So to another trip to the Town Water on the Usk at Usk. Jean Williams confirmed that following a quick three feet up and down spate last week the water had freshened up and was fishing well. The fish had been up top so unsurprisingly she reckoned that dry fly would be the order of the day. Refusing her offer of a cup of tea owing to the shorter evenings I was despatched with instructions to try skating sedge or a white moth. Parking and then walking up to the top of the beat it was clear that whilst there was much more flow than on my last visit that water levels were still low, if anything even lower and clearer than my last trip a month or so ago. Having read the ‘strictly no chest waders’ instruction on the day ticket which I had previously been unaware of I was careful not to wade above thigh height as I made my way slowly out in to a smooth glidey section where I had plenty of action last time out. Tackling up with a white Cardinal and a small bead head nymph underneath I was soon in to a nice rhythm. Forty minutes or so later I was still working my way slowly and carefully upstream with thoughts beginning to turn to longer and thinner leaders in an attempt to deal with the very low and very clear conditions and the lack of a touch despite there being a few fish showing. My mind must have wandered off as the end of the effective drift of the fly came to an end and I turned over my shoulder to look at something or other. My attention was jerked back by a violent take and jump to the now skating Cardinal. A large fish, which looked well above 2lbs, showed itself with a couple of jumps and then probably due to the slack line it was off as quickly as it was on. The very next cast I was to miss what seemed like a nice solid bite to the nymph as I lifted off at the end of a drift and skate. After another thirty minutes or so of fruitless skating with nice bulky G&H Sedge it was to a long and thin 2lb leader that I turned in the quest for a bite.
By now, as the light began to fade there were rises all over the far side of the river with lots of fly life of various sorts scooting around the place. Not being an entomological expert I’m not really sure what I could see. There looked to be some reddish sedges, black gnats, some pale small flies (pale waterys?) and some corixa in the sheltered shallows. Sure enough there were also some fairly substantial off white up winged flies that Jean had told me would be well imitated by the Cardinal. I’m sure the variety of fly life was also reflected by the range or rises happening around me. There were some violent slashes perhaps to sedges, some head and tailers almost porpoising for whatever they were on and some almost imperceptible delicate sips from some quite large fish. At one stage I had a nice fish come up and slowly and delicately mouthe the Klinkhamer. I haven’t really yet got to grips with my newly bought ‘Match the Hatch’ pocket guide by Peter Lapsley but I’m fairly certain that the head and tailers were feeding on something just sub surface or hatching but I’m not so sure about the delicate sips- probably to something small and immobile which the fish don’t need to expend much energy on getting. To cut a long story short I definitely didn’t match the hatch this night or unlock the key to what the fish were on. I did however manage this beautiful golden wildie of just under 15” which some on line charts told me would probably be around 1lb 3 to 1 1\2 lb. It took the size 17 tungsten headed hare’s ear which I was dragging along under a Klinkhamer. It fought with strength but made only one run of any substance as it preferred to slug it out at close quarters by kiting first one way then the other. It also managed to expose my lack of net (both recently left bank side) as it was way too strong for me to hold safely as it tried to bring it to hand in mid river. Instead I was forced to wade to the bank side and beach the fish. Oddly given the amount of surface action the fish was choc full of snails.
At least this type of experience should help me become a more thoughtful fisherman able to choose something appropriate rather than just relying on a hunch or a well known patter. Certainly my experience tonight has shown that on these larger richer waters it is more important to match the natural life which is a contrast to the smaller streams and barren upland waters where the fish are less fussy and happy to take a wider range of patterns
At one stage I observed some strange behaviour room silvery looking fish of around a 1lb or so right close to my feet as a waded fairly deep. It looked like the fish was repeatedly scraping first one side then the other against the stony stream bed. I’m not in any way sure but my only thought was perhaps it was sea trout trying to scrape sea lice off itself.
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