BODSA Blog

Friday morning: Rain most of the night and although it is now a beautiful day, the river was up 18" this morning and has not yet, 0900hrs, peaked. I'll keep an eye on it and keep you posted.

Saturday 13th: A few showers around, some of them heavy, but it's a nice day so far (0930hrs) and the river level is steady at around 960mm on the gauge at Manley hall. No change in the last couple of hours - unless a 3mm rise tells us anything.

Noon: Level now 966 and there's been no rain, so all this water is coming from somewhere. No names, no pack drill - but you know who you are! I do understand that they have to let water out of the reservoirs when they are brim-full but at this time of year, and particularly following six months of almost continuous high water, I really don't know why they can't hold on and give us a bit of a chance on the lower Dee in the last four days of the Season. After such a Summer, surely that's not too much to ask - considering what we pay for our fishing?

1715hrs (that's quarter past five for landlubbers):  River level 963mm. Just been down to look at the water and it is certainly clear enough for spinning if you can find somewhere safe to stand; but in most places it's still much too high for fly fishing. So I'll just carry on with my painting jobs which earn lots of Brownie points - but what the hell am I going to do with those after the end of the Season? Sometimes I think I'm just too good-natured for this wicked old world.

Wednesday: The weather forecast said 'sunny', which may account for the all-pervading grey over the Vale of Llangollen this morning.

The river continues to fall, but very slowly so I presume the blighters are releasing water from the reservoirs. At this rate it will be really good for salmon fishing by the 18th, the day after the season ends!

However, all is not lost because it is fishable and members who have been to the river report seeing salmon. One of Karl's pupils even caught a couple of grayling on fly, so the chances are there - but only if you have a line in the water.

The banks are still very wet and slippery, so here's another reminder to watch your step.

Thursday morning: If you look at the graph of river levels, it shows the river falling in little fits and starts as, presumably, fresh water from the reservoirs reaches Manley Hall. A couple of hours ago the level was 780mm but is now, 0930hrs, an inch higher. Heavy rain is forecast for to-day so best keep an eye on levels before spending hard-earned cash on fuel  to get to the river. I will try to have a look at it later and see if it is colouring up.

1807hrs: The river was clear this morning and looked in great order but signs are now less hopeful. Level at 1800 was 810 and by 1806 it was 819mm, so we'll have to keep an eye on it. It's still wet and dreary here and may be raining heavily further upstream.

Sunday.  A beautiful day, the river continues to fall and there's no rain showing on the five day forecast; so for those of us who can get to the river bank during the week, there are hopeful signs. (I've got to paint Julia's Aunt's bathroom, so my card has been well and truly marked for tomorrow!)

Optimism was increased a few hours ago when Derek texted to tell me that he had landed a 10-lbs cock fish down at Done's Meadow on something he called a Yozuri lure. I've no idea what that is but most of you proper anglers will know what he means. He did say that the banks are like grease, so if you want a piece of the action, do take care.

Friday - Noon. I had to drive to Fairbourne and back last night and it was absolutely p*****g down in the hills around Bala so it's no surprise to see the river starting to rise at 4 o'clock this morning. To describe fishing prospects as 'bleak' is, I think, being unduly optimistic.

On the bright side, the telephone connection to the gauge at Manley Hall is working again, so we can dial 01978 710 398 for an up-to-the-minute reading.

The EA's Richard Cove - who kindly hosts our visits to Chester Weir to see the working of the salmon trap - has directed me to www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/floods/riverlevels/120769.aspx which takes you to a map of the Dee with the various river level stations marked as green dots. Very interesting. If you click on the dot, it takes you to a graph showing the current level at that point - which might be for a tributary of the Dee, rather than the main river -and also the trend for the last 48 hours. Interestingly, while the highest station at Bala seems to indicate that levels have peaked, the lowest gauge at Farndon (below our Beats) shows that the extra water has not yet arrived there.

