Feedback & Reports

School boy error today !!! Was almost perfect wild reservoirs weather, with a nice whippy wind too ... mild, muggy just perfect ....
However, muggins went to the Ithon instead...still fun, but tricky dry fly presentation ... in fact very tricky !!! She's up a bit on the level... not loads ...We need a good weeks worth of rain to give this old girl a good flush through!!!!!
Fishing was fun in some of the pools ... one pool j winkled three fish out of it ... A splashy rise in the slow tail out ... great stuff !! Then another in the foam lane and one more right up in the bubbly stuff !!! The other three were innthr bubbly stuff at thr pool heads ...If you can call them pools now, at just over knee depth for some of them !!!
Still a fun five hours sport ... slow going, waiting fof the wind gusts to die down, to get a cast in !!!
Six brownies, of the usual stamp for here to the net, and a couple of salmon parr !!! They're feisty little things and, more than happy to nail a well presented fly ..
In fairness ive had a few salmon parr here this season ... boades well to be honest !!!
Back on one of the Arrow beats on Sunday.... Happy days.......

6 Trout

A client day for me on what was a very very low River Ithon ... Wales seems to be missing all this decent rainfall!!! Aarrrgggggghhhhh we desperately need it .... Anyway, in fairness, Rob Alp from London fished extremely ....Taking on board the need for ultimate stealth and presentation to rising fish !!!
I dipped the river with my thermometer ...a very healthy 14 degrees ... cracking !!!
Olives and small sedge on the go from half eleven , and fish responding to well presented dries !
Rob brought to the net seven brownies, had a futher two long range releases and some salmon parr ...
In fact thr young trout snd salmon parr abound this beat at the mo, really good too see. What isn't good is thick beds of bright green algae ... needs a dam good flush through, and soon too !!!
My client did have a cracking day too be honest .... Up in the Elenydd tommorrow ... choices choices, .... but, a sortie at the top of Claerwen Reservoir I think is in order .... lovely jubbley !!
A great guiding day on an old favourite beat ... These streams are low .... The outflows of the Elan and claerwen will be on the agenda if the dry conditions continue !! Last season, both rivers were very sporting with visiting clients....Right, this callsign is ready for a very well earned bottle of Thatchers Gold !!!! Cheers ....lol ....

1 Salmon, 7 Trout

Well, a lousy bit of rain yesterday didn't flush the rivers out again all!!! We need four good days pukka rain not this dam drizzly stuff !!!
The top section of the beat today, after a cracking day yesterday on Claerwen Reservoir !! ....with very trouty weather, perfect !!!
Anyway first things first, dip tested with thermometer ... The Ithon was reading 14 degrees but still very very low !!!
Stealth and perfect presentation are keys to success here, and in fact all the wild stresms in summer ..
Ten feisty fush nailed my dry fly ... lovely stuff !!! Never tire of thaf take .... cracking....
Fish sizes, the usual stamp for here , seven to ten inches, great fun though. Fished ten till one , perfect !!!
A hot sultry ond today, plenty of bugs about from eleven bells ... Fish looking up from the off in fairness ....
Hoping we get a good bit more rain. Tis Rhayader carnival this week and The Royal Welsh next week, do if your angling go early to avoid traffic queues in the vicinity of Builth !!!
Supposed to be more rain Saturday ...we shall see !! Proper Horror movie rain we need !!
On one of the reservoirs with a client tommoz, hoping it's a dull, dank, dirty day for that one ......

10 Trout

A guiding day for me today..... knowing it was going to be a tricky one !!! Hot, with low water ....We are in serious need of some decent rainfall, I'll be taking clients after this next heatwave on the River Elan, and Afon Claerwen, where it remains cool .... That said I dip tested the Ithon at half ten when we got into the river ... Reading 15 degrees, so not toooooo bad at the moment !!!
John applied himself superbly and, in fairness with most of thf beat averaging a foot deep, and clear as tap water, I'd defy anyone to fish it any better ...Im the master of small stream stealth, but, I've gotta say John waded carefully, casted delicately, and did a dam good job overall, of fishing a stream in incredibly difficult conditions . Low low low !!! Dru flies all the way up !! Impressive angling I'd say ..
Ohhhhhhhhhh, and for lunch, John pulled out of his cool bag a lovely cold cider, and a bloody delicious butchers pork pie ...Just topped off a cracking guiding day on the wild stream ....Two fish caught on the dries, a staunch performance in the face of adversity!!! I must say, a superb river day, lots learnt, and lots of river trips in the future .... A cracking country gent and someone you could quite easily chat with all day , wether it be about angling or shooting !! A superb day on one of my old favourite beats ...... Lovely job !!!

