I have spent the last couple of days fishing on the Usk and there have been a plethora of flies and insects on the water but which are the best flies to use on the River Usk?

The most common was probably the Black Gnat. I found a good imitation fly for this was either a Griffith’s Gnat, or best of all, especially when the trout are just sipping at the emerging insect, has been the Shuttlecock Buzzer. Although I did have a couple of fish on a Deer Hair Emerger or DHE as it is often called. A step by step for this fly can be found here. The one I was using was tied with a seal fur substitute body of yellow to imitate the Yellow Mays(Heptagenia sulphurea) that were hatching earlier in the day.

This weekend I am off to fish the River Monnow for two days with a group of friends. I will update the web page with what are currently the best flies to fish on the Monnow when I get back.