Me & my mate are having a days boat fishing at Llys-y-Fran Reservoir a week thursday. (17th Nov). Anyone fished there recently & if so any tips on flies etc? Not fished it before it being 2 hours plus from where we live so any advanced hints would be much appreciated.

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If there is such a thing as re-incarnation knowing my luck I,ll come back as me!

Found this on the web from a few years ago maybe it'll give you some ideas...

"using floating or intermediate lines with patterns that include flies such as, Buzzers, Hoppers, Blobs, Bibbio’s, Cormorants, Diawl Bach, olive or black and green lures and small boobies. The “Washing Line” is one of the favourite methods at the moment, producing good results with a large number of anglers achieving their bag limit when opting to fish this style."

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I used to like fishing because I thought it had some larger significance. Now I like fishing because it's the one thing I can think of that probably doesn't.

I was there a couple of weeks ago, black and green booby and a Di5 worked a treat!

Hey Gary, try a Pheasant Tail with a gold head. It worked last time I was there. Cheers, Mike.

I fished there from the bank last weekend, the fish were nailed to the bed of the lake and pretty sulky, it was an extreme weather day and I only lasted a few hours due to some very heavy rain driven by a strong southerly gale.

Llys y Fran is still well stocked and I left with three good fish. Like dave p I fished a black and green booby - green fritz body, black eyes - but on a Di7. On a warmer, calmer day lures, especially bead eyed, orange microfritz bodied, orange marabou tailed ones work really well on an intermediate. If there's any sign of surface activity switch to nymph fishing and a floating line. A team of diawl bachs with a 2 mm red tungsten bead headed one on the point can be good fun. I generally use 4 or 6 lb Maxima and haven't been snapped off for a few seasons.

The fish are a good average size, all mine weighed over 2lbs last week. They have a well earned reputatation for eating well, fighting power and their exchange value in local pubs.

Due to its elevated and exposed location a day afloat on Llys Y Fran requires a reliable set of waterproofs and warm clothes - add 15mph to the general wind forecast and you're generally about there. I completely blew it last week as what I took for chest waders in the boot turned out to be thigh waders which, in the circumstances, led to a bone chilling afternoon, try to avoid that basic kind of cock up and be prepared.

Good spots - the boat house is just above the dam to the east. The point almost due west of the boat house (bird point?) is a snaggy shallow area and always holds fish, look out for fry feeders. Fishing close in to the far west bank to the west of this point into the bay is also a very good bet.

Most boats leave the boat house, turn to the north and fish the shallows at the end of the long arm following the east bank all the way. It can get crowded but on the whole this is the safest bet for a series of long drifts and at this time of year it is relatively quiet. Having said all that the bank fishing is really excellent and much more enjoyable than a boat IMHO. Tight lines whichever way you approach it.

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Musha rig um du rum da

Hi lads, thanks for the info. Just got back after a days fishing at the above res. Top advice from Diawl Bach re flies & especially the weather/wind. When we left home at 06-30 it was clear & calm. It was like this all the way to the water. When we arrived, approx 09-00 am, it was a flat calm with hardly a breath of wind at the lodge. Then within the space of an hour it was like being in a different country!! Blowin a gale & at least 5 degrees colder than when we arrived. Fortunately we had heeded Diawls words & took the appropriate gear to keep the wind out. We headed right from the boathouse 7 motored bout 1/4 mile to the center of the right arm of the res. Even with a competition standard drogue we were moving at a rate of knots. 4 drifts later & not a knock we decided to try to get some relief from the wind by setting up just past the fish cages & difting up the "left" arm. This was much less hectic windwise. After about 100 yds we both had 2 takes, 1 of which was netted. Further into the bay it got even more busier with 3 more fish being netted. All these were taken on montana,s on Di3 lines. It went quiet then as the drift progressed into the bay so we decided to motor back & repeat the drift. Seemed like the weather gods were against us as the wind picked up to silly speeds so we decided to call it a day. Will give it a go next season tho, its a nice water & I imagine it would be a good dry fly water with the right conditions.

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If there is such a thing as re-incarnation knowing my luck I,ll come back as me!

Evening All,

Could anyone please let me know if Llys-y-Fran is open (or when it will be) as I was planning to visit in a couple of weeks time. Also any advice on bank tactics for this time of year would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Dave

It's been open for a while Dave and fishing very well. If the warm weather continues into April then nymphing or buzzers on a floating line will be good, try mini lures on an intermediate if there's a cold spell and no fish showing.
No need for ultra long casts usually, the fish are often closer to the bank than you'd think, particularly early on in the season.

Get a free map from the lodge, if you're not catching move around until you find fish, Llys Y Fran's a well stocked res. and nice to walk around although most of the west side is unfishable.

Make a day of it, there's a cracking restaurant with a bar on site which gives you a great opportunity to relax and enjoy the views over unspoilt country.

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Musha rig um du rum da

Hello Diawl Bach,

Many thanks for the reply, I'll see if I can invest in some waders before I visit as well. Floating line and nymphs it will be I think!

Cheers,

Dave

Hi Dave,

You might also like to consider a trip to Rosebush, the small reservoir just above Llys y Fran. It's not stocked, but has a good head of wild brownies and is fishing really well since it opened on 20th March. You can get a day ticket from Llys y Fran and there's a boat reserved for day tickets.

You'll most likely have it to yourself because there are only a couple of rods a day available and the syndicate is quite small.

I was up there on Sunday 25th for an hour or so and took 5 hard fighting fish all around 1 & 1/2lbs on a Montana fished very slowly about 6 - 10ft deep.

Just thought it was worth a mention...

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David A Griffiths
Editor - Fishing In Wales (www.fishing-in-wales.net)