Spent Saturday night wild camping on the shore of tiny Llyn Dulyn in the hills above Barmouth.

This was a return visit five years after I had dragged a friend up into southern Snowdonia to try and find a lake featured in an old copy of T&S. That time due to the weather fishing had been fruitless but was more than made up for by the company, views and general craic of sleeping out under the stars (ok, mist).

This time the emphasis was very much on the walking and camping but Andy, being a thoroughly decent chap, had encouraged me to bring a rod so to produce some wild food for dinner. As we left the car park this responsibility, along with the pack, sat heavily on my shoulders...





The first destination was Llyn Bodlyn which is reasonable easy to get to because of the farm track leading up to it.





The lake holds Arctic Char (possibly the most southerly in the UK?) although none have been caught since the 1980's. It also has a good head of Brown Trout. On the near shore is a boathouse which has long since ceased to be used for harboring boats but provided a good spot for a cup of tea and starting point for an hours fishing.



I covered a hundred yards of the the shallower end of the lake and landed 3 beautiful brownies, one of which was kept for dinner. I lost as many and had numerous swirls, slashes and bow waves at the flies (gh black db on point, black pennel on middle, Claret bumble on top. All size 14).



Time to move on up the mountain to the final destination. This section had no path and was pretty hard going up a steep incline of sodden bog.



Inside the cloud, Llyn Dulyn looked like a lunar landscape (albeit a wet one).





The lake seemed to be devoid of fish and I had no interest in my flies so I just kicked back and enjoyed being away in the wilds. Although there were no spectacular views there was plenty of beauty in the details.







In the morning there was a brief rise in temp and the lake came alive with rising trout. Each rise was accompanied by a distinctive slurp/plop of the turning trout which I realized I had been hearing on and off right through the night (not just in my dreams this time).

Steak and kidney pudding and chips in Barmouth provided a fitting end to a fine trip.

Sounds like a cracking outing. Trout's a beauty!

Nice photos really capture the "feel" of a trip like that.

Thanks for sharing.

Cheers

Walt

Yes - Great Britain's most southerly charr population. Salevinus alpinus perisii. They have been locked in there for 12,000 years. They are genetically diferent from the other two wild populations in Wales, which are all unique.

There are a couple of secret locations near Waterford Ireland that could hold Ireland's southernmost charr.

Great photos - thank you for sharing.

I understand it was a very wet weekend. Sadly a father and his three year old daughter drowned at the waterfall yesterday, quite near to where you were fishing. I should imagine that stream was a raging torrent then.

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/nort...5578-24191998/

That is tragic. It wasn't raining hard where we were but the rocks were slippery nonetheless. Thoughts and prayers with the mother.

I remember a great article on Llyn Dulyn that was either written by or featured Paul Morgan of Coch y bonddu Books. It was in that very good and much missed magazine International Flyfisher and had some cracking photos, good photos being a feature of that mag, taken in somewhat more clement conditions but with similarly beautiful wild trout.

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“There is no more lovely country than Monmouthshire in early spring. Nowhere do the larks sing quite so passionately, as if somehow inspired by the Welsh themselves. There is a blackbird on every thorn and a cock chaffinch, a twink as they call him there, on every bush...... It moved me profoundly. I had been spared to see another spring, and I thank God for it.”

Oliver Kite
“A Spring Day on the Usk”
A Fisherman’s Diary

Thanks for the replies fellas.

The only info I could find on the web about Dulyn was by Paul Morgan in his blog (from earlier this season) which confirmed it was still worth a go.

BTW. As far as I could see the fishing on Dulyn was free but on Bodlyn permission from the landowner is required accompanied by a small donation to charity. If anyone is interested PM for the number.

Hi JJo Thanks for the tel number to the farm and sorry for taking so long to get back to you with any reports. Truth be told I've just been back to Bodlyn for a second time after a big failure on the first trip. I did manage to hook a couple of small brownies then after around half an hour I fell on my backside and snapped my rod tip with my spare rod in the boot of the car back in the car park. This time I took my tent but it was very hard work convincing the girlfriend it would be a good idea.

As you can see it was flat calm most of the afternoon and struggled to get any interest. Early evening a slight breeze picked up from the east so scampered round to the shallows and the Dulyn inlet. Fortunately I had my thigh waders with me which allowed me to get quite far out. 1st cast and into a fish, 1 hour later I'd had half a dozen keeping one of the largest for the pan.



Creggenen Lakes free to fish and a car park on the shore. Lots of fish in the shallows with the occastional one big enough for the pan. This was a lucky find as the other half had hurt her achillies so long treks were out.

Llynnau Gamalt. A short walk from the end of the track with plenty of good sized wild brownies but not free to fish. Note to self: don't take lame girlfriend next time.



One i'd like to try on my next visit. It's Llyn cwm mynach. take the road up the hill directly opposite to the north side entry to the Penmaenpool bridge and into the trees. If anyone has tried it or is going to, let me know how you get on.


Most of my catch came to red holo, gold or silver ribbed Diawl bachs and when fish sarted showing they smashed a dry coch y bonddu.

I won't tell if you won't!!

Fly fishing at Cregennan Lakes - nr Dolgellau

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If a man speaks in the woods and no woman is there to hear him............is he still wrong????

OOPS! I didn't see any signs in the car park and did ask another fisherman there who seemed to think it was free and i didn't see any boats there either. Something might have twigged had I caught a stocked blue or rainbow. I wanted to fish Llyn Conwy but after seeing the sign on display I went elsewhere i.e Llynnau Gamalt and paid Geraint Jones the club secretary £12 for the day. I'll give them a ring tmrw and get a cheque in the post.

Those trout look like classic examples of what were called Welsh Black Finned Trout before the scientists decided that all trout are the same. Salmo fario (or trutta) nigripinnis from memory.

__________________
“There is no more lovely country than Monmouthshire in early spring. Nowhere do the larks sing quite so passionately, as if somehow inspired by the Welsh themselves. There is a blackbird on every thorn and a cock chaffinch, a twink as they call him there, on every bush...... It moved me profoundly. I had been spared to see another spring, and I thank God for it.”

Oliver Kite
“A Spring Day on the Usk”
A Fisherman’s Diary