My first small stream venture - Lower Stanton Beat, Honddhu - 27th May 2011

'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.

Trout lunch. Gareth and I had scampi

With a 12 inch scrapper netted, I finally stop for a photo

Another nice fish prised from very low flat water in the evening

Finally , special thanks to Gareth for allowing me to use his photos in this article; and to 'R39' for yielding some of her secrets.

River Frome - May 2011

During my week off work I decided to focus on my next piece about the River Frome. This is the second installment about my local river and one tinged with sadness and concern.

For this piece I had hoped to capture some of the delights of the upper reaches of this little trout river. I took a walk through Siccaridge Wood near Sapperton, where the path of the Frome winds its way through the beautiful Costwold countryside, woodlands and meadows on its way to Stroud. At this time of year I've previously observed May Flies (Ephemera sp.) and Kingfishers, both of which are good indicators of a healthy river environment.

This time however, there was no river. All that was visible was simply the bare bones of the river bed like some fossilized relic hinting at a previous existence. Consequently, no Mayfly observed; no trout observed; and no kingfishers observed. An entire ecosystem has disappeared.

Dried up gravel bed with land-based plants beginning to colonize

Gloucestershire is a notoriously wet county but we've had a few significantly dry winters in recent years and I suspect this is the primary reason for the absence of flowing water in this stretch of the Frome. The river is spring-fed from sources further north, up as far as Birdlip. The natural springs in the hills where I live are bone dry at present and this is probably the case with the source springs of the Frome. I have heard some worrying stories of farmers routing spring water in a bid to avoid the cost of water being supplied by water companies. If that were true it would have a marked deleterious effect in the present circumstances, but would be relatively unnoticed in 'normal' conditions.

This stretch should be at least knee-deep. Wouldn't you just love to fish it?

If conditions do return to more typical cycles of mild, wet winters then there's every chance this stretch of the Frome will recover. Nature is always quick to re-colonize, often in spectacular style, but it will take a couple of seasons once the flows do return. For now, let's hope the lower reaches of the Frome, where aquatic wildlife currently thrives, does not fall victim to the diminishing water table.

Glan-yr-Afon beat, River Usk - 24th May 2011

So finally some rain came and it seemed to do the trick. Knowing I had a week off work I had been watching the weather forecasts carefully a few days prior to booking my next visit to the Usk. The forecasts were just about spot on (for a change!) and I observed a slight increase in the river level. So, fueled with optimism I ventured to an unfamiliar beat to see what could be gleaned. The Glan-yr-Afon beat is stunningly pretty and I'm most envious of the locals who live in the village just above the bridge. From an angler's point-of-view this beat has a lot to offer. There's much to explore in the form of numerous riffles, pocket water and flat glides all in a very tranquil setting.

Glan-yr-Afon beat looking downstream. Fishing heaven?!

And today the fishing was good. Despite a stiff downstream breeze and bright sunshine only periodically dimmed by spring clouds, it seemed the recent rain had freshened things up and made the trout a little more active. The fly activity was good with plenty of upwings hatching, including quite significant numbers of Yellow Mays. There were caddis flies about also, so plenty to get the fish interested.

Fish kept on rising throughout the day, albeit rather sporadically. But there was enough to give me hope and the opportunity for targeted casting, rather than just searching the water. Fishing predominantly with an olive Klinkhamer plus a copper john fished NZ style, I was rewarded with 8 brown trout and 1 salmon parr. All fish were in pristine condition and fought hard before reaching the net.

Two pristine examples of the Glan-yr-Afon trout

But there was one fish in particular that made the whole trip worthwhile. In the late afternoon I was making my way back from the upstream limit of the beat when I decided to stop at one of the more productive riffles. I'd seen some rises so made my way to the bottom of the riffle and started to fish upstream. Looking across to the far bank I noticed a rise behind a boulder. I kept my eye on the boulder for while and then it dawned on me what was there - a BIG fish! And it was feeding voraciously, flashing side-to-side taking in nymphs with just the occasional rise signalling its location. By now my rig consisted of a  Klinkhamer with a Yellow May spider pattern on the point. Not exactly a classic combination but something I had been experimenting with, given the significant numbers of Yellow Mays hatching off. The spider (under the Klink) had already accounted for one fish so I saw no reason to change things now. My main concern was getting a decent cast to the boulder, taking into account the presence of 2 tongues of fast water between me and the target. Out went a pile cast which miraculously got the flies to the right spot first time. I saw them drift momentarily around the side of the boulder and then a huge boil in the water followed. I lifted and to my total amazement I was connected. An exhilarating fight ensued with the fish leaping clean out of the water 3 times. After what seemed like an eternity a fin-perfect 16 inch wild brown trout filled my net.

The hard fighting specimen is safely returned. Fish of the season so far!

And the successful fly? The Yellow May spider, of course! So I now proudly declare the Klinkhamer + Yellow May spider to be a "classic" fish catching combination!

The successful Yellow May Spider. Now a bit tatty after todays exploits!

River Usk - Mardy Beat 29th April 2011

A few too many weeks have passed since I last cast a line so today's session was eagerly anticipated. It turned out to be a great day and was made all the more pleasurable by the company - my pal Peter who is getting back into fly fishing after few joint trips last season; and Gareth, our guide for the day who ensured our fishing skills were up for the challenge!

And once again, what a challenge it turned out to be. No rain for weeks and unseasonably warm weather has ensured the Usk remains low, clear and bereft of the usual fish-catching opportunities that might otherwise be expected at this time of year. Add the brisk north easterly wind and we knew on arrival that it wasn't going to be easy.

Enter Gareth, our guide for the day. Gareth Lewis of FFISW fame has recently launched his professional guiding service. After some discussion Peter and I decided to hire Gareth's services at this relatively early stage of the season to brush up on our skills and learn some new tricks of the trade. We were not disappointed.

Anyone out there considering the services of a guide in the South Wales catchment, you need look no further. Gareth’s whole approach to the session was spot on. He is undoubtedly an expert and has a great deal of knowledge anyone can benefit from. Above all Gareth gave me and Pete the space to try what we’d learned making the whole session relaxed, easy going and fun.

Despite the tough conditions Gareth got Pete and I into fish, both on the long flats and in the riffles. It was nice to see a few fish rising on this beat and there was decent variety of upwings, sedge and midge coming off throughout the day. Both dry fly (emerger patterns) and small nymphs fished New Zealand style induced many takes between 11am and 4pm. Successfully connecting to fish proved to be quite a challenge - I know I'm a little rusty at present with my timing. Nevertheless, both Pete and I each managed two fish to the net which was reward enough for our efforts.

At the end of the day it was smiles aplenty as we shook hands with Gareth and thanked him for a superb day. Pete and I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Methyr Tydfil Angling Association for allowing us the opportunity to fish this fantastic beat.

Now, let's pray for rain.......!!

Not exactly monsters, but hugely satisfying catches that topped a hugely satisfying day
[Images reproduced by kind permission of Gareth Lewis Fly Fishing]