Swanmeadow Fishing

The salmon fishing on the Usk is also of the very highest quality and given good conditions some excellent sport may be enjoyed. Again it is recognised as one of the premier salmon rivers in England and Wales with some of the finest beats lying between Usk And Abergavenny. Amongst these the Swanmeadow Beat at Pantygoitre Farm must rank as being in the top echelon and is unsurpassed for the beauty of its surroundings and the delights of its pools and runs.

The River Usk rises high in the Black Mountains on the slopes of the Carmarthen Fan and flows some 60 miles to the Severn Estuary, entering the sea at Newport.

Its boisterous, tumbling course takes it through some of the most spectacular and attractive scenery in the Welsh Marches, passing along the way through the ancient market towns of Brecon, Crickhowell, Abergavenny and Usk. Below Usk it slightly alters its character to become a much fatter quieter river as it meanders its gentle way through the flood plain before completing its southward journey to the sea.

The Usk has been, since time immemorial, regarded as one of the finest game fishing rivers in England and Wales, as evinced by the historic coat of arms of the town of Usk which portrays three salmons on its heraldic crest. The talk in the local pubs and bars along the Usk Valley are invariably of the river and its fishing and as to how the season is progressing.

The Usk holds a very special place in the most knowledgeable trout fisherman’s heart as by far and away the majority of its fish are truly wild brown trout which can present the supreme challenge to those who choose to fish for them

Nothing could be further removed from the flacid, farm bred fish that are stocked into rivers in this modern age. These fish are hard, fit and beautifully marked and are born to fight hard. They distain any offering that is not perfectly presented and they can be very selective in the pattern or size of fly that they will accept.

They are quite simply the holy grail of trout and to pit one's skills against their native instincts and succeed is one of anglings most rewarding accomplishments.