Fishing ELyn-Efymwy, (Lake-Vyrnwy)
06 April 2023.
This magnificent lake in the Powys/Gwynedd border district of North to Mid-Wales has been a magnet to the fly fishing world for 90 years, for both Ladies and Gentlemen. It kept challenging them and kept drawing them back to fish it time and time again. Work started building this fine masonry dam in 1881. Looking at the dam today, you see a mixture of Victorian architecture and Gothic style in its ornate topping to the spill arches and fine towers. It was completed in 1889, and its purpose was to supply fresh water to Liverpool through a range of 90 miles of pipes and stone aqueducts, all fed by gravity water from the dam as the dam is 800ft above sea level. Then the 2 valleys Llanwddy and Vyrnwy were flooded to give an area of 1121 acres of water. The Hydroelectric pumps were installed many years later, a fish stocking program in the beginning was with 400,000 Loch-Leven brown trout from Scotland, Over the years Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout from the USA, have all been tried. Now restocking is about a 400 Rainbow Trout only a year.
Around the lake the trees come down to the water’s edge, and the sides are steep Cambrian rock and moving shale edges, there is no bank fishing, boat only. The depth behind the dam wall is 85ft and because for the few decades after it was being built there was plenty of food from the rich valley grass, but as time went on it got less and less as the original surface soil was washed away and dark acid peat water from the mountains destroyed the grass and vegetation. As the lake is long and narrow and curved, it has many bays and indentations served by torrent of streams and rivers, all a good feeding area for fish, where they flow into the lake. However at the shallower North end in Rhigwargor bay and Island area (now also a 16000 acre RSPB reserve) in the summer months when the water recedes to allow the grass to grow through, it makes a fertile area to fish when the water returns. The lake has many waterfalls and brooks emptying into it, an ideal area for feeding and these are always a place to see fish searching for food. Today most of the food is terrestrial blown in off the trees, or bugs below the surface.
The markings on the fish can be quite different. Those who have stayed at the dam end are darker and less spotted to those at the northern shallow fertile end of the Lake. As seen in my photo of a ¾lb+ beautiful fish with bright clear red markings and a wonderful gold colour taken 3/4mile up from the dam on east side, before the tower structure.
In the early years 1905 onwards, the yearly count of fish caught was 4500 approx., today it’s maybe around 3000 guide figure only. But no WBT stocked although there are plenty of fish in the lake.
For my fishing day here I was fortunate to be with John Davies a veteran of Vyrnwy fishing so hopefully I acquired some boat handling experience and tuition as well. Also, it was my first time in an electric powered boat, as I have said many times before there is no substitute for local knowledge. We set off to the boat stage park with 2 batteries, electric engine, oars and our kit, no assistance given you collect your bits, you sign for your boat and it’s down to you. The water was freezing so sinking intermediate line, 2 droppers and point fly. I fished my colourful deer hair experiment flies consisting of JC, red legs, hen dyed feathers, SQ and dyed tippet, all on size 10 and caught fish on them all these were done for the Scottish Lochs next month, for a total of 5hours, 12 caught with a very fast retrieve, all fish all returned. As you go out of the boat pier under the bridge into the lake, we fished down the East side – may be 200 yds, passed the tunnel which was built when the Dam was constructed. They built 2 tunnels one on East and one on the West side to drain and divert the water of the Conway and Marchant moors and valleys in to the lake. Then fished back in front of the tunnel and bridge then up towards the tower, there are many nooks and inlets to cast into, always staying 100ft or less from the bank vegetation. We then went across the lake to the other side now fishing the west edge again. So many places to try and find fish, the weather was bleak, some nice sunshine but when it changes, the wind blows down the valley round the curve and you then get the full blast of ice cold air and then the rain and wind so you scurry to the bank for shelter. These electric motor boats don’t have the power as the old petrol ones had, always have a spare battery and don’t attempt to cross east to west if the wind gets up just wait till it blows over, but a very enjoyable day soon hopefully to be repeated later in the season. We also found a good 3 star hotel in a local village that does BB as well as evening meals. As stated 12 WBT caught in the net probley a further 10 were lost to not being quick enough to retrieve and hesitation between pulls, there WBT are very fast and the slightest hesitation in between the pulls and there off and gone.
As you see from the lake sketch I only fished the area marked in red below the Tower structure and the tunnels. Plenty of other areas to fish. If you want to fish the north end you collect your boat at the White-gates boat yard, 3/4 up the lake on the east side but be warned you will need a 4×4 to get down the track to the boats, far too far to carry batteries and all the other kit required.
Next time I visit I shall try and fish the Cedig Bay area both east and west sides even this is a long way from the rich feeding area of Rhigwargor Bay again I will collect my boat from the Boathouse Pool boat site at the dam end.
Andrew Ayres
WFD, LFD, C&GFDC and Grayling Society member
Worcester Fly Dressers 