richjones

First trip to the (very) upper Severn for me today, near Llanidloes. Hoping for a few nice grayling.

Thanks for your replies guys. As mentioned, I was equally as concern for the food the trout would be eating (insect life etc) as the actual fish themselves. If we said maybe one bottle of washing up liquid going into a small river in the space of a few hours then I suppose it would be quite diluted, but the long term effects could be more serious. I will take your advice and call the EA. thanks

Hi guys, I've been hearing reports from friends about kids swimming in a local small river using washing-up liquid to froth up the water below a weir. My immediate reaction was that this must be seriously damaging to the eco-system, and must be stopped, but I was wondering if a shelf bought liquid such as the one I would assume these kids are using would be safe from any serious pollutants. The river is small, only a few metres wide and only really has small trout and eels. The amount of fish present seems to have declined during the last few years but I always assumed this was due to less natural food being in the river. Does anyone know whether I should be reporting these incidents, or would I be over-reacting? thanks

I once 'tried out' an electric fence to see if it was turned on when fishing the River Dane. Next thing I remember was waking up on my back in the field, no idea how long I'd been knocked out for! I was lucky as I later found out (the hard way) that I had a heart problem which could have caused sudden death! :/

Dave, This is something I have worried about in the past too! But I think the passion might come in waves. As a young chap (I'm only 24 myself) you will have plenty of other interests when you join college like beer, woman for example but once you've got used to those things you will probably start thinking about fishing more again. One thing that really boosted my enthusiasm was learning to drive. Now I can visit stretches of river that were previously too far away via bus. Another thing is learning to appreciate the countryside, you may find yourself going fishing just to try and spot that kingfisher or buzzard you had seen on a previous trip. Finally, set yourself personal targets, be realistic, but if your chub record is 3lb, spend a few months trying to get that first 4lber for example. It'll come!

Hi Rob, sorry I've just seen your post. Unfortunately you are limited when it comes to coarse fish in that area. Is Bala too far? 36 miles of A-road. If you can get there you can fish the lake (big perch,pike) and the start of the Dee (grayling,dace,roach) on day tickets, I think they're about £3. Other than that the only thing I can suggest is that there are plenty of mullet in the harbours at caernarfon and surrounding areas and great sea fishing on Anglesey!

Hi Jade I'd say you should set aside £100-£130 as for this you will be able to get a rod&reel, landing net, line and all other end tackle you may need (size 18 hooks, split shot, floats/weights and a thiner line for hooklength). Keep this website in your favourites as you will find it invaluable once you get to the serious learning part! some great advice and articles from real fishing experts on here!

Cracking day to have a Birthday Chris! I'm 24 today so not even half your old age! haha. Hopefully many more years of your fantastic blog, you're a true inspiration. Happy Birthday

2 hours on the Dee this afternoon for me. I fished in the sun and didn't feel cold at all, it was a lovely day despite being -2. Managed 20 grayling, fantastic sport!

Just remember that it's the Welsh Dee, not the Cheshire Dee!

Hi mate, The dee is not an easy river to fish as I have found out the last 4 years, however local knowledge is the key to a good catch unless you fancy putting the hours in yourself. Send me an email with the rough whereabouts and I'll be happy to share what info and tips I have picked up, having fished the majority of the lower river with average success. that said, the advice given here is spot on if you are happy to catch whatever comes along. email is richjonesy@hotmail.co.uk

The Welsh Dee came up a few feet last week and was quite muddy. by yesterday the tributaries were spot on and I was rewarded with 20 Grayling, dace and trout in 2 hours fishing

give each swim 20 minutes and if you haven't caught throw in some more hemp and meat before you move on. this method hasn't failed for me summer or winter, although the river I've been fishing (Dane, Cheshire) does have a good head of chub.

pick 5 likely swims, bait each one with a good handful of hemp and a good handful of small (pea sized) chopped luncheon meat/spam. Return to the first swim and set up our rod but away from the bank. 4lb hooklength should be fine unless there are lots of barbel/carp. size 8 hook buried into a piece of meat slighly smaller than a golf ball (alternate the size if bites aren't regular). use a flat lead to match the flow, I use 3/4 oz leads most of the time in an average flow small river with depth 2-3 foot.

tigger if you haven't had a dosing this afternoon it's on it's way to you as 60 ish miles away here the rivers have come to us! wished too much