It's been a lean salmon season for JJO and I. In the hope taking some silver (or even bronze) we booked day tickets on the Merthyr Tydfil AA stretch of the Usk at Mardy on Friday 13th (JJO said he didn't believe in that sort of thing).

The river was nearly full after recent heavy rain. Indeed, her bigger sister, the Wye, was in flood and unfishable. The Usk was holding a little colour but that only made her more attractive. The members of the association obviously thought so too since they were out in fair numbers. A more friendly and welcoming bunch of fellow anglers would be hard to meet.

Our appetites were whetted by a nice, if slightly coloured, 5lber being loaded into a car boot as we pulled up to park. A flying C had, perhaps inevitably, been its undoing. On the river the fly fishermen were comfortably outnumbering the spinners and one on the opposite bank had his efforts rewarded by another smallish salmon.

Despite the absence of fish showing, it felt like one of those days where it was only a matter of time. The soft Autumn hues and the dankness in the air sharpening the expectation of some end of season glory. However, by lunchtime the smoke signals from the Kelly Kettle had nothing to report.

As the sky cleared to give way to a lovely sunny afternoon, it felt like a day more suited to pursuing summer trout than autumn salmon. And so it proved to be. I spotted the large submerged rock as I fished down the run, telling myself that the last cast of the season would cover the fish holding in front of the rock. My first cast had my pot bellied pig snag on the rock as it swung past. I shortened the line, cast again and as it went past the rock, bang, I was in. Alas, neither silver nor bronze: just pure autumn gold.

A 3lb+ wild brown would, in any other situation, be the fish of a lifetime. Out of season and when I was after it's bigger siblings, it was with a mixture of disappointment and admiration that I slipped the cock fish gently back. By the look of his kype and his colouring, he had other things on his mind. Walking back to the car, I did too: spring silver on the Wye.

Lovely post Tony, could almost smell the morning woodsmoke. Know what you mean about the trout, COthi and I had similar experiences on the Monnow whilst we were out chasing the ladies of the stream.

__________________
"A homeward tramp thro' mist wrapped night,
With heart and creel in common light,
Complete content, the day has brought it,
They fished for pleasure - and they caught it"

P F Morgan
taken from the catch record book at Llanthony Hotel, Honddu Valley, Aug 1942

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