At time of writing there are just 3 days until the 2010 trout season starts here in South Wales and never before have I felt/been aware of such nation-wide excitement. Every online forum/blog seems to be straining against pent-up anticipation, excitement and anxiety which threatens to explode at any moment. Currently, there seems to be a feeling that is, quite simply, electric, and the very thought of fishing our home rivers/streams again (after five long months of forced abstinence) is barely contained.

Spring; a truly wonderful and magical time of year, where life seems to explode from every nook and cranny; were I forced to choose one, I might even say it was my favourite season. Maybe the choice is influenced slightly by fact that the start of the new trout season also takes place at much the same time, but either way, watching nature awaken after it’s long, cold sleep is something we sometimes take for granted, and first time I spot an emerging bud on a tree, a bush, or one attempting to sprout from the ground, always fills me with joy.

So, let your excitement and enthusiasm build brothers and sisters of ye old angle, as the new season is almost upon us. I wish you all the very best for the new season, and may your lines always be tight. Without any more sickeningly clichéd lines, here are just a few favourite memories from last spring, and the magic that is the very start of a new fishing season.

A few highlights from Spring 2009

It’s nearly upon us, the new trout season that is, and with this excitement comes the knowledge that in just under two months we will once again bear witness to large caddis hatches here on the headwaters of South Wales. Come April, the surfaces of the rocks lining our streams will appear to crawl with caddis as these wee-beasties emerge from their watery and nymphal homes; onto rocks, plant-life, waders, or whatever they can get their clingy little feet onto. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Grannom (Brachycentrus subnubilis).

10/04/2009 and the first emergence of Grannom

After their emergence they’ll tend to flutter about rather pathetically, and the morning hatches around 10am are known to be fairly reliable; the trout seem more than happy to take anything with an insect-like profile from the waters’ surface with a confident aggression. For such occasions I’ll confidently fish a CDC & Elk (as posted previously), but I was greatly inspired to tie a pattern which more closely resembled the egg-laying stage of the natural.

Originally tied by Davie McPhail, the CDC Bubble Grannom offers all the correct triggers and looks like a pattern with fantastic floatability (click here for Davie’s detailed video SBS). For now, here’s my offering. I can’t wait until April.

‘Happy Valentine’s Day darling, how about a nice romantic walk? What? You want to bring Murphy along? The dog formally known as the Dark Destroyer?! Uh…sure.’ I may as well cater for these requests now, as trout season is only 14 days away, and I want as many brownie points as possible.

Needless to say Murphy loved the crisp mountain air (as did his walkers) as he walked, ran and sniffed his way along the reservoir, overshadowed by the Brecon Beacons and the peaks of Pen-y-Fan and Corn Du, their valley sides evidence of the region’s previous and heavy glacial activity. Murphy turned the back of my car into a muddy mess on the way home, and in a way that only Murphy can; after all, he is associated with the word ‘Destroyer’, so it was to be expected. Still, I had the last laugh, as the walk seemed to tire him a little, and he spent the rest of the day sleeping. Murphey – 0, Gareth – 1.

Murphy and Me

Happiness is a stick

The beautiful Upper Neuadd with the peak of Pen-y-Fan in the distance…

…and the dam at the south bank

A shattered Murphey

Click to enlarge