Time is precious and fishing trips often have to be planned way in advance, leasing you at the mercy of the weather. Simon Kidd was planning to fish dry flies in the sunshine but he was forced to change mind …
I decided that I needed to get some time in on a truly wild river. Time is precious at the moment with the World Championship looming and I could only spare one weekend at the end of May. It was then or never.
As the weekend approached, great anticipation turned to despair as the weather forecasts continued to predict forecasts of rain, showers and yet more rain. Strong winds were forecast all week, accompanying the showers, and temperatures were staying down, too. Typical!
After hours of sitting in slow-moving traffic and heavy showers, I finally arrived at Caer Beris Manor in Builth Wells late on Friday evening. I heard that there had been some dry spells the day before, so my hopes were raised, but by breakfast heavy rain had been falling steadily again and hopes were dashed.
The River Irfon that borders the hotel grounds was up, pushing through and very coloured. After a little trip down to the Wye I found the water no better and devoid of the many fish-holding features the Irfon offered. I returned to the hotel, ordered some coffee and set about a plan to catch fish, despite the very poor conditions. I formulated my attack plan. Regardless of the conditions, fish have to feed. Being summer, air and water temperatures were not too much of a problem but visibility was especially poor. Czech nymphing was going to be the way forward. One thing concerned me though, wading in the murky water risking some sheer edges was going to be especially dodgy, to say the least.
I knew that if I could locate some sheltered lies behind islands where the fish might be holding or close to the bank where the torrential flow was less severe, there was a chance my journey would not be completely wasted. Stealth was in order, there was no way I wanted to spook the only fish I might encounter.
Any areas of 'slack' or slightly slower water needed to be thoroughly searched. The fish would be holding in these areas out of the main flow, and the flies would have a better chance of being seen by the fish in the reduced current. Approaching the river, along the rhododendrons path, my confidence lifted as the rain was easing and the sun was making an appearance. There was also some fly life beginning to show that would encourage fish to the surface. I crossed my fingers.
THE SET-UP
I chose my Greys 10 ft 3 in Missionary rated at 4/5-wt; a rod that is new to my collection but is fast becoming a favourite for this sort of fishing. It is an advantage to assist presentation of the flies, with as much control on a short leader as possible, in the swirling currents.
To complement this I chose a Predator line. This weight forward 5-wt is a prototype non-stretch line designed at Rio. The main line is camouflage green with the last 18 in of high-visibility coating including the preconstructed loop. This helps aid visibility in all conditions.
To the end of this was attached 3 ft of Drennan Greased Weasel, normally used as a shockleader for sea anglers. This highvisibility monofilament is slightly tapered, which aids turnover, and further improves the visibility of takes (you can't always feel them). It also helps control the depth of flies in the wide range of water depths we are likely to encounter.
Fishing depth on a floating line is very much controlled by the leader length. When the leader length is extended with clear tippet material, it is difficult to see where it meets the water, especially at any distance.
The high-visibility material sinks, however, and acts as an indicator of fishing depths and vertical movement of the flies in the water, as well as being an excellent indicator of the slightest movement where it enters the water. To the end of this was attached a three-fly set-up. The first fly was 30 in from the Weasel and then another at 24 in and then 30 in to the point fly. In total the leader length matched the length of the rod.
By the time I got started there was still no sign of any fish on the surface after the fly life but a second rod was made up with a dry in case of any rises. Experience in the past on difficult, coloured water days has taught me that often the best chance of a fish can be with a dry in the margins.
The fish rise close to the bank or near the surface and being opportunistic, the occasional terrestrial knocked from a branch by the rain can help satisfy the trout's appetite, while escaping the heavy flow. If a 'hatch' started and stimulated some activity I was not going to want to miss what short burst of activity may come with it.
THE METHOD
With everything set I surveyed a few likely-looking spots and decided to start near the middle of the beat. I started prospecting the margins with the first couple of casts really close to the bank, standing well back from the edge, so as not to drive any fish lying close in out into the main current.
After a little while a small grayling grabbed hold of the Peeping Possum on the point, drifting along not 18 in from the nearside bank. No trout were present, so it was time to enter the water and try to reach some other suitable spots.
It is still important to enter the water with great care even in these conditions and stealth is still a factor. The fish will be sensitive to vibration and while they may not be able to see through the murk very well, silhouettes and light changes will be what they will be sensitive about and react to.
When wading in these conditions, personal safety is top priority. Selecting the point of entry carefully and then probing the murky depths with the wading staff is essential to ensure wading safety in these conditions. DON'T TAKE RISKS.
Sure enough, wading was lethal all day. A sturdy wading staff and an inflatable life jacket were essential items, as I wanted to make it home in one piece. Wading boots and stout waders were called for-breathable ones as temperatures were warm and neoprenes would have been uncomfortable bearing in mind that I was going for the mobile approach.
I find it useful to wear a belt; on this I keep a beer towel. This helps keep your hands dry and warmer in winter as well as keeping your hands clean of any floatant, sinkant, dirt or anything which you don't want touching the fish. When wading it is also important to keep everything where it is needed but also out of the way.
For security and simplicity, wading boots with studs were essential on the slippery, steep rock ledges. It is also important to keep the net out of the way, so as not to trip or snag you and yet still have it immediately to hand when a fish takes your flies.
Casting a long line with the deepsinking nymphs is not usually required or very practical. When grayling fishing you can wade virtually in among the fish. My experience of trout fishing, however, has shown that trout are a lot more wary and not found in the same kind of shoals in which winter grayling accumulate. More movement is often required to search out their preferred lies and locations.
