Fishery owners on the middle and lower reaches of the Wye and Usk are being advised to reopen fishing beats for trout and salmon on the two rivers.

The advice from the Wye and Usk Foundation comes in the wake of the recent rainfall and drop in temperatures by an average of 2 or 3 degrees C.

Some fishery owners who operate the Fishing Passport scheme decided to suspend all fishing on the middle and lower stretches of the rivers a few weeks ago.

The WUF says deciding whether to reopen grounds for salmon and trout fishing is a decision for the Passport fishery owners themselves but the current climate means the salmon and trout will have "woken up", allowing fishing activity on the rivers to return to normal.

A statement from the WUF said: "Readings from our own monitoring and the Environment Agency have shown a welcome drop in water temperatures in both rivers over the past week.

"On average, they have fallen around 2 or 3 degrees with the cooler air temperatures, cloud cover and much needed rain. We have therefore advised Passport fishery owners to reopen salmon and trout fishing on the middle and lower reaches of both rivers. Passport fishing on the upper rivers remains open as before.

"Despite the conditions, the evening trout rise has been good, especially on the Usk. After a salmon-less July, the fresh water and drop in temperatures should also have woken up a few fish in the lower reaches of the Wye.

"Coarse fishing on most middle and lower Wye Passport beats remains open and has been better than expected. Trotting hemp and corn for silver fish (and the odd surprise) has been a successful tactic, as has concentrating on the faster gullies for chub and barbel.

"Some owners decided to suspend all fishing a few weeks ago and it will be their decision on when to re-open - we will keep you updated. As always, we ask everyone who does fish to ensure they follow catch and release practices very carefully, keeping the fish in the water at all times and allowing adequate time for them to fully recover.

"Fishing late in the day is usually the best time in summer for all fish and for the middle and lower Wye, it avoids the majority of the canoes too."

The WUF added that it hopes soon to have temperature monitoring equipment installed - with the help of Environment Agency funding - which would give members live readings on their website. Its newsletter said: "This EA-funded project will help anglers to make decisions on what tactics to employ while also giving useful information for fishery management."