Welsh Dee - A Freezing December Day - 01/12/08

It had been a good six or so weeks since I had last fished the Dee, mainly due to the level being high with all the rain. The level today was higher than I would have liked just below 800 on the river line, but with no rain over the last few days it would be running clear. An early start as usual the de-icer came in handy this morning, temperature indicator in the car showing -3c.

On arrival at a beat of the Dee just above Corwen I was greeted with thick frost and the temperature had dropped to -6c. December had hit with a bang I was going to be in for a freezing day. Plenty of layers on and thermal undergarments would protect me from the worst of it, but how would the Grayling react?. It wasn't long before I was walking along the river bank and a stunning frost bitten Welsh Dee greeted me, a beautiful place to be so early on a Monday morning, it certainly beats work!!.

It was on with the nymphs fished Czech style again, I was out to locate the Grayling and hopefully they would be in a shoal after the cold snap. The first hour passed without a touch, the fog had come down and then a flurry of snow, it was a freezing day and it would take all my experience learned to-date to try and find the Grayling.

I had gone through various Nymphs with different weights, colours then my luck changed, a likely looking run where on previous occasions I had caught, proved successful again. I first thought I had hooked the bottom......too much weight on the flies, but then the bottom started to move and a nice Grayling was on, a fish of about 2lb as an estimate found its way into the net.


With a bit more confidence, I continued to search for other Grayling in the area, but none showed. A change of tactics produced nothing, just the one fish in the morning session. I'm not one for excuses but every angler should have one, maybe they were releasing water from Bala?, the sleet & snow run off into the Dee was effecting the feeding? who knows.

I moved to another stretch of the river for the afternoon session still just above Corwen, and this time I landed a couple of small Grayling. Changing tactics all the while with nothing more to show for my efforts. Today had been one of those days, but I suppose that's why they call it 'Fishing' and not 'catching'.

It is one continuous learning curve this sport we call Fishing that we all adore, the day we stop learning is the day we pack it in. One day we think we have cracked it, the other a complete mystery. That's why I and we all head back to the river time and time again.

A cracking day out none the less.

Until Next Time
Tight Lines