Feedback & Reports

Wasn't planning on fishing the Edw , but had had some fab sessions on both Craig Goch and Claerwen reservoirs just lately , with them now being so close it's superb.

The Edw was a little high and coloured to be honest and lots of winter beds been made, some deep, so be carefull !!!! Fished a heavy single PTN throughout, three dinky trout of about six to seven inches..... still need to colour up and in fairness needs another two weeks here to come alive !!!

Lambs having a ball in the fields, I got out after a couple of hours, waters still very cold, even though this afternoon was thirteen degrees!!!... hard work at the moment negotiating obstacles...... lower water is almost better on this beat tbh !!
Anyway, two fun hours, nice to have a bit of a bend on the six foot, two weight rod. Walking back in the field is the remains of a mandarin duck I think looking at the feathers. I did take two of them!! More still there folks. Back here when it warms up ... Will try one of the Arrow beats after the Easter rush !!! Happy days ????????

3 Trout

What loon goes on the very start of the season , when it's three degrees and the water is jibbering ?? I'll tell you , Me that's who !!! Had to be done on the first day ... I opted for the Edw at Hundred House , deep pools , running nicely, no untoward additional obstructions to be honest .....oh may be an old rotten tree down two hundred yards up from the bridge, but otherwise went on a mooch quite far up ... ten till half one that was way enough for me in waders too !!!! Took the secateurs clipped off just the annoying end growth from last year, the ones that ALWAYS grab your fly !!! Snipped off twigs ,had a cast here and there and in fairness looks just as good as ileft it at the end of August , minus the jungle growth.

A tawny owl kept me company whilst I trimmed up annoying willow leaders from the main stem ...making sure they're well and truly thrown well into the rough and not back in the River... willow can literally grow from a tiny cutting !!!

My only find buried in the river bed was a very old terracotta bottle, maybe Prince Llewellyn himself drank from it, who knows ..... whilst he was on his escape and evasion !!! A fun recce of an old favourite... hard to think its the same river as it is in May when brownies will be splashing at my well presented dry !! Oh well , good fun , a tab into the moors tommorrow, well above Claerwen Reservoir, recce a mountain llyn for the warmers months.... I do feel spoilt living in the Elenydd , love it!!!

Didn’t quite know where to go today , after a frantic few days boxing things up up and bubble wrapping pictures , for my onward journey eventually to Rhayader , once the sale legalities are through …. Plumbed for my old favourite , the Edw at Hundred House , got there at midday , tackled up my trustee six foot , two weight , and the tiniest para Iron blue ,which , initially was good , had two on that , splashy savage takes , and two on a rusty klinkhammer . Fish today all about seven or eight inches ……

Not much insect life till one , a few olives , and late sedges , but otherwise , with the rather unpleasant north wind , fairly quite …I did dip the water with the thermometer , eight degrees , decidedly cold I thought !!!! felt it through my hardwearing nylon wild streams waders too !!!!

Nice to see three kingfishers up and down , not sure what was going on , battle for territory perhaps , very vocal , and one stood his ground too puffed up on what looked like a favourite fishing perch !!!!should have taken a flask of coffee tbh , felt nippy when I got out at half two , a pleasant couple of hours here , river still low , but I’ve enjoyed the season here , and she’s like an old buddy to me , some good winter floods will tidy her up , I wished her well as I scoffed my Ginsters pastie after I’d packed my kit away and got out of my waders , hoping the residents have a calm and productive ( !!!! ) back end to the year , May squeeeeeeeeeeeze a final rivers session in on the Arrow , before seasons end , then it’s just some of the upland Llyns and Claerwen which some stay open till the 17 October ….. anyway , back home , and a large Baileys coffee ……. Sorted !!!!!!!!

4 Trout

Few hectic bits on today , so was nice to feed everything early , top up the hens water , and get going …. Initially where to was a decision I wasn’t sure on ….. wanted some where easy wading , no real effort and not toooooo far . So opted for my old favourite , Edw , Hundred House , again !!!!!

I did initially think of Hindwell at Knill , but dry fly sport isn’t fun there , and although if flows well and stays lovely and clear , I’m not sure what’s happened with the trout population there the last couple of years , it’s really dwindling ….. looking at the stream it should be bouncing with fish !!!!! Anyway , I parked up at half five in my usual spot , and opted for a tiny cdc and elk , as there were plenty of sedges raving just above the surface , and in fact loads of insect activity come half six , lots of dancing upwings and others at the party …..

