BODSA Blog

Wednesday. Despite the dry weather, the river was very reluctant to fall until yesterday. I presume water was being let out of the reservoirs to make room for the next deluge.

To-day, with the level around 650mm on the gauge (eight inches above normal) there is still a decent flow and the water has cleared. I fished this morning without seeing any sign of salmon but did hook, briefly, something big and shiny which was probably a sea-trout. Floating line, intermediate tip and a size 10 wee double, a bit like a Stoat's Tail with a blue beard and a yellow tail. Had a couple of grayling, as well. Kingfishers were up and down the river and a pair of kestrels over head; a good morning.

Saturday. River down another four inches and as clear as the Dee ever gets. There are fish around but apart from a rumour of one decent salmon coming to the net earlier in the week,  I have received no reports.

Jack and I went for a walk along the banks at Pickhill yesterday evening. I was too tired to fish and probably owe an apology to those who have found me even more than usually grumpy over the past few weeks. Anyway, the river looked beautiful and it was nice to see that the branches I cleared from over the path through the little wood have made it much easier to walk through without your rod tangling in the trees. I wasn't carrying a rod, but you know what I mean. Air temp at 1900hrs was 19.5C (67F) and the water was 14/C, 58F so we are really into floating line and small flies territory.

I'm going to fish this evening when the sun is lower in the sky, so please keep your fingers crossed for me.

Saturday. First, may I apologise for not getting to the meeting at the Royal Oak last night. Bit of a family crisis kept me at home - bloody kids; who'd have 'em!

The next meeting will be on the last Friday of this month, which is the 28th, so I hope to see you then.

The absence of members in the pub made Nigel decide to have a chuck in Duke's with a flying-C and he found himself attached to a 14lbs hen fish, his first from the Dee. So it's congratulations to Nigel and it's encouragment for the rest of us.

Jack and I are off to Pickhill after breakfast to trim some of the willow on the bank at Johnny Morris and George's Run; and then, with the river falling nicely and, I hope, clearing, I might see if there's a co-operative fish around.

1900hrs. The river looks good and has now fallen to a fraction over 800mm on the gauge.       I didn't see any fish but there was a 10 1/2 pounder caught earlier to-day, further downstream.

Thursday. The river peaked at two feet above normal yesterday evening and is now falling slowly, so unless they have to release water from the reservoirs to bugger up the fishing on the lower Dee, prospects for the weekend look very good indeed.

The good points are:- 1) good weather forecast, wind dropping and getting warmer; 2) rising barometer;  3) falling river levels; 4) full moon on Friday with high Spring tides to bring fresh fish into the river; 5) some big fish have gone through the trap at Chester weir; 6) there are already grilse in the river and the Spring tides will bring more.

The only down-side is that we can do no more than hope they don't let a load of cold water out of the reservoirs. Check the water temperature and the gauge at Manley Hall and that will tell you whether it is coming from rain or the reservoirs.

If the water level drops below 800mm you will find me on the river bank, probably somewhere between The Graig and Pickhill car park..

Tight lines.

Noon. I think the miserable buggers must have opened the sluices because despite the fine weather the river level has risen two inches this morning and now stands at 977mm. Phone the gauge on 01978 710 398 to check current level.

1800hrs. The river level is still 970mm but the EA assure me it is all rainwater and nothing to do with them; so perhaps I owe them an apology. I have just come over the river at Newbridge and it is the colour of dark chocolate but not dirty, although under water visibility is only a few inches; so it's fishable if you can find a quiet corner. Me? I'm going to wait until it drops at least six inches (150mm).

The river was looking good yesterday evening. Almost 16" of water on and it was again the colour of mahogany, but underwater visibility was somewhere between one and two feet. Very fishable. Graham and I fished Pickhill with fly, down from Johnny Morris to the Car Park. He was using an intermediate tip while mine was a medium sinker. Neither of us felt or saw anything until right on last light when Graham had a grilse roll over his fly just below the pipe at the head of Car Park Pool. The fish seemed to try to take on a downstream lunge as the fly passed it, but Graham felt nothing. No fish to report but at least we know they are there!

Heavy shower at dawn this morning and the river is now, 1100hrs, rising again. However, the rain wasn't much so unless it was heavier up-country or they are letting water out of the reservoirs, the river should remain fishable. Just remember your waterproofs - the forecast is not brilliant.

1300hrs. The river is still rising slowly and is 866mm on the gauge, which is 17 1/2 inches above normal and 2 inches higher than when I fished yesterday.

