It was to be our last club competition of the season Thursday 17th November. So Wednesday a quick call to the fishery, Gaza answers and helpfully confirms that the fish are still high in the water, certainly in the top 3 feet, and that the bung method had been working exceptionally well over the last two weeks. Our club competition fishes to a 5 fish kill and then time bonus to International rules. So what was I going to use under the bung? I decided I would tie some worms that fitted the gauge, and was worried about how much movement would be created so I thought I would make them look like a bunch of worms. So I tied a few of each some mojito GF4 and some pink midi egg-it. Now gf4 is double bonded so does not need sealing however, egg-it isn't and needs to be sealed, I had chosen the midi egg-it to prevent it to ensure it did not breach the gauge when wet. For the bung I normally use the Gripz hooks, they are basical a carp hook, heavy gauge, short shank wide gape, but unusally for carp hooks they have a sharp point. A little expensive but do the job.
Mojito GF4
Baby Pink Midi Egg-it
Preparation complete. The weather forecast was pretty good with winds of 8mph gusting to 14, but there was a storm over Snowdon and heavy wind and rain forecast for North Wales - with Clywedog being on the Southern aspect of the storm, things could change.
5am up and about 6am on the road a 2 hour drive and we arrive at Clywedog to be welcomed by Russ and Max (It was Jake's birthday). Anyway Russ confirmed the fish were still high and it was almost flat calm, so perfect for the bung and there I set up the rod, 4ft to the mojito worm cluster and a further 3 ft to the pink.
After helping one of the lads, it was 9.10am before I was on the water. As we were an odd number, I was boating alone. The wind was picking up which is not unusal for Clywedog, first 50 yards of the drift nothing, had my chosen tactic been a mistake, then suddenly down goes the bung into the fish 10 seconds later off...grrr two casts later the same thing. By the time I reached the nets I had 5 fish in the boat and it's 9.55. By 10.05 I have boated 7 obviously now on Catch and release. I changed tactic and put on a pulling cast, 12 ft fast sinking tip and two cormorants and a St Clements bi-colour blob fab (BCB). I drited down to Dinas point and was confident of taking fish there.
Arrived at Dinas point expecting some shelter from the wind as I turned towards the dam, none of it - the wind hugged the Dinas escarpment and changed direction towards the dam, it was 11am and the wind was uncomfortable. My target was to drift to Fadre Fawr bay, drifted all the way down without even a follow, had changed to a di3 sweep on the drift, as the sun was bright with a sharp wind. I entered Fadre Fawr expecting some slack water but the wind had once more hugged the mountain contour and it was a struggle.
Do I now head for Chapel point or back to the nets, sense prevailed back to the nets it was, I arrived back there at 12.15, I thought - time for lunch and the welcoming fire and lodge. Quick bite and a cuppa and I was back out on the water at 1, drifted from the pontoon to the nets, three further fish to the fab, the wind had strengthened so I shortened my leader and put on a black snake. I repeated the drift by the time I had arrived at the net it was a further five fish and had dropped at least as many.
2pm returned to jetty to collect a boat partner for the last two hours, it was action all the way, but that wind, it was strengthening all the time and at 3.30pm we called it a day.
LLyn Clywedog is on fire at the moment, it closes on 30th November. This day was an excellent day to finish the boat season 20+ to the boat. I would highly recommend a visit before the seasons end.
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