Trout fly fishing in 2023 on the beautiful Welsh Dee

The trout fly fishing season opened on the 3^rd of March on the Welsh Dee, and unlike previous years, the dry end to February meant the Dee was close to its summer level and fishable. It proved to be a promising start to the season until the snow rolled in at the end of March. However, perseverance paid off when the fishing was tough, and I caught some beautiful wild brown trout during spring…

Trout fly fishing March on the River Dee

I kicked off the trout fishing season with a trip to fish the Welsh Dee at Llangollen on the 5^th of March.

There had been an overnight frost and with the river at its summer level (0.44 m @ Manley Hall), it would be a cold, tough day. So, I had a late start, arriving to fish the Ddol Isaf beat at mid-day.

Fishing Mill Run for trout

By the time I’d walked down to fish Mill Run it had warmed to (ca. 5^oC), but there was no sign of surface fly life. So, I set up my 11ft Vision Nymphmaniac to fish a three euro nymphing rig on 4 lb fluorocarbon (point: #12 olive & copper tungsten jig-back; middle dropper: #14 black PTN with 3.5mm silver TB; top dropper: #16 Hare’s Ear nymph with a 2mm copper TB).

From the tail, I slowly fished upriver, focusing on the deep channel close to the overhanging bushed on the far bank.

When I reached the middle of the pool, the indicator darted sideways, and on lifting into the take, a small brown trout gave an aerobatic display. As it slipped into the net, the pink olive jig nymph fell out of its mouth.

Progress was slow until I reached the faster water near the head of the pool, where I had a solid take from a bigger fish that took off downriver. After gaining control, I netted a lovely brown trout that had fallen for the black pheasant tail nymph.

After returning to my car for hot refreshments, I moved upriver to fish the Cottage pool for an hour. Nymphing the top section of the pool produced some small grayling on the hare’s ear nymph.

When the temperature dropped takes dried I retired and when home for dinner, feeling pleased with my first trout of the new season.

21^st March – trout fly fishing at Llangollen

The dry start to March did not last, with wintery conditions producing significant snowfalls over Wales. When the thaw came, the meltwater flooded the Welsh Dee and was unfishable for a week.

Starting at the top of the clearing by the fence, I cast upriver and stripped the streamer bank to the bank. I missed the first take but connected with the second and netted a greedy brown trout.

I didn’t get any more takes so I moved upriver to Duncans Pool. It was just possible to fish the slack water on the inside bend of the pool with a team of heavy nymphs (point: size 12, olive tungsten jig-back; middle: size 12, pink squirmy worm 3mm pink TB; top dropper: size 14, pheasant tail nymph 2.5mm silver TB).

It was slow going but eventually, a nice brown trout was tempted by the squirmy worm.

Towards the end of the pool, I caught a small brown trout and a couple of OOS grayling. All of which fell for the pheasant tail nymph.

Next, I walked upriver to fish the Pipe Pool but the river was still too high to fish there properly. I fished the margins of the pool but didn’t catch anything.

An abrupt end to the fishing was called when the weather turned nasty and I made a B-line to the car.

Trout fly fishing in April on the Welsh Dee

The wet theme returned towards the end of March and the Dee was not fishable until a dry spell moved at the start of April.

6^th April – Fishing at Llandderfel for trout

The river level was quite high at Llangollen, so I took a trout fly fishing trip to Bala Angling Club beat at Llandderfel where the river was close to its summer level (ca. 0.3m @ Bala gauge). It was a relatively mild day (12^oC) with a light westerly.

I hadn’t spotted any emerging flies so I started fishing the two pools below the bridge with a team of nymphs (point: #12 copper tungsten jig-back; middle dropper: #14 peacock quill nymph with 3 mm TB; top dropper: #16 Hare’s Ear nymph with a 2 mm gold TB).

This produced two grayling and a small brown trout that had taken the quill nymph.

Next, I walked downriver to the pool above the dyke. I spotted a fish rising in the tail of the pool but couldn’t make out what it was taking. So, I set up my 9ft 5# rod to fish a team of nymphs / wet flies (point: #12 pheasant tail nymph, middle dropper: #14 black hopper, top dropper: #14 March Brown spider).

Covering the rising fish with the wet flies produced a positive take and a fish darted for the cover of the far bank. After a short struggle, I guided a nice grayling to the net that had fallen for the March Brown spider.

I waded across the tail of the pool to the right bank and fished the fast water at the head of the pool. Fishing downriver towards the dyke produce two grayling that also fell for the March Brown spider.

In the slack water at the mouth of the dyke I had a savage take and when the line tightened a lovely brown trout gave a short aerobatic display.

Next, I walked downriver and fished the stream water below the island with a team of wet flies. After catching several small grayling in the fast water, I hooked larger fish that darted downriver into the main pool with me in pursuit. Slowly, I gained the upper hand and netted a beautiful brown trout that had taken the black hopper on the point.

Fishing the remainder of the beat until it was time to go home just produced a few small trout and grayling.

22nd April – Trout fly fishing at Llangollen on the upper beat

After a couple of weeks of dry weather, the river level had dropped to 0.58m (Manley Hall gauge), which opened up most of the pools on the Welsh Dee at Llangollen. This was convenient because Graham wanted to go trout fly fishing on the upper beat.

The sun was peeping through the clouds when we met in the upper car park at around 9 am. So, I was expecting a hatch and rising trout by mid-morning.

After a quick discussion on the plan for the day ahead, we walked down to Dereck’s Pool. To fish Dereck pool it is necessary to wade out about a rod length from the tree-lined bank, but you need to be a confident wader especially when the river is above its summer level of 0.43 m.

Therefore, I showed Graham how to fish the glide above the pool which can be fished from the safety of the bank.

