Grayling 2nd January 2008

[Hoppy]

Today was an early start - I had to meet TT to finalise payment for my Argentina Trip in March, this saw me and swimswim head to South Wales.

After a quick chat with Daz, TT and their guest for the day Watermole - we headed off towards Pontypridd and the Taff.

The river was fairly high but clear, and to start with it looked good. However within 20 minutes it was blowing a gale in Pontypridd - a chilling wind.

The fishing was good, i started off Czech Nymphing and took some nice fish, then it got too windy so we moved over to the Fish Pimp. Again we caught fish. 10 minutes later and the 'Waves' were sinking the pimp!

Some Taff fish!




In just over an hour, i had 12 Grayling with 7 over 30 cms. Swimswim had 4 and lost a number of others. We decided to head north!

The highlight of this trip was our Snowbee Zr2 10ft 4wt bugging rods. With a decent Grayling and a fast current - these rods bent double - they were great fun - really adding to the fishing - cheers TT

At this point i would add, that i have fished for Grayling on a lot of different rivers...Taff fish are the hardest fighting Grayling i have ever come across. They are in a different league to others!!

After 45 minutes we arrived at the Monnow. It was our first time on the river, and we were impressed. Its a shame our beat wasn't longer!

I had my first Monnow Grayling on my 5th cast!



I managed another fish, slightly down stream -



Then swimswim managed to get into one



I also managed a lovely Brownie of around 3/4lb. Strangely the majority of fish i have caught in the last few days have been covered in leaches

We also had a crack at the Honddu - a beautiful looking river and a real challenge. I didnt have a touch in the Honddu, however swimswim lost a nice fish on the dry fly.

We did find the biggest dead bullhead i have ever seen!

A really good day

Hoppy ;D ;D

ps Daz this is for you

[tigermoth]

After 45 minutes we arrived at the Monnow. It was our first time on the river, and we were impressed. Its a shame our beat wasn't longer!

I managed another fish, slightly down stream -




See you met Francis then

[DAZ]

admin said:

ps Daz this is for you

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D......Very good!.

[nickolin]

Can you give us an opinion on the ZR2's you were using please?
Cracking fish, well done all.
BR
Graham

[Hoppy]

Graham,

We only used them for about 1.5 hrs. But in that time I found the rod to be brilliant!!!

For a 10ft rod it was lighter than i thought it would be. The finish of the rod was also very nice indeed. The rod is a 3 piece, and comes with bag, nice solid rod tube and a lifetime warranty.

However the rod came into its own when fish were hooked. We had some nice fish around the 33-36cms mark that were hooked in fairly fast water. Once hooked the rods performedvery well, bending right to the butt section - giving a great fight and a lot of control.

Whilst we werent really casting with them, TT says they are good for fishing the dry fly.

They performed admirably when flicking out heavy bugs on a braid rig, allowing the bugs to be fished at a far greater distance that with the shorter rods i have been using. I really liked it - and to be fair i'm no snowbee fan at all. In fact bar their fly lines, i wouldn't use their kit - but I do like this rod.

We really enjoyed the rod, it was very sporting and very enjoyable to use. In fact swimswim and i were laughing when we hooked into fish as they nearly bent the rod double. In fact for a 10ft 3-4wt I would definately recommend the Zr2.

great rod for bugging - loved it!!!

Hoppy

[nickolin]

Thanks Hoppy,I have bought a Streamflex 10' 4# but at half the price the ZR2 sounds very interesting, especially for bugging.

BR
graham

[Teifi Terrorist]

Cracking fish there lads, good sport in Tierra Del Fuego type conditions!! ;D

Regarding the Snowbee ZR2's, I have three 10ft #3-4 to sell off. They are brand new with a hard tube, and come with a lifetime warranty. Their rrp is £130, but selling these for £85, plus £5 postage - cheapest I've found them on the internet for, with those that have them in stock, is £107. Again, only got 3, so it's first come first serve.

TT.