James Beeson goes west on a quest for some early-season dry-fly action on the famous River Usk.
THE USK RISES on the northern slopes of the Black Mountains above Usk Reservoir in the west of the Brecon Beacons. Although trout fishing can be good all year it is as a spring destination that the river is most famous. The early months should be filled with hope. These lion-like days when newborn lambs appear in the fields can be unpredictable weather-wise, particularly in the west where a single gust of wind can usher in a change of season. A warming sun that feels faintly of summer may malevolently transform into a full-blown blizzard. Hatches, too, can be unpredictable and therefore so are the trout. If you time it right you can have a day filled with rising fish hungry after winter. If the weather is against you then it can come down to only a few do-or-die chances. These are days that test an angler’s mettle, yet there is nearly always a flutter of olives or a last gasp of March browns that bring the trout on, even if only for an hour. To be on the river then, in the midst of a sudden burst of life, is reason enough to leave the fireside. To catch a first wild trout of the year on a dry-fly and feel its raw strength as the ice-cold water numbs your fingers is your reward. Whatever is true in the realms of men, however the times may be a-changin’, at least the natural world is renewed and peace may be found beside running water once again.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة March 2017 من Trout & Salmon.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة March 2017 من Trout & Salmon.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Mr Goldhead And The Grayling
Lawrence Catlow fishes the rapidly recovering River Irfon in Powys.
Moody Beasts
Stan Headley searches for the elusive sea-trout of Loch Ailsh in the northwest Highlands.
Alone On The River
Cliff Hatton encounters a mighty Wye salmon.
Hop To It
Richard Donkin has a no-nonsense approach to tackle and amphibians.
River Blackwater
THE BLACKWATER rises in the boglands of County Kerry, and although the peaty tinge it carries gives rise to its name it also flows through limestone and that helps it to support a diverse range of fly-life which provides plenty of sustenance for salmon parr and trout. The river is one of Ireland’s most productive salmon fisheries, along with the River Moy.
Hampshire Avon
THERE CAN be few places in fishing more famous than the Royalty Fishery on the Hampshire Avon, even Mr Crabtree has fished its illustrious waters. Two seasons ago an enormous salmon of 40lb was caught in the spring at the Royalty and big salmon are regularly caught in the early months of the season.
A Strange Kind Of Magic
Charles van straubenzee introduces a salmon fly that combines the most unlikely colours and materials to deadly effect.
A Deep-Water Experiment
Stan Headley hatches a plan to catch three species of fish in one day at Loch Calder in Caithness.
Rutland's Old Warriors
James Beeson enjoys supercharged surface sport with Rutland Water’s fry-feeders.
Plucked From The Jaws
Looking for affordable back-end sport? Andrew Flitcroft recommends the challenging Chollerton beat on the North Tyne.