River Irfon Finally Came Good

Another untimely downpour on Friday brought the river levels back up and out of action for any fishing on Saturday but as often with these Welsh spate rivers they do drop extremely quickly without further rain.

By 1.30pm Sunday I was slipping into my chesties and piecing together my 10' #3 Greys Streamflex in anticipation of finding a few grayling on the lower River Irfon which had now dropped to a level that I would consider ideal for this time of year.

I found fish very quickly and although the temperatures had dropped over the weekend the grayling were well spread out and most of the likely spots I dropped my nymphs into produced a fish or two.

The river came good just in time for me to enjoy three hours of quality fishing and even the odd flurry of hatching olives bringing fish to the surface.

Redington Sonic-Pro Zip Front Waders

I had all but covered my old waders inside and out with Aquasure in an attempt to get some extra mileage out of them, but with winter looming and the realisation that maybe they had just come to the end of their life I recently bit the bullet and started looking for some worthy replacements.
I was looking for a pair of stockingfoot, breathable waders in the 'mid-price' range, I also wanted zip front because having worn zip front waders for the last few years I find that they are much easier to get in and out of and are great for those times when you have drank just a little too much coffee in the morning! I must also add that I have never had a zip fail and let in water.

After shortlisted a couple of options I opted to go for the Redington Sonic-Pro Zip Front Waders, there were a few deciding factors but the main reason was that they 'ticked all the boxes' and most of the reviews I read on the internet could not praise them enough.

I also decided to purchase direct from the USA due to them being on offer by one of the US retailers. There is of course carriage and import duty charges to add on to the sale price but there was still a saving in comparison to prices from retailers in the UK.

Having now had them for a few weeks I can report that initial trials have been very positive, the comfort/fit of the waders is extremely good and the addition of two front zipped pockets and two hand warmer pockets are very welcome.

'Stitchless' Sonic Welded Seams

My waders do tend to get some extensive rough treatment during their life but I'm hopeful that the Sonic welded seam technology on the Redington waders enable me to enjoy a couple of seasons of leak free wading before they need replacing, it has always frustrated me how little expectation we have come to accept from such a high value piece of equipment, maybe this technology is a step in the right direction...I will let you know in a couple of seasons!