1830hrs. Water level now over 950mm and still rising. I haven't been to look but I expect it will be pretty thick and coloured for a while yet.

It's raining again, would you believe! Visited the river yesterday and found it a foot above normal and very coloured. However, one lucky angler came back to the carpark carrying a beautiful grilse and grinning from ear to ear; another had landed a 12-pounder the day before, Saturday. So even in apparently unpromising conditions, fish can be caught if you stick at it.

This morning I went to the river again and found it much clearer and, at 725mm on the Manley Hall gauge (11" above normal), very fishable. A couple of small sea-trout had been caught (so it looks as though the "schoolies" have arrived) along with brown trout and grayling. At that level the current swings a fly round beautifully, which makes life easier. The day's bag for the two fishermen was three sea-trout and four brownies. They also saw two running salmon.

Keep an eye on river levels and as long as nothing too dreadful happens, the fishing should be pretty good. But you won't catch owt while you're sitting in front of that computer!

Tuesday 28th. Noon. The river rose again last night and is still nearly 18" above normal, although it has started to fall slowly (an inch in the last four hours). I'll pop down later to have a look at the colour, and report back.

The forecast for the Bank Holiday weekend is not good but both the weather and the river are fine at the moment. Level is just over 600mm which is six inches or so above normal - perfect. The water has apparently now cleared and I have reports of both grayling and sea-trout landed and returned yesterday. (Keith had a 3-pounder on fly - must have forgotten his worms!)

I was in Foxons in St Asaph yesterday and one of the chaps in the shop showed me a photo of a 20lbs sea-liced salmon he had caught at Corwen. (The photo is on the side of the fridge by the door, if you are passing.) And still carrying sea lice 40-odd miles from the sea. That fish hadn't been hanging around!

Just a reminder that a week to-day is our informal monthly get-together at the Royal Oak in Bangor on Dee. 1930hrs - or half past seven for you landlubbers. The main topic of conversation is fishing on BODSAA waters, the beer's good and so is the food.

The river rose slightly on Saturday night but was falling again by Sunday morning. There seem to be a lot of fish in Church Pool and Dukes but I have had no reports of any caught - and after the polltion last week I would strongly advise returning all fish for a week or two until the last of the sewage has been washed out to sea - and more importantly out of the fish, which takes longer.

I was on the river at Rodens Hall and The Captain's for a couple of hours yesterday afternoon. Everyone else saw both salmon and seatrout, again without catching anything, but I never saw a fish. The river a was foot above normal and the colour of mahogany. Water temperature was 60F, so it is rain water, not water from the reservoirs. There was also a slight smell of sewage which might have come from stuff on the bank, rather than the water. I'm normally pretty optimistic while casting a fly for salmon - well, you have to be, don't you - but yesterday seemed flat. And then a piece of toilet paper floated past, which did nothing to improve my confidence. I came home and washed all my tackle in clean water.

My dog, Jack, had been sploshing around in the river but he actually smelled rather better when he came out, so maybe the water's not too foul after all.

Now the level is down to 700mm, so if it clears a bit there's hope for floating lines and small flies.

1000hrs. River level 834mm which is 17 or 18 inches above normal and should help shift the sewage. I do hope that Welsh Water have managed to stop the leak. Tony reports seeing a sinister slick going down the centre of the river at Groves Farm on Thursday but I have not received any other reports, either good or bad. Neither do I know at this stage whether the river is still rising or whether it is falling again. We seem to have lost our website connection with the EA's meter at Manley Hall but you can check by phone on 01978 710 398. I will also post a notice here later, once I know which way things are going.

I've had reports of fish seen at Rodens Hall and The Captain's but since that's where everyone is going, there must also be fish everywhere along the Dee system by now. As soon as the level starts to fall prospects should be good. I keep saying that - and then either the weather gods or the sewage company seem to ruin it for us. But anyway, only a cock-eyed optimist would think he could catch a fish that doesn't feed in fresh water, so if you stay cheerful and keep trying, one day… I've been telling myself that for years!

1030hrs. I have just checked again with Manley Hall and the river has risen an inch in the last thirty minutes.

1230hrs. The river seems to have peaked and the water level is now starting to fall again. At 834mm it is quite fishable and there will be plenty of running fish pausing here and there for a rest.

1915hrs. At 762mm the river is now falling nicely and I am pleased to be able to report that the pollution scare seems to be over. It originated only a quarter of a mile from my home because of a blocked 60cm sewer pipe under the main road. The blockage has now been cleared and contractors are pumping the foul water from the little lake in the field here, back into the sewer. This will prevent it from running out of the lake and down the stream into the Dee. So, with the river level absolutely perfect and the weather looking good, we can enjoy our fishing.

