Feedback & Reports

After a load of early gardening and oiling the shed, was time for a quick cuppa, then off to one of the wild streams ..... I saw last night a couple of booked beats, so I plumbed for the Clywedog......
I got there at ten to twelve, looking lovely and a perfect height to be honest !! Tackled up my usual six foot, one weight for here.... tis just the job ... mayfly on the go from half one and fish smashing them, although Tarka had done his usual rounds, and there were quiet areas along the bear .... You gotta do your leg work here and be prepared for some quiet pools !!! I saw the Otter briefly up by the Elan Pipes .... the other week, he was more towards the parking area .... cheeky monkey !!!
As mentioned before, put the graft in and you'll hit plenty of takes !!! A few risers caught , but mostly prospecting today... fun to be honest ..eighteen ish maybe more to the net, and a few long range releases... Great fun.. only wee fish today, ranging from seven to perhaps ten inches, all nailed my dry fly offerings .... Para Greenwells and DHE....I favour the smaller flies , even when mayfly are about to be honest..... apart from the big patterns really snarl up my furled leaders, ha ha .... I find my tactics still work, fishing smaller .... they'll still smash a well presented dry !!
....and , alas, they did today....A cracking four hours sport ..... tis a brook you got to graft in, but hey its an absolute cracker .... and yet another sighting of the Otter, this is becoming a regular occurance !!!
Back home, and a well earned can of Thatchers Gold !!! Happy days ......

18 Trout

Parked up at the designated parking spot for this cracking little brook ..... I'm sure the area is used for Powys road maintenance teams cause there's a huge array of plastic road warning signs etc etc .....
Last time I was here the otter had been on patrol, and he'd been on the "go" today ...... again !!! Areas were as quiet as a mouse particularly up to the pipes, although I'd picked up three or four by then but unusually quiet .... but fresh otter prints gave the game away , didn't spot him today but he wasn't far !!! River is sitting at a lovely height,with that slight "Ithon" tinge to it ..... but clear enough to watch thr trout come out of knowwhere and smash my dry fly !!! Just the best !!!
Dry fly sport was really fun if you put the leg work in..... This is a beat that'll give you a good workout !!!
I think twelve or thirteen trout, and two plump ten inch grayling, like peas in a pod !!! Both hammered my dry fly !!! Think I went right to the top of the beat, over a five hour session here ..... superb fun as always.......Fish between six and ten Inches today, nothing huge but all absolutely nailed my dry fly offerings !!! Four fish that were risers, the rest prospecting ......
Mayfly on the go ....And quite a few too.... lovely to see ..... Must admit watched a few on the water .... didn't seem to be getting harassed..... lucky !!!
Well, looks like a weather warning for tommoz heavy thunder storms by all accounts, probably be thr rivers out for a few days ...was nice to squeeeeeeeeze in this session !!! Back here soon, maybe the Elan Valley tommorrow, choices choices !

12 Trout, 2 Grayling

A lovely session today on the little wild , very wild Clywedog Brook!!! Fished midday till five ... me thinks Mr Otter had been gallivanting in some areas in the lower beat .... not a sausage in the usual pool heads... and fresh prints in the bankside silt !!!
Still, further up, sport was mega fun on my six foot one weight, which is ideal for here ....
Not sure when this little brook had some attention ie. In the form of some cutting back etc etc .... needs it,big time .... Can I suggest a wild streams board is put up at WUF HQ, with beats that need some attention .... tbh it's probably most of them in fairness ... They're not only the wild streams , but nurseries for the bigger Wye and Usk ... let these tribs go to pot, and there's no hope for salmo trutta then !!! Anyway, moving on, great dry fly sport ..... and lots of leg work today, nearly the full beat done, not quite sure where it ends but hey ho, no worries !!!
Fish between five abd eleven inches today.... I love there aggressive attitude here... they absolutely nail the dry... mind you, its gotta be presented right and the right fly for the occasion.... favourites got smashed here today!!!! Lots slipped off before the net !!! If you're prepared for quite bits of water with Mr Otter running the show here, either Fish it through quick and you'll soon know where he's been swimming up too !!!
Fifteen or sixteen to the net this afternoon , a lovely dry fly session , back to Rhayader and I think this angler deserves a cold pint of Inches cider in The Crown.....Rounds off a lovely Saturday..... sorted !!! Another of these cracking little streams on Monday .... maybe an Usk tributary ......

