Torfaen

Tuesday (April 5) morning was bright and sunny, but cold, although the temperature rose to 11c by lunchtime. It stayed dry.

The sun shone into the Abbey woodlands which enhanced the colours of the wild ground flowers, where wood anemone and buttercup dominated, and competed for the eye with the lime green foliage we yearn to see after the grey wintery months.

It was truly lovely.

The sounds of pre-mating birdlife filled the air, and was far more attractive than the Arriva turquoise rail stock dashing by, en route to Newport. I wish I could identify more birds than I can, but many species played in the trees above me.

I had fished up from the bottom of the beat, last time, so started at the midpoint. The river had a hint of colour after recent showers. Fly life was sparse, so my starting ‘rig’ was a ‘duo’ of parachute Adams and PTN.

Nothing was moving, but after an hour I spotted a rise, and my excitement and anticipation multiplied, but to no avail. And it was all I saw in the morning…sadly abandoned supermarket trolleys were more abundant than fish.

I offer a word of warning to anyone fishing this ‘wild beat’.

Beware approaching its top end, for the seductive smell of cookie dough, emanating from the Burton’s Biscuit factory nearby is quite off putting, and my juices started flowing and lunch called.

Resuming from the bottom of the beat shortly after assuaging my appetite, produced ‘rien’.

And my hopes off ‘netting’ Torfaen will have to wait until I try here again, in warmer times, and I will, so WUF will hear from me again.

I am an optimist by nature, but a reading of Anglers’ Feedback on the WUF website, reveals that seventeen visits/reports have yielded just two fish. Make that eighteen visits!!!