Feedback & Reports

I was actually guiding Rob Alp today, We initially went to bottom of the beat as a season permit holder, but a local chappy, another Rob has just started, hence no car in the parking area....I did recognise him from seeing him up at Craig Goch reservoir last season .... I wished him well, and asked is he's fishing above the bridge, which he wasn't , perfect..... onwards to the top half !!!
Actually my client Rob applied watercraft and got to grips with these Welsh freestone rivers....Fishing dries I recommended and likely honey holes .... and fishing holding areas. Fishing was superb....A dozen to his net, dries all the way to the top of the beat ....A changed man !! Think a wild streams season permit man for next year !!! Water was sitting at 0.104m on the NRW gauge and perfect for dries.....all fish between six and nine inches I guess ....One lump hammered the dry fly... but didn't make it to my eager net !! A spirited effort to be honest !!! To top off the day ... technical stuff on the Afon Elan, but fair play .... Reading the water , avoiding drag, Rob brought two more stunning fish to the net !!! A fun guided day.... Ready for an Inchs Cider @ The Crown in Rhayader now!!! Happy days .......

12 Trout

Well, i watched the NRW River gauge online intently over 24 hours .... dropping steadily on the Ithon, but I know she stays coloured up for quite some time .... On the gauge this morning, reading a height of 0.112m .... nice height I thought, so headed down... really for just a mooch, see if the mink was out and about !!! Which he wasn't.... I fished from eleven till half two .... Good fun, dry fly as usual, Para Greenwells and f- fly .. The two foot deep glides, being the most productive... Although, with visibility down to probably twelve inches, I wasnt expecting mega furious sport ....
Plenty of upwings and sedge on the go by half one and dare I say it it, the temperature must have been about twenty ish degrees !!!! Fish responded and I had some lovely splashy takes including three of them risers, which is always nice I find !!
I did see a huge eel, to be honest he spooked me, I thought what the hell is that, it was nymphing in the Rocks, splashy around, i can only assume a tasty fat bullhead was under an awkward stone, and he couldn't get at him... thrashing around, must have been three feet, in one foot depth of water .... A fantastic spectacle!!!
I managed nine to my net, another three slipping off, all peas in a pod today, with one of perhaps eleven Inches, the rest of the gang were about eight inch fish .... tubby strong little specimens though !!!
A fun few hours sport, this river will settle down by Friday and clear nicely by then I should imagine ....With Rhayader Carnival on, the Saturday could get very boozy ...... Thankfully clients out the Thurs and Fri ..... big relief !!!!! Lol .....Happy days ....

9 Trout

Up at Sparrows fart, jobs all nailed, two bookings confirmed up in the Elan Valley later this season ... A real fleece kind of day ...13 degrees, on and off drizzle ... where to go ??? Just for a couple of hours , drove to Llanddewi, bottom parking free, carried on to bridge parking further on .... thar was free too, sorted !!!
Fished just that section from above the no fish zone, where ever the signs are, I kind of swag it ya know !!!! Lol !!! Anyway started there right on up to the top of thr beat, coloured water, but good to see it pushing through, fishing dries in the runs of about a foot deep were buzzing this morning !!! Lots missed, but managed seven to my net, and another three coming off ... gggrrrrrrr, one was a decent brownie too .... oh well, cest la vie !!
This rain has come at a perfect time for the rivers in fairness, the Ithon was certainly in need of a flush through. Only a couple of hours from midday to just gone two .. Managed to rain dodge the heavy stuff , looked like heading back some deeper puddles on the A44 that looked recent !!! So I didn't do toooooo bad for this short session. Fun as always here, kingfisher up and down twice.... I wonder how tricky they find coloured up water ????
Anyway a fun session, fish all about seven or eight inches, nothing big today, back to The Ponderosa and a large Baileys Coffee me thinks, before a decent three mile run later ..... Happy days !!!

7 Trout

Well, I waited out till half eleven , on the starting blocks, the heavy rain didn't really transpire into anything huge !! An hour of drizzle at most ....so, kit in the truck, packed my mobile Sunday lunch in a cool bag, A tuna and onion sarnie and a banana, and got going .... pulled in at the bottom Llanddewi Parkng area , twas no one there... yaaaaaayyyyy.... tackled up, still overcast and cool, reading twelve degrees in my trucks dash ......
Initially slow, got to the river at midday,but actually surface sport soon picked up by quarter to one ...some sun too !!! Sedge and some BWOs about ... saw one mayfly too !!! Fab fun for the full, slow wade of four and a half hours .... water clear this year ... I wonder if the chicken farm higher up the system, has had a warning about the chicken pooooooo !!!
There's just not the usual dead algae, thick and stinking on the rocks .... tis nice to see ... I've had some recces without the rod this week, just a walk, watching fish feed, kick samples etc etc ... I've masterd this river.... All the wild streams are stuffed with trout , my suggestion to a newbie on the streams , pluck any one out of the air, go and give it a bash, ..... Everyday is a school day .... but I think, alas I've cracked the Ithon !!!! Especially this beat, when fish feed, honey holes, favourite runs etc etc ..... you gotta keep plugging away on a river to learn from it !! Anyway fifteen made it to the net today, all on tiny Para dries and f flies..... Usual stamp for here, but fat like fish ... between six and ten inches ... great fun on the dries , and a few feisty salmon parr too.... Didn't see Mr.Mink..... I still have to thin him out for the farmer !!! Anyway homeward bound and maybe a scoop of Inchs Cider in The Crown ....lol !!!

