With the old starting date of January 26th now past and our season now not starting until March 3rd memories of days gone by are still fresh in some peoples memories.  Easily the greatest spring river in the UK its very early  springers are now mostly a thing of fiction.   Despite no fishing in February it's been increasingly obvious the spring run is just a shadow of its former self in respect of its number of these large early running fish.

The below recollection was sent to me by Richard Hall and no doubt many of the older Wye fishermen remember many similar incidents.

From Richard Hall

48 years ago, 30th January 1973

I used to fish The Rocks, above Builth, on a Tuesday. The river had been big all January, but was clear and just about fishable, the Ithon behaving itself for a change. The Ford was a great 'running' pool, still is I expect, and I had a new fly rod to try out.

2'' Thunder & Lightning tube, sinking line and half way down the pool.....................

17 lb and possibly the first fish off the river, see scale report.

Pretty chuffed to get a January fish on fly, 120 miles from the sea.

Fish really did run the river in those days!

Best wishes Geoff,

Apparently he repeated the event, same fly, same pool a week later. 

Also attached was a scale reading done by the old Wye Board and Eric Staite for those who remember him.   Another useful indicator of runs, river and sea life etc.now gone down the drain like all the other things that used to be done, now swept away.

Hardly likely fish will be as high upriver as the Rocks or indee as far as  Lysdinam who had their share of early springers too. Difficult to expect newcomers to accept just how good this river was and equally difficult for old anglers to accept the state the river is in currently.   Will it ever return to a fraction of how it was.?  Not under the present governing bodies it won't.