Crai Reservoir...hunt for a wild brown trout

Tomorrow I am hoping to spend the best part of the day fly fishing for wild brownies. My father has recommended the black buzzers so I will be employing a team of them. Fings crossed for light winds and no rain tomorrow as the weather forecast foretells. Catch sults will be on here tomorrow.

I have a bream...but no trout.

Only had the one fish the other day at Canol, a nice bream but only the one. There were carp on the surface but they weren't taking free floating offerings. The weather was interchangeable with variable wind and rain, making it hard to locate the fish.

A solitary snotty  bream...

...which succumbed to the above offering.

I also had a wander around Crai reservoir fly fishing for trout to no avail, a hard water! Again it was windy and it was hard to find a spot which allowed for easy casting. I walked around past the waterfall to a stretch opposite the island, there were small fish showing but they weren't tempted by an assortment of small flies. Even my lucky golden hares ear failed to produce.

Overall a dismal couple of days fishing, and the weather has closed in, where has the summer gone?

Crai Reservoir - Equipped with a team of flies!

I will be fly fishing Crai Reservoir again soon. I have been given the advice that small black flies work well there as well as the old favourite gold hares ear. I have fished the venue before and have walked its perimeter a few times so have some good ideas of where to fish, I'm just waiting for the weather to become fine again as it is currently blustery which showers in South Wales. I have prepared though with a team of flies with the hares ear acting as the point fly with two small black flies as droppers. Fingers crossed for an improvement in the weather and therefore some wild brown trout hunting!

One spot that delivered the goods last time.

My first wild brown trout caught last year!

Welsh trout flies.

I have been informed by my girlfriends Grandfather that these flies will work well on the local waters, I will put them to the test soon!

Fly fishing Usk Reservoir.

During Easter 2011 I ventured to Usk reservoir to try my hand at some fly fishing for trout, I used a golden hares ear which had been battered and bruised but seems to be the only fly I can produce fish with on the reservoirs (Cray included). I found a nice quiet spot on the northern edge about 400m past the dam wall.

I used the single hares ear to great effect catching five rainbow trout with a fairly slow sinking retrieve. I tried again a few days later using the same tactic and blanked completely, the weather was more unsettled however. I even walked past the conservation area and fished the other side which is reserved for fly fishing only, the wind was blowing into me which made it difficult to get distance on the cast, there were no signs of fish that I could see. I am sure if I employed a team of flies on this large water I would have produced more fish, I will be better prepared next time!

Tickets are purchased from a machine on the right hand side just after you pass the north side of the dam, it is about £16 (I think) and that has to be paid in pound coins! Yes very odd payment system and a real pain in the backside!

Whilst I was fishing I was being watched by a Red Kite, here is my only attempted snap:(

Usk Reservoir is owned by Welsh Water and the surrounding countryside is managed by the Forestry Commission. Brecon Beacons website has a few more details and links: here