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 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]