And if you think the Dee has been up and down, just follow the EA's link to the gauge on the Conwy at Trefriw where the graph trace of the river level for the last 48 hours looks like the waves on a stormy sea.

Thursday.  Our yo-yo of a river is falling again but the rate of fall has slowed over the last four hours so presumably water is being released from the reservoirs to make room for the next lot of rain. It is still nearly three feet above normal and a good two feet above a comfortable fishing level. However, things are looking hopeful - although a spell of heavy rain is forecast for to-night - so if you fancy trying your luck, the river will be full of fish and they will be pausing for a rest in any bits of slack water. But I must repeat that the banks are VERY VERY slippery, so watch your step.

Glasgow Angling Centre - and presumably others - offer a set of spikes which clip or strap on to the soles of waders. At about £14 when I last looked, they could be a good idea for our wet and greasy river bank.

The EA have been in touch again this morning. BT have two lines to the Manley Hall gauge; the one serving the graph is working perfectly but the one to the telephone connection is currently down. BT are looking at that and the EA are also at the station to-day to see if there are any other problems that need sorting out. Thanks to Christina McKay of the EA for that information.

Wednesday. The river level shot up 18" yesterday evening following a day of almost continuous rain. It is now falling again but is still three feet above normal and a good two feet above what is comfortable for fishing. Present rate of fall is about 18" per 24 hours so it ought to be fishable on Friday and better still at the weekend, provided there's no more heavy rain up in the hills. It is also likely that with the reservoirs brim full, the EA will release water to make room for the next lot of rain. I have my fingers crossed - but I'm not betting my shirt on getting any more fishing before the Season ends, a fortnight to-day. That will be a shame because the river will be bursting at the seams with fresh fish coming in on the high Spring tides after Sunday's full moon.

If the river falls and you do decide to try your luck, please remember that the banks are VERY slippery. Catching a greased pig is simple compared to keeping your feet on the wet banks of the lower Dee!

There have been problems with farm gates so please remember to close them behind you. If they are already open, then it probably means the farmer wants them like that so they can be left open. However, it's not always easy to tell and since we seem to get a bollocking either way, all we can do is try our best.

PM. Had a call from the Environment Agency. Apparently the BT line to the Manley Hall river level gauge is out of action. The whole system is getting pretty old and, even if BT manage to re-establish the telephone connection, the station is scheduled to be closed down as obsolete in the not too distant future. The on-line link via the EA's website will continue to operate, as will the link via our website, so it may be best to get used to checking river levels by that means, and forget about the telephone.

Sunday: River levels are continuing to fall so keep your fingers crossed for no more rain and no more water released from the dams. Fishing is possible at the current level, about 1000mm on the gauge, still a couple of feet above normal, but it will be a lot better when another foot or so has run off.

Remember that to-day is the last day of bait fishing for salmon. For the rest of the Season, only fly and spinner are permitted.

Jack and I had a walk along the banks at Pickhill yesterday afternoon to see whether the floods had shifted the rubbish at the head of Brook Mouth. They hadn't, but Nature's bounty has deposited a couple of extra tree trunks, lodged athwartships, in the tangle of stuff at the tail of Garden Pool, fifty yards further up. That is shielding the lower rubbish from the force of the current so it looks as though the Land Rover and its winch will have to do the job.

The water looked very good even though it was four inches higher than this morning and was fishable with worm or spinner in several places. It would even have been possible to fish the fly on Car Park Pool, although the banks there are distinctly dodgy. Pickhill is not the easiest fishing when the water is high; the banks are covered in chocolate-coloured silt which is both sucky and slippery. Big Pool would have been unfishable because the banks there are impassable with the little wood still full of water.

With the water and the banks in their present state it is wise to fish where the water's edge is gently-sloping gravel. Where the banks are clay or greensand they are extremely dangerous, so Groves Farm, The Village, Ormrods, parts of The Captain's and The Shingles at Rodens Hall are probably the easiest to fish. But please watch your step because the banks really are VERY slippery.