2 Trout

Another warm one, and , after some business in Llandod with a client, was either river time, of mountain bike time.... obviously cause I'm writing this, river won the battle !!!!! Lol .......
Twenty degrees and gusty again ... still, was a cracking day, fished the top section, as the usual parking now involves a herd of feisty beef cattle and a huge bull !!! So, parked up by thd Camdwr stream and walked down a bit .......
Anyway, dip tested with thermometer and she was reading 15 degrees ???? Better than the other day and, we're having cooler nights of late, down to eight degrees in Rhayader last night .... just need some rain now !!!! Maybe the weekend it seems.....
Dries as usual, two good sized fish for here, in a tally of thirteen . Ghr usual chubby hooligans for here .... all about seven or eight inches, lovely takes to ghe dry ...Half to risers, half at the fast stuff, in the heads of pools .......
A lovely session in fairness, well aren't they always !!! LOL ..... On the mountain bike early evening for a few hours, build up a thirst for a cold one sat outside The Lamb and Flag in Rhayader .... Lovely job !!!!

13 Trout

A guiding day for me today …… After a thoroughly enjoyable day, yesterday for Mr. Wilson on the huge Nantymoch Resrvoir, with plenty of stunning fish to the net, was the confines of the wild stream today. …… He loved it !!!!! And, in fairness, his reaction time for a gent over seventy was awesome,. There wasn’t many rises to his dry, that he missed !!!! Incredible stuff . A dozen fish to the net, the usual stamp for here. I gave some demos on technical tricky water, and winkled out another three, just to show how to deal with drag etc etc etc …….
Just a cracking six hours sport on the River…… So good in fact, we slipped lunch, and my lunch has become my tea lol ….. Pastie, banana and cake !!!! Ha ha ……
An interesting note , something to be aware of, I dipped tested the water in three locations along the beat, with my thermometer, reading 17 degrees….. That’s close to stopping fishing , especially for salmonids. Fortunately I’ve some outflows in Rhayader , the Elan, and the Afon Claerwen, both spewing out cold water from the bottom of a deep reservoir …..I must say, today’s brownies were feisty, and keen to nail the dry fly I’d chosen for Andrew to fish with ……. I must say, he didn’t hook a tree once … A very good listener, and he took on board all salient points , and, his angling on the stream was good too ….. A Superb river day in fairness, and a happy client.
He’s totally hooked on the concept of small stream tactics, just like I have been, since the ripe old age of 14 !!!!! So, I’m guessing a jovial angler will be travelling back to London, rather pleased with his sporting day. And, quite rightly so …..He’s already wanting to book more guided days on the streams and wild still waters…Right, onwards and upwards for this tired cookie…… A mooch into Rhayader, and a pint of Rev. James at The Crown me finks …… Cheers folks !!!!

15 Trout

I hadn't been here for a couple of seasons and it was barely recognisable. Water was looking fresh and clear after recent thunder storms. Winkled a few out of the faster water with the Tenkara rod and a small kebari. Gave up after a couple of hours as the wind was making it very difficult to control the line.

6 Trout

A sublime session on a local beat ....Nice being back on the streams, having had clients on guided days on Nantymoch reservoir, and the Elan Valley Lakes, along with Claerwen Reservoir...Thoroughly enjoyable and , fab sport on the big wild waters in fairness....... Happy clients....happy days !!!
Dry fly sport all the way, as is always the case with Me on the streams. I feel after the mayfly, they are well and truly looking up on a daily basis !!! Lovely splashy aggressive hits today on this old favourite beat !!! Lost count after sixteen, but maybe a few more, not sure in fairness..... .. Also, a few long range, very polite trout self released!! So kind !!!!
Fish all between six snd nine inches ...always good little scrappers here .... Great bold takes to my dry ..
Half to risers, half prospectively cast to likely trouty areas ...Here they always take you by surprise .... bang nailing it just as you're watching a butterfly !! Oh well ....Great sport today
Looks lousy overnight, but, much needed rain to be honest ....Might squeeze in another stream tommorrow if it's not tooooooooo heavy rain, see how the mop flops !!!
Then, it's clients out again Friday Saturday Sunday and Monday...All on the big reservoirs, or mountain llyns . ...... lovely job!!! Right, cuppa time .......

16 Trout

3 Trout

Very changeable weather, more like April than June. River still low and clear, but the fish were happy to take the dry fly today.

14 Trout