Heavy rain is forecast for most of to-day which might lift river levels and help shift the pollution (see previous blog). The river actually fell a couple of inches during the night so let's hope that either the fresh rain flushes the muck out or the EA let some water out of the reservoirs to help with the job. With a new moon to-night and some good Spring tides bringing fish into the river, we really don't need a load of sewage going downstream and ruining everything.

I have asked the EA for an up-date on the pollution and will post the information here as soon as I have it. In the meantime, if any of you have been on the river, please let me know what the water looks like.

1500hrs. Still raining but it hasn't affected the river level yet.  No news of the river being affected by the sewage, either - though if you do see anything, please report it immediately.

Derek, who very kindly helped me with the balsam at Groves Farm, saw a good fish in the Boulders yesterday and tells me that the river was flowing nicely but more coloured than he expected. That will be rainwater running off the land and bringing silt with it, of course. I also hear from the EA that some very big fish have entered the river; so keep your eyes peeled and your flies wet.

2130hrs. River up three inches to 613mm (nearly 7" above normal) which is perfect, as long as it doesn't go too much higher. No reports of damage from the sewage, so we may have been lucky there too. If the river behaves and you don't mind getting a bit sweaty in the humid atmosphere, fishing prospects for the weekend look pretty good.

The forecast said there might be some scattered heavy showers but we have had four hours of heavy rain which has already, 1800hrs, raised the river level by four inches (that's 100mm for those of you who have to count on your fingers!) That's no bad thing for two reasons.

First, it freshens the river up a bit and with some good Spring tides due at the weekend, should encourage fish to come into the Dee.

And second, there has been a burst sewer in the main road less than half a mile from my home which, for three days, pumped untold gallons of unspeakable filth into the field. It has made the oil-seed rape crop totally unfit for use, flooded into the little lake 200 yards from here, killing most of the wildlife, including a family of nine swans, and then run on down the stream into the Dee just below Newbridge. I have no idea of quantities but a bit of heavy rain may help to move it away down the river as quickly as possible.

If you see any signs of pollution, please report it to the Environment Agency via their emergency hotline, 0800 807 060. The sooner they know of a problem, the sooner they can do something about it.

On the balsam front, I have cleared all the large clumps at Groves Farm but there are still a few odd plants around, close to the water's edge. Please pull up any you see - either there or on our other Beats.

Hot and humid with showers around. I've had a look at the weather systems out to the West and it doesn't look good for next week. The High is moving away over Scandinavia, followed by a series of Lows with associated troughs and frontal systems. Beyond that, there are a couple more Highs over Newfoundland which give hope for the future as long as they don't get pushed South of us. They should be here next weekend, with a bit of luck.

In the meantime the river level has fallen almost to Summer normal, which is 450mm on the gauge at Manley Hall. (It looks as though our River Level guide on the right has got stuck.) At this level salmon have difficulty getting upstream of Bangor on Dee, so there's a good chance of a fish anywhere on our Beats.

Karl has had two sea-trout of nearly 2lbs, caught early morning on tiny flies fished a foot or two beneath the surface; and Chris reports a fine grayling of 3lbs, which is a heck of a good fish. For salmon, I suspect we are back to Hugh Falkus' "greased line" technique with small flies fished about 4 inches below the surface; it worked for me a few weeks ago, even though the fish had the better of me. Nice to hook one, though.

🙂 I think I can just remember having seen that hot yellow thing before. It's the Sun! Welcome back!

River levels have been pretty steady at 6 inches above normal (give or take an inch or so as the rain squalls passed through) but it has now fallen nearly three inches over night and is looking VERY good.

Huw and I fished Rodens Hall and the Captain's yesterday evening. Air temperature when we started was 22C (72F) and the water was close to 14C (58F). Although the odd salmon showed and I heard one hefty splosh round a corner where I couldn't see the culprit, neither of us made contact. Huw's worm accounted for a flounder and a chub while my flies - well, someone has to maintain standards (only joking) - attracted a few tiddlers and also a take from something larger and bright silver which could have been a small sea-trout. That was at Eel Cottage, in the slower water below what I call The Pool at Pooh Corner.

I wish some of you younger chaps would get out there and stamp down the long grass; it's blooming hard going for us old fellas!

I found a nice stick in the carpark at Roden's Hall, so if you have lost yours, give me a call.