Monday 0900hrs. The river rose six inches during the early hours of this morning but is now falling again - although still far too high for fishing in most places. The Dalek with the transatlantic accent is still refusing to answer the telephone at Manley Hall but the graphs, both here and on the EA's website, are working okay. I will ask the EA about the phone line because I suspect it was tripped by the power cut last week and hasn't been re-set.

Thursday:  River still at around 3.5 to 4 feet above normal, although the weather forecast is better for the immediate future, so there is a chance of some fishing as and when the water falls a couple of feet - if we have no more rain, of course, and if the powers-that-be keep the water in their reservoirs instead of sending it down here to bugger up the fishing!

We had power cuts last night and this morning and the EA's water level gauge at Manley Hall seems to have become a casualty; at any rate, the machine doesn't answer the phone. Our connection to the gauge, accessed via the link on the right of this page once you've logged on, still works perfectly, so that's the place to look.

Do you remember a few years back when the 'experts' started telling us about global warming? We were told to prepare for water shortages and to learn to garden with Mediterranean plants that could manage on zero Summer rainfall. I really do hope those clowns weren't being paid with any of my taxes. I was a bit cynical about so-called experts even before that, but I'm now even more firmly in the Chay Blythe camp. He said, "Where I come from, 'x' is an unknown quantity and 'spurt' is a drip under pressure." Spot-on, that man!

Keep the faith, my friends, because there are still twenty days, including three weekends, before the end of the salmon season. Without hope we would never have become salmon fishers in the first place.

Saturday 29th Sept. River level has been falling nicely for a while, although Karl reported that it still looked like thick soup yesterday morning. However, I see it has risen slightly in the last couple of hours and is at about 1250mm as we speak. Let's hope it's just a blip because we need at least 6 inches less water before it becomes anything like comfortable fishing. I'll pop down to Newbridge and have a look at the colour shortly.

1100hrs. The water is clearing nicely so if you can find a quiet corner where running fish can rest on their way upstream, there's always a chance.

Monday 1900hrs. The rain has stopped, at least for the moment, but the river is more than 5 1/2 feet above normal and still rising, so all we can do is put our feet up in front of the fire and dream of warmer days ahead.With only 23 days of the salmon and sea-trout season left, we can only hope for an early improvement.

Remember that fishing for Brown Trout finishes on 30th September but coarse fish, including grayling, are available right through to 15th March.

Our informal 'noggin and natter' will be at the Royal Oak by Bangor on Dee old bridge at 1930 hrs on Friday - that's half past seven for landlubbers. We welcome members old and new and also prospective members. You won't learn much except, if you didn't already know, how much damn nonsense fishermen can talk, but the beer and the food at the Oak are both good. I hope to see you there.

Wednesday. The river level fell a bit yesterday and is now holding steady at about 1600mm, which is still almost four feet above normal.

If you log on (members only, of course), you will see that Russell has managed to re-install the river level graph, which is now updated every two hours and gives a clear picture of what is happening. Actually, it is even better than the EA's own graph which is only updated at three hourly intervals. if you have forgotten your password, Russell will send you a reminder - and a bollocking for being a bloody nuisance - and you can then change it, if you wish, to one you can remember.

And there are some good quality salmon rods, reels and lines offered for sale if you log on and look in the right section of the members' forum.

Fishing looks a forlorn prospect at the moment, so don't forget the noggin and natter on Friday evening.

Saturday 22nd. A glorious September morning. When I looked out at 0630 the fields were gold in the morning sun and a thick bank of mist marked the course of the river. It was good to be alive, which is always a bonus at my age and doubly so on such a morning.

