BODSA Blog

Weds 15th May:

What a night that was! Nineteen hours of continuous rain added well over four feet to the river level, turning into a roaring torrent the colour of strong coffee. The level peaked at the top of our waters at around Noon and it has been falling steadily since. The gauge at Manley Hall is now, 1910hrs, registering 1238mm which, although still two foot six above normal, means the level has fallen eighteen inches in the last nine hours. If it continues to fall at that rate - and no rain is forecast here apart from a heavy shower at about 1600hrs tomorrow afternoon - it will be comfortable fishing by about 10 o'clock tomorrow morning and looking hopeful for the weekend.

Fly were hatching and fish rising merrily yesterday afternoon,  so let's hope that resumes when the water falls. Reports of Spring Salmon continue to arrive and no-one can remember such a good year for a very, very long time. Smallish flies fished as deep and slow as you dare seem to be the recipe for success. But we are talking Salmon, so don't forget to take a hearty slice of luck!   

Weds. 8th May:  We have had a few days of glorious weather which now seems to have come to an end with low pressure, strong winds and grey skies. Rain is forecast but doesn't look like being significant.

Today the river level is 418mm - about an inch and a half below normal. The water is as clear as I have ever seen it so this is a good time to walk the banks and check how the riverbed has changed since last year. You never know, but you might also see salmon and sea-trout as well as rising trout and grayling. Good hatches of fly all along the river with swarms of grannom, stonefly, olives and occasional mayfly bringing fish on the rise as the water warms up..

Sea-tout have been seen and one or two small ones have come to the net. Spring salmon caught (of which I am aware) are now over a dozen on our water with the latest, a fish of about 11lbs, being reported yesterday from The Captain's on a small Silver Stoat's Tail.

May I please ask all members to pull a few Balsam plants every time they visit the river. It is the most effective form of control and if we all pull (oops!) together, we can keep on top of the problem. If you don't know what balsam looks like, then, if you are logged in, have a look at the EA link on the right which will tell you all about it. I have also photographed some young plants and will be circulating the pictures - so there's no excuse!

Sunday 28th April:

River about five inches above normal, falling gently and running clear. There is still a chilly wind blowing, but reports of fish rising to hatches of fly must mean the water is finally warming up a bit.

For the coming week, Tuesday and Thursday look like the best days with rising pressure and little wind. Otherwise, there is a nasty Low up North which may make things a bit less pleasant on Monday and Wednesday. Rising pressure is supposed to be a good sign for fishermen, so I hope to make a start on Tuesday. After Thursday, there is some nasty stuff coming across the Atlantic and next weekend's weather depends on whether those systems pass over us or are pushed further North by the High to the South-West.

There must be quite a lot of fresh fish in the river because I have had reports of Springers being caught on the Village Beat, Ormrod's, Pickhill, The Captain's, Rodens Hall and Done's Meadow. With the water still on the cool side, success seems to have come from using a fast-sink tip. At least two of the fish, including one over 15lbs,  fell to a size 11 double Willie Gunn - well done, Derek.

Weds 24th April:

It is getting a little warmer, even though it doesn't always feel like it in the wind. However, the first swallow arrived here yesterday (they usually seem to get here on our wedding anniversary) and there have been sand martins along the river for a while. The water temperature is creeping up - though there was nothing rising on Saturday, despite a good hatch of fly - and the river is now only about eight inches above normal, so we can wade most of our favourite runs. There really are salmon and sea-trout in the river, though they may be lying deep in the still-chilly water. Fish will start to show once the cold wind drops and the surface water warms up a bit.

I was at Groves Farm on Saturday, making a bench for weary anglers at the head of Cemetery Pool. There were several kinds of fly in evidence when the sun came out and the wind dropped, including olives and the odd mayfly, but nothing was rising. The few fish caught seemed to be close to the bottom. Those of you who know the water and use the dead tree as a marker for a shortcut across the field, will see that the tree was blown down in the gales a couple of weeks back so we need to find another navigation mark.

Friday 19th April:

Winter has been very reluctant to relinquish her grip on Britain. The past week has given us almost constant winds of Force 4-5 with gusts to Force 8 (gale) and up to 10 on the hilltops. Those who like Greek mythology will know that this has bugger-all to do with global warming (now apparently renamed as 'climate change') or the position of the jetstream, but is caused by the simple fact that Persephone has delayed her arrival from the underworld and her mother, Demeter, will not smile upon the earth and make things grow until her daughter returns.

