The Salmon Visa

Playing a salmon at Gromain, one of the upper Wye beats available through the Visa.An exciting new way to organise your salmon fishing!

Even in the good old days, the problem for any salmon angler taking a day-per-week season rod has always been one of 'being in the right place at the right time'. If it was good on your beat on Monday, it was good somewhere else by Thursday. An unlucky angler could go through a whole season without his or her day coinciding with favourable conditions.

Accessing salmon fishing on the Wye & Usk has been made considerably easier in the last few years through the Foundation's well-established Booking Office: we conquered the 'right time' part of the problem. However, the Foundation has now come up with a novel way to solve the 'right place and right time' dilemma - a scheme by which salmon anglers can buy a season rod that doesn't tie them to one fishery or one day of the week.

The 'Salmon Visa' now gives the fisher access to a choice of over 40 Wye & Usk fisheries from above Builth Wells down to Monmouth, spanning some 90 miles of river on the Wye and from above Brecon to below Abergavenny on the Usk. Whether you enjoy fly fishing or spinning, the Visa enables you to fish at the best time and place available. Once you have bought your Visa, you simply book the fishery that gives you the best chance of success in the prevalent water conditions by contacting the Wye & Usk Foundation’s office (subject to availability). There will be a limited issue of Salmon Visas. Please note, however, that a Visa holder can only have one day (for themselves + guest) booked in advance at any one time.

Preparing to land a salmon at Middle Hill Court on the lower WyeTogether with emailed updates of conditions, catches and beat information, another innovation (webcams focusing on gauges will show current and past time water height) will make the information trail much easier to follow.

The Visa costs £750 per angler and holders may buy tickets for accompanying guests at 75% of the normal cost. Visas run from March 3rd to October 17th and also include the trout, grayling and coarse fishing on participating beats when seasons allow. Contact the Foundation on 01982 551 520 for more information or to buy your Visa.

The fisheries that are available to Visa holders are listed below. More details of these can be found in the Booking Office pages. Please note that availability of individual beats can change during the season. Additional fisheries may be added to the Booking Office during the season while some may be removed from the scheme entirely.

Upper Wye

Middle/Lower Wye

Usk