Mick's Fly Fishing Diary

River Monnow

2012-01-23T09:07:00.001Z

I have to confess the Monnow is a river I seldom get to fish so it was a bit of a treat to get a chance to go and give it a go on Sunday.

All looked good when we arrived and expectations were high...but fishing rarely turns out as you envisage, today was one of those days.

As it turned out the most productive pool of the day was the first one we fished, which just added to the expectation that we had caught the river just right and were in line to catch plenty of grayling.

Running a team of three nymphs hard along the bottom using my Streamflex 10' #3 seemed to be the right line of attack but after our initial success we struggled to find any of the bigger fish and although some of the pools looked like they should hold plenty of big grayling we could only connect with the smaller specimens and the occasional out of season brown trout.

Biggest of the day taken from the first pool

We were left to analyse the day over a couple of pints of Hob Goblin in the friendly surrounds of a nearby Inn and the only conclusion we came to was that Hob Goblin is a damn good pint of real ale!

Little River Avon

2012-01-19T23:15:00.000Z

It's not often I get a chance to sneak away from work to go fishing but when I had an invite to join Peter Anderson on the Charfield AA waters Little River Avon I just couldn't say no.

The Little River Avon is a small tributary to the River Severn and is situated in South Gloucestershire, we had arranged to meet at 10am but I couldn't resist getting there a little early a taking a quick stroll down to have a look.

This stretch of river is full of bends, riffles, tree roots and deep pockets of water, in places it gets narrow enough to almost jump across and today it was carrying a little extra rain water from the night before and a tinge of colour. It reminded me of the River Clun...a similar sized river I have fished many times in Shropshire.

When my host and guide for the day Peter arrived we chatted for a while then set off downstream where Peter highlighted the potential target areas which were noted for our return upstream.

I had decided to start with a short rod with a duo set up, whilst Peter opted for short line nymphing. We started at a lovely looking pool which I was informed held some grayling, so as I set my rig up Peter dropped his nymphs into the flow and within minutes was into his first fish, unfortunately this slipped the hook and a couple of casts later saw another on the hook and quickly into his hand.

This was the sort of start we had hoped for and when I got in and fished up through the pool with my duo rig I was also fortunate to connect quickly with a couple of nice grayling. Early signs were good and we progressed upstream through some nice looking water but finding more feeding fish proved very difficult, a switch to a short line nymph set up brought a few smaller grayling but it became evident that our good start was not going to continue through the day.

We finished around 3.30pm with a few more smaller grayling knowing that today the river had fished hard but nevertheless it was a lovely place to spend a winter's day where temperatures were close to double figures.

A Fair Cop

2012-01-16T08:37:00.000Z

As we headed through Mid Wales early on Sunday morning I thought my luck was in as I was kindly asked to accompany an attractive young lady to share the front seat of her car!

It took her no time at all to get down to business and she soon got out her...ballpoint pen and her pad of fixed penalty speeding forms! yep you guessed it...whilst heavy in conversation with travelling/fishing companion Nick I totally failed to keep a check on my speed through a 30mph zone and was duly nabbed by the lady in blue.

Not the best start to the day but I was still looking forward to spending the next few hours in pursuit of some grayling.

The Wye tributary we fished was still running a little high and carrying slightly more colour than we would have like but as long as the last couple of days of heavy frost hadn't shocked them too much we still anticipated finding a few feeding fish.

Well it was certainly a slow start and likely looking spots yielded nothing, but a little further upstream Nick latched into a good fish which certainly tested out his recently built 11' 3wt rod. We had both opted to fish variations of long rod - short line nymphing, switching between heavily/medium weighted tungsten flies to enable us to get down to the riverbed quick in the stronger than normal flows.

The day continued with us both taking the odd fish as we progressed upstream and we finished with a handful a Grayling each but they were all quality fish with most measuring over 35cms.

It seems like this was the first days fishing this winter where the air and water temperatures made me feel glad I'd doubled up on my thermal layers, but fortunately we seem to have so far escaped the Arctic conditions which virtually wiped out last years winter grayling fishing.

Making The Best Of It

2011-12-29T22:59:00.000Z

OK...I know at we are expected to spend a little extra time with our families at Christmas but it’s hard to stop looking at those online gauges to check the river levels or in my case walk the dog along the river watching for any signs that herald even the slightest possibility that casting a line is worthwhile.

Rain has made up the bulk of the weather over the festive period and has left the rivers and streams in the upper Wye system severely full, but a day or two without rain should bring them back down very quickly, such is the nature of these spate rivers.

On Wednesday I seized my opportunity and sank my waders into the still high and partially coloured river Irfon, the wind was blowing hard and the current was pushing hard against my waders but it was good to be casting a line again.

I had set up a three fly combination which consisted of a very heavy tungsten nymph on the middle dropper with two lighter nymphs either side, these were fished on a short line using my 10’ 4wt Streamflex with a short lob to get them out in the flow.

Heavily weighted dual tungsten 'sacrificial' nymph

The method worked well under the conditions and I caught 12 grayling in just a few hours with some nice fish amongst them. The fish took all three flies but the pink point fly was possibly favourite.

I also snatched a couple of hours today (Thursday) where the Irfon had dropped a couple more inches and was a lovely colour, the wind was blowing even harder but similar tactics proved good again and I was rewarded with some more nice grayling including one which I would consider to be one of my best from this river, a stunning 18” fish which was full bodied and in perfect condition.

Very deep 18" Grayling

As I write this the rain is lashing against the window (as it has done most of the afternoon) and the planned day out tomorrow fishing with a friend looks certain to be put on hold until the New Year.

Festive Greetings

2011-12-22T17:22:00.000Z

Almost the end of another year which has seen some quite adverse weather conditions. The rainfall experienced through much of the trout season was woefully short and some of the smaller streams I fish became little more than a trickle.

For me this year has been quite productive in many ways. Firstly I took up membership of a new club which has given me a lot more waters to fish within my area, these include first class wild trout and grayling rivers which even in the low conditions produced some magnificent fish.

I have also spent much of the year getting to grips with the 'long leader' European style of fishing used in conjunction with a long/lightweight rod, this will not appeal to all but I find it a great way of getting the best out of certain rivers. This style of fishing is becoming more and more popular and rod manufactures are now incorporating a range to cater for this. Amongst others Greys have a range of rods that are specifically designed for this in the XF2 Streamflex range. I have a friend who has built himself a 11' #2 rod which is just a dream when it comes to casting a long leader and light nymphs so I can see a new addition to my rod range for next year!

I am also trying to improve on my fly tying skills which I am now realising is a long term project, but there is always pleasure in fly tying and trying out a new pattern which catches fish.

With a long festive break coming up I'm watching the river gauges like a hawk and hoping the recent high levels drop in time to give me a chance to over-indulge over the next two weeks.

Just leaves me to say that I thank all those that have dropped by to read my blog and those who have posted comments, I wish you all the best for Christmas and hope you all find next year brings you new and exciting experiences.

Hanak European Grayling Festival - River Dee

2011-12-05T08:48:00.001Z

This was my first time fishing this team event which is held over two days (3 sessions) on the River Dee around Llangollen. The rain that had fallen before our arrival on Friday had pushed the river up high but as we peered over the bridge in the town we could see that the clarity was still good.

Friday was to be our practice session so we headed on to the river to try out methods and flies for the match. It was to prove tough as expected but we all caught fish in the 20cm and above class (minimum size counted in the competition) with lots of smaller grayling also showing.

Overnight rain had pushed the level up even higher for the Saturday as the 21 teams headed off to their designated beats to fish the first of the two sessions scheduled for day one. The river was still rising during the day and starting to colour up somewhat, but the first day ended well for us and we were lying in fourth place with all of us catching some fish when many teams had blanked!

Martin and Phil Dixon (England Black Gnats) on their way to 3rd place

Our first beat

We guessed day two was going to be even tougher when the rain was falling hard as we made our way to the local curry house on the evening...guaranteed to give the waders some rear end abuse the next day!

Sunday came and it was a grey, damp, cold start as we set off, our beat was further upstream so we hoped it may escape the worst of the rainfall but again the river was ripping through.

A combination of heavy beaded tungsten nymphs fished through the slower runs and a good dose of steely grit and determination saw us finish with 3 fish which was as good as we could have hoped for.

The final results were read out back at the Hand Hotel in Llangollen and we learned that we had finished in 4th place overall. When taking into consideration that many anglers here were of international standard and this had been our first attempt in this competition we were more than happy with the outcome with many lessons learned for our return next year.

Overall Winners - Italy Caddis

A total of 92 fish caught of the two days proves how tough it was...last year this event saw 321 fish caught in sub-zero temperatures!

Top 10 teams:

1, Italy Caddis
2, Wales Dragonflies
3, England Black Gnats
4, England Damsel Flies
5, Wales Adams
6, Czech Coachmen
7, England Dunkeld
8, England Corixa
9, Wales Grey Dusters
10,Wales Red Spinners

Total Fish Caught: 92
Top Individual: Martin Dixon 12 Fish (England Black Gnats)
Biggest Fish Caught: 47cms - Olivier Dupont (Belgium Stoneflies)

Fly Tying At Our Fingertips

2011-11-30T22:17:00.003Z

After walking to the bottom of the beat on our chosen Wye tributary fishing venue last weekend myself and fishing buddy (Nick) promptly set up our rods in preparation to work our way up river.

Now Nick is someone who is always looking to try out new innovations that may improve his fishing experience and today he pulled out a something pink that certainly made me look twice (no not that!) it was a Camou French Leader but it was vivid pink in colour and had the obvious benefit of being easily detectable as you follow it down the river.

Nick with a nice Grayling caught using the 'pink' french leader

Anyway the days fishing was pretty average really and with the high winds and drizzly rain making fishing difficult we decided that the local pub was the best option to round the day off. It was here that the pink leader was brought back up where Nick explained it was one of many items that he had brought back from a visit to the FlyFishingPoint shop on a recent trip to the Czech Republic.

Below: some of the vast selection available online or when you visit the FlyFishingPoint shop

This led us on to a discussion about fly tying and the huge variety of materials that are now available online from our European cousins.

It's the phonomenon of the modern age that we can sit in front of a computer and within a few minutes we have browsed a shop, added items to our basket and paid at the checkout, with delivery of the purchase arriviving within a few days.

A variety of 'Quill Body' nymphs I recently tied with high quality quills purchased from an online Romanian shop

I understand that by doing this we are losing the personal touch that we expect from 'physical' shopping but to have such a huge amount of choice available online has to be good news for us all.

A Lack Of Daylight

2011-11-21T22:05:00.000Z

The winter daylight hours really do make you appreciate the time you get to spend out fishing at this time of year. Unlike the summer when you have the luxury of many hours of daylight, every hour spent fishing is a bonus at the moment.

On Saturday my trip out to this upper Wye tributary was a late start...arriving at 10.00am I parked up, got my gear sorted out, then ambled down the river taking in all the sights and sounds that attract me so much to river fly fishing.

On the way down the river I met a gentlemen out walking along the river who was the kind of guy you could happily talk to all day, a local man with a vast knowledge of the river and many years experience of fly fishing the surrounding area.

On this particular morning he was walking the stretch of river counting the Salmon Redds (where the gravel on the riverbed is excavated during spawning). He had counted a total of 5 along this length of river which was certainly encouraging on this particular Wye tributary.

At this time of year it is important that when wading on Salmon rivers to be very mindful to steer well clear of areas that look like potential Salmon Redds, these are usually obvious to see by an area of the riverbed that has a scoured, fresh looking patch of gravel as in the picture below.

Large 'Salmon Redd' photographed on the River Irfon on Sunday

By the time I eventually got to my starting point and started fishing a good portion of the daylight hours had passed (note to self... less wine the night before andget out of bed much earlier!!!).
A bit of a frustrating few hours followed with many lost flies (trees, sub-surface snags) and a sense that I never really caught the fish I should have, saying that there were still Grayling caught with a couple of very large fish amongst them. Next time I return I have a new plan to try out...!!!

The best of the day

Tungsten Flies And Thermal Underwear!

2011-11-08T21:22:00.000Z

Waking up early Sunday morning in Mid Wales was a bit of a shocker with the car and surrounding fields white over with a severe frost, my thoughts immediately plunged back to last years harsh winter weather which resulted in a very lean time for me as far as winter grayling fishing goes.

On this occasion though the bright sun soon burnt away the frost leaving a cold but beautiful morning. I headed down to the River Wye but unfortunately Friday's downpour had left it with just a little too much water/colour pushing through it so I dropped back to the lower part of the River Irfon which I knew was running high but relatively clear.

