River Conwy

[elwyman]

Conwy had a 5' flood this week.

Had a few hours after work on Tuesday & Wednesday. Nothing to report, except I rushed home to watch the CL footie afterwards.

The fishery manager reckoned he caught a springer and saw 2 big springers on opening day in March, but nothing reported since.

End of May is when things usually start with the salmon, in a small way.

[elwyman]

Nothing to report from the Conwy yet, but night fishing for sea trout will start in earnest this month.

I ventured out Friday for a couple of hours at dusk. It was very quiet until 12.00 when I saw a big V-wake coming through the tail of the pool - an otter!

Early reports from the Towy and Annan seem encouraging. One chap has caught 4 double figure sea trout from the Towy in the last 2-3 weeks! Also a 20lb sea trout reported fron the Dart.

[ibrox]

What's happening on the Annan ?

Just asking

[elwyman]

ibrox said:

What's happening on the Annan ?

Just asking

;D
seatroutfishing.proboards34.com/index.cgi?board=2007&action=display&thread=1174404961&page=3

[ibrox]

AH.... ;D

[elwyman]

Sea trout fishing on the Conwy has got off to a slow start, but last night had a surprise in store for me.

The river was at a nice height (750) for night fishing, so I arrived at the beat at 10:30pm and decided to fish some faster streamy water until it went dark - dark enough for fishing the slacker pools is 11.00-11.15 at this time of year.

I was using my 10 #7 Winston rod, with my favourite sea trout fly on the dropper and a size 8 silver stoat treble on the point. After 10 minutes I had a good take off the edge of the current and a good fish took off downstream. It put a good bend in the rod and I had to stop it getting under some overhanging bushes on my bank. I struggled to get the fish in, but as I drew it towards the shallows I saw the fish's tail break through the surface - a big scythe shaped salmon tail doing a Jaws impression!

I beached a fine 7-8lb salmon, which was dripping in silver scales, and managed a quick photo before release. The fish had taken the sea trout fly on the dropper, a size 10 LS butcher variant.



I don't know how JimtheFish manages to get his fish to pose quietly, for photos. I had to hold this one by the tail to stop it from jumping back in the river!

A June salmon on the Conwy is pretty rare, so I was feeling quite chuffed.

It was now 11.00pm and starting to get dark so I moved on to my favourite sea trout pool. I had a strong take at 11.15 and it turned out to be a 1.5lb brownie, which is enormous for the Conwy!! This was turning into a night of surprises!

Fished on til 1.00am, no sign of sea trout in the pool. Then I heard a 'plop' in the pool tail - a favoured spot for catching running fish. I moved down to the tail and after a couple of casts I had a really savage take which resulted in me landing a nice 3lb sea trout:



I guessed there might be a pod of fish running through and a couple of casts later I had another hard take which resulted in a 2lb sea trout.

I fished on til 2.00pm but the magic moment had passed.

A brilliant night's sport. I must admit I was starting to get disillusioned with the Conwy. A lovely river, but often seemingly devoid of fish.

I think last night was my reward for perserverance!

[jimthefish]

elwyman said:

I don't know how JimtheFish manages to get his fish to pose quietly, for photos. I had to hold this one by the tail to stop it from jumping back in the river!

I think last night was my reward for perserverance!

Well done Bro ! Our experience this week sounds very similar....magical.

I usually hold mine upside down (in the water) until they quiten down enough to remove the hook. Keep the fish in shallow water, pick a moment, quick photo & away they go.

[exerod]

elwyman said:

A brilliant night's sport. I must admit I was starting to get disillusioned with the Conwy. A lovely river, but often seemingly devoid of fish.

I think last night was my reward for perseverance!

I know the feeling well, although it is usually a river devoid of fish and water where I fish

Good to see your perseverance paid off, one of those nights that make it all worthwhile.

Andy

[altmor]

Good account Elwyman and a good evening by the sounds of it. Well done.

[salmonking]

Great night,nice fish,well done.

[salmonking]

I don't know how JimtheFish manages to get his fish to pose quietly, for photos. I had to hold this one by the tail to stop it from jumping back in the river.

Ewleyman,,,,,a wee tip when wanting a photo,the fish will 9 times
out of 10 lie pretty still,if its partly still in the water,don't remove the hook until the photo's been taken,then move swiftly of course.
I find it easier when beaching fish,if there is a good shelf for doing so ,i just guide the head onto the shelf,and they usually lie pretty quiet,if not i use the net,lay the fish partly in water,
all the fish in my thread AT LAST were delt this way,apart from
my first sea trout,which i kept,the rest returned no problem,hope this helps, ive done this many years now,unless someone else is there to get the fish and oneself,,its always a bonus.

[elwyman]

Cheers Col & Jim.

I try to do the same when conditions permit (ie keep the fish in the water), but all the fish I caught on friday seemed to be particularly lively, and trying to frame a photo in the dark is not easy - which is why the shot of the salmon is missing the tail end!

Anyway, the Conwy has risen 3 metres today, so night fishing will be out for a while - might get the salmon rod out one evening.

[elwyman]

Well the night fishing season is coming to an end for me - I might have the odd trip if we get any warm evenings, but I've been out the last two nights and last night was distinctly chilly.

Not a brilliant season for night fishing, because of the unsettled water levels, but there has been a reasonable run, and more big fish about than usual. Some of the sea trout have been very fat, which is a good sign.

I was out on Monday and it turned out to be a classic night for sea trout fishing. A big moon was well hidden by thick cloud, the air was warm, and the sea trout were active. There were quite a few fish moving in the pools and by 11.00 pm I'd caught fish of 6lb, 3lb and 2lb on a combination of Butcher and Dyfi black & orange flies. I also had quite a few knocks - probably from stale fish nipping the flies.

Forgot to take a camera, but here's a nice pic of a fresh sea trout caught in July.



We need some rain to get the salmon in, but a few small grilse have been caught, including a 4lb fish caught by a sea trout rod at dusk last night.

I do like night fishing, but I'm looking forward to fishing for salmon during the day and getting a proper night's sleep!

[robmason]

That's a great night's fishing by any standard- well done. Out of interest, what time do you start fishing at this time of year? Most of my action this month seems to have been the half hour either side of "dark" if you know what I mean. By 10pm its gone dead. Mind you I've not bothered with anything but a floater.

[elwyman]

Rob - I tend to wait until it is reasonably dark, 9.15 - 9.30 at the moment, depending on cloud cover and size of moon. If I'm feeling impatient I'll try some streamy water half an hour earlier.

I find the fish go down after an hour or so, and certainly when the temperature drops. I don't think the fish run upstream so much at this time of year, apart from the small herling coming in off the tide. The older fish seem to be settled in the deeper pots.

[robmason]

I'm out again tonight- will try and get down a little deeper.

[severnfisher]

Great to read your reports Elwyman and congratulations on a fine evenings sea trouting.

[elwyman]

The weather forecast is dry for the next 2 weeks, so I thought I'd better take my chance this morning - the river had risen slowly overnight by 1 foot, after prolonged drizzle on Sunday.

River seemed quiet but I saw a fish jump tight against the far bank as I made my way back to the car. After a couple of casts, a fish head and tailed my red allys and a 5lb grilse gave me a good fight on my 13' rod.

Just hope we get some more rain sooner rather than later!