Strewth, strange weather the last few days. Here in mid wales, or to be more precise, Rhaeadr Gwy, we’ve had the lot, sun, rain, hoofing winds and sleet !!! Today and yesterday were classic days for November, not mid April !!!! As I parked up at the dam wall of Claerwen reservoir this morning, I was greeted with a hoofing northerly wind, squally rain and a reading in my trucks dash of two degrees…… nice !!!! I persevered on two difficult days, today, and Monday. Boy oh boy, that wind….. cuts right through you as my Gran used to say . I was certainly glad to get back to my wagon on both days, and have a good mug of coffee from my flask …… ohhhhhhh yes, nothing like a decent cuppa when your chilled right through, lovely stuff !!!!
Craig Goch is always tricky in a North westerly wind, and true to form, a couple of days ago, she was hard going and I must admit only a handful of stunningly colourful brownies made it to the net …. Very very welcome though I have to say !!! And yet, a week ago, in a few hours, a dozen or more was had in a very sporting afternoon ….. But hey, that’s fishing folks !!!! It would be nice to get some consistent weather now though, after all it is mid April, and all those enticingly secretive wild streams are waiting for me…. Great stuff. I do love my early season on the big wild waters, like Craig Goch, Penygarreg, Nantymoch and Claerwen, but I’m ready for the streams by mid April, which, ohhhh spookily enough is now !!!! So my regular haunts like the Edw, Arrow, Cammarch and Clywedog will be my office, and my chosen weapon of choice, my faithful six foot, two weight stream rod….. and of course Clients are booked in for a grand day out with yours truly …The Elenydd and beyond awaits them !!!I I have taken out a few hardy souls already in the Elan Valley, with success too, and some happy faces leaving at the end of a long day in the moors .
The amount of rainfall has been monumental here in mid Wales…. You can see why the reservoirs were built here…. Massive nature. But it is reassuring to know that all the big wild waters of the Cwm Elan, have a good, healthy population of wild brown trout in them . When summer hits, and the rivers are on their bones, the cold deep reservoirs still dish out some great sport, as does the outflow rivers, of the Elan and the Afon Claerwen . That’s a little beauty in a hot summers evening, and, being exactly two miles long with some fabulous pocket water, runs and riffles, the little Claerwen river remains cold and clear all through the hot sultry dog days of summer !!!! That said, a few of the feeder streams amaze me too and continue to belt through, even in the heat of summer. I guess the huge sponge of the Cambrian mountains can store masses of water in that glorious peat and sphagnum moss ….. How lucky is the fly angler here in Rhayader !!!
Today’s sport was fun, albeit cold and with that really nasty wind… The Claerwen brownies are always feisty and, pound for pound, really put up a good scrap !Those gorgeous platinum silvers and browns always please my eyes, a quick pic on some of the fish, and awaaaaaaaaaaaay, back into their deep cold peaty domain . Takes were surprisingly savage this morning, and up in the wave too, for a brief thirty minute window, then, the wind increased, the waves got bigger, and down went the fish, oh well, half a dozen crackers to the net on a dismal freezing cold day in mid April, happy with that !!!!
I’m back at The Ponderosa writing this brief blog, my third Baileys coffee adornes my old writing desk, and the weather outside looks like butter wouldn’t melt …. Kind of that glorious spring sunshine. Pppfffffttttt, but rewind a few hours up in the Elenydd, Bbbbbbrrrrrrrrrr….. jibbering , lol !!!!! Like a different world, almost Jurassic !!! Anyway, I’m missing some chocolate digestives with this brew, so this callsign will wish you all a healthy week and I’m hoping my next blog, will be my meanderings up a wild stream somewhere in deepest Wales…… bye for now folks !! 😊😊🎣🎣🐟🐟🐟🏴