The river level has gone up a couple of inches during the night, to 680mm on the gauge, so fish will still be running hard - but they do have to pause for breath every now and then and are, in theory, catchable at such times. Yesterday evening the water was in perfect nick but I only managed to deceive one wee sea-trout in two hours of fishing. There were five cars at Rodens Hall but no-one else seems to have seen anything, either. We just have to keep trying. No-one ever said salmon fishing was easy!

I suspect that at the moment chances are better the further upstream you can get, so Groves Farm might be good as fish rest after scrambling up Overton weir. Remember that we have to book before fishing that Beat.

The next Spring tides will be in the first few days of October. They should bring in a horde of grilse so let's hope the river is then low enough to tempt fish to linger in our waters.

Sunday 1800hrs. Fished for a few hours middle day without seeing anything, although others did see fish. Patrick T had a cracking 36" cock fish (17-18lbs?) on fly at Done's Meadow and further upstream several were seen and a coloured fish was landed and returned. A chilly NE wind and water temp of only 9C weren't encouraging. It is raining now and heavy rain is forecast for the next 24 hours, so don't hold your breath for comfortable fishing conditions in the first part of the coming week.

Tuesday - The river level has been holding steady to-day at around 670mm which is eight or nine inches above summer normal. It is great for fishing but unfortunately is at a level which encourages fish to run. However, it also encourages new fish to enter the river and the current Spring tides ought to bring a rush of grilse. I have had one or two reports of fish being seen or caught but with so few anglers enjoying the river, information is pretty scarce.

Crane Flies (Daddy Long Legs) are about in huge numbers and can produce a grand evening rise. A couple of members have reported big catches of grayling at such times and one or two good fish have come to net. The Daddies might even bring up a sea-trout.

Andrew, if you're listening, you owe me a pint. Information for the rest of you; Andrew phoned the other day as I was wading into the river. I stopped and unzipped my waders to reach the phone and when we were finished I carried on without remembering the damn zip. Only slightly wet but I still reckon it's worth a pint.

There's High pressure approaching from the West so once the showers forecast for this afternoon and evening and for tomorrow (Weds) afternoon have passed through, prospects look pretty good.

Friday 21st. Well, so much for weather forecast! But at least it is warm and the river level is pretty steady at 630mm. When I fished Ormrod's on Wednesday the water was only 10C/50F which seems cool for the time of year so maybe there's a bit of reservoir water coming down.  At this level, which is 6 or 7 inches above normal, fish can still run upstream but I have heard of several being caught on fly, spinner and worm.

With only a month of the season to run and plenty of fish in the river, I am surprised to see so few fishermen on the riverbank.

Yesterday was a beautiful day with the river in perfect order but there were only two other cars at Rodens Hall. Two grilse were landed, one on worm and one on fly (an orange cascade tied on a small treble) so the fish are there. The middle of the day was a bit bright but early and late were ideal. I had thought of going upstream to Pickhill but the bedlam of grass track motorbikes, apparently somewhere over by Dongray Hall, deterred me; they were unpleasantly loud even on the top end of The Captain's, but it wasn't so bad further down. Best to fish Pickhill in the week, when it's quieter.

To-day has been cloudier and probably much better for fishing. I couldn't get to the river and I know one or two others were also tied up with family business, but I hope some of you spent time on the banks and were rewarded for the effort.

Went to Ormrod's a few afternoons ago. Parked under the old railway arch - watch out for your rod tip as you set up because the roof is quite low - and fished the left bank down almost to where the power lines cross the river half way down Plumleys. The last part looks really fishy now because the winter floods have deepened the run by the left bank and it can be fished very nicely from the bank. I don't know if it will hold fish but it certainly looks right. A few years back when the run was much shallower and you could wade all the way down, almost to the pylons, I remember one of the older members saying he had often seen fish running up there but never heard of one being caught. Now that it is deeper and absolutely perfect for the fly, perhaps that will change? it's a great half-day's fishing, down from Cadbury's to the pylons and then to the Graig, down the Graig Straight to the Buttresses and an easy walk back to the car along the edge of the field by the old railway line.