Welsh Country - Issue88 - May - Jun 19

FISHING
Iron Blue Dun
picture by
Gavin Jehu
As I write this, storm Freya has been forecast as coming
in and the weather has turned from almost summer
conditions back to wild and wet.
Fishing on most lakes and reservoirs has already
commenced with Rainbow Trout being the quarry as the
season for brown trout on lakes and reservoirs came in on
20th March. The rivers however opened on the 3rd March
but the above storm will put a damper on any fishing as water
levels in the rivers will rise very quickly.
A popular fishing beat on the river Usk at Abergavenny
came on the market where Monmouth Council were looking
for someone to run the fishing and at the same time make it
available to the local people. Interested parties were asked to
put in a tender and three local angling clubs keen to keep it as
a local fishery were successful in the tender. Working together,
Merthyr Tydfil Angling Alliance, Gwent Angling, and Isca
Anglers, who all have other fishing close to Abergavenny,
were successful. In keeping with the requirements permits
for the day, week, and season they will be available at the
Keith Price Volvo dealership in Abergavenny and at the petrol
station kiosk. Permits are also available through the Wye Usk
Foundation.
This is a first in Wales where three associations have come
together in a joint bid that will benefit their members but at
the same time keep the fishing for the local residents.
Moving on we are now into May and the start of the
evening fishing. With longer days but still the chance of cold
spells when the Iron Blue Dun, a fly not spoken of as much
these days, is well worth a try as is the Snipe and purple.
During the day a floating sedge in and under the trees along
the river bank can be a deadly pattern. It is amazing how the
way we fish for trout on the fly has changed with the advent
of more man made materials that were not available years ago.
In those days the materials were silk, fur, and feather with the
oval and flat tinsel in various sizes in silver and gold and most
flies tied by hand. In contrast to today the array of materials
and styles of fishing almost need a university degree to be able
to do justice to their use.
The Salmon and Trout Conservation is based in England
but has a Welsh Branch Salmon and Trout conservation
Cymru contact wales@salmon-trout.org. They have been
working on a scientific approved river census in Wales over
the last three years and their findings give cause for concern
regarding what are the hidden dangers of losing some of our
most important: Insects (which make up 97% of all animal
species) have declined 59% since 1970. The following is taken
from a recent mailing:
They are the Foundation of life: Small but all-sustaining,
insects are food for our wild fish, birds and mammals. Without
invertebrates, the food web would collapse. They are:
The Foundation of Life
“
Small but all-sustaining, insects
are food for our wild fish, birds and
mammals. Without invertebrates,
the
food web would collapse.
”
Long-term health indicators: As nymphs, insects are
constantly exposed to the water, sometimes for years. A water
sample would only give you river health information for a
single point in time.
Excellent storytellers: Every invertebrate is unique,
thriving in a specific set of conditions. The types of bugs
present and absent from a sample indicate what pressures a
river may be experiencing.
Anglers have been aware for many years of the importance
of carrying out Fly monitoring and many sources of pollution
have been pin pointed by anglers carrying out this work.
The problem of agricultural pollution is still a major topic
in Wales and it does not look as though this will go away
in the short term. The Rivers Trusts in Wales through their
CEO Dr Stephen Marsh Smith OBE wrote to the European
Commissioner to complain about the problem in Wales. The
complaint has been registered and it was only then that the
Welsh Assembly Government seemed to take notice.
The inquiry into the new Welsh Salmon Bylaws has taken
place and due to the snowy weather it was postponed for
a month so consequently it will be a month late before the
inspectors report would be available. England took the
common sense approach but here in Wales the Minister went
for the public inquiry. We must ask in these times of austerity
whether the cost will justify the result. All this has done is to
make relations between anglers and Natural Resources Wales
more fragile when they really needed to be working together
to protect our precious natural environment.
A damming report from the Welsh Assembly indicates how
badly run and the waste of money that Natural Resources
Wales have presided over since it was formed, as well as the
loss of highly qualified staff.
Words: Tony Rees
Picture: Ceri Thomas
May - Jun 2019 11