Tapping the reservoir is a simple joy

Nov 20 2007 by Moc Morgan, Western Mail

FISHING is a great sport – the greatest – and I agree with others who maintain that if the good Lord had ever created a better sport he has kept it for himself.

There are many different forms of fishing each with its special appeal. A day on Clywedog reservoir near Llanidloes recently gave me the most wonderful experience of the 2007 fishing season.

Clywedog is now considered the reservoir that gives the best value for money in the UK. Unlike most of the major reservoirs in Wales and England, Clywedog is run entirely by volunteers who give a very professional service.

Many anglers are disappointed that no motor engines to power the boats are allowed on the water as anyone wishing to fish from a boat has to supply his own silent running electric engine. This was a condition included in the original agreement when the reservoir was built – its inclusion has meant that the peace and tranquillity surrounding the water has been fully maintained over the years.

These qualities have certainly added to its charm and popularity, transforming it into a little piece of heaven on earth – and I know that to be true because I have experienced it.

In common with most highland fisheries in Wales its water is slightly acidic. The Severn Water Authority has installed silos in order to supply the streams running into the reservoir with lime – thereby reducing the acidity of the water. This in turn ensures that the amount of natural food in the lake is good.

The reservoir is a good fishery and gives good sport but it also demands that one fishes well. It is not a duffer’s water and the results always reflect ability and effort.

My red letter day there last season was in October – a very undervalued month for good fishing.

The conditions were good with a gentle wind just enough to give me that corduroy water which I love and which makes it more difficult for the fish to see the line.

I fished a dry fly just on top of the water and a nymph – the Diawl Bach. I was using the wind to help my casting and thereby avoiding putting any strain on my back, which can become very painful if I strive to cast far out.

The dry fly I was using was very similar to the Coachman of old and the trout were showing a lot of interest in it. It is always exciting to watch fish come up to the surface of the water to take a fly. Old-fashioned flies can still attract fish and although many of the new patters appear more colourful – they do not always out-fish the oldies.

It is interesting to note that the Diawl Bach is one of the top flies in the UK at the moment but the modern version does not really resemble the original. When I wrote my first book on the flies of Wales I attributed the creation of the Diawl Bach to a Mr Evans from Cardiff.

Then onto the stage came Glyn Isaac from Pembrokeshire whom I met on Glandwr Reservoir in the company of his good lady and he told me how it was he who created the Diawl Bach.

So there you are – two anglers claiming to be the instigators of this famous fly. To add fuel to the flames, as it were, I believe the original pattern had a strong resemblance to one variant of the Coch a bonddu which Twm Twm, the great fly-dresser of the upper Wye, dressed. Where does the true history of the fly lie, I wonder?

Little did I think of its history when it served me well on Clywedog that day – a day when I could not go wrong. The fish were on the feed and looking out for items of food. In three hours of fishing, during which I had to rest quite a lot, I managed to catch five beautiful fish all of which were in tip-top condition.

I know that five fish is not a great catch but on Clywedog numbers of fish is not the be all and end all as far as enjoyment goes. Pleasure is not measured in pounds and ounces but rather in that feel-good factor one experiences when realising one has fished well and has that deep desire to return there soon.