Setting up my 10' #4 Greys Streamflex with 2 heavy nymphs I worked my way slowly through the likely looking areas, the point fly was gently tripping along the bottom where I assumed any feeding grayling might be. The first couple of fish were out of season brown trout which had likely entered the Irfon from the Wye in readiness to spawn, then a move a little further upstream found me my first grayling...nothing to shout about size wise but a grayling all the same.

A few more fish came to hand but on this occasion the bigger grayling remained elusive and after a few hours waist high in extremely cold water I wished I had put some thermals on and then retreated back to the warmth and a hot mug of coffee.

I guess for the next few months heavy flies and thermal clothing will be forefront in my mind when planning fishing trips.

Weekend On The Irfon

2011-10-17T23:17:00.000+01:00

With temperatures dropping down to one degrees around Builth Wells over Friday night I sensed that the time was getting near for the box of heavy tungsten nymphs to be brought out of retirement. Fortunately the morning sun soon burnt away the cold mist in time for me to check out the lower part of the River Irfon which was looking glorious.

After much deliberation I decided on a short lined nymph approach, 2 x tungsten beads (2.5mm + 2.0mm) set up on the 10' #4 Streamflex. This can be a highly effective method when the target fish is Grayling and its amazing how close these fish can be to you when you do not make a minimum of disturbance when wading.

With such favourable conditions I had soon accountant for some good sized fish and left the river after a few hours with the self satisfaction you get when you know your chosen method was right and everything goes to plan.

On Sunday I headed a little further upstream to the Cammarch Hotel waters which are marketed by the Wye & Usk Foundation as part of their roving voucher scheme. Day tickets are available direct from the hotel allowing you a choice of beats along this prime stretch of the middle Irfon.

The Cammarch Hotel - Point of purchase for day tickets.

There have been some recent good catches reported from this area so I was anticipating the prospect of latching into a few more of the Grayling that the Irfon is renowned for. Starting halfway up the beat things started slow and after a couple of hours I had only managed to catch three fish, although I did have to share the top part of the beat with a lively pair of otters! (low quality video below).

I then walked down to the start of the beat and found some nice looking water which immediately produced some good sized fish all caught short line nymphing. The session ended when the sun came out from behind the clouds and a rise in temperature brought a few fish to the surface, a quick switch to a duo setup produced a couple more fish before other commitments forced me to leave the water early. 15 nice grayling, plus a few fingerlings and some out of season trout assured that this is a venue I am sure to return to in the future.

As with many parts of the Irfon wading can be a little tricky in parts so I would always advise a wading staff should you give it a try.

'Busy' country lanes around the Hotel!

The Best Of Times

2011-09-19T00:32:00.000+01:00

If I had to pick just one month to fish then I think September may well be that month, its the time of year when the sun still has some warmth to it, the foilage on the trees is getting ready to take on its autumn colours, the air is filled with the strong aroma of Himalayan Balsam which for me evokes vivid memories of autumn fishing as a child. On top of that we can find both Trout and Grayling still eager to take our flies.

Such was my experience last weekend on possibly my most productive river this season. This small river which runs through Mid Wales was running slightly below normal level but with some very inviting deep pockets of fast flowing water which hold good numbers of large fish.

My favoured searching set up would again be the duo with a hi-viz Klinkhamer on a dropper and a #16 tungsten head bead on the point.

I had recently tied up some quill bodied nymphs and one of these as the point fly proved a big success acounting for most of the fish including many impressive grayling which found it hard to resist this little fly

Hook: Kamasan B170 - #16
Head: 2mm Black Nickel Tungsten Bead
Tail: Coq De Leon Fibres
Body: Stripped Peacock Quill
Thorax: Olive Dyed Squirrel

This potentially very productive time of year really needs to be taken advantage of as its all over too quickly and before we know it the reality of fishing in sub zero temperatures with numb toes and fingers for a couple of fish (if we're lucky) wondering what the hell we bothered to venture out for, will soon be upon us.

Back On An Old Favourite

2011-09-12T20:45:00.000+01:00

We all have rivers/streams that hold a special place in our hearts, well one of mine has to be the River Edw which is a small tributary to the River Wye and enters the river just downstream of Builth Wells.

I headed off there Saturday and having seen high levels in both the Irfon and Wye had hoped to find it with more water in but unfortunately it was still running pretty low.

The beat I fished was Aberedw, the lower of the four under the Wye & Usk Foundation roving voucher scheme, this beat is split into two sections and although the top section is relatively short it's definitely worth a visit with a couple of stunning looking pools.

Fish came instantly from the bottom of the beat and although mostly small fish these brown trout are just beautiful and totally wild. I like to think my stealthy approach when I walk up these rivers is as good as I can be but I think I would have needed to be invisible to realistically target some of the trout that were lying in the shallow tails of some of the pools. They caught wind of me long before I could delicately drop a dry fly on there noses and bolted upstream to warn the others.

I did manage to find plenty of obliging fish from many of the deeper, faster pockets that seem to have trout queuing up ready to take either a dry or nymph.

Fly life is also a bit special on the Edw with a steady stream of late season flies hatching throughout the day, coupled with the beauty and remoteness you experience here then it is easy to see why this can become one of those 'special' places.

Autumn Dun (Ecdyonurus dispar)

Recent Fishing Confines

2011-08-23T09:10:00.000+01:00

Recent trips have been confined mainly to the River Wye due to the lack of water currently being experienced on many of my usual 'small stream' haunts.

Even on the Wye there is a need to target the river early morning or late evening to get the best out of it. As a result to getting to the river at these times I have fortunately had some reasonable catches although the target fish has predominately been the Grayling with the Trout waiting 'til the onset of darkness before feeling safe to feed.

I have also been trying out a new 9' #3 rod which was built by a friend of mine who has built many rods over the last few years and has amassed a great deal of knowledge on the optimum process involved (more on this in a future post).

Nick - pushing his 11' #2 french leader rod to the maximum with a fine Grayling

A little worst for wear but a very successful Olive Dun pattern for the Wye

Although I'm off for a long weekend break Friday I'm hoping that the rivers I fish get the much needed rain to re-vitalise them and with a bit of luck the remaining month of the trout season will see a flourish of small stream action!

Diver Dave's Wader Repairs

2011-07-31T16:14:00.002+01:00

As I'm sure is the case with most of us...breathable waders are a constant source of my frustrations. It seems crazy that for such a high value item that very few manufacturers are able to produce a reliable pair of waders that will last out a few seasons without the inevitable wet patch appearing somewhere when you take them off.

I've had my waders for just over one season and when the neoprene socks starting leaking I set about trying to repair them but as you can see I never really sorted it out. The thing is the rest of the waders are great so after reading about the services of 'Diver Dave' on various forums I decided to give him a call and see if it was possible to replace both socks with new ones.

Before the repair job by Diver Dave

Well nothing seems to phase Dave and when I explained the problem he was confident that he could do the job without too many problems.

As it turned out the only problem for Dave was sourcing a matching pair of neoprene socks that would match up with the ones he had removed, a couple of weeks later and I had a call to say that the repair had been completed and the waders were soon to be returned...couldn't wait to check 'em out.

New (leak free) neoprene socks

When they arrived I wasn't disappointed, the repair looked like a first class job and all they need now is a thorough testing on some of the harsh small stream fishing that played a part in the breakdown of the originals.

Prices and further info available from his website: http://sites.google.com/site/wadersrepairs/

Big Grayling...Small River

2011-07-25T21:55:00.001+01:00

A weekend that was crammed full of fishing also proved to be very rewarding, with the capture of what must have come close to being my personal best Grayling.

My best ever? A stunning Grayling for a small river.

Where do you head for to capture that special fish? Well the answer is not always where you'd expect!.

There is no doubt that some of the bigger rivers around us are good places to capture a specimen (in Wales the Wye, Usk and Dee spring to mind) but quite often it is the smaller rivers and streams that shock us and certainly in my experience this has been the case with both Trout and Grayling.

As long as the river has a steady flow of water and more importantly a rich source of invertebrate life then the potential for these smaller rivers to yield something out of the ordinary is more likely than you may think.

All the following caught on the same day from a stretch of river that you could almost jump across in parts:

Many of my largest captured Brown Trout and Grayling have come from such small waters so my advice is if you're in search of 'the fish of a lifetime' then you would do well not to dismiss some of the smaller tributaries.

This weekend also gave me the opportunity to try out my recently repaired waders courtesy of 'Diver Dave', report to follow shortly.

French Nymphing On The River Wye

2011-07-18T09:05:00.000+01:00

Perhaps not the first choice of method considering the quite strong downstream wind experienced on the River Wye Saturday, but I was out to test a theory I had.

The previous day I had fished the same bit of water using conventional methods - namely single dry fly and duo and although connecting with a few fish I knew that there were many fish (mainly Grayling) that were in the area that I couldn't tempt.

Now the theory was to return armed with my 10' #3 streamflex and using the so called 'French Nymphing' technique fish through the same water to compare results.

Large Grayling being played (just sub-surface) after taking the point fly

With the unfavourable wind I had attached 2 tungsten beadhead nymphs (2.5mm + 2.0mm) to the end of my set up, I also opted to fish at closer than normal range for this method to gain maximum control and presentation.

After just a few hours fishing I had managed to net some quite impressive Grayling along with some smaller trout, I had certainly topped my previous days tally by some margin and although this in itself isn't concrete proof that this method will always out perform other types of fly fishing it is a technique that under certain conditions has the ability to present flies more delicately and with less surface disturbance.

For those fly anglers willing to 'think outside the box' this is a method you might find more than useful to have up your sleeve.

Shropshire Stream

2011-07-14T12:08:00.001+01:00

Slipped out early from work and pinched a few hours to fish a stream I often visit in rural Shropshire. It was such a contrast from the rivers and streams I experienced in Mid Wales last weekend that were carrying excessive amounts of water to find this stream as low as I've seen it and in need of a 'washout'.

As you may expect the fish were in the well oxygenated deeper runs and fortunately quite a few were still happy to have a go at both the nymph and dry.

Note how white the leading edge is on the anal fin.

An enjoyable afternoons fishing but I do wonder what affect prolonged low levels will have on a river and its inhabitants. Hopefully they will cope with the extremes which seem to becoming all too frequent.

It All Gets Better On The Clettwr

2011-07-11T17:04:00.001+01:00

Heavy rain in Mid-Wales on Friday put paid to my plans to fish the River Wye so I spent early Saturday morning on a reccy trying to find one of the many streams in this area that may have run off quickly.

The upper reaches of the River Irfon had took the bulk of the downfall and although flood water on this river generally runs off quickly it was apparent that this may take a while to get back to anywhere near fishing level.

I would need to set my sights on the smaller streams so I headed south to the River Edw of which the Wye And Usk Foundation have four beats on their roving voucher scheme, peering over the bridge at Aberedw I could tell that my quest was not yet over as this stream was also carrying too much water.

I now pinned all my hopes on a small stream I had fished a couple of times before...the Clettwr that runs into the Wyw at Erwood, it's a stream that tumbles fast down a steep sided gorge creating some of the most dramatic fishing you could wish to experience.

Again, this is a W&UF beat (R15 in the voucher booklet) and I guessed that due to the nature of this stream most of the rain would have travelled through in to the River Wye so I geared up and set off down the steep gorge to find it running relatively clear and a perfect level.

Marker posts guiding the way down the gorge to the beat start.

If you ever get to fish this beat you will appreciate how spectacular the backdrop of this stream is but as a consequence you will also have to endure a gruelling trek through some pretty rugged terrain. If you manage to make the end of the beat with any energy left then the walk back to the car will surely drain the last ounce from you.

Described by the Foundation as "real mountain stream fishing and a challenge to the most hardy...pure escapism!" which I think pretty much sums it up.

Stuffed full of small trout (which fight like hell) of which a 10" fish would be deemed a bonus...give it a try if you dare, but give yourself a full day!

River levels on the Irfon had dropped back on Sunday allowing me to target some Grayling using the French Nymphing method which rounded off the weekend nicely.

HookPoint - Multi-Tool

2011-06-13T20:24:00.004+01:00

OK, it has to be said that when I see something that catches my eye then I generally have to take a closer look, and when I first glanced at the 'HookPoint' I knew I had to find out more as to what this fly fishing/tying aid was all about.

Upon purchasing the HookPoint it became clear that this was a well thought out and designed bit of kit.

It was developed and is now marketed and sold by Microvista Products Ltd where inventor Dr Andrew Worthington felt that there was a use for a pocket magnifying tool which enabled anglers on the bank to identify any issues with the sharpness of their hook point (a common problem that we are often not aware of until its too late). It was also developed to aid with other 'in situ' problems that we can sometimes encounter whilst out fishing.

Ceramic hook sharpener and picking tool

After several weeks trying out this product I would say that one of the areas of interest for me has to be the crystal clear x6 magnification you get which when used with the integral LED light enables close detailed viewing of any nymphs or flies you may wish to inspect for positive identification.

