Feedback & Reports

I finished my river trout season with a rather pleasant quick session on the Lugg , just outside Leominster , two sprightly brownies and a fit little grayling on the dries , but with the rivers closed , still a couple of weeks on the mountain Llyns , so booked up Llyn Craigypistyll , and set off at about half seven this morning ….. nice slow bimble to the parking spot . ……. As you walk down to the Llyn it’s like Moon Base Alpha . The mountains way beyond the lake , heading into the Desert of Wales …. absolute bliss … just me , the kites and three ravens high up with their odd noises , like flying frogs sometimes !!!!!

Anyway , tricky fishing , opted for a bibio sedgehog on the point , Katie Mac , and Zulu on the droppers , hard going because of a swathe of weed that followed the lake all around , about twenty yards out , maybe less , most annoying , can’t remember this years ago , mind you we didn’t get thirty five degree summers hey !!!! The last time I fished this was with a buddy , before going in the Army , that’s some water under the bridge …..

The first take was to the sedgehog , very savage splashy affair , and a good fish too , about eleven inches , beautifully spotted , admired and quickly slipped back in … next hit the sedgehog again in the steady ripple , same size , Great feisty fish too , like Bugeilyn fish , punch well above their weight … third came short after a swirl , static , then a fast retrieve he hit the Katie Mac hard …. And the last one from this Llyn again rose to the ginked sedgehog …. Some great sport , but a lot of leg work was involved , I should imagine early season is Great here , with my imminent move to Rhayader , it’ll almost be my local !!!! Anyway , wanted to try a couple of hours on Syfydrin , so rod in the truck , did that daft drive with waders on to Syfydrin …..rough old track to this lake I must point out ….

Same drill and same flies on ….. again first fish hammered the sedgehog tweaked back , but cast along side the reed mace , only two yards out from the bank …. Solid angry hits too . Two fish on the sedgehog …. Both about eight inches , again superbly marked hill trout , swapped the sedgehog for an elk hair caddies , smallest I had , and bang ….. last one of the day smashed it …. Lovely satisfying take , literally inches from the bankside reeds …… so seven lovely fish in the solitudes of Wales , what could be better to round of the Season …. I packed the kit away in my truck , and ate my pastie and enjoyed a well earned cuppa , as I watched the fish really come on the go on the track side bank , all only yards out , hitting the sedge I think they were …. Oh well , nice to see so much activity , there for next year …. A slow drive back to The Ponderosa , fire on stun , and a large port to toast a Great season …… here’s to the next folks ……

7 Trout

All fish caught using swim feeder and hair rigged boilie. Barbel were on the small side - the largest was 3.5 lbs. River flow was slower than yesterday and water was not so coloured

8 Barbel, 1 Chub

Enjoyable day on a lovely part of the Wye.Unfortunately the fish did not play ball and despite moving swims and trying every bait....it was blankety blank for two of us.

1 Chub

Fished at the bottom end of the beat in the fast water, the river was up since our last visit with some colour. A lot of weed was catching on the bait, nevertheless, had a good day all caught on feeder with marine halibut and red robin pellet.

10 Barbel, 12 Chub

Nothing caught

Conditions somewhat improved with levels up a bit and a little colour to the river. Chub to meat and a couple to bread on the float. Best Barbel 9lb. 6oz. 5 to meat 1 to pellet. Initial thoughts and heart stopping excitment of a pb Barbel, double figure at least, after a titanic 20min. battle a Pike cica 15lb. was netted, a piece of meat, a size 10 barbless to an 8lb. hook length! Well done mate.

6 Barbel, 9 Chub, 1 Pike

My secret baits didn't work. The other two were lucky!!!

1 Chub

Good parking at this beat but not the most promising of days. Water was clear, low and access to the beat was limited by the now ever present barbed wire fencing which in this case is more than waist height (and I am over six feet tall). Where we could get access, the water was either running fast over the shallows or was almost stationary in very few deeper pools. Fine green slimy algae was prolific as was bank growth - predominantly Himalayan Balsam and nettles. None the less we (there were two of us) persisted and managed to winkle out a few fish.

3 Trout, 6 Grayling

6 Chub