What the hell. I work to fish, it’s as simple as that. After finishing work early today (and as it’s the first day in more than two weeks where the rains have stopped long enough to get out) I decided to run away into the headwaters.

At 17:45 I was tackling up behind a suitable piece of cover no more than 15′ from a small streamy riffle, which I know, is home to a few decent trout. Taking a further five minutes to just sit and watch the water I spot zero rises, although this didn’t dishearten me. I know these fish well, and just because they aren’t rising now, doesn’t mean they won’t rise to my fly.

My first cast resulted in a small but perfectly formed wild fish. Creeping around the small stream all evening, picking the pockets in a way that would make the Artful Dodger proud, my dry flies were taken confidently and strongly. Slowly, and un-rushed, I was determined to fish this occasion for what it was: a brief allowance between the rains, and a chance to fish under the ever-nearing shadow of the Close Season.

The majority of the fish from this last minute trip were standard size for this small wild stream, approximately 8″, but I managed a few larger fish, true ‘monsters’ for this environment.

Fishing well into dark, I fished until I could no longer see my fly, and even then I resented having to leave.

A standard-sized, wild, eight-incher

A monster twelve-incher

There’re no paths here buddy, this is wild stream fishing…

By the time I began the walk out of the gorge, darkness was well underway, and the sun had dropped well behind the valley peaks leaving the bottom of the gorge in near blackness. With a head lamp as my companion, the few mile hike was easy, but it was nice to stop here and there and just sit in the darkness, with the head lamp switched off, just so I could listen to the rustling, riffling water as it gently passed by.

It’s worth treasuring these moments. With all the work for the Support for Welsh Rivers campaign that’s currently going on, it was nice just to get out for a change and to appreciate our passion, which I hate hearing referred to as a ‘sport’.

Fishing small streams; is there anything better?

RAFTS AND CANOES – PROBLEMS ON OUR RIVERS – HERE IN WALES

Those of us who were at the Royal Welsh Show (RWS) and who attended the Welsh Assembly Government’s Sustainability Committee launch of its ‘Inquiry into Access to Inland Water in Wales’ were deeply shocked, disturbed and bewildered with the way members of this committee – i.e. our representatives – are looking at the issue of access to water in Wales.

We knew that the Petitions Committee had looked favourably at the canoeists’ request for free access to our rivers (and had travelled to Scotland to gather evidence) – but the realisation that members of the Sustainability Committee too are looking very favourably at the rafters and canoeists request for open and free access to Welsh rivers was a major blow for us anglers – and if we – as anglers – are not careful we will lose everything we have worked for and which we hold dear.

In other words we have been put on RED ALERT and it is time for us to act. In fact there is very little time for us to act but it is imperative that every single club and indeed every single angler takes this issue very, very seriously – NOW – and responds positively as we are in danger of seeing on our rivers what is already happening in Scotland – Inland waters that are Free for All – and not just for canoeists..

The question we need to ask ourselves is whether we would be happy with such a situation – if not then action is called for – not by the ‘club down the road’ and not by ‘someone else’ but by each and every one of us. The Sustainability Committee will receive written evidence up to 19th September

We sent ‘Pledge Forms’ out to clubs before the RWS – and we are attaching them again today – please get them photocopied and signed – we need at least 10K signatures supporting our stance – we only have 3K signatures to date. Please get all your members out there looking for signatures and support. We say angling has more participants than any other sport – let’s prove it.

Also get in touch with your Assembly Member – get a representative group of your club members together with farmers through whose land your river runs to meet him/her at his/her surgery and present your case honestly and sincerely. Get all your members to write individually to them – Bombard them with your views – you are their constituents (the majority of the canoeists reside outside Wales). OUR AMs need to know how WE feel – and all anglers in Wales need to speak and act as one.

I don’t know whether you heard of the intervention of the TV celebrity Griff Rhys Jones into the access issue. He openly encouraged canoeists to disturb as may fishermen as possible

It is apparent that we anglers must make a stand. We just cannot allow the rafters and canoeists to push us off the rivers, streams, ponds and lakes of Wales – thereby gaining free and unfettered access to our waters for 365 days a year.

Please treat this problem as URGENT and get your club members to act. Sign the Pledge Forms – Visit your AMs – Make your feelings known – NOW.

What have you done to support your river, your water? What has your club done? What can you do together? Please, Please – Act Now. (Sorry to sound so emotional – but time is of the essence)

Moc & Julia

Downloads:
	Support for Welsh Rivers Petition
Adobe Reader will be required to view the above documents. To download click here.

Again, it looks as if anglers are in for a big fight.

Feedback from the Royal Welsh Show indicates that there are two main individuals pushing for a change in the current legislations and laws regarding the access to inland water in Wales. Alun Davies (Labour, West Wales) and Leanne Wood (Plaid Cymru AM for South Wales and spokesperson on Sustainability) seem to be the main runners in this cause which could see a huge and negative impact on both the angling community and the rivers and stillwaters of Wales.