Photo taken by placing the lens of my camera on the Hookpoint eyepiece

If you are a budding entomologist or like me someone who has a fascination with the life our rivers contain then you will no doubt find the 'HookPoint' a worthwhile tool to carry around with you.

The HookPoint has been recently reviewed in both 'The Trout & Salmon' and 'Fly Fishing & Fly Tying' magazines and if you happen to be attending the BFFI (British Fly Fair International) this coming weekend (18th/19th June) then you can check it out yourself at The Microvista Products Ltd stand and see what you think.

To find out exactly what the HookPoint is all about head over to the website where there is all the information you need,

http://www.microvistaproducts.com/

Environment Agency - River and sea levels

2011-06-10T00:54:00.003+01:00

With most of the UK rivers levels running severely low at the moment its always useful to detect any change that localised rain may have in raising them up a little.

Also on the flip side of the coin when we start to get some of the deluges we are more accustomed to its worth a quick check on this site to make sure the river you've got lined up to fish is not going to be bank high and unfishable..it may well save you a wasted journey!

This is a site I use quite a bit for up to the minute river levels for England and Wales.

Environment Agency - River and sea levels

New Stream To Explore

2011-06-03T09:36:00.002+01:00

Last weekend was quite an intensive fishing weekend due to the bank holiday, I concentrated on the smaller rivers due to the severe high winds which were whipping across the UK.

I got the chance to try out a Shropshire stream that I had not fished before and was very impressed with the quality of this little gem. Its one of those streams that you wouldn't even know was their when driving past it.

I had also planned a trip back to the River Edw which runs close to Builth Wells but when I arrived it was apparent that the rain that had fallen during the night had not found its way into this river and it was barely a trickle in parts. Fortunately in this area there are quite a few back up locations.

Simple, Effective Fly Patterns

2011-05-24T23:19:00.002+01:00

A few recently tied simple patterns that have proved very popular with the trout and grayling:

This dry sedge pattern (tied in large sizes) was shown to me last year by a friend who swore by it, stating that when there is very little rising it has the ability to pull fish off the bottom...he wasn't wrong. Works equally well for trout and grayling and is responsible for many of my recent fish.

Hook: #13 Tiemco 103bl

Thread: UTC 70 Tan

Tail/Shuck: EP Trigger Point International Fibers

Body: Squirrel

Underwing: Tiemco Aero Dry Wing

Wing: Elk/Deer Hair

Thorax: Squirrel

Variation of above for when the sedge hatching are darker

A couple of simple midge/smut patterns which can be effective when fish seem to be rising at nothing visible.

Hook: #20 Tiemco 2487

Thread: UTC 70 Black

Post: Tiemco Aero Dry Wing

Body: Flyrite #2 Black

Parachute: Grizzle Hackle

Thorax: Orvis Hare'e Ice Dubbing

Hook: #20 Tiemco 2487
Thread: UTC 70 Black

Body: One Strand Of Peacock Herl (wrapped around thread to strengthen)

Wing: Two Natural CDC Feathers

Thorax: Orvis Hare'e Ice Dubbing

Holiday Highlights

2011-05-03T00:11:00.001+01:00

The last four days have consisted of trips to the River Usk, River Wye and two Wye tributaries, all days were quite testing fishing under the conditions but with some memorable highlights...photos below:

Spectacular waterfall on the Upper River Usk at Cefn Rhosan Fawr.

Me wondering how many fish must be lurking down there but failing to catch them!

More of the beautiful River Usk.

Eagle eyed Nick...waiting for a trout to give itself up!

My first Yellow May Dun (Heptagenia sulphurea) spotted on the 1st of May.

Large Brook Dun (Ecdyonurus torrentis).

Fish of the weekend...taking a #18 Pheasant Tail Nymph.

One of a shoal of Minnow (Phoxinus Phoxinus) in full breeding colour.

Gale force winds making a normally placid Wye look like the Atlantic shoreline!

Nearly Dry Wye

2011-04-20T22:52:00.000+01:00

Last weekend I took in a couple of visits to a beat of the River Wye well upstream of my usual haunt of Builth Wells, the river here under these rain starved conditions proved hard work with some of the pools hardly moving and trout wary of anything out of the ordinary.

The Wye takes on a much more rugged feel to it here with the riverbed strewn with large rocks and boulders covered in slimy algae which makes grip impossible and wading 'interesting' to say the least.

The bonus of this part of the river is that the sight of a Red Kite of Buzzard soaring overhead is rarely far away and the landscape in this part of Mid Wales can be stunning.

I did managed to connect with a few of the trout over the 2 days and also quite a few of the still active Grayling readily taking dries off the surface including what would have been a personal best fish for me although I only took a couple of photos and returned it quickly without any weight or accurate measurement. I have duly noted the location so I can return during the Grayling season and hopefully meet up with him again.

With Easter just around the corner we all usually long for some decent weather but I can't help hoping for a good downpour to arrive soon...especially with a planned trip to the Upper Usk in just over a week.

Trout On The Move

2011-04-08T19:44:00.000+01:00

The trout were starting to show themselves a little more as I took a trip to a Shropshire stream for a few hours indulgence on Thursday afternoon.

Fishing the duo method I caught nine fish in total with only one taking the dry (which had actually sunk below the surface before the fish took it).

Everything is starting to look good now with plenty of flies coming off the surface, the birds, butterflies and bees were in abundance and I really got the feeling that some good dry fly action was just around the corner.

Fishing With Furled Leaders

2011-04-04T00:12:00.000+01:00

I had been anticipating casting at some rising fish so I could test some Furled Leaders I had recently acquired from mrtrout who is a regular poster on the flyforums website. I was very impressed with the quality of these leaders when I received them and was just looking for the right opportunity to 'field test' them.

As instructed by Steven (mrtrout) these leaders just need treating with Mucilin floatant before fishing and they should float fine...well he wasn't wrong there, one treatment at the beginning and that was it. It lay perfect on the surface all day.

On Saturday I was armed with my 7' #4 rod with a 3' furled leader and 4' tippet attached...I was exploring a new piece of water on a Wye tributary that I have access to and early afternoon when I arrived there was a superb hatch of Large Dark Olives which were being readily taken...unfortunately as I soon found out the rising fish seemed to be all Grayling (where were you all winter when I needed you!). A few small trout were caught later but nothing that put a bend in the rod.

Sunday I was back on the Upper Wye with my 9' #5 rod with a 5' furled leader and 5' of tippet and the Grannom hatch seems to be well underway, it was an afternoon of sunshine and showers with very little of the former! When the sun did emerge briefly from the rain clouds the Grannom seemed to immediately respond and swarm to the surface triggering a few rises. Again it was to be mostly Grayling but I was rewarded when a fantastic early season brownie that sipped my CDC dry off the top and gave a great fight.

Grannom...seeking refuge from the rain

The furled leaders performed superbly for both dry fly and duo methods and I'm sure will now play a major part of this season’s trout fishing.

Last Bite Of The Cherry

2011-03-13T22:38:00.001Z

Its been a long, cold winter and my Grayling fishing has been nothing short of disappointing. On Saturday I took a last ditch attempt to put a bend in my recently acquired Greys Streamflex 10' #4 with a few hours on the River Wye in Mid-Wales.

Fortunately the fish were not too put off with the low and clear river and as I arrived there were one or two flies coming off the water prompting a couple of fish to venture to the surface. After taking a couple of small Grayling on a dry olive pattern it was a change to a team of three weighted nymphs that brought a few more with a couple of Grayling to put a proper bend in the Streamflex.

Bedraggled March Brown (Rhithrogena germanica)

Time now to look forward to what the trout season has to offer, with the heavy weighted flies back in the box for a while and the dry fly box in the top pocket ready to test some new patterns.

Upper River Wye

2011-03-07T09:23:00.001Z

An early morning walk along the river is always a joy for most anglers but sometimes the scenery makes it extra special as is always the case when I walk along the part of the Upper River Wye just upstream from Builth Wells.

'The Rocks'

This part of the river is known as 'The Rocks' and the river here tumbles and twists through a deep rocky gorge which makes for some stunning scenery. The Salmon had once run in good number up here late in the season but the recent down turn in the Wye salmon run has unfortunately made it a bit of a lottery to catch one...I really do hope things improve in the future..but I'm not holding my breath.

Faithful Companion - 'Joe'

Fishermans Hut

With the river looking so nice it was only natural to have a few hours fishing in the afternoon. I decided on a spot downstream of Builth Wells and although the Trout season was underway there was a distinct feeling that winter was reluctant to give way to spring.

The water was ice cold and my temperature gauge had given a lowest overnight reading of -5.7deg, with a chilling upstream breeze I certainly wasn't expecting any trout action.

Always nice to see these little fellas about

As it turned out there was no sign of a trout but fortunately some of the Grayling were still keen to take my offerings. Fishing a team of tungsten nymphs attached to a sensitive braid line seemed to do the trick and I ended with a tally just nudging into double figures, no big fish but after what has been a dour winters' Grayling fishing it was worth enduring the freezing temperatures.

The Simple Way Of Fly Fishing That Is Tenkara

2011-02-23T09:14:00.001Z

I've been reading quite a bit lately about an ultra simplistic style of fishing known as Tenkara, a traditional Japanese style of fishing which seems to be gaining a lot of followers in the western world.

To briefly outline the principles of Tenkara...it involves nothing more than an extremely light telescopic rod which extends between 11ft - 13ft6in in length (and closes down to 20") to which a long leader and tippet is added to the end (approximately the length of rod or longer). The fly or flies are then attached. No reel is used when fishing Tenkara.

20" overall length when closed

Traditional hand woven leader

The appealing aspect of Tenkara is that it requires a minimal amount of tackle which can be carried in a small pouch, together with a lightweight rod that will close down to 20" in overall length this offers the roving angler total freedom to wander unhindered.

If I'm honest I would have to admit that Tenkara's simple approach takes me back to a childhood time of fishing some local waters with a wooden stick, some line, a hook and a lump of bread trying to catch some of the resident fish.

I fancy that at some point in the future I will be trying out the Tenkara style of fishing, if so I'll be sure to let you know how I get on.

If you want to find out more then there is a wealth of information HERE

Tenkara Basics - Instructions and Lines from Tenkara USA on Vimeo.

Tenkara fly-fishing from Tenkara USA on Vimeo.

All photos and videos courtesy of TenkaraUSA

Rising River Woes

2011-02-14T09:24:00.000Z

Saturday was a lovely spring-like day with warm temperatures and most rivers running at good fishing levels...unfortunately for me this day was tied up doing other things leaving Sunday to 'wave the wand'.

The forecast wasn't looking good with widespread rain predicted for my destination in the Welsh Marches but we decided to give it a go.

To be fair the river looked ok when we arrived but the rain was falling hard and there was a lot of surface water lying on the roads and fields.

It was soon apparent that this was going to be a short fishing session and after a couple of fruitless hours we made the best of the riverside Inn to sample the local ales.

I am now starting to turn my thoughts towards the start of the trout season and long for those days when I can feel the heat from the sun on my back. This winters fishing has been a real struggle and even when the rivers have looked right the fish have been hard to catch.

The only living thing hooked!

Stripping Peacock Quills

2011-02-06T23:07:00.001Z

My latest experimenting with my fly tying has involved stripping, bleach and rubber! You guessed it...I've been attempting some of the fantastic flies that I have seen on some of the forums which incorporate the use of a stripped peacock quill to create the effect of a segmented body.

The way in which you should take carry this out is really down to what you find best yourself. I have read many different processes that people undertake to strip the fluff from their quills and I would have to say that they all end up with similar results.

The following is my process based on my limited experience but its a way I find works well for me:

First important thing is to ensure that you select the 'right' type of feather, look for a large eye...you then need to look at the colour of the quills, this is best done by gently squeezing between thumb and forefinger whilst looking at the back (dull side) of the eye. You should see a nice lighter shade appear.

I then cut out enough quills to more than cover the amount of flies I intend to tie with them.

This next step is open to a bit of debate as to the best way to do it, the way I found works is to mix up a solution of 1/3rd household bleach to 2/3rds warm water then soak the quills for around 10 minutes of so. Some say that bleach weakens the quill but I have found no problems diluted to these proportions.

This will start to remove the fluff and you will see the water start to change colour as it gets to work on the quills. Most importantly I think the bleach in the solution alters the shade of the quills making them brighter which adds to the effect of the finished fly. The quills then need to be washed out thoroughly to remove all traces of the bleach solution.

Some tyers will be happy just to use a rubber to remove the fluff, others will just soak in water and there are others who use a different solution to remove the fluff...as I say its what you find suits you best.

