So, up early bells this morning, and some fitness over at the fantastic Freedom Leisure centre in Rhayader. My go to place, four times a week, using the gym, and attending two evening spin bike classes. Now Winters setting in, I focus more on shooting, and vermin control . Iām still keen to get on the river searching for the Lady of the Stream, but in all honesty, Iāve done my days stood waist deep in either a jibbering cold River Severn or the Wye, deep nymphing for grayling. Iām more your gently stalking for risers kind of man, as you all know, dry fly is king in my fly box !!!!
Trotting is a lovely method on the Builth Wells stretch of club water. Itās very effective, and you can cover a lot more water than tight line nymphing, along with the fact you have the luxury of not needing to wade into the deep stuff. Huge bags of thirty of forty fish are possible using this finesse method. Itās fun, precise and delicate. An old centre pin on a sensitive, thirteen foot float rod can be totally dynamic,ā¦..watching that float āblipāunder, you strike, and youāre into a cracking Wye grayling. Trickle feeding with a handful of maggots now and again keeps sport hectic. Play things tactically, and disturbing the pod can be minimal, if you do your bit.
Iām actually sorting out another ratting sortie at a farmstead on the outskirts of Shrewsbury very soon. I was contacted by the very pleasant farmer who basically explained that theyāve built up in big numbers again, and a couple of days thinning them out is definately required !!!! Time to bring out my .20 Venom Weihrauch rifle, she shoots like a dream, and puts pellet onto pellet at thirty yards ā¦.. Iāll get up there in the cooler nights, no need for millions of bits of kit clamped on to the rifle, as the farmyard lights are normally on, and doesnāt bother them, last time I went up there, using ā old school tacticsā, with a maglite torch, I had thirty eight on the first night, so a good dent in the population. I ventured out a further four nights, totalling one hundred and seventeen I think it wasā¦.. Well, theyāve been busy eating and breeding like ā¦.. rats !!!! Time to do battle again !!!!
This last week and a half has been great fun up at Claerwen Reservoir. Some lovely fish to the net, with the right Westerly wind. There so weather orientated here, you wouldnāt believe. You could go up with a nasty Easterly blowing, and youād struggle to winkle out one in a morning session !!!! Do your homework folks on these wild brownie stillwaters. Sport can be fabulous, if you select the right day weather wise !!!! Get things right, and , as Iāve said before, theyāll be up and confident in the wave, ready to annihilate your wet flies, retrieved pretty smartish in the water ā¦.. great sport, and lovely getting those super violent takes on the flies, with a thumping wild brownie battling at the end !!!!!
So, just a four days left, and thatās the brownie season finished for meā¦.. itās been an absolute cracker this year. Sublime, hectic, busy and lively all rolled into one. The clients have been fantastic, and so much fun. Some guys and gals are returning next season too, they loved their time out in the Elenydd. Some fun days are organised for next season too. Two expedition days right out into the Dessert of Wales are planned, with two guys who can handle the yomping across the moors, a days fishing, and then yomping back. Finished off with a cracking meal in The Triangle, and a few pints of Hancocks real aleā¦. A perfect day !!!!
On that note, Iām up bright and breezy in the Elan Valley tommorrow. Iāll look at Caban Coch and Garreg Ddu on the way up, but if the ripple isnāt right, or not pokey enough, this callsign will be making a beeline for the big old girl, in the next valleyā¦.. Claerwen Reservoir !!!
As Iām writing this, itās been a really cool couple of nights here in Rhayader, oh and of course the Northern Lights seemed to kick up quite a stir here in the Cambrian Mountains. Facebook was festooned with photosā¦. Remarks like, go outside now, which I did, black as the Ace of Spades !!!! But, these individuals didnāt say you need to use your phone to pic up the various ambient colours !!!! Five times yours truly went outside , nothing !!!! I couldnāt see these purple and pink hues, however if some bright spark had actually said you need to use your phone, people would then be aware ā¦.. Doesnāt really bother me, Iāve seen that spectacle up in Norway and Canada, and impressive it was too. Naked eye stuff there, none of this mobile phone business lol !
Right folks, thatās me, the countdown is on. Thursday is my last day to wet a line for our stunningly beautiful wild brown trout up here in the Cambrian Mountains. Four days of blissful reminiscingā¦.. love it. And actually the anticipation is all part of the fun. Even those long dark, gloomy days of January !!!! Enjoy the week Ladies and Gents, be safe out there, and tight lines !!!
Ohhhhhh, before I go, just a couple of very pleasing pics, just to ignite those blissful rivers days of summer againā¦.. Ahhhhh, wonāt be long folks. Time waits for no man !!!! Cheerio for now ā¦..
