as even a greased tippet would support those. I'd expect to get takes both to the nymph and the dry.