I then finish off by gently rubbing an eraser along the length of the quill on both sides to remove the remainder of the fluff.

This leaves the quill looking bright and shiny and ready to be used.

The end result produces a body that looks pleasing to the eye and offers a realistic segmentation. (this fly is tied on a Tiemco 103BL #17)

Little & Large

2011-01-31T23:03:00.000Z

Fly tying for me is all about inspiration...I may have an urge to try out a material I've not used before, or see a pattern someone else has tied that is 'my kind of fly' and then try to replicate it, sometimes the inspiration will come from a desire to create my own 'killer pattern', either way I find that I tie better with an ultimate goal in mind.

This fly was create after seeing something similar on the UK fly dressing forum. Tied on a #10 heavy buzzer hook and containing 2 tungsten beads of 4mm + 3.5mm (1 buried in the thorax). This is for use on those big rivers where pace and depth call for such heavy bugs to be used, predominately for winter Grayling fishing.

The following flies were tied really just as an experiment in tying the 'smaller' sizes of fly which I have not done much of and an area which I really need to get to grips with. Tied on #22 which is still a long way off from the miniature flies tied by the likes of Andy Baird but one small step in the right direction for me.

Back On River Clun

2011-01-24T13:45:00.000Z

After a couple of weeks going stir crazy waiting for the river levels to subside after the recent rain/snow melt it was a welcome change to be once again back out Grayling fishing on one of the rivers of the Welsh Marches.

Today (Sunday 23rd) 3 of us went to tackle the River Clun and found the water pushing through quite hard but it was certainly fishable with the colour dropping out nicely so expectations were initially positive.

We split up and covered a large section of the river, I managed to latch into an 8 inch Grayling quite early and thought it might be a good sign for the rest of the day...how wrong!

A few hours later I met up with my brother who was fishing upstream of me and we exchanged a few choice expletives in reference to the days fishing thus far...he had not had a single touch all day. We went on and fished another area upstream we had both caught well from before where I managed to connect with another 2 fish after calling it a day.

After meeting back up with my mate who had fished well downstream of me and to be told he had also had a fishless day we knew that there was only one thing for it...a pint or two and snacks at the local hostelry and a brief debate on the reasons for the poor fishing.

The final conclusion was that these rivers are still in recovery mode after what has been a few weeks of severe weather conditions combined with the fact that in reality fishing this time of the year often results in a lack of fish.

Regardless of the fishing it was great to be back in the river again and with spring not far round the corner there is sure to be plenty to look forward to.

Upper Welsh Dee

2011-01-01T14:43:00.000Z

A trip out today on the Upper Welsh Dee was just what was needed to get the mind back focused on the winter Grayling fishing I've missed over the last couple of weeks due to unnatural river conditions (frozen over!).

We headed to a stretch I'd not fished before along with a couple of lads from the Sea Trout Forum and although the river was running a little higher than we would have liked we still managed to connect with a handful of Grayling...with a couple of the fine specimens this river seems to hold.

Paul(squirrelblue) with the biggest Grayling of the day

Hoppy playing what we thought might be a monster Grayling...

...turned out to be a totally alien species(Rainbow Trout) for this river

Although I had managed to connected with a couple of the larger fish I never had them on long enough to get them in the net, but glad to get a photo of the ones that were caught.

This beauty turned out to be the last fish for 2010 for Hoppy.

With a couple of days left of the christmas break and the river levels dropping I fancy there may well be another excursion to the Dee valley before the return to work.

PS. Happy New Year to all who visit this blog.

Cormorants And Sawbills - A Serious Threat To Salmonids

2010-12-20T23:40:00.000Z

I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling a sense of utter despair when I arrive at a favoured fishing spot only to be met by a flock of Cormorants or Goosanders flapping across the top of the water trying to take off with their fish filled stomachs.

Not so long ago this was a scene that you would never have dreamt could happen on a tree lined small tributary but nevertheless it has now become quite a common sight on some of the waters I fish in the Welsh Marches.

I'm aware that these birds have been feeding on our inland waters for many many years, but the concern is that numbers have increased dramatically in the last couple decades to what is now an over-wintering population in the region of 25,000 birds in the UK

An all too familar sight above the rivers of the Welsh marches

The fact that these birds are now feeding in quite substantial numbers on our smaller tributaries will undoubtedly have a severe effect on the future wild fish stocks, these rivers & streams are the spawning grounds for Salmonids and the sanctuary and protection that these streams once offered has now diminished.

A survey by Swansea University found that most fisheries have a problem with Cormorants. Dr Dan Forman, who led the study, said that just eight birds could kill 100 fish in a single session. The birds will return to sites three or four times a day, until stocks are exhausted.

When you consider these facts then you begin to realise how the finely balanced eco-system of these rivers could well be on a road to ruin if left unchecked.

The remains in the stomach of a culled Cormorant

The purpose of this blog entry is to further highlight the problem...I don't confess to having any surefire solutions but I feel that this is potentially a far bigger problem than the likes of DEFRA, Natural England, RSPB and some of the other decision makers even realise.

The non lethal deterrents suggested to help fisheries protect their fish such as underwater refuges, noise generating scarers and automatic scarecrows are extremely difficult to implement on rivers and the existing limits that are licenced to be killed seem to make very little difference.

An amazing sequence of photos captured by amateur photographer Stewart Canham

I would suggest that a big step forward might be for these organisations to consult more closely with angling clubs whose members are encountering first hand the numbers of birds on these rivers and the effect they are having.

Very informative reading on the subject here

River Arrow - Herefordshire

2010-12-15T11:44:00.000Z

Managed to fit in a mid-week excursion to the delightful River Arrow near to Leominster thanks to an invite from fellow blogger Peter Anderson.

The river here meanders through the Herefordshire countryside creating some very interesting water with many riffles and deep pools to search out.

Things started very slow for both of us but as so often happens when Grayling fishing at this time of year you find a pool with some feeding fish in and can take quite a few fish in no time at all.

We ended the day with some very nice Grayling between us and Peter managing to net a real beauty which we estimated at around the 2 1/2lb mark.

My Inspired Project

2010-11-30T22:17:00.000Z

I've been tying flies for almost 2 years now and have been using a rotary style vice bought off eBay for about £15. To be honest it has served me well and has helped produce many flies in that time, but there are one or two things that annoyed me with the design and the ergonomics of it.

Fly tying is a hobby that is destined to be a part of my life for the foreseeable future so I'd planned to use my visit to this years BFFI to have a close look at a couple of the vices I'd chosen to be potential candidates for replacing the old model.

To be honest I was impressed with what I saw and found it hard to walk away without a purchase but I think that looking at the vices gave me the realisation that for someone that has spent his whole working life involved in engineering then I should really try and come up with my own creation.

Its a thought I had considered before but the awareness of the amount of time that such a project would take had led me to the route of considering a purchase rather than making my own.

Anyway...after plenty of thought and scribbled sketches and a few weeks of working 'after hours' on the vice I came up with a prototype which was later tweaked to produce the finished product. I have given it some quite extensive testing over the last week and I am finding it a joy to use.

Regardless of how happy I am with the vice I have to report that the quality of my flies has unfortunately remained at the same standard, but I'm sure to enjoy the practising that little bit more.

A few of the recent flies tied on the new vice

The BFFI & Autumn On The Clun

2010-11-01T00:14:00.002Z

Saturday

The annual British Fly Fair International 2010 was again held at Trentham Gardens in Stoke over the weekend and put on a fine display of all things fly-tying.

This is a great event for catching up on what new materials are available and stocking up on a few supplies...I normally end up leaving with far more than I planned! I managed to resist the temptation of walking away with a new vice but I'm sure its only a matter of time.

This event also gives you the opportunity to watch some of the elite fly-tyers and quiz them on some of their techniques. For me 'tyers row' is what makes the show special with Dave Wiltshire & Andy Baird demonstrating some extremely eye-catching flies, its was also nice to put a face to a few people I met from the Flyforums.

Andy Baird - Master at the art of micro flies.

Seasoned favourite at the show - Oliver Edwards

Next year's event sees a change of venue to the County Showground Stafford and will now be earlier in the year in June.

Sunday

I couldn't resist rounding the weekend off with a little Grayling fishing on the superb River Clun. Warm temperatures, little wind and the most stunning Autumn colours paved the way to a very productive few hours.

The warmer temperatures had spurred on some flies to hatch which led to a few fish coming to the surface, although a change to dry fly with a small nymph below proved that the majority of these fish were out of season trout so it was back on with the tungsten bugs to get down to where the Grayling were feeding.

Out of season but fighting fit and in beautiful condition

With the clocks going back one hour it all seemed to end too early but the drive back home gave me time to try and think of a possible new Grayling fly to tie up using my new stock of materials!

Grayling On The Rise

2010-09-26T22:40:00.067+01:00

After some recent heavy rain it was going to be a close call as to whether the planned fishing on the River Wye & River Irfon was going to be a bit of a struggle. Myself and fellow club member Nick had arranged to visit both these rivers on Saturday and after walking along both rivers on Friday evening I was hoping that some of the colour would drop out overnight.

When we met in the morning the Irfon was looking almost perfect but the Wye was still carrying quite a bit of colour but the level was was OK to enable some relatively safe wading on the gravel areas.

The plan was to fish the Irfon first then head to the Wye in the afternoon giving it a chance to improve a little...those plans went out the window when we spotted rising fish in one of the pools we were observing on the Wye, too much temptation to resist so we carefully waded in and began to pick off the rising fish one by one. It turned out to be quite a large pod of Grayling and on a big river like the Wye this could be in excess of a couple of hundred fish.

We later headed on to the River Irfon where the Grayling were also eager to feed of the surface and dry fly tactics were again taking many of the Grayling...Grffiths Gnat & Caddis patterns doing most of the damage.

Sunday afternoon I returned to the River Irfon but this time a fair bit further upstream and found the river in perfect autumn condition after a heavy frost overnight, Grayling were again willing to take flies off the top so I started with a size #18 Griffiths Gnat which had been very successful the day before but the Grayling were reluctant to take it so I switched to a caddis pattern tied by Nick and given to me the day before.

It seemed to make the difference with many decent sized Grayling finding it irresistible. It floated extremely well in the faster turbulent water and Grayling were taking it with some aggression.

A very successful weekend on rivers that a day before would have been almost impossible to fish.

Memorable End To The Season

2010-09-19T23:43:00.000+01:00

I was itching to get back to some small stream fishing after a few weeks of flooded rivers and other commitments that keep me otherwise occupied. I had to visit Fishtec in Brecon early on Saturday morning and decided to fill the rest of the day indulging in my favourite passion.

I choose to target a small Usk tributary that I'd never fished before although I had previously walked along parts of it and spotted fish rising fish so anticipation was high. Conditions were absolutely perfect with plenty of water still in the river after the recent floods.

This river had everything I liked in small stream fishing...fast riffles, deep pools, plenty of cover and as I soon found out a good concentration of wild brown trout.

Nearly all of the likely looking places yielded some pristine wild brownies with some fish measuring up to 15". Moving up stream was slow due to the sheer amount of 'fishable' water and the willingness of the trout to take what I offered.

The trout were some of the prettiest I've had the pleasure to catch with many red spots and also bright red markings on the tip of the Adipose fin and the lower side of the Caudal fin.

After working my way through a few different fly combinations I settled on a duo method comprising of a #18 klinkhamer with a #16 tungsten bead head pheasant tail nymph below fished at depths between 12"-36" depending on the depth of water.

All this as well as a spot of Grayling fishing on the River Irfon and a short spell Salmon fishing on the River Wye (no hook ups unfortunately) made for a very memorable weekend.

To stock or not?

2010-08-13T09:42:00.001+01:00

Recent outings have been based around the Rivers Wye & Irfon mostly fishing the 'French Nymphing' style, last weekend I choose a more gently flowing stretch of the upper River Wye and after seeing a few fish rising I opted for the Duo approach fishing a caddis for the dry with a tungsten beadhead nymph below.

I started connecting with quality fish immediately but here's the problem (and the reason for this post) the majority of the fish were stocked fish and of a really poor quality with little fight in them due to the lack of properly formed fins.

A couple of the stocked fish suffering from deformed fins

I have fished this bit of water many times but never encountered such a glut of 'stockies' in fact this is normally a very productive area with lots of natural fish to catch (I once caught 50+ fish here including Grayling, Trout & Dace!). I did manage to also hook a few of the natural residents but felt they were struggling to compete for the offerings.

My point really is: what is the purpose of introducing so many of these large stock fish to a relatively healthy river when they are obviously going to be competing for most of the natural food normally taken by the wild population.

