|
Post by dbl on May 20, 2014 22:38:53 GMT
I recently got the kind permission of the landowner to fish the stretch of the Vyrnwy that consists of the eastern bank from the village bridge up to the sharp bend in the river. It is not so varied as John Jones' day ticket water above it. The stretch consists of a pool by the bridge, a long fairly even glide, a short shallow riffle, another glide and finally a deep pool on the bend. At the foot of the pool a large boulder divides the stream. The bank below the pool is very high, sheer and dangerously undercut. Elsewhere trees and shrubs make casting difficult. However, the river looks easy to wade in normal conditions. (It is not really suitable for tenkara from the bank). As my car was being serviced in the local garage on Monday, I had the perfect excuse to meander along the bank, prospecting. A Western rod, I'm afraid, but the purpose here is to look at the river itself. I was interested in the top pool and two things happened here. Firstly I hooked but soon lost a large fish in the deep water by the boulder. A local angler later told me there are very large grayling there, but what I saw of it didn't look like a grayling so I am unsure. However, a little later I saw a large deep bellied fish leap in the pool. I had time to look at it as it rose so high! I checked carefully at home later and I am pretty certain this was a grilse. Grilse returning after one season in the sea apparently arrive in rivers in May and the typical size is about 3-5 lbs. This fish was silver with a bluish back and probably weighed about 3-4lb. If I am wrong, I'm very happy to be corrected! There is an ominous amount of Himalayan balsam along both banks here. An attempt to clear part of it with sheep is being made at the moment by the recently formed River Vyrnwy Community Trust.
|
|
|
Post by dbl on Aug 31, 2014 19:07:46 GMT
A terrific article by Orangeotter in the current Trout and Salmon will hopefully get more trout and grayling anglers (though not too many) to visit the lovely stretches of river at Meifod. Sadly he fished conventionally but did manage to reference Tenkara methods wistfully several times in the text. In fact there are also salmon in this stretch resting in the deeper pools. With the Banwy, the Tanat and the Caen as tributaries the Vyrnwy catchment has many possibilities. Some very good news about the Himalayan Balsam menace, and I hope no one will object to this lengthy press release from the Severn Rivers Trust because many clubs and landowners could benefit from this: "Those who live and work near a watercourse will probably be familiar with the invasive weed Himalayan balsam.
A group of volunteers from the River Vyrnwy Community Group in Meifod have been working with a local farmer to experimentally temporary fence sheep to graze the Himalayan balsam. 11 sheep grazed an approximately 10m/500m strip between June and August this summer. This project, supported by the Severn Rivers Trust’s Big Lottery Funded Monty Rivers Project has proven to be very successful, with the riverbank which was choked with Himalayan balsam last year, now cleared of the weed and given back its amenity value.
Montgomeryshire NFU Chairman Jonathan Wilkinson “ was very sceptical that sheep could be persuaded to eat Himalayan balsam but I have been amazed at the results of a trial being carried out on the banks of the River Vyrnwy near Meifod. The Severn Rivers Trust has worked with a local farmer and volunteers to look at new ways of controlling this highly invasive weed and using portable electric fencing are using sheep to carry out what would otherwise be a time consuming and difficult task. There is considerable erosion of the riverbank made worse by this weed and it’s good to see that we can control it without having to resort to chemicals".Himalayan balsam Impatiens glandulifera is an annual herb native to the Himalayan region of Asia. It was introduced to Britain in 1839 by the surgeon John Forbes Royle who sent specimens back to the Horticultural Society of London from his plant hunting expeditions to the mountains of Kashmir. Escaped seeds from gardens have spread to establish the plant along our watercourses and throughout the wider countryside. Once established, Himalayan balsam forms dense patches which suppress the growth of native British plants and grasses, often leaving river banks bare of vegetation in winter and more susceptible to erosion, causing loss of land and habitat value and increasing flood risk. Where it grows, as high as 3m, with flowers varying in colour from white to purple appearing July-October, views of our rivers are obstructed, so there is the added loss of amenity value. Himalayan Balsam regrows annually from the hundreds of seeds each plant produces, so there are long term benefits when the plant is removed before it sets seed. The seeds are viable for around 18 months. Landowner Jasper Meade said “This experiment of pulling and concentrated grazing of the area has proved to be a complete success. It’s great now to walk along the footpath and riverbank and be able to see the river, with the indigenous plants and flowers coming up and the regeneration of the grasses- all helping to prevent erosion of the river bank. I feel this process should be adopted by us all, and a joint effort by all landowners could help eliminate this invasive species” Polly Meade-Kemp age 17 who swims in the river every year with her friends said it was fantastic to be able to see the field, trees and hills beyond the riverbank for the first time in many years. Many fisheries owners are concerned about the spread of Himalayan balsam and advice is given by the Angling Trust; “[Himalayan balsam] out-competes native species in ecologically sensitive areas, particularly river banks. Where it grows in dense stands along river banks it can impede flow at times of high rainfall, increasing the likelihood of flooding. In the autumn the plants die back, leaving the banks bare of vegetation and vulnerable to erosion leading to knock on effects such as increased siltation of fish spawning ground.” Other anglers have voiced concerns about it impeding access to the river bank and generally making fishing difficult. The eradication of Himalayan balsam requires a considerable control programme beginning in the upper catchment and combining grazing, herbicide spraying where appropriate and with permission from Natural Resources Wales, cutting before it sets seed and hand pulling with teams of volunteers. Although time consuming, hand pulling the plant does remove the need to manage regrowth more than once in a season and with a large group of people covers a surprising area. Teams of volunteers can be supported by the Monty Rivers Project, through grants for tools and necessary equipment. For advice about Himalayan balsam control, or help with getting a group of volunteers or event together, contact Lisa Barlow; Project Officer at the Severn Rivers Trust 07967494219 lisabarlow@severnriverstrust.com or contact via the Severn Rivers Trust website www.severnriverstrust.com or Monty Rivers Project on Facebook and Twitter."