15 Trout

Well, we are still waiting for a pending storm a few loud thunder grumbles in Rhaeadr Gwy, but so far, that's it....Hence heading earlier to the little Clywedog .... I fished between half nine and half twelve.... a bit earlier than I would have liked but hey ho .....I got out by the Elan water pipes, which I always find a nice exit point !!! It does say on a very nice wooden gate S.T.W. not a public footpath.... but it does lead nicely to the parking area .... and actually there's no other way unless you levitate !! Strewth, these water companies hey !!! Lol !!!
Anyway onto more important things. The Angling!!! Superb here as always, a real jungle and some agility needed to be honest to properly enjoy this beat. I saw a brief roe buck in that pleasant wooded area .... very nice to see, ohhhhh and the kingfisher up and down twice !!!
Fun, fun, fun on my dry fly offerings this morning, with fish looking up big time from elevenish ...A plethora of upwings and sedges at the party.... which incidentally, was rocking !!!!
Smash takes to my dries....The fish are Savage here, and even if they are six inch brownies, they hammer your well placed dry !! Such good fun.... Next time I'll do the full beat.... Did a kick sample, and tbh looking really good, with a mix of baetis, shrimps and plecoptera nymphs .... ohhh and a darting bullhead....in fact two !!! And masses of fry in one slower deep pool !!!
A lovely morning, I think thirteen made it to the net, with several more long range self released brownies. Sizes between six snd eleven inches... Love the secretive feel here...and, even though its a bit of a jungle and would benefit from some T.L.C . ........ its still fun !! Ohhh I wonder if WUF will put aside some of this money for wild streams investment???? Mmmmmmm money well spent me finks !!! Anyway, a mooch into Rhayader and a couple of scoops in The Crown .... rounds of a perfect Sunday !!!!

13 Trout

Decided on the lovely little Clywedog Brook again today.... 15 degrees when I parked up at half ten .... lots of sedge on the go and olives ... yeeeeeeeeeessssssssss !! Lol .....
Usual small streams outfit for here ....I think its surgically part of my hand now ..... ha ha ha !!
Anyway, great sport, lots of in and out here at the mo ......and fallen trees and debris....where I got a cast out, good Savage takes to my Para Grernwells , lovely job .... feisty hard as nails brownies ....love it !!! Eleven made it to the net, a few long range releases, as expected..... well, long range here is six yards or less !!!! Ha ha !!!
Kingfisher up abd down three times, just a joy to see ...fantastic.... think the otter had been active on the side of one of the pools , fresh pooh and lots of prints and water on pebbles ......
I got out at the Elan Valley pipes at just gone two .... a really pleasant few hours, after a day guiding on Claerwen Reservoir yesterday.... everything always seems closed in and Lilliputian, after the massive nature of the Elenydd ......
A fun few hours dry fly sport as always, in a blissfully quiet little valley, happy days.....

11 Trout

One word for my trip to the little Clywedog this afternoon SUBLIME !!! FUN FUN FUN !!! Parked up at ten to twelve , had a nosey at the river over the bridge, looking good .... its been a while since I've fished this one , always remembered that they go basserk once hooked!!! And aggressive takes too .... both of which occurred with every fish that smashed either my sparkle dun or rusty kilnkhammer this afternoon ....... fab sport if I'm honest .....
Again like a jungle, I finished at half three and get out at the convenient old track by the Elan Pipes ..... I was stung, sweating, hot, bothered, knackered but I loved it as always...... difficulty level to get a cast away is up there with the wildest of streams, but put the effort in, cast well, and you'll get a response!!!!
Managed twelve to the net, and another two that didn't make it ..... the one looked a good fish too, always the way hey ....... Great smash takes to my dries ..... a lot of the fish taking at the very heads of pools .... violent hits, lovely job ......
Ohhhhh saw two barn owls on the walk back to my truck, awesome birds, flying low over the meadow ........ 25 degrees again today, but I must admit as overgrown as it was there I had an absolute ball ..... like puff adders on the rises to your fly , you gotta be ready I can tell you !!! Total un, and just the best of wild stream dry fly sport ..... I'll target another of the streams tommorrow .... living the dream is really rather nice !!! Anyway , time to freshen up and go and grab a cold pint of Inches Cider from The Crown in Rhayader, a lovely afternoon ..... Happy days !!!!

12 Trout

Nice river one trout lost , Otters Active

A tough day on a promising bit of water. Weather was belting - 20deg+, a little breeze and water levels reasonable throughout the beat. Fished from 12-5, covering most likely bits of water. It proved to be a difficult beat to figure out - mainly gravelly bottomed with lots of very deep holes and pools. With nothing rising all day (too bright and not much obvious fly life?) it was tricky to decide what methods to use. The duo didnt produce much, and dry fly was similarly unsuccessful. Deeper nymphing might've been more productive with all the deep spots. Im sure there are some stonking fish in here, but on the day it was fairly quiet and a little frustrating. The parking at the bottom appears to have been blocked off by the farmer also - might be worth looking at.

4 Trout

Decent flow but not as much colour as I would have liked. Surprisingly few flies hatching or fish rising today so all fish on weighted nymph.

9 Trout

My first visit to this attractive beat and surrounding habitat. An exceedingly shrunken stream, with well less than half its bed dry in most places, save in the few deep pools, but still running clear and without algal growth . A good scattering of fallen leaves though, giving an early autumn feel to the grey blustery day. Many fry evident and chasing the nymph, unlike their larger brethren who stayed well hidden. Only contacts were one smallish trout that took a spider pattern before wriggling off the barbless hook and one salmon par brought to hand. Will be back after the rain. Saddened to hear about the Llynfi pollution.

1 Other