Still, I reckon the tardy lass is now back in our world because the sun is out, the wind has dropped, the river is falling slowly to fishable levels and my broad beans are just poking through the soil.

Looked over the bridge yesterday and the water looks great. At noon to-day the level was still about 15" above normal, so it is fishable in many places as long as you take care wading. It will still, I suspect, be on the chilly side but at least you can see where you are putting your feet while you find out where new holes have appeared and which old ones have been filled in by the winter floods.

For those of us going stir-crazy from lack of fishing, this could be a good weekend to make a start. Just take care on the banks and mind where you put your feet in the river until you have found where it is firm and where soft. Trout should be taking more interest now and no-one seems to have told the grayling that they are not allowed to take an artificial fly until 16th June. The EA is no longer with us under that name, being now part of the bigger NRW, and the salmon trap at Chester weir is broken, so,until it is repaired,we can't get any info on fish coming into the river. However, a few Springers have certainly been caught and there will be sea-trout around if you can find them. Spring Tides and high river levels last week, made easy running conditions for fish to get up the weir. In fact at any height of tide over about 9 metres, they can swim straight over the weir without needing to jump.

Please let me know if you catch - or even see - anything.

Friday 12th April:-

Well it's not exactly Spring but it is certainly very much warmer than a week ago. There's still snow lying on Fron mountain across the river from my window and even in my garden there is still a little left from the heaps I made when clearing a path to the car. But it is warmer and there is therefore hope of some fishing in the very near future.

Snow melt has kept water temperature low and last Saturday which, you may remember, was a glorious calm day of bright sunshine, produced a considerable hatch of fly. However, with the water at around 4 degrees C the fish were not interested and only a well-sunk small fly produced any reaction at all - and then not very much. There is still snow melt getting into the river so don't expect an instant rise in temperature, even though the rain showers are relatively warm. But it is looking better and the lessening aches in my knees and shoulders probably indicate warmer weather and a time when I can go fishing without wishing I hadn't.

Keith has organised a working party at The Chicken Sheds for tomorrow but there was no response from members to an invitation to assist, so I am afraid it will be the usual team who have to do all the work. For my part, I love working on the riverbank but unfortunately have other committments tomorrow and Sunday.

I also keep hoping that members and visitors will tell me about catches, water conditions and anything else of interest, but it's rather like getting blood out of a stone. Please do keep me informed so that others can share your joy or frustration. News of fish caught or lost and the successful method helps to keep our website alive and vibrant. I promise not to name names without permission or to reveal precise locations other than the name of the Beat. Please contact me either by my direct e-mail, which all members have, or by clicking the Contact button here on the Home Page. The hopes of those of us who consistently fail to catch are kept alive by hearing of the success of others; at least it tells us there are fish in the river which can be in some doubt after a long, hard day when nothing has been seen or felt.

There was a new moon last Wednesday so let's hope the Spring tides allied to a foot of extra water have brought some more fish into the river. I have heard of four Springers landed and returned. I don't think they were caught on our waters but they must have passed through Bangor on Dee to get to wherever they were caught, so keep trying.

Easter Sunday, 31st March:

Slow thawing of the snow by day and freezing again at night means that river levels are holding steady at about 8 inches above normal. The water's a bit chilly, though!

Winter floods have, as usual, altered the banks and underwater contours in some places which means that where you could walk or wade safely and the places where fish lay may not be the same as last year. This was brought home forcibly yesterday when one of our members fishing The Captain's Beat found himself sinking knee-deep in an apparently firm sand bar below the bend at the top of the Beat and a hundred yards or so upstream of Eel Cottage. He had a heck of a job getting out. I have sent a note of this to all our members who are on e-mail and added it here as well, so as to inform as many people as possible. At this time of year it is particularly important to take extra care until you have learned the new features of the river and it is always a good idea to fish in company in case you do find yourself in trouble. Freezing water and a biting Easterly wind can be very bad for your health.

On a happier note, there are spring fish in the river and reports of several being landed. I have no details of how they were caught but suspect they will be lying pretty deep in this cold water.

I have now analysed the catch returns for 2012 and can report that Members landed 65 salmon and 75 sea-trout last season. That is down considerably on most years, caused partly by high water levels almost throughout the Summer (Hah! What Summer?)) but also by the number of members who did not fish much, or even at all, last year. Reasons for that varied from lack of time, high water when time did permit, working away or being unwell or having operations for knees, hips etc. Are we all getting older? Anyway, I hope you are now all  fit and well and ready to enjoy your fishing this year.