Fishing was fun again , and brought to the net seven brownies in the two hour window I was there , sizes from six to nine inches , and also three parr . They always hammer the dry hard too !!!!! It seems like they have favoured pools too , and one after another smashing it …. I left the one pool , as I think I quickly released four salmon parr in rapid time ….. bodes well though I guess ……..

Saw my buddy the kingfisher , I looked at him as if to say I saw you yesterday , and he kind of did the same at me too … lots of grey squirrels , on the go , feeding heavily , well , it’s that time again isn’t it , everything starting to slowly wind down now for the cooler months ahead ….

A fun couple of hours , beats watching holiday rubbish on the box , a pleasant drive back home and nice to get out in the garden , with a cuppa and the pooch , and reflect on a fun couple of hours , always love these wild streams …. Peace and quiet on a bank holiday weekend , bliss !!!!!!!

7 Trout

Well , a fresher morning when I parked up at the lovely Hundred House pull in by the bridge at half ten , reading 17 degrees in my truck , and just a lovely morning ; temperature wise ….. water dipped the river , she looked a tad fresher than last time I was here , reading 12 degrees . That said six days of rain would be great for a flush through …..

The fishing was fun , only did two hours there , as had some jobs I wanted to crack on with back home , before a mountain biking session early evening . Dry fly as always , Parachute Iron Blue prospected , did the business , and it always amazes me on a stretch that looks dour , do not be deceived folks , an Edw brownie is like rentaghost, it’ll smash your dry from know where !!!! Which is what happened this morning , lovely confident splashy takes , six to the net , all between six and nine inches , lovely markings as always ……..

Plenty of insect life too , medium olives , tiny sedges at eleven , and I think alders too ….. trout we’re prepared to hammer the dry fly , although the two hours I was there , not one rise this morning . Kingfisher up and down , looked suitably well fed too , in fact a slim fast diet wouldn’t go miss , obviously hammering the minnows , and loads of them too , quite funny to watch them around your waders picking off the disturbed particles in the water …..

A fun couple of hours , always chilled out here , nothings an effort , I’m so used to the jungle in that valley now , I think my fly line dodges the vegetation on its own …. Anyway back home , no peace for the wicked , jobs , bit of scran , then out on the bike …… sorted !!!!!!!!!

6 Trout

Well , back to my old favourite when the rivers are low , but boy when I turned up she was low low ….. having fished Hergest beat on Monday and had a successful few hours I did debate between Claerwen reservoir and the little Edw again …. She won , although perhaps in hindsight the big water may have been a better option …..

Got there at half eleven , plenty of insects on the go , and sedge and olives too , so they should be eyes up for a tasty bit of scran , but fishing was decidedly tricky today , I had the feeling perhaps a brunch had already been consumed , and I was late for the table !!!!!

Anyway , a tiny elk hair caddies did cause a stir in some of the pools , ending up with three to the net , and two good missed takes , all feisty little chaps , as always , only about seven or eight inches today , no chunky fish in the tally , and strangely enough was lovely seeing a tawny owl in the lower branches of an alder , I do see them regular in our copse , but he was close to the water , maybe he thought he was a kingfisher !!!!!!!

I think even the Hundred House beat is very hard going now , with vegetation , trees across the stream etc etc , I don’t mind summer growth at all , but that , combined with the low water makes it super tough ….. three hard earned fish this morning …. Oh and to top it off I didn’t get one horse fly bite …. Now that is a delight , especially in this valley !!!!

As always a lovely download of pure escapism , will give one of the big reservoirs up Elan a bash end of the week ….. lovely job , onwards and upwards !!!!!

3 Trout

Well , I thought I’d have a mooch over at the Hundred House …….a pleasing sight too , when I got there … I didn’t tackle up initially , took a thermometer reading , which I’m happy to say was at 14 degrees , so fishing was on . The little Edw was running with a slight tinge too . Looked promising …

And good fun this morning she was too ……..almost Autumnal down in the Edw valley , drizzle , breezy and about fifteen degrees too ….. nice !!!! I fished this morning between ten and one , and three times had a refreshing downpour , only for ten minutes at a time though ……

Dry fly action as always here , good sport on an f fly and good old Para Adams , the usual splashy aggressive takes , and a few fluffed ones , which is always the case here , so fast and feisty !!! Lovely stamp of fish this morning too , three were about eleven inches , in a tally of seven . …. Nice to see the river a bit more “ lively “.

Olives about from elevenish , and also sedges too , and as always , great to see the kingfisher bombing downstream , an absolute jewel ……..

