WITH the FIFA World Cup finished and Wimbledon done and dusted, we can now concentrate once more on the ancient art of fishing, writes seasonal ranger JIM JENKINS.

The weather has been ideal for eating strawberries and cream on Murray mound, or kicking a ball on a warm St Petersburg evening, but less so for casting a line over the waters of Llyn Brenig.

The days were warm and bright for most of last week, with a slight cooling by the weekend and a hint of some rain in the air.

The water temperature actually dropped during the week, with the top few feet of the water recording a temperature of 18.5C by Sunday, which is still very warm, but maybe an indication that the weather might be on the turn.

As of last week, the fish have naturally gone deep and if you are prepared to use a DI5 or a DI7 line, then you will catch fish.

The only real difficulty has been fishing from the bank, but once again, if you can cast into deeper water, then there are fish to be found.

With the rod average being up on the previous week and hitting 3.5 fish per angler, there is room for a great deal of optimism.

The quality of the fish being caught has also been very high and much commented on by the fishermen.

This has once again been down to the efforts of our fish farmers Jack Finney and Stefano Roca producing fish that regular fisherman Twm Williams has described as "fantastic... that are second to none!".

That is indeed a fine endorsement.

The fish farmers have also hinted that the stocked fish this week will be in peak condition, with an average weight of over 3lbs.

So, there is much to look forward to.

Sunday saw the North West fly fisheries' competition taking place at Llyn Brenig.

This is one of a number of competitions that will be taking place over the coming months.

The fishing proved to be quite challenging and it was somewhat of a struggle, but Neil Stockdale managed to land four fish, which proved to be enough to take first place with a total weight of 9lbs 9ozs.

He also caught his fish on a floating line using a damsel fly, which was contrary to the method that everyone else was using, which was a DI5 or DI7 line.

Jonathan Moores took second place with two fish and in third place came Steven Radcliffe, who also caught the biggest fish of the day, which was a 2lbs 12ozs rainbow.

Next weekend, Llyn Brenig will be hosting an Anglers World individual championship heat, as well as two other smaller competitions.

The biggest fish last week was caught by Tony Thomas and it weighed in at 3lbs

4ozs, whiel the biggest bag of the week was recorded by Dave Gilbert, from Llanrwst, and it weighed in at an impressive 15lbs 5ozs.

The top flies over the course of last week were fritz, cat’s whiskers, Mrs Simpson, Zulu, buzzers, tadpole, black lure, buzzers and various blobs and boobies.

The fish are still largely in the southern part of the lake, although some of them were caught in the Brenig Arm during the competition on Sunday.

However, boat fishermen found the fish mostly near the dam wall, tower bay, the quarry and the visitors' centre.

Bank fishermen have had some success in tower bay and the visitors' centre shore.

With the warm weather, the fishing has indeed been a challenge, but we must remember that fishing isn’t just about catching fish.

It is also about the art of relaxation and communing with the natural world around us.

It is also about memories and the association with a time and a place in the past that was a safe and a happy place, and to revisit that place every time we go fishing is definitely good for the soul.

The main gates will be shutting at 8.45pm this week and all boats need to be back on the jetty by 8.15pm.

Tight Lines