2012 - Early season round up

The trout season is well under way now and I've grabbed some time to post a few images and musings on my experiences to date. A series of trips to the Usk, Monnow tributaries and the Barle in Devon have proved reasonably successful in what has been a highly variable start to the season.

It all started on 3rd March in high wind and squally showers at Fenni Fach on the Usk. A "blank" was the result with a glum trip home after painstaking efforts to defeat the conditions (and canoeists) in search of the fist brownie of the season. It took a change in weather conditions bringing some spring warmth in early April to turn the trout onto more consistent feeding.

First wild brownie of the season, netted at Glan-yr-Afon, Usk

My first fish of the season was netted at the Glan-yr-Afon beat on the Usk, followed by another 4 fish during an Large Dark Olive hatch, providing fantastic top-of-the-water sport. More warm weather in early April instigated some spectacular Grannom hatches as witnessed at Glan-y-Cafn, a new beat offered by the Wye & Usk Foundation, where some hefty fish were netted by myself and ever-present fishing buddy Pete (he caught his largest wild brownie here and was highly chuffed!).

A good fish taken during a Grannom hatch, succumbed to a CDC & Elk caddis pattern

Then another cold spell arrived and spring seemingly ground to a halt. Snow on the Brecons definitely affected water temperatures in the Usk catchment and the bonanza of previous weeks seemed a distant memory. The conditions were also dry once again, just as they were last year and the threat of drought became the main talking point.

Wintry scenes return to the Brecons......

.....but not cold enough to stop Pete wading into the chilly depths

Right on cue however came a prolonged deluge and everything went into spate. No fish-able beats were available now until the spates had subsided - but salmon anglers were unpacking their spey rods across the country in anticipation. For my part, a holiday to Devon was planned along with the opportunity to fish some of the famous rivers around Exmoor. The timing wasn't good however as the UK continued to soak up weather fronts full of rain, so I was restricted to one window of opportunity during a brief respite in the wet weather. I found the river Barle in full flow and very challenging to fish, but managed 3 trout as reward for my toil. The rest of the holiday was spent entertaining our two Labradors who positively revelled in the wet weather!

Alfie & Jack seemed to enjoy the wet weather during a visit to the River Barle in Devon

And it's only in the last 2 weeks that our local rivers have fined down enough for trout anglers like me to venture out again. Conditions have still been quite cold with variable results at different beats, but things seem to improving with every trip so I think spring is back on course at last; and it won't be too long before the chance to fish a long evening rise will be upon us. It took a while for the river levels to normalise, but I've been fortunate to experience some great small stream fishing as well as experience the Usk coming back to life over the last few days. Overall, a very pleasing and educational start to the season with late spring/early summer harbouring high potential.

Small stream fishing at its best - caught on the Honddu at Stanton

Escley Brook produced some tricky but exhilarating dry fly sport

Reward for patient trout-stalking at Escley Brook

Fish of the season so far - two-and-a-half pounds netted at Glan-yr-Afon

Piscatorial Art

Christmas bought an unexpected and very pleasant surprise courtesy of my better-half. She had conspired with local artist Alison Vickery and commissioned this beautiful water colour of a wild brown trout for my Christmas present. The source material for the composition was, I'm told, taken from some of the images on this blog. The work was kept a complete secret from me and I had no inkling until the moment I opened the present on Christmas day. We've just had the picture framed in with a beautiful walnut finish and it now hangs proudly in our dining room. So thank you Sue, it's a very special gift from a very special person xxx. And thank you Alison for making Sue's idea a reality!

River Colne - 18th February 2012

Well another season is fast approaching and the anticipation is becoming unbearable. New flies are being devised on the vice and purposeful inventory checks are being made in readiness for the first opportunity to wet a line. This winter has definitely been wetter in the west compared with last year so I'm ever hopeful of a flying start to the trout season. Last year river levels in the south Wales catchment were very low at the start of the season following a dry winter with prolonged cold spells, making for a very difficult start to the 2011 season. This winter's higher than average temperatures with good flows to the rivers will, hopefully, have stimulated the insect life and in turn made the trout hungry for an early bonanza!

