I thank you Taylor Swift for those “stolen” lyrics, that actually sum up August very well. Tricky, frustrating and also fun, all rolled into one succulent, juicy, tantalisingly moreish treat !!!! If I’ve not been creeping up incredibly low rivers, I’ve been up in the Elan Valley, Nantymoch, or Bugeilyn .Even Craig Goch on the right day is fishing superbly. Still masses of deep, cold water there, and, it’s actually fun and also eerie, knowing that this amount of lake bed will probably never be exposed again, certainly in my lifetime !!!! As I’m writing this it appears to be filling up, as maintenance on the dam wall is at last finished. Two good, hectic sessions there just recently …. ‘‘Twas like walking on the surface of mars” ……But, great sport on traditional wets, and when they started rising, tactics fishing small cdc emergers were very successful, and got nailed by the resident fish of Craig Goch
Actually, as I’m writing this brief blog, we’ve had rain ….. yes proper rain in mid Wales. Almost to the point of calling it “rain” and not just heavy drizzle !!! More due in this week, and, it’s looking hefty too, particularly mid week. It’s an absolute blessing in fairness, as I have two gents up for a small break, on separate dates, that both want to fish wild streams, at the back end of September. Then, there’s still a good few clients coming through the proverbial door into October too, as the big wild waters are open for fishing till October 17th…….. Tis a lively time to get amongst the feisty bigger brownies too !!!!!
I’ve had a peep at the online river gauges on the NRW website…. The rivers are certainly creeping up, mind you, some areas down south of the country have experienced absolute deluges …. Never a happy medium these days is there !!! Seems to be one or tuther !!! Drought conditions, or absolutely lashing it down for hours . Certainly climate change, and as I see lots of work has been done on fish rescues from rivers country wide. On that subject, I wonder if one was carried out on the Teme, as one of its carriers, the River Redlake is now just a dusty cobbled track, very sad to see to be honest …
Next week is a wild stillwaters week for me, and shooting admin, as my thoughts turn to the coming season, beating up at Bettws Hall, and looking at what wild streams, particularly in the Wye catchment need a dam good haircut. Well, I know one thing, looking at the catch returns on the WYE AND USK FOUNDATION ; FISHING PASSPORT, the Lugg certainly needs attention, as does the Arrow at Kington and also the Hindwell. Tis a tough old job doing this. The cutting and trimming isn’t particularly difficult, it’s the dragging of the brash out of the stream, and well above the flood plane, that’s sweaty work. The Duhonw has had some more than remedial work done by the habitat team, and a grand job they’ve done too. Last time I fished this babbling mountain tributary, fishing was hard going, but fun, and the woody cut backs the team have left in the stream for fish cover and stopping excessive erosion is first class and will pay dividends in years to come ….. I must say in low water I was impressed at the shear amount of small five and six inch fish darting around the shallow pools. If you’re quiet, they’re fun to watch too. First, you spot one, then two, then all of a sudden there’s nine down there, all alert, and as wild as the wind !!!! One scratch on a rock with your tungsten studded waders, that’s it, they’re gone !!!!!
I must admit, I get a huge satisfaction on carrying out stream maintenance. Some are tough, you just get in the stream, look up and it’s just a blanket of drooping green tree growth. But, on the flip side of the coin, it’s nice to see the work you’ve done after a four or five hour slog, just slowly working upstream, trimming and cutting as you go, being careful to leave some areas, obviously for fish cover etc etc, and also semi cutting and dropping some boughs to create structure underwater, in those deep, private little trouty pools. The lattice of twigs and branches provides perfect cover for small brownies, and doesn’t allow them to be easy pickings for kingfishers, cormorants, herons and of course otters and mink !!!!
Here in Rhayader, as I’m still musing over this blog, the rain has just thinned out to almost nothing, for now !! Sun has taken its place, the battle between the two continues. As I mentioned, I think pretty much all week, it’s Autumnal, with rain, wind and a distinctly fresher feel in the air. Rhayader has had it good for the busy times this tourist season . And, I must admit it’s been an absolute cracker for “escape the mainstream” too !!! In fact I’d go as far as to say it’s been an absolute belter !!! Most clients have been fairly widespread, from around the country to be honest. Chester, Surrey, Worcester, Herefordshire and London, to name a few areas, not forgetting a fair few anglers from quite local too ….. Brecon, Radnor, Oswestry and also Welshpool ….
I always like to think back over the season, we were very lucky on the wild streams, they perked up very, very early, and dry fly sport, even in April was sublime. Clients had a ball, and great sport was had, with plenty of fish coming to the net, on all the streams, the Edw, Arrow, Llynfi, Duhonw and a few private beats, that are more secret than the KFC Chicken recipe !!!! lol …..
Well, that’s pretty much it folks, some early morning fitness has been nailed, a venison hotpot is in the slow cooker, bubbling away, in red wine and veggies, and this callsign is going to sign off, mooch into Rhayader and get myself a rather luxurious mocha coffee from “Narrative Coffee”. You have to experience this fabulous coffee shop in the town folks. Your taste buds will be teleported to another dimension, as you sup your sublime drink from a very wholesome cup. And the interior of this serene establishment is just soooooooooooo relaxing too !!!
Anyway, enjoy your week, especially now these rivers and streams are back to life, let’s hope the angling for you all is good. Shame this wasn’t there weeks ago, but hey ho, we can’t have everything I guess …. Enjoy your time on the water, be it with friends, nature, or just your own thoughts. Special time. Make it count …… See ya !!!!!