The Welsh Assembly Government’s Sustainability Committee today announced the launch of the inquiry into access to all inland waterways in Wales, this will include the unlimited and unfettered access to all rivers and stillwaters for paddlers. I don’t need to spell out the impact that this will have.

Set to complete their investigations by 19/09/2009, they will then be producing their findings by late Autumn.

The general consensus from the general public at the Royal Welsh Show indicates a strong feeling that the canoeing bodies seem both arrogant and disrespectful in their demands for unlimited access for zero cost, especially when other recreational groups are required by law to pay for such a privilege.

Again, I would like to urge all anglers to take part in the Support for Welsh Rivers campaign. Unfortunately, the only way of signing up at present is via a downloadable form, but if you could download a copy of the Support for Welsh Rivers form, gain as many signatures as possible (even if you’re only able to sign for yourself!), scan the form, and email back to me at gareth[dot]lewis[at]flyfishinginsouthwales[dot]co[dot]uk I would be very grateful. If you don’t have access to printing/scanning facilities, not to worry; either email me your postal address to the previous email address stated, or via the Contact page, and I’ll post you a copy of the form.

Remember, even one signature will help.

If you have any questions/queries regarding this huge issue, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Downloads:
	Support for Welsh Rivers Petition
Adobe Reader will be required to view the above documents. To download click here.

Trouble on the Teifi

The river Teifi has a large canoe/paddler issue which is consistently spoiling the riparian rights of many individuals and groups across the UK. Large groups of canoes/rafts/kayaks are a regular occurance, and it’s spreading!

River Teifi Rafts

Ever wanted to find a source of fly tying materials that offers a truly perfect level of service, as well as a fantastic range of products? Find yourself constantly falling short?

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Offering a fantastic range of high quality products and a truly higher-than-1st-class service, I implore you to check out Phil Holding’s Fly Tying Boutique.

I’d enquired as to the shank length of the 11911BL model of Grip hook, as I’m yet to find a truly suitable hook that will give my micro biot paraduns (sizes #20-#24) a correct abdomen profile. Specifically, I was after a hook that had a shank length just that tiny bit longer than normal, and that would also be available in sizes down to #24. The 11911BL was just the hook.

After my enquiry, I had a fantastic email back within five minutes stating a sample of the hooks were in the post! Fantastic service! Happy with the hooks and fast service, I placed an order for more on Friday morning, hooks arrived Saturday morning. Outstanding service!

I must say, the 11911BL is a fantastic hook. Lightweight, non-shiny (it has some sort of matt-finish), and just seems perfect for my small dry flies.

I tie this fly no larger than size #20, and is a replication of the small brown and olive duns present within the Taff catchment (both on the main stem, and on it’s headwaters). A great pattern template for BWOs (just use an olive biot for the abdomen and mole hair for the thorax).

Micro Biot Paradun (Olive, size #20)

For Grip hooks and other quality products, please check out the Fly Tying Boutique via www.flytyingboutique.com, or click on the link under the ‘Shops – Fly Tying Materials’ section.

Quality service. Quality products. Phil, you have both my personal thanks, and a new regular customer.

As any regular visitor to this site will know, I’m fairly passionate about fishing small streams. Okay, so I’m some what of a small stream addict. Yes I tend to return from my small stream exploits with scrapes, minor cuts, an aching back, bruised knees, cut shins, and totally exhausted, but that’s part of the fun. If you don’t work for these wild fish, you won’t get Jack S%&t…so to speak.

With the hard work done (this can include hiking miles up and down steep valleys or gorges, shimmying down steep banks or vertical rocks, or crouching like a ninja in the night in order to creep your way into position behind an un-expecting trout) it’s nice to keep the actual fishing simple.

As one who likes to keep things simple in most other aspects of my life, fly selection for these small wild trout couldn’t be simpler.

The small micro-environments of these small free-stoners do not have the volume of hatches that the main stems do, neither do they have the same fishing pressure. Because of which, the wild fish are hungry, and in the faster running riffley water, a large, bushy dry fly will usually be met with a confident rise.

For small streams, I only ever tend to use four flies. After the hard work of hiking into the beautiful places (creeping on your hands and knees into a suitable casting position and, if you’re lucky, have avoided spooking the fish you’re creeping up on) it’s nice to be able to just relax a little and to be able to choose a fly from a small collection and just KNOW it will work.

My selection of flies are also easy to tie, another bonus if, like me, you can’t be bothered with over complicating something that is going to get wet, slimed, bitten to shreds, or lost in the trees. Consisting of three dry flies and one nymph, it’s possible to tie up a full box of my favourite flies in one night. Klinkhamers (black or tan), CDC & Elks, a small (size #20) biot parachute (brown or olive), and my only nymph; a tungsten bead-head pheasant tail nymph (variant). That’s it.

Klinkhamers

The Klinkhamer colours are kept to just two, again, for simplicity. Black, representing a range of terrestrials, and the tan, an emerging caddis. Sizes are kept fairly large, as per Hans Van Klinken’s original design (also, check out Hans’ website by clicking here), and so are tied on large Partridge Klinkhamer hooks (in size #14/#16). The Partridge Klinkhamer hook is VERY big for it’s size rating (e.g. – a size #16 is easily a size #12 in similar Kamasan B100 hook).