As if to prove the point, I had a distinctly 'trouty' encounter recently on a Grayling fishing venture on the River Colne. Along with my two fishing buddies Peter and Simon, I spent a full day searching in vain for Grayling shoals with deep nymphs, exploring every likely pool and deep water stretch. Toiling in squally rain and wind was getting the better of me, but just as some late afternoon sunshine emerged a tell-tale tug on my drifting line finally yielded a fish.....a rather splendid out-of-season trout that succumbed to a Pheasant Tail Nymph. The fight was exhilarating indicating this was one fit trout. Naturally the debate in the pub afterwards centered on whether this fish "counted for the season...". After all Simon had managed to lure one of the target species during the session and was rightly pleased. One-nil to Simon perhaps! Either way a large trout doing it's level best to rid itself of your home-tied offering feels great whatever the time of year, so roll on 1st March!!

Return to Pantyscallog - 20th August 2011

After what seemed like an eternity waiting for my next opportunity to fish my favourite river, I finally found myself packing the rods into the car and making the familiar trip along the A40 to Brecon Beacons. This time I was accompanied by my fishing pal Pete who had carefully negotiated his "day pass" to coincide with mine. The conversation in the car was animated, flitting between work, holidays and the state-of-the-nation. But inevitably we were soon talking "trout" - what condition would the river be in, what would the best tactics be; and so on.

On arrival at Pantyscallog it was immediately obvious we were in for a tricky session. The river Usk was very low and gin-clear with very little in the way of hatches or rising fish. This would be a day for ultra stealth tactics - keep a low profile, make delicate casts and stalk fish with utmost care.

Pete stalks nervy trout in a glide under the falls - an idyllic spot

Sure enough it took a while for things to start happening. After fruitless searches of the riffles with a duo rig, I finally spotted signs of feeding activity on a smooth glide. Several caddis species were starting to appear, along with some very small upwings, stoneflies and brook duns. A good fish was spotted within casting distance after inching my way up the glide. In went a delicate cast and within seconds the CDC & Elk was engulfed in a boiling rise. A fish was well and truly connected and a manic fight ensued with my 3WT bent almost double. The result was a fantastic wild brownie netted weighing in at just under 1 1/2 lb.

A rod-bending heavyweight prised from the water using ultra-stealth!

Another 1/2 lb fish was netted 30 minutes later on the CDC & Elk, just as Pete called by suggesting it was time for lunch - good timing Pete!

The colour and marking variations of Usk trout always amaze me - this one was almost blue!

We continued to toil after lunch. Pete had been experimenting with various patterns and was finally rewarded after lengthening his leader and netting two nervy fish on a Parachute Adams. A further three fish made their way to my net in a post-lunch purple patch. As we headed toward tea time the rises stopped and the fly life seemed to have packed up and gone for the day. But with both of us having caught in such difficult conditions, I felt we had been sufficiently rewarded. Needless to say the conversation all the way back home was predominated by plans for the next trip!

A beat with a view - a glorious way to end the day

Pantyscallog Beat - River Crai, 2nd July 2011

A pleasing session on a very technical beat is how I'd describe this visit. The Pantyscallog beat is found at the confluence of the rivers Usk and Crai, in a very secluded setting. And it was the Crai that I'd really come here to fish, although I did have a wander down the Usk main stem just to size it up for future visits. The Crai is a classic small stream fly fishing venue and there was plenty to challenge my skills during the session. At Pantyscallog there is approximately 1 mile of fishing on the Crai (in addition to 1 mile of Usk fishing) which was more than enough for me.

Lower River Crai - looking upstream

Once again, the wild trout here are immaculate and in good fighting fettle. Although not large they gave a very good account of themselves when caught on light tackle. At the business end it was a CDC & Elk Hair caddis that brought the fish up, even in places where there were no visible rises which justly explains the opportunism of trout. Immediate reactions were required for the lightening quick rises. I must have been feeling tired because I missed loads and a few fish dropped off, but six wild brownies to the net was good going for an afternoon and evening session. Wandering back through the fields under a vivid sunset topped off a good day - I shall return!

Falls on the Upper Usk, just below the Crai - a real beauty spot

Red spotted treasure from the Crai

Pause for reflection on my way back - how lucky am I?!!