The River Alyn

By ROSSETT AND GRESFORD FLY FISHERS’ CLUB

At the risk of sounding like a ‘moaning minnie,’ the start of the 2023 trout fishing season, which began in March, arrived in an atmosphere of concern about the weather and the lack of rain.

Anglers, farmers, hill walkers, cricketers, builders and almost anybody else who makes a living or takes up an outside hobby, become obsessed with the weather. In fact, when you realise how much television time is spent devouring information made available about weather, it is not surprising that when two or three of us are gathered together, the weather is always a good subject to get things going.

Last winter has been one of the driest for many years, whereas the Alyn would have benefitted from a few weeks of torrential rain. It never happened. Winter is the time when the aquifers would normally be topped up, high water flows clean the riverbed, remove chemicals deposited from the sewage works and sometimes other unmentionable foreign bodies.

Trees and branches blown into the river, whilst they can be a nuisance to fishermen, do an immense amount of good as they scour their way downstream, moving gravel and generally giving the whole riverbed a spring clean.

But not this winter. Although the odd crack willow has done what crack willows do and the club members who look after the river corridor will find work to keep them busy.

The usual other floating litter found through the season will arrive - footballs, golf balls by the score, road signs and the ubiquitous traffic cones are all cleaned out during the year.

Humans seem to have built a habit of throwing things into the rivers. A few years ago, a washing machine was found in the river just below the B5102 bridge in Rossett.

Of late, it is noticeable that, where the public stop to have a cup of coffee and a sandwich, there is a profusion of discarded cups and wrappers in the bushes and along the footpaths. It makes the place look unsightly.

For those of us who take pride and pleasure in our river environment, it may be beneficial to fix litter bins, although if not emptied, could make the place look even worse.

In the next report, it is hoped that Natural Resources Wales and Welsh Water will have completed their modelling project that can inform us of the overall chemical condition of the river.

Rossett and Gresford Fly Fishers’ Club was founded in 1906, making it one of the oldest (continuously functioning) fishing clubs in Wales. For membership details, or to try a ‘taster session’, visit their website: rossettandgresfordflyfishing.co.uk