The Llanilar Airflo Classic 2017

Scottish international angler Kevin Porteous reports back from the 2017 Llanilar Airfl o Classic, where dries led the way in the rolling waves.

Rewind the clock back to spring 2017 when I received a call from Airflo’s Gareth Jones inviting me to compete in the Llanilar Airflo Classic to be held at Llyn Brenig in Wales, on August 6th. After a quick check with my wife and the competition calendar I was delighted to accept the invite.

I have fond memories of Llyn Brenig, having fished two Internationals at this venue over the years. However, I had never fished the water in August so I had some homework to do and flies to tie.

Time To Tie

Llyn Brenig sits at 1,200 feet above sea level and is no stranger to a cold wind and a sprinkling of rain. This helps keep the water temperature down and the fish happy, making it a great venue for the summer months.

On the lead-up to the match I was fortunate enough to have top competition angler and friend Kieron Jenkins keep me up to speed with what was happening on the water. Kieron reported most of his success was coming on Jelly Blob boobies (magma/ zest) focusing in the main basin where the fish seemed to be drawn to in reasonable numbers.

I duly tied plenty of blobs and boobies in preparation; however, I was very aware that I’d be hooking up with a dry-fly expert in Gareth and I’d also need to have a good selection of dries should the eventuality arise.

August Arrives

The date soon came round and I made the long journey from the north of Scotland to Wales. Gareth and I agreed that one day’s practice was essential and to maximise the practice we paired up with James Bews and Anthony Cartwright to try and cover as much water as possible.