THE FISHING
After searching out a few likely spots, I bumped one fish that was holed up in a small pool behind a rock. It struck as the flies lifted up in the current during a pause in the drift. I was now on an island at this point and had fished all around it with no success, but there was a spot on the far side of the main flow.
Inaccessible due to the steep rock on the far bank, there was some flatter water out of the main flow of the river. There was a large overhang of hazel branches close to the water. Beneath this, and along the bank were some telltale bubbles, which indicated slower water and just the sort of place a fish might hole up in heavy water.
My first successful cast under the branches revealed a 'bump' which felt like a fish. There was a bit of tension on the line, however, and the flies had just started to drag. The next cast was placed in a similar spot and with continuous upstream mends in the fast water, between the rod and the far bank, resulted in more positive action.
This time the line twitched at water level and a lift of the rod resulted in a severe jolt at the other end - fish on. This was a good fish, a 3 lb brown trout. It came to the surface, rolled, and took off. The fish had taken the Pink Skink on the middle dropper and was in no mood to give it back. It headed back under the canopy and then eased back again towards the main flow. Here it caught the main current and bolted downstream.
Moments later we parted company! I was mortified; a tremendous fish lost under the harshest of conditions - gutted.
I checked my flies, the dropper was missing and only a frayed four inches of dropper length remained. On light tackle there is always a slight risk of a fish's sharp 'teeth' damaging the leader. In this case it could have been damage from one of many snags and rocky ledges that had been encountered trying to fish the flies slowly, near the obstacles, where the fish were likely to be laying. A cruel lesson but just like checking the hook points, it is important to check the leader too after contact with a snag or obstacle. A lesson learnt - shame I hadn't learnt it sooner.
Having cursed my luck and thinking what could have been, a new leader was set up, calm and control returned and another assault was made on the same area. It was wishful thinking really, but worth a try as you never know. The water had recovered from the action but the fish that had first plucked at the flies had obviously decided not to come back. Nothing materialised.
Five or ten yards downstream there was a similar-looking spot but it didn't look as deep and had no tree cover. Tiptoeing downstream towards it, keeping well into the nearside of the island, I approached carefully. There was a bit more flow here and using the benefit of the long rod I was able to control the flies well over the faster water in between. I tied a heavier yellow bug to the point now to get more control.
Walking the flies along the riverbed meant that the point fly fished along the bottom and the middle dropper just off it. This is achieved by casting upstream sufficiently to have the point fly on the bottom in the target area. When the line is taut to the rod tip, this can be felt quite clearly as it trips over stones and rocks on the bottom. By raising the rod tip gently up and down all the way through the drift, the middle dropper can be raised and lowered from near the bottom. This very often induces a take on the upward lift, which is instantly felt through the rod tip. In deeper water it may just be the point fly that is near the bottom in a more vertical delivery.
The telltale twitch of the line signified action; sure enough another trout was in the vicinity. I hooked the fish on my next cast and it put up a good scrap in the turbulent water of the main flow. Luckily, the barbless hook fell out once the fish was in the net. Moments later the fish was back in the water, albeit a little wiser than the day before.
This was proof enough, however, that despite the very difficult conditions, being confident in the fly choice, reading the water well and selecting key areas to locate fish were extremely important.
OTTER INTERVENTION
A little later in the day from a wooded bank I spotted another likely fish-holding area behind an island. I was considering the access route to reach the spot, as I stood quietly, when I noticed I was not alone. A huge otter had come upriver and decided to pick the same spot. Moments later he returned to the surface, jaws crunching on a small trout; I smiled and left him to it.
Moving further downstream we encountered two more trout in small but 4-5-foot-deep slack troughs behind obstacles in the river. One of these came off again to reveal another less-thansharp point on the hook. The rate that my flies were being trashed on the rocks was phenomenal. I don't think that I've ever used my hook sharpener so much in one day!
I decided to fish above the pools that the otter had been through. These would not have been disturbed and would offer more chances of producing fish. I set off upstream.
Here again the water was treacherous for wading and getting access to the likely areas in the strong flow, blind to the traps the river held in store, was no job for the faint-hearted. In these conditions it's essential to keep either both feet, or one foot and wading staff on the riverbed at all times. Anything less will most likely ensure that you go swimming.
Having reached the target area, there was a good lie behind a small island, which had a willow right behind it. With the long rod I was able to fish over the top of it - completely obscured from any fish that might be there. Whether they would have seen the profile in the murky water was questionable but the result was not. A few moments later and a savage take revealed a hungry trout in just the area you would expect to find one lurking. After the initial thump and a bit of head shaking, the fish sadly departed company with me. I fished on, nearly into darkness, and decided to call it a day. Although I had not landed any fish to talk about, the day had been a valuable learning curve.
Reflection I had faced high and coloured water with no visible fly life and nothing visibly moving on the top in any of the slack areas one might have hoped to find them. The water is quite heavily fished, being free to residents of the hotel, but seeking out fairly inaccessible, fishholding lies proved productive.
Despite the conditions I had fished hard, I had opted for weighted flies, presenting them as slowly as the conditions would permit, and I believe this was the most effective method. It could have been one for the archives but unfortunately 'the one that got away' remains to challenge the next prospective angler.
My hooks were taking a constant battering from the rocks and this meant that I missed some fish that I should have landed. Although I was checking and sharpening them, I was not doing it often enough-lesson learnt.
As I wandered up the path, for a wellearned drink in the bar. At least I had learnt this here and not in Spain. I am sure that if I'd learnt these lessons beforehand I would have had a few good fish on the bank. I valued my experience that day as it helped me to prepare for less-than-perfect conditions. I promised myself that I would not make the same mistakes again and that I would have to return to find that 3 lb brown trout.