Mixed Lives

James Beeson goes west on a quest for some early-season dry-fly action on the famous River Usk.

- James Beeson

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.