Just as Telford’s main road from London to the Ireland-bound ships at Holyhead has long brought travellers from far and wide across North Wales, so the A5 still brings all nationalities of passing trade to Keith Russell’s Dragonfly Fishery at Cerrigydrudion. “It’s funny but the Malaysians and Indonesian tourists for example seem to really like being able to come here and choose rainbow trout for their dinner fresh from the tanks which we then prepare for them. I guess that’s because their own food culture operates on the same basis,” says Nick who has been assisting Keith since his arrival. Whilst a lot of the tourists visit just to buy the iridescent, clear-eyed trout fresh from the water, many take the opportunity to fly-fish the two-acre S-shaped lake for the tiger, rainbow, blue and brown trout which swim its depths.

Since Keith bought the fishery in 2005 he has worked long days to make improvements to the facilities on offer, installing cabins and decking raised above the sometimes marshy ground to house the fishery shop and tearooms, and gradually purchasing stock to add a garden centre to the business. “We’ve been extending our range of tackle in the shop,” explains Keith, “and, being a landscape gardener originally, I thought it made sense to use some of the land here to run a related business. Hopefully then customers will want to take advantage of both the fishery and the garden centre.” With the assistance and technical expertise of Nick Griffin who had been running a trout farm at Glyn Ceiriog and supplying fisheries including Dragonfly, the fishing lake has been renovated and improved and, despite being in close proximity to the A5, still retains an air of quiet calm.

Whilst Dragonfly Fishery obviously has its regular fishermen and women from an area stretching to Liverpool, Ffestiniog and Anglesey, newcomers to the sport can benefit from Nick’s on-hand skills by booking a one-hour beginners lesson to learn the basics of fly-fishing and its techniques. “We get quite a lot of families coming here to try it out as it’s a nice activity for both the parents and children,” explains Nick. The well-stocked fishery shop hires out all the equipment needed – rod, reel, flyline, fly, landing net – and proves invaluable when regulars arrive minus an essential item of kit.

Soon to host the Cerrigydrudion Farmers Market, Keith and Nick are

hoping for more sales of fresh rainbow trout and have a top tip. “Cook the fish from fresh and the bones come out cleanly as they’re not brittle with freezing.” I will remember that.