Fly-to-Fish

'R39' will live long in the memory, for lots of good reasons. It was on 'R39' that today I achieved a long-held ambition to fish a truly wild small water. I've been building up to this for a little while now as this is probably the most technically difficult aspect of fly-fishing. Today's challenges comprised a potent mixture of low water, wind, overhanging trees, nettles, spooky fish, cow-dung and a barely-used new rod to get used to. But in the face of all these challenges, 'R39' yielded 11 of the most beautiful wild trout anyone could hope to catch; including two 12inch specimens which really topped a great day.

Ok, ok....so I got a little help. Well quite a bit actually. In a bid to accelerate my understanding of how to approach small streams, I asked Gareth Lewis to guide me through the day. Small stream fly fishing is Gareth's sweet-spot and I have to say I have benefited immensely from his careful tuition. He covered everything including set-up, fly selection, stealth tactics, casting options and reading the water. There was continued advice on ironing out casting difficulties and plenty of animated conversation about the art of small stream fishing. Put simply, I couldn't have chosen a better guide.

It was Gareth's recommendation to go to 'R39', which is the Lower Stanton beat of the Honddu. This is a Wye tributary that meanders through the meadows of the Honddu Valley. Here there are enough riffles, flat glides and deep pools on the beat to fill an entire day of fishing.

Using stealth tactics I get into position....

...while Gareth points out the local fly life

Fishing got underway in the morning which was still chilly and fresh from the night. This made for a slow start although a couple of early fish were hooked but dropped off. The fly activity was very sparse at this stage, but things started to pick up as lunchtime approached. Very gradually the hatches got underway as conditions warmed up. Thanks to Gareth, my casting was steadily improving as I got used to the new 3 WT rod. Two fish in quick succession to an X-Caddis was a good sign that things were beginning to gel.

The first fish to be successfully netted

Small but perfectly formed

Some bemused onlookers

The highlight of the day came after lunch. A couple more fish had been netted when Gareth spotted some interesting rises in a feeding lane under over-hanging trees. We both observed emerging Mayfly (Ephemera sp.) being taken, so I was a little surprised when Gareth tied on a Mayfly spinner and prompted me to cast at the rising fish. The fly was huge and I had difficulty casting it to the right spot. Another more aerodynamic fly was substituted - but it was still a large spinner pattern. Shouldn't we be trying an emerger or dun?!! This time however I was able to deliver the fly to the right spot, just upstream of where we thought the fish was holding. The fly drifted a short while and then the rise came. It was immediately apparent I was connected to a good sized fish; and strong too. This was what I came for - light tackle and fit fighting trout. I blurted out "I'm not stopping for a photo....". Back came the call from Gareth "Give it some line if it wants to go..." . Can you guess who was in a more rational state-of-mind at this point? It certainly wasn't me! But I had been squatting in cow dung and had acquired nettle stings in my bid to catch this fish! The chaotic scrap ended with a 12 inch beauty in the net - and a very knowing smile right across Gareth's face.