Carefully, I waded out at the head of Derecks Pool and fished a team flies space 3ft apart on a 3 lbs copolymer leader (point: #14 black hopper; middle dropper: #14 March Brown spider; top dropper: #14 iron blue).

While fishing the slacker water in the centre of the pool I missed a good take. A fish began rising in the slack water alongside the weed-covered rocks near the far bank.

The multiple currents make it difficult to cover that spot with a drag-free drift but, after a few casts, the fish swirled at the fly and my line tighten as it took off into the main current.

A few dicey moments elapsed as I gained control and made my way over the slippy boulder to net the trout close to the bank, which had taken the March Brown Spider

Fishing the remainder of the pool produce a small trout that took the black hopper as it swung through the tail of the Pool.

I moved upriver to see how Graham had got on. Surprisingly, he’d drawn a blank fishing the glide with a team of wet flies. Feeling he should have been successful, I waded out into the fast water above the large rock at the head of the run to fish the slack water near the far bank.

While fishing the wet flies through the foam line a fish snatched one of the flies and made a dart for the deep hole behind a fallen tree. To foil its escape, I bullied the trout through the fast water into the slack water on the near bank and into the net.

After releasing the trout that had taken the March Brown Spider, I returned to fishing the remainder of the slacker water close to the far bank. This produced another brown trout that I had to bully to the net to avoid its loss. The March Brown spider was also its downfall.

I was conscious that Graham was struggling to catch fish, and I felt fishing the Top Pool was the best place to correct that. So, we set off upriver with brief stop-offs to fish the Glide Pool and run opposite Abersilio Brook.

Graham caught a few small trout and grayling but it was little to write home about.

We didn’t spot any fish rising in the Top Pool while we ate a late lunch. So, I sent Graham to the head of the pool to fish the fast water with a team of spiders / wet flies, while I fished the lower section of the pool with a team of nymphs.

He wasn’t there long when I heard his shout of joy and I turned my head to see his rod bent around into a nice fish. Fortunately, the hooked held and he netted a lovely wild brown trout that had fallen for a black hopper.

He then proceeded to catch a few grayling on the wet flies.

I managed to catch a few small brown trout on nymphs but was plagued by grayling until it was time to head off home.

24^th April – Trout fly fishing on Village beat at Bangor-On-Dee

I’d reserved the day to fish the Village beat, in part to see if the winter flood had altered any of the pools. The weather forecast (20 – 30mph gusts) wasn’t great for fly fishing, but I ventured out because I hadn’t fished there since last year.

When arrived at Dukes Pool the wind was worse than I expected but it was good to see the floods had damaged the pool. Initially, I fished through the pool with a team of spiders but this drew a blank (point: #12 silver & pheasant grouse spider; middle dropper: #14 black hopper; top dropper: #14 pearl ribbed march brown spider).

The gusting wind was playing havoc with line control, so I wandered downriver to Twll Run, which offered more shelter from the wind. Euro nymphing upriver from the tail towards Joby’s produced 3 grayling on the quill nymph but no trout.

Disappointed with the lack of trout, I called an early end to the day when the weather deteriorated.

29^th April – Fly fishing for trout on the Ddol Isaf beat near Llangollen

Fortunately, the weather calmed down and the river level (0.52m Manley Hall) was close to its summer level when Graham suggested another Welsh Dee fishing trip. This time we ventured out to fish the Ddol Isaf beat, which Graham hadn’t fished before.

I also set my 11ft 3# rod with a two-fly Euro nymphing rig on a 4 lbs fluorocarbon leader (point #12 point olive tungsten jig back nymph, dropper: #14 quill nymph with 3mm TB).

Graham began by fishing the Cottage pool with a team of wet flies/spiders, while I prospected the run leading up to the Sludgy Pool with the dry fly. The fishing was slow but halfway up the run, I caught a lovely grayling on the dry fly. Then in the tail of the Sludgy Pool, I missed a few takes before hooking a small brown trout.

In the run above the Sludgy Pool, two fish were rising in the foam lane close to the near bank. I passed my dry fly rod to Graham to target them because he’d not had much luck fishing the Cottage Pool with spiders.

After a couple of false casts, he placed the CDC olive two feet above the rising fish and when it drifted into position there was a swirl and…

BINGO – he tightened into a trout that took to the air.

Carefully he gained control and netted a beautiful Welsh Dee brownie.

Pleased he was off the mark, I left him to fish the remainder of the run with the dry fly and headed upriver to nymph the tree-lined pool above.

I scrambled down the steep bank into the water and worked my way upriver. After catching a small brown trout on the olive nymph, I hooked a bigger trout but it threw the hook during its airborne antics. Then, in the drop-off zone at the head of the pool, I caught a nice grayling on the olive.

At lunchtime, I met up with Graham, who’d caught a grayling on the CDC olive and missed others, and we headed back to the car for refreshments.

Rain rolled in during lunch, so after changing into wet weather gear we trudged downriver to fish from below the cottage to the end of Mill Run. After showing Graham how to fish the pocket water below the cottage, I wandered down to Mill Run where I met 2 anglers who were packing up.

They’d caught a few fish on dry flies earlier in the day but since it had started raining takes had dried up. Therefore, I decided nymph up through the pool focusing on the area close to the trees on the far bank, where I felt any disturbed tout would be holding.

Nymphing proved a good move because I caught three trout and two grayling all of which fell for the #14 quill nymph.

Graham caught a brown trout and a few grayling fishing spiders down to Mill Run. The rain had got worse and takes had dried up, so pleased with how the day turned out we head off home to dry out.

Trout fly fishing in May

I didn’t fish the Welsh Dee during May because I was tired of catching grayling, which seemed more active than normal this year. Instead, I took a few trout fly fishing trips to the River Wenning where I caught some wonderful brown trout on spiders and dry flies.