September | 2011 | TaffDiaries

After chatting on the phone to Paul Jenkins AKA Bushy for some time we decided to have a look around the taff and the Rhondda the next morning,

Bushy came and picked me up in the morning around 8 am and off we set but before we even set foot in the river Bushy had to fill his stomach in McDonald’s. Like father like son! Now I know were Kieron gets it from 🙂 After the bite to eat, we checked out the lower parts of the Taff but the river was still pushing quite har., It was a little to high to get to where we wanted to check out for the grayling so we headed off to have a look at the Rhondda for a spot of trout fishing instead. River conditions were much better up there and it looked quite inviting when we got there so the gear was on in no time and the rods were set up with the french leader and off we set for the first run of the day. Bushy stepped back and let me start the day and in no time I was into my first fish. After this we went fish for fish all day and it just got better and better as we worked our way up river, fishing all the pocket water and little glides we came across. Bushy being Bushy pulled out all the better fish of the day and I was left with the spats as he called them, Terry sprat was my name for the day after that, thanks Bushy. It was a great days fishing and great company and as always I learned a few things from Paul and I’ll be trying them out when im on the water next. Just a few photos of are great day we had below.

Bushy below

Why is it that every time you book a date to meet up with your mates and fish, the heavens open and smash your plans to bits.

Well I woke up at 8am to the sound of rain yet again against the window and the sight of black skies. First thing I done was check the river levels of the taff and its colour. Its only over the bank where I live and I can see a fair bit of the river from my window. It was a little high and with a slight colour to it but fishable. After a quick chat on the phone to Toby about the conditions he was on his way over with Nicholas

It wasnt long before the boys turned up and we were all on our way to fish the Rhondda. By this time the rain was coming down hard and it wasnt looking good for the river. The problem with the Rhondda is that there are so many run offs from the streets and roads that any good amount of rain affects the level and colour. In the space of getting the gear on and setting up, the river was totally unfishable, very disappointing for the boys traveling so far. It was a quick think and we were on our way to the clydach to try to make the most of the day. At this time, the heaven opened up yet again and the day looked to be a disaster. It was really disappointing and I kind of gave up and thought there was no point of going on but we pressed on and had a look . When we checked the stream out it was looking perfect and totally fishable but it wasnt for long. About half hour in with a few small trout to hand the river just went like soup 😦 Mother nature was against us this day. But myself, im damn sure its Toby’s fault, Stormbringer as I call him. After following Nicholas up-stream and watching him take a few trout out of the soup, we all decided to make a move. On the way back down to the car and after a little chat, we decided to give the Rhondda another look. I didn’t expect much but when we got there the river was running much clearer and looking not too bad. It was still running with a fair old flow but we were just busting to wet a line. For the conditions, we all set up on the french leader with a mix of heavy nymphs. I found myself in the middle of a long fast flowing run with a fair old depth to it so i cast the leader around 10ft up river and laid it on the water. As the indicator came close I rose it out of the water and for a second the indicator stopped so I struck and fish on, on the first cast too. It was looking good. We all made up for the lack of fishing and with a good number of fish to hand. It was great to finally catch a few and give the boys a bit of fun. It all turned out quite well at the end and here are a few photos of our trip out

Toby below with a fine Rhondda trout on the line.