Small...but beautifully formed wild Brown Trout

The enjoyment level from an angling point of view is very short lived and you end up trying to find ways not to catch them...with an eventual exit from the river in frustration. Fortunately the stocked fish do not seem to stray to far from the place they were introduced so I will now target the areas well away and get back to nature.

A French Lesson

2010-07-12T08:35:00.000+01:00

I often hear about new techniques or methods in fly fishing that I feel I should perhaps look a little bit deeper into, well 'French Nymphing' was definitely one of those things.

Having witnessed its effectiveness recently during the Commonwealth Fly Fishing Championships I decided it was time to put it to the test. I purchased the necessary bits and pieces and read what information was available on the Internet...most of which was obtained from The FlyFishingPoint website which is a great starting point for anyone interested in learning more about this style of fishing.

A long rod with a soft action is key to maximising the potential and my 10' 6" #5 was perhaps one or two AFTM ratings too high (going by the number of bounce offs I had), but enabled me to get to grips with the concept.

Target rivers last weekend were the River Irfon & the upper River Wye both in desperate need of some water...both perfect to test the French Nymphing technique. I fished 2 small tungsten head nymphs (#16/18) on a 1.5 metre long tippet which was separated by the hi-viz braided indicator from the 9 metre long tapered leader.

Ideal water to try out 'French Nymphing'

I was nothing short of shocked how this method caught fish from water that you could easily ignore and out of a total of three sessions (including one of my best ever Wye Grayling catches) the results have confirmed to me that this can be a deadly method.

One of two double 'hook ups' I had from the River Wye

As with all styles of fly fishing it has its day, this is possibly not really a method for slow moving water or small stream fishing with over-hanging trees and snaggy riverbeds...but on its day it will out score most other conventional fly fishing disciplines. Give it a go and see for yourself.

New Zealand In Herefordshire

2010-07-05T23:24:00.002+01:00

Approaching this small river in Herefordshire I could tell that my tactics for this Sunday afternoon were going to need a little thought.

I've not seen the River Lugg as low as this for a long time and as I walked downstream I could see that there were plenty of fish in the faster, more oxygenated water but were all nervous and darting for cover at the slightest sound or movement.

The 'New Zealand' style of fishing is basically where a small nymph (#16 or smaller) is tied on to a length of line around 12"-24" long and then tied to the bend of the hook on a dry fly (Klinkhamer works extremely well). The dry fly helps to support the nymph and also acts as an indicator to detect the slightest of takes.

There is a well written article here

Under such situations where the majority of the water is 2ft deep or less this method is deadly because it creates the minimum amount of disturbance and as long as your approach is with stealth the fish will readily take both nymph and dry.

I ended with good quantities of both Trout and Grayling, although I have always found that most of the 'Moms & Dads' of the Grayling world tend to lie in the deeper water where a totally different method is called for...I shall hopefully return soon to try and tempt one or two to give themselves up.

River Edw - Hergest Beat

2010-06-20T20:59:00.010+01:00

Saturday saw yet another small stream ramble on the River Edw - W&UF beat R13. I have a bit of a soft spot for this river due to the exceptionally pretty location and the abundance of plenty of small fiesty wild trout.

With low, clear water every moment again had to be delivered with stealth but that in itself is part of the enjoyment of the day when the reward is a hard fighting fish.

This well marked trout was as big as they got.

The larger fish this little river holds were definately not showing themselves and will wait for a little rain to bring more colour & water before having the confidence to feed during the day.

Female - Calopteryx virgo - Beautiful Demoiselle

Small Stream Overload

2010-06-13T23:02:00.018+01:00

Last weekends excursions were based solely around fishing small streams. First up was an early morning start on the river Clun in Shropshire, one of my favourite little rivers due to the fact that it holds a good head of both wild brown trout & grayling allowing for all year round fishing.

The river was holding a little colour after the recent rain which gave the fish that little more confidence to feed freely in the open water. With fish rising from the off the dry fly or duo approach is always a safe as was the case for much of the time, with only a couple of quite moments before I had to retire for a midday fishing meeting at a local hotel.

After the meeting (and a spot of lunch washed down with a cool cider) I headed off with fellow club member Steve to fish another stretch of the same river plenty of rising fish again generating a decent amount of sport right up 'til dusk. The long day ended with a drive to Mid-Wales ready for my next 'small stream' encounter.

River Clettwr

This was one I'd planned on doing for a while now after walking part of the stretch previously I finally got round to setting a day aside to tackle this wild and rugged small stream.

This is a Wye & Usk Foundation beat that is described in the passport booklet as the following: "This is real mountain stream fishing and a challenge to the most hardy. It can be, however, extremely rewarding to those willing to try! Pure escapism, you won’t know the joys of this stream until you have fished it. Go with a small brook rod and be prepared for a climb". Well I would say that sums up this beat quite well although I would also add that if you intend to fish the whole beat allow yourself a full day, it really is a challenge to get to the end of this beat (and also to find your way back!).

The majority of the stretch runs through a deep valley gorge and is constantly cascading down steep inclines which create dramatic waterfalls and deep pools stuffed full of wild brown trout.

The water is crystal clear and the fish are ultra wary so stealth is key to connecting with these fish. It can't be stressed enough how important this is, most of the false casting is kept to a minimum and normally performed knelt down or squat on a boulder to keep a low profile. If you spook these fish then you might as well carry on to the next pool.

The day was an adventure from start to finish and I eventually returned to the car feeling totally drained but with a sense of achievement that I was able to conquer the fishing and terrain of this beautiful bit of water.

River Towy - Abercothi Estate

2010-06-07T19:33:00.005+01:00

Last weekend I had my first ever attempt at Sea Trout fishing and although I ended the session fishless I must say that the whole experience has left me with a desire to add this fish to my catch list sometime soon.

To be honest I don't think I could have fished a better venue with 400+ Sewin caught on this beat last year the Abercothi beat on the River Towy is prime Sea trout fishing. It was described ‘Best in Britain’ by the Salmon and Trout Magazine (1990).

Head ghillie Cyril Fox has an amazing knowledge of this venue with countless years experience on the beat and just before dark talked me through the pools I was to fish...where was safe to wade, places to cast, best lies etc.

Although there were no fish caught they were undoubtedly in the river with many splashes heard through the early hours but with the desperately low water the odds were agaist us.

Outside the fishing lodge at Abercothi

I look forward to a return here soon and hope my luck changes for the better.

Late In The Day

2010-06-01T21:10:00.006+01:00

I have been spending the last few weekends trying to get my head around some very hard to catch rising fish on a very low and clear section of the upper River Wye.

Daytime fishing in these conditions can leave you going home with very limited success, but if you leave your fishing until the sun is disappearing below the horizon then great rewards can be had.

I am convinced that the larger trout spend most of the day hidden away under bankside crevices or sheltered in the deeper parts of the riverbed when the river becomes low and clear and only venture out when they feel safe to do so.

At this time of year this part of the river has a superb hatch of Yellow Mays (Heptagenia sulphurea) and these flies are emerging well into the evening along with many sedges and a mass of midges which can instantly transform the surface water into life with hungry fish.

As the sun sets the fish are without doubt much more confident to feed and with a little perseverance trying different methods and flies you can eventually hit on something that brings immediate results.

A normally hard to catch chub falling to a GRHE nymph

I would add that there is no sure fire method that will catch fish all year round but I'm confident that what I have learned the last few weeks will definitely work under similar conditions in the future.

LWD (Large Woody Debris)

2010-05-09T21:49:00.008+01:00

Although we all mostly enjoy being able to trundle our nymphs along the river bed without the fear of getting snagged up on some sunken branches there is a school of thought that far from being a hindrance large Woody Debris (LWD) and also Coarse Woody Debris (CWD) is highly beneficial for the whole Eco-system of our rivers.

In the past, on most fishing clubs 'bank clearing days' fallen trees or sunken logs obstructing club waters were swiftly removed to leave trouble free riverbeds, but research has shown that the careful introduction of LWD has huge benefits to both the fish and invertebrate life of the river system and also helps reduce bank side erosion.

A small river I frequently fish in Shropshire is a very good example of the benefits of LWD. It can be very frustrating to fish but once you plot a mental map of the areas to avoid the overall fishing experience is greatly improved with higher than average catch rates.

Just two of many fish taken on both nymph & dry this weekend.

In my mind there is no doubt that this is the way forward to improve our rivers natural fish stocks and create a more harmonious balance between catching a few more fish and losing a few more flies.

More informative PDF file HERE.

Riverfly Partnership Course

2010-05-05T23:00:00.011+01:00

I was fortunate to be able to participate in a one day course run by the Riverfly Partnership which is aimed at providing fisherman with the training to carry out controlled invertebrate monitoring of our waterways.

The whole event took place thanks to some hard work by the 'Severn Rivers Trust' in securing lottery funding to finance the 2 one day courses which were run in the picturesque town of Craven Arms in Shropshire on the banks of the river Onny.

The very knowledgeable Dai Roberts was the Riverfly representative and tutor for the day, he has a great passion for the scheme and the importance for anglers to get first hand information about the health of the rivers they fish and be able to monitor any sudden changes in the invertebrate life. Dai was also accompanied by a couple of local Environment Agency officers.

With the knowledge now gained I will now be able to add my own small contribution to the scheme which is so important if we are able to act quickly enough when our river come under threat from pollution.

I managed to fit in a few hours on a nearby small river after the course where the fish were rising briefly as I started to fish and a few were taken on both dry & nymph...perfect end to a good day.

One For The Future

2010-04-26T08:43:00.005+01:00

Due to some 'domestic' duties I had to carry out in Abergavenny I found myself with a spare couple of hours on my hands so I had the ideal opportunity to take a stroll along some of the nearby Usk waters.

The Usk is on my 'must fish' list for this year so I was looking forward in getting a little closer to her. I was not dissapointed...greeted by swarms of Grannom and rising fish on a still morning I could already start to feel the beginnings of what could become more than just a casual affair.

Delving into the riverbed to investigate what invertebrate life there lurked beneath the rocks was a real eye opener, masses of shrimps, nymphs (hetagenid & stonefly mostly), bullheads..the river is positively alive with life, which probably account. for the couple of lumps I saw swimming around!

This mini-beast was a good inch long!

With the sun on my face and the lure of the river it was hard to leave but unfortunately I was required elsewhere, safe in the knowledge that a return is inevitable.

I also managed to fit in a couple of short outings on the River Wye on the club waters around Builth wells and although there were plenty of Grannom flies still coming off the water most of the surface activity seemed to be from the 'out of season' Grayling with plenty of unavoidable catches. The few trout caught all came to a small nymph.

River Edw Revisited

2010-04-12T08:59:00.014+01:00

I took another couple of visits to this cracking little stream that runs into the River Wye just below Builth Wells.

Fishing two beats on The Wye And Usk Foundation voucher scheme over the weekend I found this little gem still with the same magic as I remembered from fishing there last year.

These upland streams soon thin out after a few rainless days and I would certainly recommend a visit when the river is just starting to clear after a good rainfall.

The fishing was as I'd expected with trout having a go in the likely spots but really this river still needs a few weeks to get into top form.

The upper section (Hundred House) of the W&UF beats is very different from the lower beats with a much more gentle appearance and lots of slow meandering bends, it is definitely a place to target when the trout start feeding freely on the surface and fish are easier to target with a dry fly...its hard to get an ideal presentation whilst nymph fishing in slower water like this.

With a few vouchers still in my pocket I have a feeling I'm destined for another return in the near future.

March Madness

2010-03-29T20:55:00.008+01:00

I couldn't quite get my head around the fishing this weekend...a touch of Murphy's Law ("If anything can go wrong, it will").

Wherever there was an underwater snag or an overhanging branch then it wasn't long before it was adorned with a couple of nymphs hanging off it, these tight little streams can really test the patience sometimes.

Things started slow and even this poor
fella had given up waiting for me to catch!

The two rivers I fished in the Welsh Marches looked perfect, carrying a little water with a tinge of colour normally means a 'red letter day', but still the trout were refusing to respond.

Only three trout (+5 grayling) caught in two days on rivers that can produce more than that out of one pool.

Getting Ready For The Rise

2010-03-25T22:09:00.007Z

Mayfly Dun Patterns

This current lull period that we are in at the moment where the trout haven't got going yet has really got me daydreaming about things to come.

Mid May last year on the River Edw

I'm fortunate to work with someone with as great a passion for fly fishing as myself and most days deep discussions are had debating the forthcoming season and the expectation it brings.

We know that realistically we are still a few weeks from any serious chance of catching more than just one or two river brownies on the dry fly...so the anticipation got me sat down at the tying bench knocking up a couple of patterns that should be useful in the next couple of months or so.