These large bugs are perfect at staying afloat in the faster white waters and buoyant enough to hold a nymph (or even two) beneath them when the fish are nymphing (which is also rare in the these shallow small streams, the fish rarely turn down a passing dry fly/emerger).

Micro Biot Parachutes

The micro biot parachute is a new addition to my favourites, is the only ‘small’ fly in my stream box, and is also the most intricate of the four to tie. In colours of either brown or olive, these represent the two commonly seen duns that hatch at various times throughout the day. Although tied on a size #20 hook, it’s a fantastic fly for when the fish are locked on to smaller duns or spinners, and is easily seen due to it’s bright wing post. That said, I bet the fish would still take a big Klink’.

The Mighty CDC & Elk

The small streams of Wales, and my home stream in particular, tend to hold an incredible amount of caddis, and so to complete the life-cycle of the emerging caddis mentioned previously (the tan Klinkhamer), the CDC & Elk represents the adult caddis, or sedge, just beautifully. This fly has been my favourite for the longest of times. As simple as can be to tie, it requires little/no floatant, and pulls fish out of water as well as lime! I tie these in both size #14s and #16s. I once heard this fly called ‘a lazy man’s dry fly’. That suits me fine.

Hook: Partridge SLD #14 (the one above is tied on a Grip 11011BL – thanks Dan!)
Thread: Sheer 14/0, grey
Body: CDC feather
Wing: Coastal deer hair

Tungsten Bead-Head Pheasant Tail Nymph (Variant)

Finally, and if things either get a little difficult or if I wish to prospect a riffle, run, or deeper pool, I’ll tie on approximately 2′ of tippet to the hook shank of a Klinkhamer; on the other end of that goes a tungsten bead-head PTN variant. This nymph tends to be a ‘bug of all sorts’, and can represent anything from caddis, Baetis nymphs (BWO), Hexagenia nymphs (Yellow Mays), the list goes on and on. Most importantly, it has the major trigger points of an all-purpose fly and has stood the test of time. Four/five nice barred hackle fibres for the tails, a slim and segmented abdomen, and a spiky thorax. It also has enough weight, thanks to the tungsten bead, to sink quickly.

Hook: Kamasan B100 #16
Bead: 2.5mm tungsten bead
Thread: Roman Moser Power Silk, 10/0, olive
Tail: Grizzle rooster hackle fibres
Body: Pheasant tail fibres
Rib: Fine gold wire
Thorax: Squirrel

All of the flies I’ve mentioned work. It’s as simple as that. It’s my personal choice to use just those flies of course, and I have the confidence to use only those flies on a small stream because I’ve caught so many fish on them. However, I strongly believe that when fishing a small stream, you can get away with pretty much any big and bushy dry fly. As long as you have the confidence in the fly, are able to make your approach and can present your artificial without spooking the willie little devils, you’ll catch fish.

Stream Rods

More of a personal application can be seen in the use of rods. I have a range of small stream loving friends who, in turn, fish with a range of rods; from 5’6″ wands, to 8′ tip-flex canons; from #0 weights, to #4 weights; rod choice is totally up to you, and what you feel comfortable with. Most importantly, you want a rod which won’t over gun the fish in regards to power. A #3wt is generally seen as standard, but you can go lighter with either a #2wt or even a #1wt. That said, if things turn windy…you’re on your own.

Length-wise, again, personal preference, however, if you’re going to be fishing the small, enclosed, and confined spaces of the Welsh free-stone environment, I would go no larger than a 7’6″ rod. Actions-wise, and as you’ll be fishing ‘close-quarters’, a rod with a full-flex rating would be ideal, a mid-rated rod would be standard, and a tip-flex rod would generally (in my experience) be left at home.

Me, I use my tired and trusted ‘six-and-a-halfer’ which is rated for a 3wt line, and which also has a nice mid-flex. I partner this with a floating, double taper three weight line. I happen to love small rods, and my go to three weight is like an old friend, as eager to spend another day fishing a small stream as I.

Reels and Other Accessories

Partner your rod with a light-weight reel (you won’t need drag!), your small box of four flies, a bottle or two of water, and you’ll be all set for a day on the stream. You don’t necessarily need waders in these environments, although of course, it certainly helps; we haven’t got the warmer US conditions as experienced by the Gierachs, Leesons, and McGuanes.

Leader & Tippets for Small Streams

Leader and tippet-wise, again, simplicity. I personally favour Orvis’ 7’6″ tapered leaders, specifically, those tapered down to 6X. I’ll start by fishing directly off the end of the tippet, or after the expected changing of flies/shortening of leader, I’ll add an applicable length of 6X tippet; my tippet preference is Rio’s Powerflex.

The Results?

Hard work, plus simple flies, equals wild brown trout. It’s as simple as that. And if you aren’t absolutely screwed very tired after a full day on a small stream…you’re doing it wrong.

Most small streams boast a multitude of small wild brown trout…

…as well as the odd hog!

Happy streaming!