I had my first cast on a river last sunday, I was on a river owned by a farmer down the road from a relative who lives near Llandeilo. It's quite a small river, althought there was quite a bit of flow and it was a bit coloured. I set up with my GRXi 7ft 6inch 4wt, a 9 foot leader and a dry (black klink) and a goldhead GRHE set up New Zealand style and started working my way upstream, The was quite a wind and showers throughout the day, After fishing it 1 and a halftimes (it's not a very long stretch) with only a 6 inch brownie to show for it, I was walking back down to the big pool halfway along the beat. I decided the fish were probably not feeding and thought anything was worth a shot so I put on this:



I had wanted to get a fish on a streamer this year so on it went, I began to cast down and across, mending upstream, letting it swing round and then a mend down stream to speed it up. if you've never fished this way, it's actually not as easy as you'd think, to control the speed of the fly, while controlling it's depth is actually quite hard (at least I found it quite hard). Any way I began lengthening my line until I probably had about 15-20 yards of 5wt line out, when all of a sudden just as it was straightening out, a great splash at the surface set my heart pumping, I lifted in and felt a good fish on the line, It began to run up stream and jumped a few times, It ran under the bank I was standing on, I quickly got it to the surface and netted it. It measured 15/16 inches. A few pictures and off it went.







My biggest UK river brownie, And in my second season of river fishing. I know it's not huge but for the river (I've not had anything nearly as big as that from that river). So put a couple of wolley buggers in your box this season and land that biggie!

BTW: It did cross my mind it could be a sea trout, But not this early sureley. It did really attack the fly though.


Hope you like the pictures, Excuse the gloves!

Fatfish

I thought you were a Smurf!!



Nice fish.

__________________
www.paypalsucks.com

nice fish, deffo a brownie. So your lure was fishing pretty near the surface?

made me laugh ............ Nice fish was thinking about tyeing some little nymphs with a flowing tail does anyone use these regular with any success ? when the river has a touch of colour thought they may be worth a go .

__________________

I wind about, and in and out,
With here a blossom sailing,
And here and there a lusty trout,
And here and there a grayling,

And here and there a foamy flake
Upon me, as I travel
With many a silvery waterbreak
Above the golden gravel,

And draw them all along, and flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on for ever.

-- Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Tony http://timebytheriver.blogspot.com/

Yeah there was a fair bit of flow and the fly was probably <1ft down when it took.

Thanks guys, that made me laugh too.

ftafish

Well done Fatfish lovely brownie. I must get out tomorrow.
I just can't wait to feel a fish on again.
Tight lines

__________________
"A glint of sun has warmed the air,The flies will soon hatch out, To lure and tempt from their deep lair, The bonnie speckled trout." SKB tackle supporter. I love Furled Leaders.

Nice write-up and pics Fatfish,thanks for sharing.
Pristine fish,well done mate. I'm pretty sure it's a Brown....can see where ya comin from though.

Nice fish. Nice gloves ()

First day back on the water for me today. I had a nice (a modest fish,smaller, but brown) brownie on a streamer today too.

Very quiet day otherwise.




Good to be back on the water.

.D.

Was the river near Llandeilo?

__________________
I went out to the hazel wood,
Because a fire was in my head,
I cut and peeled a hazel wand,
And hooked a berry to a thread;
And when white moths were on the wing,
And moth-like stars were flickering out,
I dropped the berry in a stream,
And caught a little silver trout.

Fatfish,

Nice fish but if you were fishing a river near Llandeilo last Sunday then you were fishing illegally. The season opened in Carmarthenshire on 01 April.