Stewart spiders

Midge pattern using a technique demonstrated to me

recently where the hackle is wound around the tying

thread before laying down on the fly

Nostalgic Videos

2010-03-12T23:46:00.003Z

This is a copy of a post I recently put on the 'Fly fishing forums' website and thought that for those that do not visit that site then it was worth adding on here.

I came across these videos on Youtube depicting life on the River Wye and its tributaries through the eyes of 'seasoned' people who have grown up around these rivers and have nostalgic memories to share about them.

The first one highlights some amazing stories of bygone days of Wye salmon and in particular some of the poaching that took place - hard to believe that so many salmon could be taken from one place at one time, I'm sure this could not happen now!

The second video concentrates more on the ecology of the Wye & tribs with some very interesting stories.

Well done to those who contributed and put together these most enjoyable short films.

Rivers Got The Blues

2010-03-06T20:26:00.013Z

Well the end of the Grayling season is nearly upon us and although the trout season has already started on the Environment Agency catchment for the Wye area they are certainly not in too much of a mood to jolt themselves into any sort of action just yet.

Saturday I fished a tributary to the river Wye just on the Welsh borders, the colour of the water here takes on a most unusual turquoise hue this time of year and is typical of a lot of other streams in this area.

Although conditions seemed good the going proved to be a bit of a challenge, this has to be quite possibly the toughest time to fish our rivers with the Grayling going out of season and the Trout in a sort of torpor until temperatures get a bit higher.

The nice thing about this particular bit of water is there is a good average size of the Grayling with some real beauties to be caught.

After 6 hours of fairly intensive fishing I managed to net a total of 9 (including 2 trout) with a few more slipping the hook, although 4 of these fish were taken from one pool.

This I would say was quite typical of fishing this time of year...fish to be found in small pockets and long stretches of river seemingly fishless.

I now look forward to the coming months when the sun actually generates some warmth on the body and the dry fly is on the end of my tippet and not in a flybox buried deep in my vest pocket. Part of the pleasure of fly fishing is that every season has something that generates anticipation for the 'all year round' flyfisher.

Welsh Marches

2010-02-14T16:38:00.008Z

A small group of us took an eagerly anticipated trip to the rivers and streams of the Welsh Marches which ended with mixed results.

The river levels had dropped to almost perfect levels and the temperatures had risen over the last day or so. Everything seemed right but for whatever reason the fish were not really in the mood to respond.

There were three rivers targeted and the fishing started slow with little to show for the effort. The slight rise in temperatures mid afternoon seemed to stir a few into a feeding mode and although still not really 'up for it' they did generate a little excitement for one or two of us.

My tally for the day peaked at a dozen Grayling and the day ended with us all meeting up in a cosy country pub for a pint or two to discuss the days events...Mmm nice!!!

Klinkhamer Special SBS

2010-02-01T22:56:00.010Z

As a follow up to my last blog entry I have produced a step by step guide to how I tie my Klinkhamers, this is by no means the only way to tie Klinkhamers...I have seen many many different versions all of which have merit.

What I tried to achieve (as a realitive beginner) was to tie the pattern close to what Hans van Klinken originally tied. The body dubbing and hackle colours can be changed to represent different hatches.

Materials

Hook: #14-20 Partridge 15BNX Klinkhamer Extreme
Thread: UTC70 Tan
Wing Post: TMC Aero Dry Wing
Hackle: Good Quality Cock Grizzle (colour to suit)
Body: Flyrite #5 Rust
Thorax: Peacock Herl (3 Strands)
Thread: Danville's Spiderweb

Catch in the thread and then tie on the wing post material
just above where the hook is cranked using 'pinch and loop'
wraps.

Trim off waste post material with an angled cut
to aid smooth taper, put some wraps in front
of the post to force it into an upright position. Then
carefully wind thread up the post around 2 or 3 mm.

Catch in the hackle then wrap the stem up the post
to secure.

Wind the thread down to just short of halfway around
the bend in touching turns.

Apply dubbing to thread and wrap up the body
to just short of the wing post...creating a slight
taper as you go.

Tie in the peacock herl, then using hackle pliers
attached to both the thread & herl spin together
to create a herl rope.

Wrap the herl around the wing post to create a thorax,
then whip finish just behind the eye.

The hook then needs re-positioning vertical in the
vice and the spiderweb thread is then attached
just above the thorax.

The hackle then needs to be wrapped around the
post to create the parachute, do not over do this
process...2 or 3 wraps is normally enough.

The hackle is then tied off with the spiderweb and
consolidated with a couple of spots of varnish placed
at the base of the hackle and wing post. The excess
wing post is trimmed to the required length to finish off.

Time For Tying

2010-01-31T23:05:00.007Z

All plans of getting out on the river today were again scuppered by a day of heavy rain late in the week causing the rivers & streams in the welsh marches to rise beyond a realistic fishing level.

I could have travelled that extra distance to the spate rivers of Mid-Wales were the extra water would have passed through quickly but with the temperature well below zero and the roads looking very icy I decided instead to have a good session at the tying bench and after watching Andy Murray endure the wrath of Federer in the Australian Open final I set to work tying a few patterns.

Concentrating mainly on Klinkhamers I soon got into a rhythm and tied a selection of sizes from #14's to #20's. This was the first time I had tied any Klinks since my very early attempts as a beginner 12 months ago - and found it so much less frustrating this time...once you get a feel for the breaking strain of various threads and also having better materials & tools than I did back then the whole process becomes that much easier.

I also found a little time to experiment with a 'detached body' Mayfly pattern, something I'd not tried before but I will surely be setting aside some time in the future to try and master the technique (hopefully before the start of the big hatch in May).

Variation of one of my favourite Grayling Bugs.

Winter Wonderland On The Lugg

2010-01-10T20:40:00.009Z

No matter what the season the Lugg valley has always something special to offer. Today was no exception as three of us took the plunge on a return to this quiet stunning part of the UK.

The recent heavy snow made access possible only if you had 4 x 4 vehicle capabilities which fortunately one of us had...even then the lane down to this particular bit of river was a little hair-raising!

For Grayling fishing in these conditions there are some absolute necessities...plenty of thermal layers and a good supply of heavy tungsten nymphs, the leafless low hanging trees mean that you are almost guaranteed to adorn a few with some of your flies as was the case today (looks like another purchase from Joel at Tungsten Beads for a fresh supply).

The fishing was as expected with water temperatures extremely low the Grayling were tightly shoaled and not as willing to open there mouths, I managed to net three fine specimens which were all very welcome with the two other fisherman catching 4 & 9 (well done Colin on a good tally under arctic conditions).

When the snow starts to thaw we have a likelihood of the rivers becoming unfishable so this trip out was something to be savoured and with the right thermal protection, beautiful scenery and a few willing fish - extreme winter fishing really can be a wonderland.

Xmas Fishing Blues

2010-01-02T21:45:00.006Z

With the eagerly anticipated Christmas break well and truly over I have to say it ended with a little disappointment as far as Grayling fishing goes.

The 2 rivers that I had hoped to get really stuck into were plagued by rain just at the wrong times causing levels to remain high through most of the 12 days I stayed in Mid-Wales.

The upper River Wye was well over fishing level virtually throughout leaving me to concentrate my few fishing trips on the River Irfon.

My first outing was a new one for me...a relatively new Wye & Usk Foundation beat called Llwyn Einon. The lower part of this beat looks like it should be stuffed with Grayling but after 2 hours without a single pull on the leader and snow falling hard I called it a day.

A final 2 more trips lower down on the River Irfon produced a catch of 17 & 20 but the Grayling were still proving elusive with the majority of the fish caught being Trout. These trout were all in superb condition so I assume that they have already finished spawning.

It seems that since the start of November any chance of fishing has been very much the exception which really highlights the case for taking any opportunities we can when conditions allow us.

Good To Be Back

2009-12-20T20:31:00.006Z

Sub-zero temperatures, snow, biting cold wind, freezing cold water...absolute heaven. After something like 7 weeks where the rivers have been in an almost continual flood it was a joy to finally have the chance to flick out a team of Grayling bugs in the hope of a catching a few fish that hadn't been put off by the recent drop in water temperature.

A few hours on the wye on Saturday and an hour or so on Irfon on Sunday resulted in a total of a dozen fish...nothing big but all very welcome.

All 8 fish caught on the Wye took my recently tied V-Rib Pink Glister Grub so I think it may result in a few more being tied this week.

Biggest of the weekend (gloves have non-absorbent palm!!!)

With a bit of luck the river levels will remain fishable over the Xmas break so we can all catch up on a little Grayling therapy.

I hope this Salmon got the chance to spawn before the resident Otter had it for breakfast!

Magic Glass V-Rib Nymphs

2009-12-07T22:45:00.012Z

The last 4 or 5 weekends have been spent hoping and praying that the river levels would come right and allow us all to enjoy a few hours indulging in our favourite pastime, only to be told that 'more heavy rain was forecast' scuppering all plans to cast a fly.

The weather in Mid-Wales and around the Marches has wiped out any serious river fishing for over a month and with the water tables filled to capacity any further rain just keeps topping up the rivers to overflowing.

Time then to attempt my first Step By Step of a fly pattern using a material new to me...Veniards Magic Glass V-Rib is a exceptionally versatile material which brings nymph pattern to life and is easy to use even for a relative novice like myself.

Yellow 'Magic Glass' Grub

Hook - #12 Skalka G
Bead - 3.5mm Black Tungsten
Thread - UTC 70 Hopper Yellow
Tail - Grey Partridge
Breathers - Pale Yellow Ostrich Herl
Body - Magic Glass - V Rib (Yellow)
Extra Weight - 4 or 5 Turns of .60mm Lead Behind Bead
Thorax - Dark Olive Seals Fur

Tie in Partridge feather for tail.

Catch in Ostrich Herl and V-Rib, then add 4 or 5

turns of lead behind the tungsten bead and coat

it with a layer of varnish.

Wrap the body with the thread to form an even

tapered body.

Wind up the V-Rib material to form a

segmented body.

Then follow up with the Ostrich herl laying it

in the groove of the segments.

Apply the Seals Fur dubbing using the split

thread method.

Some variations using Veniards Magic Glass V-Rib

Same as above but without the herl body.

Using fluoro pink thread and shrimp pink V-Rib.

Partridge hackle added around collar.

Pink glister dubbing under V-Rib body.

'Free swimming' rhyacophila.

River Test - Grayling

2009-11-02T08:27:00.008Z

This was the one I'd been waiting for...the chance to target Grayling on a southern chalkstream and the destination was the famous River Test.

Three of us made the long journey south and a finer day you couldn't wish for, no rain, no wind and extremely mild for the time of year.

The river was running low but looked everything like I'd imagined having read all the many articles written about this legend of chalkstreams...manicured banks, fishing huts, quaint little foot bridges spanning across the crystal clear waters...you get the picture.

The walk down river was enough to get the juices well and truly flowing with shoals of Grayling easily spotted amongst the weed beds also the river was full of some monster trout which had obviously been stocked for the privileged few who were able to fish here during the trout season.

The day started slow with only the smaller specimens coming to hand, in between the Grayling the inevitable capture of some of the 'out of season' trout certainly got the heart pumping a little and any caught were carefully returned.

It gets quite frustrated when you can see these large Grayling in front of you but they don't even flinch when you carefully pass one of your 'killer' bugs passed their noses. Fortunately towards the end of the day as the light began to fade these fish became less wary and succumbed to my fly pattern.

The day ended all too soon and on the drive back we all reflected on our 'chalkstream' experience...the overall verdict was how soon we could book our next one!

Autumn Grayling Fishing

2009-10-12T09:20:00.016+01:00

When the leaves on the trees start to turn red & gold and the temperatures are telling you that going fishing will require some kind of thermal protection...something stirs within a lot of fly fisherman...the realisation that now is the time that the fly box with the heavy nymphs gets moved into the front pocket of the fishing vest.

I truly love this time of year and when conditions are right then great sport can be had as was this case this weekend.

Fishing two very different rivers but both with there own appeal the target fish was obviously the beautiful Grayling which are only too welcome to oblige this time of year (once you have located them).

Saturday was an early start and I had the company of Paul who runs the Sea Trout Fishing website & Sea Trout Forum and certainly knows how to catch a Grayling or two. On this day we caught many...with some real beauties for such a small river.

Sunday I was back on the River Irfon in Mid-Wales where the Grayling are much harder to find and tightly shoaled but when found you can normally take a few fish from the same spot without moving and can be very big.

Many 'out of season' trout also willing to take the bugs.

As the weeks go on and the temperature drops further then I'm sure the Grayling will only be too happy to provide the more hardy amongst us with some cracking sport...I for one have got the thermals and fleeces all ready to go.

Cluns Alien Invaders!