I helped pull some of this weed on this stretch in May, I was very sceptical of the value of the sheep experiment, but it has worked very well. The fencing is needed to force the sheep to graze the weed though.
|
|
|
Post by dbl on Sept 2, 2014 2:42:45 GMT
Further to this. I fished this beat from the bank for a couple of hours today. Where we had pulled balsam, or the sheep had been corralled to eat it:magic. Elsewhere, a different story. The best spot on this stretch, earlier a nice clear, grassy bank, was covered by a sea of 6 ft tall balsam. A lot of balsam also covering the opposite bank. All in seed now too. The pool at the top of the beat seemed promising, and balsam clear, but as I inched my beadhead down towards the large productive stream-dividing boulder at the foot of the deep pool, a splash behind the boulder alerted me, and an enormous otter rolled over, poked his head out, looked at me briefly and then dived again, quite unconcerned. Beautiful, if frustrating! I left him to it...
|
|
|
Post by dbl on Sept 2, 2014 2:50:46 GMT
Checking in Wikipedia, it seems this otter was probably a mature male. It was well over a metre in length, and looked heavy too "occasionally a large old male may reach up to 17 kg (37 lbs)".
|
|
|
Post by orangeotter on Sept 2, 2014 15:02:06 GMT
Hi Dave, firstly, thanks for your kind words re article. Secondly, what a great initiative to clear balsam - other clubs should follow providing there are sheep to recruit and it just proves what can be done.
Re the otter, was it orange ??
|
|
|
Post by dbl on Sept 3, 2014 1:38:49 GMT
I think it's important to recognise that the sheep won't co-operate unless fenced into the bankside strip. The neighbouring pasture was full of sheep with free access to stands of balsam that were untouched. As for the otter, his wet fur seemed a rich chestnut brown. I'm not sure he'd believe you if you suggested he'd catch more fish if he dyed it orange! I have seen both salmon and large grayling in this pool earlier this year, just hope he's left a few...
|
|
|
Post by orangeotter on Sept 3, 2014 18:06:56 GMT
Very funny Dave, much appreciated.
|
|
|
Post by dbl on Sept 15, 2014 21:18:38 GMT
A warning about the Vyrnwy river levels. It does have some smoothing of fluctuations because of the dam, but there can be surprises. I checked the river level the other day. About .9 metres, about the same as reported by Louis in his article. However, there was a pronounced very brief spike on the graph to almost double that a few days earlier. The unregulated Banwy level had not spiked at all, so it must have been a release. As we had had only occasional rain, it is likely to have been a decision taken for management reasons. Worth checking the charts before going and the tops of your wellies whilst fishing!
|
|
|
Post by orangeotter on Sept 16, 2014 12:55:00 GMT
wise words Dave, many thanks.
|
|
|
Post by dbl on Jun 12, 2015 13:47:46 GMT
Another visit to the Meifod garage left me with time to wander along the river bank above the bridge, this time with a tenkara rod, an Amago with an equal amount of line and 3' of tippet. Much of this land is either too high above the stream or has trees close to the water's edge, but it was after threading through the trees that I saw, in the slow shallow in clear water near the bank, the first of several 9"+ brown trout. This one I spooked, and a couple of others swam off slowly after taking no interest in moving to inspect the little black Ishigaki kebari offered by a repeated use of a bow and arrow cast. However I spotted one, moving slowly near the bottom about a yard in front of me as I stood among the trees, and I dropped the fly a little in front of it. It was duly taken, lazily, and I tightened onto a suddenly very active fish that flipped about wildly before coming to the bank. It was a darkly marked brown about 12" in length and looked well fed! As far as I know no stocking takes place in the valley so all the trout were probably wild.
