MARDY BEAT

PLEASE BOOK WITH NIGEL OR FRANK BEFORE FISHING FOR SALMON, TROUT OR COARSE - A CATCH RETURN  IS REQUIRED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AFTER FISHING

The Mardy fishery is situated above Abergavenny town and access to it is immediately off the A40 between Abergavenny and Crickhowell. This access is approximately half a mile from Pyscodlyn Farm travelling towards Crickhowell. Parking is allowed immediately adjacent to the gateway access is signposted "Merthyr Tydfil Angling Association". No parking is allowed on the main road or in the farmer's field. The fishery is approximately 1½ miles of the left-hand bank looking down stream, together with a further 200 yards, which is licensed yearly by the Association. A start of beat sign indicates the Association's waters and end of beat sign indicates the end of our fishing rights. The river holds Salmon, Sea Trout, Brown Trout, Chub and Dace. All fishermen must book to fish this water be it, for Salmon, Trout or Coarse. Booking can be made with Mr Nigel Morgan 01685 377848, or Frank Thompson on 01685 386730.   New Rule for 2007 only 4 trout may be killed in any one day, day ticket anglers are only allowed to kill 2 fish

SALMON

The Environment Agency has introduced a bylaw, which forbids the taking of Salmon until the 16th of June. From the start of the salmon season (3rd March) until the 1st June you may only fly fish for salmon, with flies weighing less than 5 grammes, returning any fish caught. From the 1st of June to the 16th of June you may spin or fly fish for salmon, providing all fish caught are returned to the river.

Fishery Information

The Groynes can all produce salmon under the right conditions and the water height should ideally be six inches below the lip of the middle groyne.   The ditch pool can hold a lot of fish but it is difficult to fish.   The water between the last groyne and the Varteg pool is excellent for trout and the Varteg pool itself is a good salmon pool.   After the Varteg the low water pool can produce a fish in low water conditions.   Below this pool is Peters Catch this area is very good for trout but due to changes in the river course it does not produce many salmon.   Below Peters catch are the Rocks this is the bottom of the fishery and can be accessed from Llanwenarth Church.

Most Salmon are caught on spinning baits with the Flying C being the favourite.

Those anglers who persistently fly fish for Salmon also have their share with the best flies being Ally Shrimp, Usk Grub, Munroe Killer, and Willy Gunn. The best all round size on a tube or Waddington appears to be one and a half inches, with hook sizes 6 or 8 doubles. Bait fishing is also productive. However the period in which bait fishing is allowed, 16th June to 16th September tends to be the drier months. This means that very often the river is too low for Salmon fishing. Many anglers are now practicing Catch and Release and this is to be encouraged.

Trout Fishing

Wet fly is the best way to fish early in the year and probably until the end of April. After that dry fly fishing comes to it’s own. Flies for wet fly are Greenwells Glory, Partridge and Orange, Iron Blue Dun, Olives, Hares Ear, etc. Many anglers now tend to use nymphs with Olive Nymphs, Pheasant Tail, and Hares Ear proving popular. During the summer evenings good sport can be had on a dry Sedge pattern, Lunns Particular, Tupps Indispensable, and the Pale Watery. Any of these are an excellent choice.

Maps and photographs of the fishery

  

Kindly supplied by Andrew Roynon

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