2009-09-14T22:08:00.010+01:00

Last Saturday myself and two others decided that a trip to the River Clun in Shropshire was in order so we headed towards the upper reaches where the river thins out a bit but previous experience told us that there were still plenty of good sized grayling along with the trout to be caught from the deeper pockets of water.

After our arrival at 7.30am we spread out along the 2 mile stretch and began fishing. The river was low and relatively clear and with the bright conditions the fish were going to be very nervous so stealth was a must to get the best out of the water.

The first decent pool I came to saw a couple of brownies come to hand taken on a small tungsten head pheasant tail nymph fished beneath a klinkhamer, then a little while later a couple more, nothing big but the trout on the Clun can weigh a fair bit more than trout caught on a lot of other waters due to the abundance of food available to them.

My journey upstream saw me under attack from a bombardment of missiles fired from the 'over-ripe' Himalayan Balsam (Impatiens Glandulifera) pods which stretch along most of this river bank, when these things go off it makes you glad you put your Polaroids on. Since its introduction into the UK from Asia during the late 1930's and its escape later in the 50's into the British countryside the spread has been phenomenal with few rivers escaping the invasion.

A switch to one of my favourite grayling bugs fished with a fair bit of weight in the deeper glides started to produce a few decent fish, the grayling along this river are a real eye opener...its hard to imagine where they all hide but I'm convinced that some of the deeper depressions in the riverbed can hold a substantial amount of fish and if they are not spooked then catching 2 or 3 from one spot is always on the cards.

Below: possibly the darkest trout I've ever caught.

Taken from right below a wall which is permanently in the shade.

Although there was plenty of flies coming off the water (mainly Stoneflies) the surface activity seemed restricted to the smaller specimens resulting in rather futile splashes at anything that was chucked at them.

Between the three of us we ended with a total of 44 fish with the majority of them being grayling, so under the conditions we all left happy and looking forward to our imminent return...hopefully when the Himalayan Balsam has died of a bit!

Wind Of Change

2009-08-12T16:57:00.004+01:00

I have noticed within the last couple of weeks that there is a significant swing in favour of Grayling in my catches. Generally most of the water I fish has a good head of Grayling in them but early to mid season catches have always been dominated by Brown Trout.

Last weekends four fishing outings (long weekend!) on both the Wye and Lugg are a prime example with the Grayling out-numbering the Trout by roughly 2 to 1. That included two trips with catches in excess of 20 fish.

The reason is obviously down to the amount of Grayling in the water to start with, combined with the fact that August is notoriously a difficult month to catch Trout with very little fly life coming off the water the trout are quite content to sit back a rest a little after their over indulgent gorging on the prolific early summer fly hatches.

The other notable thing is the quality of the fish I've caught recently, with many Grayling over the 14" mark...particularly on the river Lugg.

Its hard to believe that this beautiful fish was persecuted on some waters in the past in order to try and maintain a 'trout only' fishery when the Grayling offers (in my opinion) an equal if not sometimes more enjoyable quarry as the Brown Trout.

The other big bonus is that this hard fighting fish allows the more hardy of us to fly fish through the winter months on rivers where they are present increasing our season to a full 12 months...All hail the mighty Thymallus thymallus!!!

Grayling On The River Ithon

2009-07-27T21:12:00.016+01:00

With all the recent rain it was difficult to find anywhere to fish over the weekend. With the Irfon & Wye both out of sorts my first choice was the River Edw but when I got there the river was pushing through hard and this river can be difficult wading at the best of times, so I headed for the River Ithon about 10 miles away.

Looking over the bridge when I arrived I could see that the river was quite high with a fair bit of colour still in it...perfect!!!

Having fished this river many times I have found this tributary to the Wye fishes best in just these conditions so I tackled up and set off down river. Trout came immediately to spider & nymph patterns and a later switch to some heavy bug patterns in some noted grayling area produced instant results.

It turned out to be a very memorable days fishing in terms of quality with 4 of my 10 Grayling measuring over 15" and many trout up to 10" to fill in the gaps.

When this river is low it can be hard to find any fish and you can end up with a very frustrating day, but choose the right day and you can come away with a big smile on your face.

I also squeezed in a couple more outings...one on the river Irfon (still very high but running clear) & another on a very picturesque stillwater near Rhayader called Llyngwyn where you can always spot Red Kites flying overhead.

The Irfon was still pushing hard but had cleared adequately to produce a few Trout & Grayling to shortlined nymph methods and being out on a boat at Llyngwyn is just a delightful place to spend a few hours...catching some Rainbows is just a bonus.

Parr For The Course

2009-07-06T21:37:00.005+01:00

A quick visit to The Wye on Saturday evening highlighted to me that this/last years fry have fared pretty well in managing to survive to get to the Parr stage with huge numbers splashing around on the Builth Wells town waters.

This is almost certainly due to the relatively low river conditions during their growth period without the loss normally associated with the numerous winter spates that the Wye has encountered in previous years.

The Parr were certainly difficult to avoid when fishing but a change from a nymph to a 'Elk Hair Caddis' dry fly attracted a number of Grayling, nothing huge but plenty of fun all the same.

Earlier on in the day I undertook a little 'Kick Sampling' of the rivers - Irfon, Wye & Edw with mixed results.

The entomology of the local rivers is something that I have recently become more interested in and at the moment I am definitely at the 'learner' stage but understanding what crawls under your feet while fishing can be very informative to your fly choice.

My initial findings show the Edw and Wye to be in pretty good health as far as invertebrate life but the Irfon I feel is certainly lacking in a few of the common species with no Freshwater Shrimps (Gammarus) found at all.

I will endeavour to maintain a regular sampling of these rivers in the future.

Fun On The Clun

2009-07-01T09:32:00.010+01:00

I took my first ever trip to the River Clun in Shropshire on Tuesday afternoon as a guest, this particular stretch is very secluded and seemingly miles from anywhere.

We approached the river quietly where we were immediately greeted by many trout breaking the surface to feed. I started on the dry fly and put on quite a large sized klinkhamer (#14 Partridge 15BNX extreme hook) as many of the flies coming off were Mayflies & Large Olives. This brought instant results taking and losing both Trout and Grayling from the off.

To say it was 'challenging' fishing would be somewhat an understatement, the River Clun is like an assault course in places with fallen trees, deep pools, steep banks and casting is mostly in the form of a roll cast (many times crawling on your knees) but in some ways that all adds to the fun and trying to catch a wary Trout in these conditions is a real thrill.

We ended the day well past 10.00pm with a tally of 50+ fish between us both, mostly Trout but with a good percentage of Grayling, caught on both dry and nymphs.

The food supply on this river is plentiful and the fish are very plump and fit as a result and eager to put up a good scrap.

My next visit to this river cannot come soon enough.

Spiders Score On The Wye

2009-06-22T09:18:00.008+01:00

Quite often you get to the river not really knowing what to expect, other times it turns out completely different from what you thought...this was was of those weekends.

I decided that this weekend my club waters on the upper River Wye was to play host for my fly fishing. I got to the river around 11.00am on Saturday and I had planned to experiment with a short line - upstream spider set up. When I got to the river the wind direction/strength put paid to any method fished upstream so I settled for fishing a team of spiders across and down, trying to maintain as much 'dead drift' as possible.

Fish came instantly and it was obvious from the start that something had triggered these fish into feeding mode.

Although the river was low I targeted the deeper waters that still maintained plenty of flow and the fish were queuing up to be first to my spiders.

I found that the favoured fly was a bead head Greenwells pattern so I added another in place of the Snipe & Purple which out the three was the least productive. This resulted in an occurrence that I can only remember happening once before and today it happened four times...that being the catching of 2 fish at the same time!

At the conclusion of the day (7.30pm)I had taken fish mostly on spiders but also later on the dry fly and nymph with a good number of hard fighting Grayling making up the numbers (biggest 14").

Sundays session (3 hours) saw the river in much the same mode but the wind strength was considerably less enabling me to fish upstream as I had planned the day before, taking many fish again. This is a fantastic way of fishing enabling you to search out lots of water very quickly and catching fish right under your feet.

A valuable lesson was further instilled in me that if you're not in the water then you're not gonna catch anything, what looked like being a hard river turned out to produce one of my most memorable weekends on the river bank.

River Lugg 11/6/09

2009-06-15T21:44:00.017+01:00

Last Thursday saw me visit the River Lugg to fish a lovely stretch a couple of miles downstream of Presteigne.

I was invited as a guest as this water is controlled by 'The Pheasant Tail Fly Fishers' club, myself and club member Graham set out early afternoon to give ourselves a good few hours to fish.

On arrival we geared up and headed downstream where my fishing partner and 'guide' pointed out some of the likely fish holding spots. He has fished this stretch many times and has normally scored well taking good amounts of both trout & grayling.

I was left at the start of the stretch while Graham headed back upstream and with no obvious fish rising I decided to go for an upstream dual nymph approach using two tungsten headed nymphs (2mm & 2,5mm). Although this is a relatively small river here there are some deep pools with a strong flow so this approach would enable me to get the nymphs down quick.

I was soon unhooking my first fish...a nice brownie of about 10" quickly followed by a couple more including a decent hard fighting grayling of about 13".

This stretch has a variety of water from deep pools to long riffles and meanders through some of the most beautiful countryside you could wish to fish in...uncultivated meadows and wooded valleys accompanied me on my way steadily upstream.

I took fish from the likely areas pointed out to me and as the sun started to set the masses of spinners began to fall sparking quite a bit of surface activity, a lack of good imitative fly patterns led to a frustrating couple of hours as I struggled to make much of a connection with the rising fish taking just a couple on an emerger pattern.

A final change back to the nymph took a couple more as I met up with Graham who had a similar story to tell. We walked back in the closing darkness where we were fortunate to spot an otter cruising down river and we were urged on back to the car by the loud grunting of a nearby deer.

Last fish of the day went to Graham - caught around 10pm!!!

Lots to talk about on the way back but a sense that there was probably more fish that we should have both caught on the dry fly, I feel a few hours at the vice tying some spinner patterns is called for before my next outing.

You can read Grahams' views of the evening at his blog http://aflyfishersdiary.blogspot.com/

My Overview Of The River Edw

2009-06-01T21:43:00.009+01:00

Aberedw - 29th May (Beat 16)

OK, I know from my recent reports it seems like the Edw is the only river I've been fishing lately but to be honest I really wanted to fish the 3 lower beats while the river was at its best.

The Wye & Usk Foundation manage 4 beats on this river and the only one I've yet to fish is the top beat at Hundred House. The reason I'm in no rush to fish this beat I will explain later.

My latest excursion found the river in prime condition...good height with a fair bit of colour in it. I arrived at 5.30am!!! and headed straight to the beat start, as you go through the gate I would advise applying a fair bit of stealth...the pool immediately in front of you holds a fair number of fish with some 10" and over.

The beat is split into 2 sections comprising of a total of 1 3/4 miles, it flows over a mixture of bedrock & gravel with quite a steep gradient making for some dramatic features with plenty of deep fish holding pools to target.

For anyone thinking about fishing here I would advise you don't leave out fishing the top section of this beat, its a bit of a climb up & down the hill from where you park the car but well worth the effort. I had posted my return voucher in the box before I'd fished this section, initially considering to maybe just have a quick look as I was running short of time. I ended up rushing through most of it taking at least another dozen fish.

End result, well over 30 fish with many in the 10"+ bracket (biggest 13").

Overview

My final opinion of the Edw is basically that this river is a little haven for wildlife and has an exceptionally good head of fish. The 2 lower beats (Aberedw, Hergest) I was most impressed with the lower half of the Cregina beat also a pleasure to fish, the problem I found with this beat is that above the bridge it takes on a different appearance, the lack of gradient means it runs slow with fewer target areas that are likely to hold many trout.

The top beat at Hundred House is also described as 'slower' so I think I may have a walk along it before parting with my vouchers.

I'm convinced that the higher water levels and clarity (lack of) helped with my trips to the Edw but because these beats run fast - even in low water they will have plenty of oxygenated water in them with fish eager to open there mouths.

The other point I think is most important is the incredible amount of invertebrate life this river holds sustaining a healthy population of trout.

As a footnote: I am concerned that some of the other Wye tributaries which run through the more mountainous regions are suffering from high acidity levels causing a noticeable lack of invertebrate life with an obvious knock on effect. I know the Wye & Usk foundation are tackling this problem and look forward to some long term results.

Bank Holiday Bliss

2009-05-26T23:47:00.022+01:00

I sure was looking forward to this weekend. The rain had freshened the rivers up, the weather forecast was looking good and it was Mayfly season!

I came armed with a booklet of vouchers from 'The Wye & Usk Foundation' and promised myself a couple of trips to some small stream fishing beats, reports as follows:

Llynfi Dulas - 23rd May (Middle Beat)

A return to this venue a few weeks after my first visit saw the river with slightly more water and colour than before.