Much of the flat stony river bed that I looked at seemed barren, but those fish I saw were large. On several occasions I could clearly follow, ambling slowly up the centre of the stream like river cruisers, at least one small group of 3 grayling. All were about 18" in length and looked very fat. There were also plentiful shoals of fry all along the bank. Although this stretch is private, and I fish it on condition all fish are returned, both banks of the beats above are day ticket waters, owned by farmers(John Jones and John Williams) who charge about £3.00 a day. Louis Noble's article in Trout and Salmon last year has more details. These beats are much more accessible, and are generally better suited to tenkara fishing. The size and condition of both species suggests that the Vyrnwy at Meifod is in a good state and well worth a visit!
|
|
|
Post by orangeotter on Jun 14, 2015 9:00:44 GMT
well done Dave, these are excellent fish - I need to pay another visit. Thanks for the info.
|
|
|
Post by merlyn on Jun 17, 2015 11:34:50 GMT
the horse inn at llanyblodwel and the green inn sell tickets on the tanat
|
|
|
Post by orangeotter on Jun 19, 2015 14:27:29 GMT
I fished the Horseshoes for many years in the 80's, excellent then but poor now - very overgrown.
Green Inn only has a 1/4 mile or so - not too good.
Sorry about this.....
|
|
|
Post by dbl on Jun 20, 2015 14:10:10 GMT
Sad to hear that, Louis. I cross the Tanat near Llanyblodwel quite often and it looks such a lovely stream!
|
|
|
Post by dbl on Jul 14, 2015 15:57:20 GMT
On Sunday, a dry day in the recent rain, I decided to try one of the Severn Passport Scheme beats. Specifically, I headed for the Pont Llogel beat on the upper Vyrnwy. Not as easy to reach as I had imagined as there is no direct route from me, only a few miles east. However, the road itself is perfectly good and the Forestry Commission carpark/picnic site is by the side of the road, at the top end of the beat, right by Pont Llogel. In addition, there is a long distance public footpath running by the river for at least half of the beat and easy access across open fields thereafter. Well, so they claimed! The first problem was the non-existence of the passport box. The second was the fact that almost everywhere in the first forested half of the beat, the short distance between the path and the river was about 10' almost vertically down, though a few places could be negotiated with care. Wading seemed a good solution at first, but the river bed consists mostly of large beds of solid rock that have been folded to a steep angle and splintered. Progress is very difficult, especially for my doddery self, as every step involves a change in level and the possibility of jamming your foot in a crevice. Mind you, this was with low summer water and good visibility into the stream. With spring and autumn levels and speeds of flow, it would be very risky. However, the valley here is beautiful, and the river enticing with a number of pools and runs and bouldery riffles with random pockets. Nothing much seemed to be happening in the bridge pool (a caravan park opposite has a number of dogs which their owners walk along here, so I guess the accessible pool is often visited by splashing dogs and children), but I brought up a healthy hand-sized WBT on a dry fly in the first run below there.
Returning with difficulty to the footpath, I walked the path by the river. A number of good pools and runs could be seen below on my right, but the access was usually impossible, and always difficult. At the end of the woodland, the access became easier, though barbed wire fences now appeared. The junction of a small stream with the main flow seemed worth checking out, and so it proved. Here access was easy and the junction was marked by a stepped waterfall, the river descending about 6' in level over the total distance. Each level had useful looking eddies, and each could be reached, at these flow levels, by stepping along dry rock outcrops, or wading into shallow gravel beds. Sadly, I only found one WBT in the tail of the pool, but I still think it has potential! I did not reach the bottom end of the beat. It is quite open, wide and flat so the river slows down. The beds of rock are flatter and less aggressive, so, with a little more water, it would be worth a visit. I'm not sure I would visit this again myself. The access is too tricky for me, but it might suit someone prepared to wade wet, and who could abseil down the banks! Actually, there was a piece of the beat I could not see from the path, as the river loops away before returning. I would guess that the bends in that curve could be worth trying, if you could get down to them. PS. I left my ticket prominently in the car, and tried to contact the scheme through the website on my return. Alas, the contact page is down due to "unscheduled maintenance" Technical details: Iwana 12' and 8' level line. (Too long for the cover, but the stream is broad. I started with a 12' line but that was impossible to cast under the forest.)
|
|