stream thought

One of the things I really like about visiting the Ceiriog is that it induces you to travel really light. Lots of trees over the stream, wading around obstacles, scrambling up banks, dark recesses. So things not to take: goretex chest waders; your top sage rod; a net; fly boxes full of improbable flies; lots of things hanging off your fly vest; a fly vest. Actually all you need is a cheap rod (little casting is involved), a really cheap reel , a line, a spool of mono and a tin of flies. It's really nice to leave the baggage behind, both kit and mental.

Anyway last Thursday I chose to fish the Ceiriog, as the day was very bright and stretches are so dim that bats commonly hunt by day. A good day in trout catching terms, and just to re-enforce the theme of the day, the most successful fly was a size 16 Partridge and Orange which improved the more tattered it got.

And finally to underscore the mood, I sat and had coffee next to a tribute to a real friend to the stream: