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Post by Simon on Feb 7, 2012 11:23:23 GMT
Sorry about the late report, lots on with work and the house again. With the weather report showing bad weather for Saturday fishing did not look like a happening, on waking the weather was fine but cold -2. So I decided to give the river a quick try. On arriving the water was clear slow with ice forming at the edge. I set up the Tenkara with a my thread furled leader and a pink shrimp on the point. By this time the clouds started looking bad, I decided just to try two pools close to the car. The first one just below the main road bridge produced nothing after 20min, so closing the rod made my way to the second. Casting up stream with the heavy shrimp produced nothing for 15 min, decided to give it another 5min as the rain had started, the line stopped and I lifted into my first Grayling of 2012. Not large but success! Then the heavens opened. End of the fishing so back home to enjoy a weekend of rugby. Simon.
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Post by leckie on Feb 7, 2012 13:05:50 GMT
Simon, What a day you had on Saturday then...catch a nice looking grayling within half an hour of fishing and Wales beat Ireland in Dublin with virtually the last kick of the game...heaven ;D I'm still flogging away at my local river for grayling...I know they are in there....but just can't connect. Not giving up though...not in your life. It's a pity our rugby team gave up on Saturday...never mind we play you guys on Sunday...at Cardiff Arms Park.....a wooden spoon comes to mind leckie
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Post by Simon on Feb 8, 2012 6:57:12 GMT
Morning Leckie. Also looking forward to the game on Sunday! Not sure about any fishing this week due to the rain we are getting here in N.Wales. Keep trying for the Ladies on your river, remember you need to be hard on the bottom at this time of year.
Simon
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Post by leckie on Feb 8, 2012 21:25:20 GMT
Simon,
I'm going out on the local river on Saturday for 3 hours or so. I'll try fishing the flies on the bottom as you suggest.....that's where I'm probably going wrong...I've got a feeling I'm going to nail one this weekend....the camera will be with me...you better believe it. ;D
leckie
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Post by custheyder on Feb 9, 2012 9:31:17 GMT
I only catch fish when I leave the camera at home. The other favourite was when I was reservoir fishing from the bank.... no putting the net up till I've hooked one! or I'd struggle to catch. Weird how these things work their way into your head. Perhaps the topic for another thread.
Good luck with the trip.
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Post by Simon on Feb 10, 2012 10:43:55 GMT
Wed 8th Feb. After having a injection into the joint of my toe this morning, I stayed home from work and as the weather was clear decide to fish the lower Alyn at 3pm for 1hr. Again the river was clear and low with the temp today a warm 2c! With the foot still aching in waders I was only able to fish a shot section below Cooks bridge. On the point I had a pick shrimp and on the dropper a heavy hares ear with a pink bum. Working my way up stream casting into the slower deeper runs, bites started to happen. with a wind blowing up the river the furled leader ballooned upstream if you kept it clear of the surface, so with these conditions I tend to leave a couple of inches touching the surface to anchor the leader. Rather than seeing the bite with the leader stopping I was watching for the leader to straighten, then lifting, hopefully into a fish. But Grayling can be a bit nippy, so I missed a few. In two runs I managed to bring to hand 5 Grayling, one very small the others around 9 - 10 inches. Let's hope the fish are starting to shoal. Simon.
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Post by custheyder on Feb 10, 2012 15:51:36 GMT
Beautiful pictures. The greyling is one of my favourite fish and I can;t wait to get back to Llangollen to catch some more. Hope your toes is better soon.
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Post by pedros on Feb 13, 2012 11:40:08 GMT
Simon,
Fished from Ithells farm through all the usual pools yesterday. Not a sign till I reached the pool shown in your photograph with the T, then 6 in quick succession... Nothing of any size and all on a jigged ptn with a hen hackle collar. Not that I think pattern matters too much, I imagine it just has to be presented right on their noses...
Peter
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Post by pedros on Feb 20, 2012 13:19:18 GMT
Snow melt and kick sampleA rising and colouring River Alyn didn't look too promising for Sunday's piscatorial jaunt. Parked the car at Cook's Bridge and opted for the pool that yielded half a dozen Grayling last week. I flogged the lower of the two pools below the bridge with the above setup without tempting too much, in fact nothing. Upon working into the upper pool I lifted a small rock at my feet to enable an entymological inspection. Some small caseless caddis were found, pretty typical here A change to the top dropper with a small #14 Ryac imitation and bingo Dividends of matching the food supply
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Post by custheyder on Feb 20, 2012 13:24:23 GMT
Nice fish... I'm a bit of a rock turner when I'm on the river. Sometimes I'm surprised by a species I've not seen before or a different colour. More fuel for the tying bench. I couldn't be a one pattern fisher!
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Post by Simon on Feb 26, 2012 7:33:32 GMT
After checking the river on the way home yesterday, Sonia and I were ready by 11am for a couple of hours on the Alyn. With a tight time scale because of the Rugby games Sonia decided with the downstream wind to stick with her 7ft 3wt, just fishing drys. I set the Tenkara up with a level line around 15ft fishing a single weighted shrimp pattern. The river was running fast but clear, for the first 1hour the fish did not want to know, for me or Sonia? We had bought some radios in the US to keep in touch while fishing, mine crackled into life, Sonia had caught a grayling on a Griffiths Gnat on the top. Just as she did I hooked into my first Grayling. The fish then started to take for both of us, Sonia ended up with 6 all on the dry! I stayed with the bug, fished upstream catching another 4 including a big OOSB! Arriving at the run and corner In the photos a fish jumped to take an upwing! A quick change to a Griffiths Gnat and I had my first Grayling on a dry this year, a couple of meters further up the run another rise, cover the fish with the fly with all the leader clear of the current, another Grayling! Over the radio came the call to go home as Sonia's waders were leaking resulting in very cold feet. Just to top off the day Wales Beat England!!!!!! And it was defiantly not a try at the end. Simon.
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Post by custheyder on Feb 26, 2012 7:57:00 GMT
Fantastic report! I really like the quality of your pictures. Yay for Wales. We Celtic nations need to stick together.
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Post by pedros on Feb 27, 2012 9:01:07 GMT
Simon,
Fished the same areas on Sunday morning. Unlike a couple of weeks ago the Grayling are starting to move into the usual runs. Didn't see any rises, probably due to the time I was on the river (8.30 till 11.00), but nice to see some upwings coming off. Interestingly the only pool I didn't catch in was the one in your photo above, although took one fish in the fast water below the dam. I also took two fish on a spider on the top dropper so yep, maybe they're starting to look up...
P
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conor
Bronze Member
Posts: 37
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Post by conor on Mar 2, 2012 21:28:30 GMT
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Post by leckie on Mar 2, 2012 21:33:34 GMT
Conor, Nice quality pictures of a lovely river. I look forward to reading your reports as the season progresses. tight lines Alex
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