Feedback & Reports

A rather grey day with little fly life or surface activity searching bottom half of beat with nymphs and spiders. Two small OOS trout and a brief glimpse of a grayling before it wriggled off the hook. Plenty of fry in the margins.

2 Trout

Enjoyable day but wow how this bear has changed since my last visit!!!!
All fish came to a size 16 green meanie ( nymph of my own creation ). Few bumped takes as well and some really fast takes to a size 16 Klink. Biggest oos brownie over 1lb and biggest grayling around the 1lb mark .

3 Trout, 2 Grayling

Well for a change from my usual haunts went to Llanddewi, nice to have a crack on the Ithon, having not been here since last season so initially tackled up with a single tiny PTN tungsten nymph, one of my own creations with a flashback and tiny amount of red on tail!!!

Worked well, although river low, was reading 0.15 on gauge map at seven this morning !!! Bright sun and quite breezy when I started at ten . . . .

Two brownies this morning both about nine inches, good savage takes on the nymph, good fun, difficult to find any more although good to see year one of the grayling were back on form and with a size twenty f fly managed over a dozen tiny 4 - 6 inch grayling. Was great fun on the two weight rod, test your dry fly skills to the max, lightning quick too!!

Nice to see so many young grayling in the river, great for the future although I did see two comorants during my three hour sortie this morning ggggrrrrrrrr!!!! Dam things !!!

A fun few hours , river is a bit quiet to be honest and really somewhere more shaded like Noke or Litton may have scored better today. That said good fun as always and hey, beats a day at work hands down. . . . Back on another beat in a couple of days. Sorted!!!

2 Trout, 12 Grayling

River at .20 and pushing through quite strongly, no real sign of fish. 4 small trout and 2 others around 9-10”.
Several others shook themselves off partly due to lack of attention and also fishing barbless hooks.
Used #22 cdc something’s, #18 Klink, Duo with #18 tungsten hares ear. No sign of the Ladies.

6 Trout

Fished 8.30 - 4.00, hard going, I haven’t fished the Ithon when it has been this low. Almost no rising fish to be seen. All fish bar one were between 6-8” with one trout at 10”. The results of the winters spates are clear to see, there is a huge stone and gravel bank that has appeared and various trees are down along with some fencing. All the small fish came to #16 Griffiths Gnat but the larger trout to a nymph on the bottom. Should have looked at the Llandewi Gauge before I came.

5 Trout, 1 Grayling

An unseasonable 14 degrees this afternoon, drizzling on and off. The Ithon showed 0.30 on the gauge and the water was distinctly clay coloured. Result was 1 x (or should it be 2 x) 16 inch grayling, plus 1 x out of season 10 inch trout, trotting. Hesitation about the number to record is because today I actually caught the same fish twice within a space of less than 10 minutes. One nice grayling was caught in a run, photographed and returned slightly upstream. A couple of trots later the float dipped again, less of a fight this time, and there was the same grayling again. No doubt about it because of a very distinctive bite wound on the tail. Immediately after being returned he had gone right back to feeding!
I have had this experience a couple of times before with grayling, and once with a Spanish river carp on a hot afternoon in Toledo - floating crust was the bait in that case.
By the way, thanks to those who sent sympathetic notes about my Landrover breakdown. The good news is that it wasn't as catastrophic as I thought and the old girl is already back in action. I still have to do jury service when the new season opens though!

1 Grayling, 1 Trout

Well., living the dream again today , another day off so thought it rude not to give one of the streams a crack , saw that the Ithon was at .35 on the gaugemap , so fishable with nymphs . . .
Arrived at the parking spot about tenish , cool breeze about five degrees , so opted for French Leader set up , two tungsten nymphs , red tag and pink tag ; bit of colour in the brownish water . . .
There has been some steady flood damage here , extensive bank erosion , and strewth walking down the field to the start of the beat , the build up of debris against the fence line is incredible, the farmer has some task on his hands!!!
Anyway onto the fishing, worked my new ten foot three weight and bang indicator nudged and a wee brownie, only seven inches , in great condition slipped back in , second fish another brownie working the nymphs slow and deep in next pool , perhaps a big bigger about nine inches cracking little fish!!!

Up passed the wooden river cattle barrier had my last of the morning , another brownie doooooh , about eight inches , still was nice to get the rod tip bouncing I guess , but the ladies were elusive today , maybe the fluctuating river , as its been up and down like a fiddlers elbow the past few weeks !

A fun three hours here , flood debris always looks a bit unpleasant , especially with the added silage plastic , old tyre and plastic bottles !!!! Still was a nice chill.out on a superb section.of the Ithon , shall head here again next week , if the levels are good , and try and chat up one of the ladies !!!! Happy days !!

3 Trout

A couple of hours nymphing middle section of beat in p.m. (after it seems J A had been and gone). No takers, but pleasant to be out in the winter sun until the rain arrived before dusk.

Well with the intention to christen my new ten foot three weight I've had for some time , saw the Ithon was fairly coloured at The Severn Arms bridge so mooched on to the Elan Valley , to catch up with some friends working at the visitors centre . . . Had a good look at the Afon Elan , which looked in super condition , and has fished well for small brownies this season . . .

Anyway heading back along the A44 towards Llanddewi , as wanted to see how this rod performed like with two heavy nymphs in tow !!

Well still up when I arrived at eleven ish, and coloured but perhaps clearing a little. Nice to get the new rod and french leader rig a bash . . .

Ha ha was surprised to get one on after twenty mins , and a perfectly formed little grayling, only six inches but alas rod christened , happy days!!!!

Bimbled up stream, from the bankside most of the time , working my team of two , pink shrimp and squirmy wormy . Again, like the Arrow , some serious bank erosion , but also some meander changes noticable to this section , stayed on terra ferma for the majority of the two hours I was there , bingo and another take , happy with the coloured indicator section , again a grayling against all odds , took the squirmy wormy , about ten inches , slipped back in , sorted.

An enjoyable session, if a bit frustrating due to rainfall last night , this will be lovely by Sunday I should imagine , and very fishable then !!! Still enjoyable and a good blast of fresh air , nice to get the french leader going with the new rod , lovely jubbly !!!! And two bonus grayling which made my day on what looked an out if sorts river !!!! Off home and a large glass of something medicinal me thinks !!!!!

2 Grayling

River level ok but still too Willy Wonka from the rain. Would be great if a method for obtaining info on clarity as well as levels. Few casts and then called it. Nice river though. Would be idyllic on a perfect summers eve.