As evidence that Dee salmon really can be caught if you put in the time and practise your technique, one member reported 8 fish caught, one had 7, two had 5 each, two caught 4 each, four landed 3 fish, six had 2 and eight reported catching 1 salmon.

If I had a tenner for everyone whose 'nil' return said, "Must try harder next year," I could afford a trip to Norway! I particularly enjoyed Chris' comment, "Must fish more and wash less."

On the coarse fishing front, there seem to have been quite a few chub caught over 5lbs but less barbel than in previous years. Perhaps the high water levels discourged anglers?

So there you are, chaps and chapesses; the fish are in the river and the water's fine - but please take care until you have found and memorised the various pitfalls both above and below the water.

Sunday 24th March:   

If you are hoping for fishing reports, better log on to a Club in the Southern Hemisphere at the moment.  Here we have a foot of snow and it's drifted two or three feet deep against the windward side of fences and hedges - and also against my back door! The river is clear and 9 or 10 inches above normal, if you're daft enough to go near it. The wind is a brisk nor'easter and the cold feels as though it's prizing up your fingernails if you stay out too long.

Log fires and a dram of something while we wait for warmer weather, I think.

See you in the Spring - although I thought it was already? If this is that bloody global warming they keep banging on about, they can shove it where the sun don't shine; I preferred our weather before it was supposed to have warmed up.

Monday 11th March:-

Bloody hell that NE wind's cold! Air temp minus 4 which means minus 8 when we factor in the wind chill. The river looks beautiful. It rose slightly at the weekend after that bit of rain but is now back to normal and fishing will be a joy as soon as the atmosphere warms up a little. This weather might be okay for you younger fellows but us old codgers can't cope with cold winds blowing on arthritic shoulders - costs too much in paracetamol! I fish for pleasure, so I'm waiting for the real  Spring.

The river is still full of Kelts so there's always a chance of something bending your rod. But be prepared; Graham told me he couldn't get his fly down to the grayling because Kelts kept taking it, so don't mess about with fine leaders until they have gone back to sea. There will be Springers in the river but they are not usually very keen on taking salmon flies, let alone little flies meant for grayling. Still, you never know…

Despite their regal bearing, Grayling are still Coarse Fish so don't forget that their Season ends on the 15th of this month, which is next Friday.

Sea-trout fishing begins on the 20th, which is a week on Wednesday.

Weds 3rd March:-

River low and clear; only an inch above normal.  Bouncing with Kelts and there will certainly be a few Springers coming to visit our river so keep trying.  Just remember that salmon have to go back unharmed until 16th June. With the river at this level, salmon cannot run upstream of Bangor on Dee so until we get some rain, we know where all the fish are!

Heavy rain was forecast for to-day but although it's misty and a bit chilly after yesterday's beautiful sunsine, there's no sign of rain at the moment. The banks are drying out nicely and the 'lakes' on the riverside fields are gradually shrinking, so maybe Spring really is on the way.

The bard may have said, "In Spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to love," but for us older codgers, fishing is more likely to produce a result!

Friday 1st March - St David's Day:- 

River level is now only a couple of inches above normal and running clear. Just returned from Roden's Hall where all was quiet until around noon when kelts started showing and I saw six within half an hour on no more than 70 yards of water. The river must be full of them.

Salmon fishing starts again on Sunday. Fly only until 1st June and all fish caught before 16th June must be returned. I have been using a size 4 barbless carp hook with my tubes and nothing has got away; they are also very easy to unhook without risking damage to your fingers or the fish.

Just a reminder that sea-trout fishing does not start until the 20th, so if one takes your fly before then, just say, "Oops, sorry," and return it carefully.

Dare we hope that this year will be kinder than last? All that high water and dangerously slippery banks on the lower river spoiled the Season for many of us, so let's put it behind us and look forward to this new Season with hope and anticipation. Tight lines to you all.

Thursday the 28th.:-  The last day of February, with a light but chilly breeze and the river down below 600mm which is a really great height for fishing. On Monday the banks were easily navigable as they start to dry out - though there is still standing water in the fields - and the water is clear and cold.

The river is full of kelts which might start to show more if the weather warms up a bit. Doing some experimental fishing this week on behalf of the Environment Agency, we caught five good hen kelts on Monday and news has reached me of seven caught yesterday. We are out again tomorrow in the hope of comp[leting the catch needed by the EA for their rehabilitation programme. Members who visited the hatchery at Maerdy in December will have seen the fish caught last year which are being brought back into breeding condition without having to run the gauntlet of all those damn seals in the estuary. A most interesting experiment.