What strange weather over the last ten days or so, with some evenings dipping well into single figures, and daytime weather forecasts really dismal for early June…. It’s been a case of making the most of things, with fishing the smaller, more intimate streams on the better warmer days, when temperatures rocketed to eighteen degrees !!!!! On the wet and windy days, it’s been sorties up in the Elan Valley that have been the order of the day …… And some cracking sporting sesssions to, with fish aggressive and feisty, up in a big rolling wave…… lovely sport, and some of my clients enjoyed the more inclement days too. Well, you can’t have everything, and after a fun sporting day in the Elenydd, there’s always The Crown, The Castle, or The Triangle, to enjoy a hearty, delicious meal, washed down with a few good real ales, now that takes some beating, after a good day in the mountains I can tell you ……….
I even squeeeeeeezed in a really small tributary of the Upper Wye, she was overgrown, but immensely fun, and although I got stung, stabbed by every thorn imaginable, scrambled, huffed, and puffed, as always, in the thick of the jungle, I loved it, it’s what I do, it’s what I’m used to in fairness. The trout surprised me too, crazy splashy takes to my Parachute Greenwells, and three were absolute beauties, for such a small overgrown brook. Don’t be misled, some pools and meanders were deep, but I knew they held fishy secrets of the Salmo Trutta kind….. Some of which I managed to winkle out, quickly admired, then slipped back in to this beautifully clear, unpolluted gem of a tributary……. A nice little find….. My own little Faberge Egg, deep in the Cambrian Mountains ……
Wet weather kind of crept in last weekend, in fact, there seems to be a pattern forming here, as I’m writing this, it’s been raining and it’s a Saturday !!!! Well, Penygarreg reservoir a week ago, a hoofing North Westerley wind made fishing difficult, till later in the afternoon, when the strength in the gusts died down, to be replaced with drizzle !!! But the fishing, oooffffffffffffff, superb and a good few, absolutely cracking, wild brownies to my net. The fish here are strong, hard as nails, wild fish, and don’t give up the fight easy, just great sport, and gorgeous buttery bellies to some of these trout……. Just the best of wild, stillwater sport !!! And those tails on them, like shovels, absolutely immense …………..
The wild streams have been kind to me in between the lousy weather we’ve been experiencing over the last week or so, two of the Ithon tribs have been fun with my usual dry fly tactics, and a slow steady mooch upstream ….. It’s just the best form of the sport I think , wether it be prospecting an enticing dry fly up a trouty run, or casting to an eager riser, that’s supping upwings leisurely and is tight under that alder, with an annoying bit of turbulent water between you and the rise !!!! I love the problem trout, that present those hard casts and presentation difficulties. It matters not if it’s a twenty two inch leviathan, or a stunning, buttery gold brownie of twelve inches, for me, it’s the outwitting, and the journey ahead upstream….. The next bit of water, that next pool, ahhhhh I think that was a rise ????. ….. The undercut bank, strewn with trailing brambles in the water, which, last year held a clonker of a trout …… it’s the anticipation, the river draws us upstream every time…..
If I’m honest, these rainy days are good for our smaller streams, and in fact the big rivers, as in previous summers they have struggled. So, a top up can’t be a bad thing, after all, we as anglers can’t moan, it’s what makes our sport viable in the end!!! As I think about topped up clear streams, the Elan Valley is at the moment having work done to the top dam as they call it , Craig Goch reservoir…… Tis always a concern with fish welfare, but they lowered the water a couple of seasons ago, with no adverse affect on fish numbers, or sport the next season. At the moment, it looks like something out of Mad Max, with just the deep gorge up by Pont Ar Elan, with the serene Afon Elan flowing through it. It’s quite a sight, if your local ish, and haven’t yet seen the reservoir so low, go and take a look…… I’m sure as with most companies, DWR Cymru work at one speed, which is generally slow these days. I have heard rumours of a new turbine, blah blah blah, maybe this is why the water is being held back in Claerwen reservoir….. As, at the moment, she is totally full, and an impressive spill over the dam wall is now visible….. Normally unheard of for June ……
Oooohhhhh stop press, the “bracken clock” was in the moorland surrounding Penygarreg reservoir the other day when I was angling there, but, with this weather, I’m sure any self respecting cochybonddu beetle won’t venture out in this ….. To put things into perspective, exactly a year ago I was basking in the heat of twenty two degrees, whilst fishing the dry beetle imitation up at Claerwen reservoir, three short morning sessions, hectic and sublime, I think I managed seventy five or more trout to the net, just blissful sport, all on a single dry cochybonddu foam beetle ….. A reminder that all the reservoirs , Claerwen and the Elan Valley waters are fly fishing ONLY, and like all good wild brown trout anglers, we do like visiting anglers to carry out catch and release…….. If you happen to see anyone doing something you deem as not acceptable, please report it straight away to the Elan Valley Visitors Centre or NATURAL RESOURCES WALES, with as much info as possible, be it a car reg, a description of the person, or persons angling, with possibly supporting photos from your phone etc etc, it all helps to protect our sport.Poaching is a rural crime, simple as that !!!!!
Again, I think we are in for a couple of wet days, I’m hoping to get up into the mountains to one of the wilder llyns in the week, and two adventurous anglers are doing there yearly pilgrimage to Rhayader next weekend, so I hoping for a catch up with those guys in The Crown, for some banter about their expeditions, and of course, sampling the very fine pints of Rev, James…… Have a great week ahead folks, if you’re angling, stay safe, if your not, also stay safe !!!! I shall catch up with you guys n gals very very soon, I bid you a good day, and the tightest of lines if you do venture on the water !!!!!! 😉😉🎣🎣🎣🐟🐟🐟🏴
