When irritating flies promise anglers a most welcome bite

Apr 8 2008 by Moc Morgan, Western Mail

IN MY schoolmastering days, I would occasionally ask the pupils to write about their favourite day of the week or their favourite month of the year. Invariably Saturday was the favourite day and for most August was the favourite month.

Both day and month when they were not in school!

The freedom associated with Saturdays has a certain appeal to pupil and teacher alike – but as for my favourite month – it has always been April.

Not only does it have great fishing potential, but it is also the month when nature really responds to the magical call of spring. Its sunshine and shower duets provide wonderful fishing conditions as the flies that have spent their larva stage in the bottom of the river move on to their next developmental stage and turn into flies.

Trout eagerly respond to this upward movement of nymphs and buzzers from the riverbed only to emerge from the surface water as flies. Over the years anglers have observed and studied this spectacle and, in order to catch the fish, have gone on to emulate the size, colour and movement of the flies in order to fool the trout.

Fly life is nowhere near as profuse as it once was and the depletion in fly population has been a huge cause of concern for anglers. The importance of fly life is often difficult to appreciate.

Over the years I have had opportunities to fish in some three dozen different countries and on occasions I have seen huge hatches of flies. Anglers tend to consider Ireland as the country for mayflies and in company with so many others I have spent many days and pounds chasing those Irish mayfly hatches. However, I must record that the biggest mayfly hatch I have ever seen was here in Wales.

We had been making a TV film on the elusive Gwyniad on Llyn Tegid at Bala and were returning to the jetty at Glanllyn in that wonderful boat called Brenin Arthur when I saw thousands of mayflies erupting from the water. Fortunately we were able to film the spectacle. I mentioned this to local anglers and knew from their reaction that they did not believe me.

A few years later I was travelling down the River Towy in a rubber dinghy as part of a television series on the rivers of Wales. My two fabulous companions were the great naturalist David Davies, Rhandirmwyn, and Spencer Edwards, a bailiff with the Environment Agency who knew the aquatic environment of most Welsh rivers.

As we were approaching the beautifully constructed bridge over the Towy at Llandeilo I saw the biggest hatch of March browns that I have ever seen. Again the camera was on hand to record this. I admit these were exceptions – but they do happen.

Time was when we had to use feathers and furs to create the artificial fly, but today there is a plethora of man-made materials available which exactly match the colour and texture required to copy the natural one. There is such a thrill to go down to the riverbank with a boxful of flies of your own making and try to fool the fish.

The approach has to be carefully thought through as you do not want to disturb or frighten the feeding fish at this stage. Once the vantage point has been reached it is important to cast the fly so that it lands just in front of where the fish is feeding. As the fly floats down and the fish takes it into his mouth you just lift the rod and tighten.

That is sheer magic and it is doubtful if any other sport has such magical moments of satisfaction. To me even scoring a try or a goal pales by comparison.

The ability to fool the fish into taking something you have created gives great satisfaction. Of course, fishing methods vary from person to person, but from an early age I have really enjoyed fly fishing.

Undoubtedly every method has a certain appeal, but as I started off fishing a fly floating on the surface of the water, it is a method I have favoured all my days.

Flies darting around do irritate people – but for anglers their presence on the water is the icing on the cake – and that cake is at its nicest in April.

Peter Grey, one time manager of the Newcastle Hatchery that served the River Tyne – the river which is today considered the best salmon river in England and Wales – will be giving a presentation at the Coracle Club, Cenarth, on Thursday, April 10, at 7.30pm.

The evening has been organised by the Teifi Trout Angling Association and there is an open invitation for all interested anglers to attend.