Anthony 'at work'
River Irfon, Aberbwtran Beat.
May 31st 2007
I was joined by Anthony Wilson, a fellow member of the Grayling Society. We decided to fish the Aberbwtran beat of the Irfon.
The Irfon is a special kind of river; one that casts a spell over you. In part the magic works because many beats are away from the road. So there is a tranquillity that is not easy to find in modern life. The river is surrounded by oaks and pasture, and as we walked down to the river a Red Kite circled over head, searching out food.
The river was clear and at summer levels. Although there was little sign of insect life, there were fish rising. A small Klinkhamer brought lightning fast rises from the grayling, though they often missed the fly. Did they 'come short', miss the fly, or push it ahead of them as they tried to inhale it? I don’t have the answer. I would say it was just bad timing on my part, except that Anthony, and excellent fisherman, suffered the same problem. Fishing is full of such questions.
We did catch fish and lovely specimens they were too. Glorious red spotted wild trout and plump grayling, looking fully fit and recovered after their spawning.
Anthony 'at work'