A Superb First Day on the Wye

I've been looking forward to getting back on to the Wye and today was my first opportunity to do so. I watched the weather last night and was gutted to see that temperatures were dropping and there was a fair bit of rain coming Bakewell way....Typical, I thought, just as I was getting on to the river, all hopes of bagging a few fish dashed!

Anyhow, I'd arranged to have the day off and I was already booked on to fish so I thought I'd go anyway, it would give me a chance to get back into casting a dry fly at least. I bumped into Jan the river keeper at the petrol station at about 9am and he seemed surprised that I wasn't on the river already. "Isn't it too early?" I asked, "..and too bloody cold?" and he said that I should get straight on the river. So I headed up to a favourite spot up towards Riverside business park and set up my 8 foot 4wt Hardy Demon and set about casting an LTD sedge across the fast water. I was gobsmacked to find that I was into a fish immediately, a fighting fit, Wye wild rainbow and I was over the moon. I found some of the casting a little tricky with the Demon and was having trouble with drag so I switched to my 10ft Streamflex and immediately found that controlling the line was much easier, confidence started to grow.

I never strayed too far from town. The furthest upstream I fished was Riverside and the furthest downstream was that run just below the pumping station, and although I did have a problem picking my way between the grayling which seemed hard on the feed. I managed around 25 rainbows, none very big but all giving me a right run around on light tackle.When I set out this morning I had absolutely no expectations of the river and just when I thought I was sure to be on a blank I end up having one of my best days on the Wye. I've found the early season on the Dove incredibly tough and frustrating and today has been a very welcome change.

Thank you oh wonderful Wye.

Woody