GreyMamba

Thinking Allowed … (under construction)

Thinking Allowed … (under construction)

Angling may be said to be so like the mathematics that it can never be fully learned.

Izaac Walton

Probably as a sign of retreating middle-age, age - it certainly feels as if I've long since approached and passed it - I’ve decided to taken up fly fishing again after something like 45 years. I did a half day casting course last year (or was it the year before … can’t remember - another sign of decrepitude) and mucked around a bit, practising on grassy patches since then. Last year, I plucked up the courage to do some actual, genuine, watery fish-hunting. I’ve also got together enough kit to start fly tying – with my increasingly presbyopic eyesight that should be a laugh!

There are some really good day ticket schemes available these days that allow you to fish some really interesting (read small, overgrown and probably difficult) wild streams and rivers - I don’t really want to fish still waters. You buy a book of tickets which gives you access to the water. You pitch up, fill in the required number of tickets, post them in a small box that is positioned at the location and go fish! At the end of the day you fill in a catch return and post that to. The tickets are £2.50 to £3.00 each and a day’s fishing will set you back between two and five tickets.

I've also now joined a couple of clubs: The Rossett and Gresford Flyfishers' Club and the Ceiriog Fly Fishers.

So, this is a section to chat about my learning adventures. Something about kit and something about days out fishing. A sort of diary with tips and tricks.

Fly Fishing | GreyMamba
Click here for a summary of catches
DateRiverFishFly(s)Comments
24/04/2017Beck's BrookGrayling, 8"Hendrick Spider #12Fished as a duo with some sort of Klinkhammer. First fish for 45 years. First Grayling. First on fly.
13/05/2017Monnow7 Trout, 8-12"Universal Dry #16, Pale Watery #16Great day on this Wye tributary.
20/06/2017AlynTrout, 8"White bead-head nymph #16Strangely silvey fish with ill defined spots
27/06/2017AlynGrayling, 8" and 13" ~1lbFlash back nymph #12One lovely 1lb grayling and another not quite as big, both on sunken nymph. First from a deepish bool and the second cast over a rising fish.
03/07/2017Alyn2 Trout, 8" and 10"Pearly Grifiths Gnat #14, brown/white Wulff #16Bigger trout caught on self-tied pearly griffiths gnat cast to rising fish on far bank below trees and the smaller one a brown/white Wulf fished in a fast riffle.

The Alyn - but lower down

Well, it was my birthday recently (don't ask!) and my lovely Mum in Law wanted to know what she could get me. Now I've persistently asked for an Aston Martin over the years (I'm happy with a DB9 - V12 preferably) but as she's in her 90s and her pension is small I guess this wasn't going to happen - again. So, instead she got me a membership in the Warrington Anglers Association - which is not a bad second best. They've got waters all over the North West of England, both game and coarse (I'll be spinning for Perch soon). Coincidentally they have the stretch of the Alyn, below the beat that I usually fish, down to the Dee.

So today, bright(ish) and early I set off to give it a go. Not too hard to get to down a single track road, but you do need to concentrate (hint, don't attempt it as I want to keep it all to myself). Decided to fish light with my new 7' 6" Massimo Magliocco 3# Ghibli Fly Rod (supposedly 'graphene', but how can you tell?), waist waders, a small box of flies, and no net (this last was a mistake as it turned out). The rod, by-the-way, is gorgeous and really flatters me under the trees, surrounded by high banks, thistles and nettles.

As with the higher beat of the Alyn, this is a lovely little river with an easily wadable gravel/mud bed. But, also loads of collapsing Willow - not great for yours truly.

Not much hatch activity but a golden flash in a deep pool seemed to promise much. Don't you just love the anticipation of a new river? 4' furled leader, couple of feet of 3x followed by a few more of 7x and a 16 flash back golden bead nymph with a bit of wool as an indicator (remember, I'm not proud) and we're off.... and about the third or forth cast we have a winner - a typical heavily spotted Alyn trout. Only about 8" but who cares.

Wading onwards under a fallen willow (Note to self, if you bend over too far in waist waders, you get a wet belly) we come to a long deepish glide under the far bank - and another take. This time a flashy silver dart - incredibly a first for me, a Dace. And just a little way on, another quick take and what I think is a small roach. The fish must be in a party mood today - I certainly am now. Just to prove it is no fluke, about 20 yards later the same nymph is taken by a hard fighting roach again - about half a pound. I really didn't know that nymphs would attract roach and dace so readily.

It all settled down for a bit then. But a long slow bend in the river yields 2 nice Grayling - 10" to 12". I'm perfectly happy now but it's such a nice day I think I'll walk on upstream to see what the rest of the river is like. So, time to go, but I'd like one last little dabble - questing about with a dry I think.

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There's still not much hatch activity so I guess it's time for a terrestrial. I've just bought a handful of something called a Parachute Beetle (16) from my go-to fly supplier, Barbless Flies. Let's give them a try. I'm glad I did! There seemed to be some activity downstream and across near the far bank, so, mind the thistles, watch the Willows, avoid the Himalayan balsam and cast..... Nothing, well what did you expect. But then, something glops the beetle and disappears. I thought I'd foul hooked something at first but then the dogged head shaking hinted at a very special Grayling - and it was. We're going to need a bigger tippet! This fish really didn't want to come quietly, kiting across the current, rushing for the tree roots, tumbling on the surface and so on. The Ghibli really was earning its keep. Finally, after 3 hours (well a couple of minutes at least!) he/she/it (don't want to be cancelled now do I?) rolled on the surface - and this is where I should have had a net! I'd loved to have photographed it, but there was no way to do so without too much distress for this lovely creature. So, all I can say is it was at least to hand spans long (16" ?) and probably at least a couple of pounds in weight. Anyway, who cares, it was such a lovely silver grey fish, purple highlights and with a huge sail-like fin stood proudly full. I'll remember it well and that's all that matters.

Didn't seem to be right to carry on after that, so a gentle stroll back to the car along the river bank, stopping for a brief chat with a fellow angler (also into nice Grayling) and a contented drive back. What a great day. A Dace, 2 Roach, a Trout and 3 Grayling, what more is there to ask for?

So, thanks Josie, that was a great birthday present - and I'm sure there will be many more adventures to come.

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