A Return to the Usk

Another early season fishing trip, and another blank. Fishing in March isn’t proving to be easy. The venue was the Cefn Rhosan Fawr beat of the upper River Usk where, for now, the trout remain in a slumber. Nothing Laszlo and I did could tempt them from their lethargy. To compound it all, the weather was mostly foul. It was a day for the rain coat although there were a few welcome spells of bright sunshine between showers. The air and water temperatures were cold, the water crystal clear and apparently devoid of fish. Do the fish melt into the deepest pools and the crevices of the bedrock in these conditions? Whilst there was a fair hatch of Large Dark Olives pretty much throughout the day, the trout were mostly indifferent to their presence. I did at least see two fish rising to LDOs but my attempts at presenting an imitation put both fish down. Early season lack of practice. I’m sure Laszlo won’t mind me saying he had an even worse day than me. He took a tumble whilst wading and not only soaked himself through, he managed to snap the tip section of his rod in the process.  

Spring officially starts in two days time on the equinox. In Wales the very earliest signs of spring are starting to appear, most notably the appearance of newborn lambs. I hope it is not too long before the bank side trees sprout their leaves and the wild flowers emerge so that the serious business of trout catching can commence! 

Below are just a few of the photos I took of the river. Even without any success I can at least console myself by having spent a day out in the beautiful Welsh countryside.  

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