Lambs in the field getting tubby now , I dare say soon they’ll be off , and the fields quiet once more ..Almost harks the end of the season then doesn’t it , or certainly it looming !!!!!! Ohhhh well , was a bit different weather wise this time last week …. 36 degrees I think out Pudelston way , pppffftttttt way tooooooo warm for the U.K.

A lovely few hours on one of my favourites , made a nice change from Claerwen reservoir , although I can’t complain , sport up there has been fantastic too …… happy days !

7 Trout

A tricky morning this morning ….. bowled up at nine , overcast and just a bit of drizzle ….. spot on !!!!Tackled up my usual rig , and initially a Parachute pheasant tail ….. see how she faired !!! I actually stuck with her the whole session …. No I lie , I had one that was attacked by surrounding trees ….. and went missing in action !!!!

Fishing was tricky , not only with the vegetation now , but also the low water … here’s me thinking it may be up just a tad with the recent downpours ….. but no such luck ….. I did thermometer dip it and the reading of 14 degrees , so still good to fish ethically ……..

A few rises today to ….. but I couldn’t get anything to stick initially , two good fish on and off gggrrrrrr!!! Still , that’s fishing hey ..Eventually a lovely splashy rise and the first of the morning to hand , Great stuff !!!!!!pheeeeeeew , I’d zoned in at last … The usual stamp of brownies for here , about eight inches , next few were like peas in a pod too , lovely savage takes though , all about eight or nine inches , gorgeous spotty fish …..love them !

The end tally for the morning when I finished at twelve was six I think …. May have been seven , anyway , still a pleasant mooch on my favourite beat , ….. shame she’s so unkempt and resembling Belize now , but I guess it is July , so half expected …kingfisher busy up and down , and I did disturb a heron , which looked like he was just about to have an early lunch ….. one lucky trout !!!!!!

Really skinny water now up passed the half way point of this beat …. Where I normally get out anyway ….. still , let’s hope we have a few wet days in July ,we certainly need them ,always fun here . Is anyone else attempting the jungle here ….. seems to be only me submitting reports just recently for Hundred House , ………. Come on folks ….. it’s an adventure down there …. Honest !!!!!!!

6 Trout

Well after shift , did a few garden chores , Mrs was heading out , so I bimbled off to my favourite ...... the Edw @ Hundred House ......She's screaming for a good couple of days rain to he honest .... that said , I did a thermometer dip and it was sitting steadily at 15 degrees so was happy with that ................

Fishing was good too .... dry fly action on a Sparkle dun and a tan klinkhammer did the job nicely... equal success on both to be honest.... the usual smash hits to thd dry ... some this afternoon cast to risers and some prospecting !!! Seven made it to the net ranging from.six to ten inches .... usual tubby Edw brownies......fished between half two and half five ... only did a third of the beat ... and got caught in that downpour to .. although I think it was very localised , as the Outskirts of Leominster didn't seem to have had any ..... much needed everywhere now ......

Still , rain was very refreshing and the busy farmers made the hay snd got it done just in the nick of time !!!! Wonderful smell ... freshly cropped fields as you walk through them !! One of those Summer smells you always remember .... anyway ,a pleasant few hours as always ..... love it here !!! Home for a Baileys and a Ludlow game pie ... sorted !!!!

7 Trout

Well , I did have plans to give the tribs a break till more rain is added too them ….. apparently we are getting some the weekend ..!!!!! We shall see. But with the Hundred House beat fishing so well on the Sunday , I couldn’t resist a return visit ,…… early bells too , got there at half seven , I was parking up at the bridge pull in and it was already 13 degrees reading in my truck , 28 degrees when I left at midday….

Anyway , another fab few hours …. I did venture further upstream too , haven’t done that for a couple of years ….. past the jungle area , then it sort of opens out again, strewth , it really is unkempt up there too … like a scruffy school kid needing a dam good haircut !!!! Still , where I could get a cast away , plenty of savage takes to my eighteen para Adams , which I fished along with a tan klinkhammer with equal success this morning ….No mayfly seen at all during my whole session , think that’s the last of them here maybe ..

The usual stamp of fish …. Six to eleven inches , and always beautifully marked these spotty Edw fish… always hit your dry with such aggression , love it !!! Managed ten to the net , half a dozen
didn’t quite make it , and a few mistimed strikes …. In fairness , with the heat bearing down by half ten , I was more than happy with the mornings tally …. Oh and a few Coch y bonddu beetles seen in the meadow on the walk back to the bridge , might just catch an afternoon on Claerwen reservoir , time permitting ….. another pleasant few hours in perhaps my favourite valley ….. lovely job !!!!!

10 Trout