Autumn Glory
River Irfon, Llanfechan Beat.
November 13th 2007
This was my first time on the Llanfechan beat. What a surprise and a joy. It has a wonderful mix of water, fast rocky runs, slow glides, deep gutters and most remarkably large pools. In fact the pools are improbably big; they would look grand on the main river, never mind the Irfon.
Tuesday felt like the official transition from autumn to winter. The leaves are mostly fallen, the trees bare and the river the recipient of their bounty. Luckily the leaves had gathered along the banks and in eddies and backwaters. The main current was thankfully free of leaf soup.
The fishing was a surprise too, with the grayling still willing to rise. They were sipping and dimpling in the slower water, while a healthy hatch of olives sailed away from the river. The grayling were obliging and a delightful day came to an end all too soon as poor light forced us from the river at four o'clock. Just one word of warning, some parts of the beat offer challenging wading.
Autumn Glory