15 Trout, 4 Other

Bowled up at the top bridge parking .... sort of did half of the lower beat and half of the Upper beat, above the bridge, where the Camddwr brook comes in ....lovely clean running brook too!!!
Started at eleven and finished about three ish ... Cooler when I parked up, only 13 degrees, but by midday some insects on the go , including three late mayfly which I saw .... nice variety of upwings too, and some sedge and B.W.Os
The dry fly fishing was great once it pepped up a degree or two ...River seemed fresh too, after a tad bit of rain ... more would be great .. There was still a niggling breeze from the North West i think ..... making initial presentation tricky .... Some better fish on the move today, managed eleven to the net, and a few more long range self released polite fish!!! Sizes between seven and eleven inches ....
Great takes to my fly ... fished a Para Greenwells and a cdc and elk all the session ...both doing the business!!!
Looks like a milder week overall, which is good i have two clients out later in the week... large wild, stillwater stuff, should at least have a good westerly ripple on the water by Thursday, nice !!!
Anyway, homeward bound, kit away, and I'm thinking a cool pint of Inchs Cider in The Crown would be thf sociable thing to do!!! Lol !!!

11 Trout

2 Trout

A sultry muggy day, turned up at the bottom of the beat ..... was 18 in my truck, did a water test too in the day ... Reading 12 degrees on my thermometer ... First drama of the day saw a mink swim out to a rooty island .... I squeaked him in over he came in a rush.... I was like whoooooooooo wasn't expecting that!!!!!!! He stopped three yards away from me !! Then bolted... I watched him swim away ... quite leisurely!! I'll touch base with the farmer .... A job for my old bolt action .410 I think !!!!!
Anyway fun fishing today, did a bit of the top beat from the bridge up .... Great fun ...From midday, fish looking up properly then !!! Dry fly the whole beat .... wwweeeellllll, what else would one fish in June !!!! Lol .......
Fifteen maybe a few more to the net, usual stamp of fish for here ... eight or nine inches, with a couple perhaps ten or eleven inches ... . Fun on the dries here ... a good few risers from twoish as well .....
Tis just starting to green up with the low level and heat I guess !!!
Actually I'm writing this having a late lunch in the beat pull in, just seen the farmer, he's given me the green light on Operation Mink !!!!
A fun four hours sport nice to pass on my day to Stephen the farmer, ever so pleased it's fishing well ... we could do with a night of heavy rain to be honest ...mid week maybe ?????
Anyway time for home, and a bottle of something chilled out if the fridge, happy days !!!

15 Trout

Lovely water, most of the colour gone after a period of little rain. Not many fish rising but took them on both small parachute dries and soft hackles.. Must explore further up the beat on a future visit.

15 Trout

4 Trout

Well, what a gorgeous day ..... I parked up by the road pull in at half eleven... Reading 19 degrees on my trucks dash then .... mooched down to start of the beat ....dries as always!!!! Various today, cdc and elk , Para dries and a tiny olive f fly ..... all did the biz ......
Nice to see it clear and a good few invertebrates under the stones, lots of fry and minnows too...... Some years around now it can "sludge up" .... but lovely and clean and clear at the mo ....
Seventeen trout to the dries, and two "peas in a pod" grayling ... trout about eight to ten inches today and I guess the grayling were both eight inch fish .... lovely rises to my dry fly though.... A no rush lazy approach ... one I dont think even knew he was hooked !!!!!
Will need to get up to what I call the bridge section of this beat ..... haven't done the too end for an age ... maybe a quick hour one evening me thinks !!!
Another cracking few hours on a very local lovely wild stream ....I'm catching up with a buddy tommoz , for a bit of a session on the Upper Wye , should be fun, and a lot easier fishing than these wild streams I might add .... not as fun though !!! I do love jungle warfare tactics,lol......makes it all worthwhile when you do get a splashy rise to your fly .... that said, rather spoilt on the Upper Ithon .... fairly open , lovely stuff !!!
Right, home time and I do believe I have one more bottle of Rev.James in my fridge..... puts the icing on the cake doesn't it, after a great few hours on the River...... Happy days !!!!

17 Trout, 2 Grayling