A seriously busy two weeks for escape the Mainstream. Client days have been most days, with the odd day or two off in between, which is basically a “chasing my tail” kind of day !!! Home admin, food, laundry, and other bits n bobs need to be done, prior to the next guiding session. Many clients mid season, like to have two or three days here in Rhayader, and stay at one of the many excellent, angler friendly hotels, B & B’ s or self catering apartments.
The weather has been my absolute Achilles heal !!!! Or in layman’s terms, on occasions, a complete pain in the arse !!!! Bright days have meant adjusting tactics to get finicky reservoir fish to take !! Two clients in particular had difficult days, Ed and Jamie. Persistence paid off in the end, and lots of bankside legwork ….. Tweaking the business end of the tackle meant fish were hitting the flies !!! That means clients are happy, which in turn means Joe is happy ……..
Jamie had his first wild stream day, and, as a Host for Amazon River Monsters, taking parties out a couple of times a year, in the Amazon Basin, chasing huge three hundred pound arapima, the intimate thrill of stalking these tuned in “rising” wild brown trout, really appealed to him ….. He loved it !!!!! Best of all, he managed seven brownies to the net, all on dries ….. A red letter day for a wild stream newcomer, and huge grins all round…. Sublime stuff, and such a thrill for client and guide alike. It’s a huge evolving circle this guiding lark to be honest !!!! I buzz off clients scrapping a feisty reservoir or mountain Llyn brownie, and getting their first river brownie on a dry fly ….. Now, that is something I can tell you. When it all comes together, the cast is made, the fish nails the dry, and the strike is text book perfection !!!! Slipped into my waiting net …… beaming smiles, absolutely priceless !!!!!
The change in the weather on Sunday, did mean that fish were more confident up in the wave. Well, the wind direction in the Elenydd was actually blowing from all points of the compass….. I took Kier out on the Sunday and Monday, boy that wind was changeable !!!! We again, did a huge amount of leg work, but, wild fishing isn’t about parking in a nicely tarmaced car park, strutting across a manicured lawn, and casting with minimal vegetation behind you !!! The reservoirs, and wild streams I take clients too, you have to seriously work for your fish !!! Hard earned, but very very welcome prizes when they are slipped over the net, admired briefly, before quickly releasing into their cold dark watery home …….
Monday saw us up at the serene Claerwen Reservoir…… A fun day, and Kier brought a dozen stunning brown trout to the net. As wild as the wind up here, almost primeval and certainly feisty once hooked. They again had bouts of being up in the wave, with half hour of fun, then it would go quite. This seems to be a pattern on all these wild stillwaters, both the big and the smaller llyns, such as Llyn Bugeilyn or Syfydrin. Fish do come on quickly, then they’re off, just like that !!!! All these years chasing Welsh Gold, and I still can’t fathom out why and how this phenomenon happens ……. Is it a domino effect under the water, with one fish excitable on a food item, which dissipates through to the others ???? Who knows…. But, we as anglers continue our bankside cast and move, cast and move , till they hit the flies again !!!! Tis tough you know …… lol !!!!
As im writing this, it’s been raining most of the morning already. A trip to Llandrindod Wells saw the Irfon already on the up, and the upper Wye will be close behind . Even high up, above Rhayader, the Wye and her tributaries need a good flush through. It’s been weeks without proper rain ….. In fact this is a blessing and I think it’s set to stay like this on and off for three or four days !!! Looking at the satellite images, relayed by our ever so accurate Met Office, looks like a lot of blue is over us, till later tonight, then a lull in the battle before another series of rain bouts over Wales !!!! It’s come just at the right time I feel!!!! Probably a bit late for some crops, and I know the hill sheep farmers have to put in some serious graft to get water to these sheep up in the moors.
To me, farming, especially in this tough landscape is very much like the military. Theres no getting out of things or saying, that can be done tommorrow. Rain or shine, these tough, hard grafting folk are producing quality food for you and I . Tis similar to Army patrols …. It can’t wait till tommorrow, a patrol, whether it be in Northern Ireland, Bosnia or Iraq, has to be done !!!! It’s black and white, no “grey areas” ….. They’re very similar…. Dedicated people, sometimes in extreme adverse conditions ….. I’ve been there, I take my hat off to them ………
Actually, it’s really nice, having what I call an admin day !!!! Everything squared away, prior to the next sessions of guiding. Fortunately, I have the big wild waters to fall back on when the rivers are up, raging, and a chocolatey brown !!! Certainly not safe conditions, and I wouldn’t dream of taking a client on a river that’s in spate anyway …. Only a fool would do that !!! I’m careful, and proactive, and definately don’t want to be phoning my liability insurance company with regards to an injured client ….. Guiding isn’t just about catching fish, it’s about looking after the client. And me, I’m quite happy to socialise in Rhayader in the evening, after a great day out on the water, muse over a cold pint of Thatchers, sat outside The Lamb and Flag, discussing the next days programme of events, and probable tactical options ……….
I’m watching my pond fish , they seem overjoyed with the fresh rain water to be honest …. And, I know I intently water my tubs and container plants, but, there’s nothing better than “proper” rain water for the garden !!!! These days I’m not sure at all what additives etc etc are put in our tap water …. Makes you think hey !!!! If water companies are quite happy to release sewage into rivers in none flood conditions, then, what are they actually adding to our water that’s coming through our taps …… I digress…. Onwards and upwards….. A fantastic couple of weeks, lots of happy clients, with more coming through the proverbial door over the next ten days or so. A fresher, washed landscape will now greet me as I take clients on river, stream, reservoir and mountain Llyn …..
I’ll leave it there for now folks, enjoy your week, and , something I haven’t said for a while, stay dry, but enjoy our green and pleasant land ….water is after all the staff of life !!!! Without it we are totally scuppered !!!! If and when you’re getting out, be safe folks, rivers are rising quickly…… A final word, you know it’s coming !!!!!!! Tight lines …… 😉😉🤣🤣🤣🤣🎣🎣🐟🐟🏴