I arrived early (7.00am) and planned to fish till early afternoon to try and avoid the bright, sunny conditions forecast for that part of the day.

This river is certainly one of the smallest I've ever fished and stealth is an absolute must to get the best out of it. My approach was to search out all likely gullies coming off some faster water and any other likely depths using a small weighted PT nymph.

The first fish came after about 40 Min's from tight against the bank close to some tree roots, always a possible hideout for a wary trout and a guaranteed place to loose a nymph or two on a sub-surface snag up.

As typical with this sort of stream the most likely looking spots tend to hold quite a few trout and so it was with the next gully I came to, taking 6 other fish without moving a step.

The fly hatches on the day weren't spectacular...with only a modest hatch of Mayfly and only a few fish taking advantage.

This stream really thins out above where the Triffrwd Brook joins but still holds some surprisingly sizable fish.

The session ended about 1.30pm with a total of 14 fish, the largest around 12". I came away feeling reasonably happy with my results compared to my initial visit here, although I'm still convinced that on a day with even more water and colour and with lower light levels this river could produce a 'glory day'.

River Edw - 25th May (Cregrina - Beat R14)

This was the one I was itching to have a go at after my visit on the river last weekend. I'd originally planned to have a go on the lowest beat (Aberedw) but there was all ready someone parked up when I arrived at 2.30pm so I decided to head up to the Cregrina beat and fortunately it was empty.

A glance over the bridge before fishing I noted that the downstream section looked very 'mountain stream like' with fast flowing water, boulders and quickly dropping runs, where the river above the bridge was slow and almost canal like. I posted my vouchers and headed to the beat start.

It was immediately apparent this lower section was going to require some delicate footwork to avoid a slip or two but really once you've acclimatised yourself to the terrain you can soon make headway and there are no hidden potholes to catch you out.

10 metres up and I was soon holding my first of the day, a fish of about 7", again the small Tungsten head PT nymph I'd tied the previous week done the job. Just as before on the Edw every likely looking swim had obliging fish in it and some of the larger pools were crawling with them...this one below in particular...where I either caught or lost at least a dozen fish!

I got up to the bridge and made my way through the upstream section. As I said, this bit is of total contrast to the lower section and to be honest somehow loses the 'magic' of what the Edw is about for me.

I trawled my way forward looking for something that looked 'fishy' but never really found it, other than the odd small fish rising (2 taken on a Klinkhammer). This was not the water I'd come to fish so I headed back down while there was still a little light in the day to take a couple more and leave still full of that 'Edw Magic'.

River Edw Magic

2009-05-17T22:31:00.023+01:00

I wasn't really sure how the rain that fell in the Wye catchment late last week would affect the rivers in that area, but after an inspection of the rivers on Friday evening I decided I wasn't going to be fishing the Irfon or the Wye this weekend.

There was a dirty spate on the Irfon which was colouring up the Wye below the confluence so I grabbed the Wye & Usk Foundation booklet and looked for a possible alternative for my fishing on Saturday.

A small stream was likely to be less affected by the rain so I decided to try a beat on the River Edw which is a tributary to the Wye about 5 mile below Builth Wells. I'd not fished here before so I was eager to check it out.

Setting out at 6.30am I thought I would have a better chance to avoid the heavier rain which had been forecast for later that day, the 8 mile drive from my base in Builth took me through some beautiful scenery along the Wye & Edw valleys and when I arrived at the beat I glanced over the bridge to see what awaited me.

The river had certainly been affected by the rain and was carrying more water than I would imagine it had seen in a long while, there was also quite a bit of colour to it, but there was no doubt it was fishable. I duly put on my gear, posted my vouchers and headed down to the beat start.

It was quite hard to see the bottom in parts so I took it very careful wading, although I later found out this beat is relatively easy wading all the way through. I set up my little 7' for an upstream nymphing approach and headed off.

To be honest possible fish lies are quite easy to read in streams like this and any deep channel running off some fast riffles are always likely to hold fish and the first one I came to yielded a couple of small brownies.

I was accompanied by dippers all the way along the stretch who were busy scouting for food to feed their young. I doubt whether they had to work that hard though, this river is abundant with invertebrate life and every stone I turned over was crawling with nymphs.

The strange thing was I didn't see a single fly come of the water till 12.45pm when it seemed like someone had flipped the switch on and instantly the air was filled with masses of upwing flies with a good number of Large Brook Duns but no Mayflies as of yet. This did nothing to deter the fish from feeding on nymphs and the couple of fish I saw rise didn't warrant a change to the dry fly from me.

Towards the top end of stretch I hooked my largest fish of the day, a nice brownie of 11" not massive but what this river lacks in quality it sure makes up for in quantity. By the time I had reach the magnificent Hergest Falls (the beat end) I'd caught 27 fish and possibly lost more. Most were of the 5"-8" size with a couple of larger ones which fight like hell looking for a bolt hole to try and escape to.

There was no doubt the colour in the water gave these fish the confidence to feed but this stretch 'screamed' fish with lots of really good fishable runs and a rich supply of nymphs for the fish to feed on.

As I drove away I felt as though I'd experienced something 'magical' not just because of the fishing, the beauty of this place can leave you feeling like you have had a spell cast on you, beckoning you to return again...I know I will have to oblige.

Dry Fly Headaches

2009-05-12T00:15:00.004+01:00

Approaching the river Sunday afternoon for a couple of hours fluff chuckin' I was greeted by a river that had plenty of fish rising, so there was great anticipation to get into the water.

My mind was made the minute I saw the rising fish that today was going to be a dry fly day!!

Settling into the river everything seemed perfect...fish still rising, upstream breeze, warm air temperature, yes this was all lined up for a memorable day.

When I was all set to go a reasonable fish rose about 15 yards in front of me, a couple of false casts later and my olive klinkhamer was on its nose. I tensed, ready for the instant take that normally follows...nothing!

After 4 or 5 attempts I'd put the fish down without him even acknowledging there was anything worth bothering with.

After many fly changes this outcome kept repeating itself with frustrating regularity and no matter what fly I tried (and I was well into double figures) they just weren't interested in anything I had to offer.

At the end I'd managed to take a few on dries but with no consistency...all fish taking different flies. A change to the nymph at the very end saw 2 fish come to hand very quickly.

At the beginning everything was screaming dry flies at me but in hindsight my day would surely have produced more fish on the nymph, I suppose on reflection it was a lesson learned. The flies coming of the water during the afternoon didn't really amount to much... a few Olives and Yellow Mays but no real hatch of upwing flies. There was however billions of midges skimming the surface and this left me with the conclusion that these were the prime reason for the fish activity and they were so preoccupied that nothing else would really do.

My next task is to try and come up with the imitation that will do the job when I encounter this again, Unfortunately I feel this may be a life long quest.

River Wye - 2/5/09

2009-05-04T23:42:00.013+01:00

Had a session fishing the 'Groe Park & Irfon' club waters on the Wye around Builth this weekend, the club holds a few miles of water on the river Wye & lower Irfon.

Grayling populations are high in both these rivers but the Wye seems to have the greater density and certainly holds more brownies than the Irfon.

I've only had membership of the club for about 12 months so I'm still finding my feet as to what swims are the best to target. This of course will change throughout the year as the fish migrate in and out of the deeper water but at the moment there are areas that I am definitely favouring ahead of others.

One such place was my destination for Saturday afternoon, as you so often find here the wind was blowing down stream so my initial upstream approach was proving to be hard work, but I was soon rewarded with a nice Grayling around the 11" mark soon followed by a smaller one around 6".

Then came a couple of brownies the biggest measuring a fine 13 1/2". All fish taking a small Tungsten Head Pheasant Tail.

After a couple of hours of hard work the wind picked up quite a bit so I decided to try fishing a faster swim downstream using a team of spiders. It wasn't too long before I hit a pocket of fish resulting in a fast and furious hour or so of takes and fish.

As usual with this method it seems to attract the smaller stamp of fish but a couple of the 'moms & dads' also put in a brief appearance.

End result was 20+ fish.....50/50 Grayling & Trout with some good rod benders in amongst them,

with a few of these......

......a few of these......

......And a lot of these!

A re-visit to the same area for a couple of hours on Bank Holiday Monday saw me come away with just a couple of small fish using similar tactics.

A cold, stiff wind put paid to any noticable hatches and a stretch that just a couple of days earlier looked full of life now looked devoid of any life, funny ol' game innit!!!

Easter Highs & Lows 11/4/09-19/4/09

2009-04-20T16:37:00.064+01:00

Just returned from a 9 day break in Builth Wells & managed to fit in a few outings on the nearby rivers. The first couple of days was tough going with the wind blowing hard downstream making presentation a real problem.

The initial trips to the Wye (3-4 hour sessions) resulted in a best catch of 6 fish including a couple of 11"+ Grayling. The Grannom hatch on the Sunday was one of the best I'd personally witnessed with flies so dense I had to be careful not to leave my mouth open for too long...... although this did very little to entice the fish to rise.

On the Tuesday I'd made up my mind to try out a river I'd not fished before - The Llynfi Dulas...one of the most productive of the Wye & Usk Foundation voucher beats (R19) in 2008.

Arriving at around 8.30am and making my way down the steep slope to the beat start, the river looked just like what I'd expected but with no recent rain was low and clear. I set out upstream, but with the sun blazing it soon became apparent things were going to be tough. After 1 hour I hooked my first and only trout (10") which took the GRHE nymph. Little in the way of hatches to talk about and no fish rising throughout the session.

There is no doubt this stretch holds a load of fish, as I walked back down the river to return to the car I spooked a number of trout out of the nearside bank, one or two fish I estimated at well over 12". So I shall be returning back here when I deem the conditions to be right to redress the balance in my favour without any excuses!.

I also managed a walk along the W&UF's Upper Irfon beat which runs north of Llanwrtyd Wells. Parking at St David's Church I walked the the length upstream of the road bridge and from what I saw this is real wild river fishing, I will be looking to return armed with my 7' rod to see what the water holds.....pictures below.

After a couple a brief sessions on the lower Irfon - resulting in a couple of small brownies - I headed back down to the Wye on Thursday, the wind had changed to a brisk upstream direction and the sky was brewing up for a storm. I couldn't wait to get fishing and with the wind in my favour opted to fish upstream with a Klink and Dink.

I didn't have to wait too long for the first fish and the 4 hours that I fished resulted in 10 trout, more importantly 2 of the trout were 16" + 17"+ long which are some of the largest I've ever caught out of a river, they were really meaty fish and I can only imagine they had gorged themselves on the vast Grannom that had been hatching all week.

The lows of the week came when I decided to have a round of golf on Friday which was a soggy affair to say the least, then later in the evening I thought I'd have a look at some of the photos I'd taken of the large trout I'd caught the day before only to find that the entire weeks photos had been deleted from the memory card!!!!!

I'd rather not go into details as to how this may have happened but to say I was gutted would be an understatement. I did manage one more go on Sunday which produced 8 fish and after taking a few photos keep the camera close to me until having a chance to upload them.

PS. As always all fish handled carefully and returned.

Brockhill Farm Trout Pools 8/4/09

2009-04-08T22:16:00.028+01:00

In between all of the river fishing I often participate in a little 'stockie bashing' on a local stillwater of which I hold a season ticket.

Now I'm not the biggest fan of artificial fisheries but if they are done properly then they can generate quite a bit of pleasure and this place is a little gem. Its called Brockhill Farm Trout Pools and is situated between Redditch & Bromsgrove in Worcestershire.

There are two spring fed pools that measure approximately three acres in total, built in 1991 the pools are well established and are surrounded by pretty countryside and attract plenty of wildlife.

The pools are open from the beginning of March to the end of November and can fish well all through, although at the height of the summer they can suffer from a lack of oxygen and fishing becomes very difficult.

They are regularly stocked with good quality, hard fighting fish with a minimum stock size of 1 1/2lbs, going by experience I would say the average size is around the 2 1/2lb - 3lb mark.

They also allow 'catch & release' which for people like me who are fishing for the sport is essential and offers good value for money.

As I work locally I can just pop down for a couple of hours when I've finished, the great thing is that you rarely get more than a couple of people down there in the week and often you can have it all to yourself.

This evening I managed to get there for 5.30pm, there was a stiff breeze whipping across the pools and no signs of any surface activity so on went the intermediate line and a deadly (secret) fly that has worked really well early/late season for the last couple of years. I didn't have to wait long before I saw some action and soon had a 2lb rainbow in the net.

It pays to move around a little here especially if you've had no signs of a fish and by 8.00pm it was time for me to call it a day with 5 fish for my efforts and many takes and lost fish, its certainly no comparison to stalking wild brownies in remote wales, but I must say it fills the gap very adequately!