The Annual 2008 luncheon!

The annual fishing do went well this year with everyone enjoying themselves!

Held at The Swan at Bibury on Sunday 16th November 2008 we all agreed that we should visit this beautiful village more frequently, preferably in the summer months. We all took turns to feed the rainbow trout and the ducks once we were fully fed and watered and I guess the urge to go fishing certainly crossed my mind as we fed some fish that must be in the 4lb class!

The ability to catch fish is something we all need to work on ready for the 2009 season having all had a pretty poor season this year on the Towy.

Fully fed and watered

The ladies relax with a coffee while we go in search of a rainbow!

The dynamic team (with John asleep as usual!)

Rodney Byles posts his 2008 report!

'I've been fishing the Llangadog AL water for well over 20 years and this was my worst season for fish caught. As I prefer to fish the fly at night and being a 400 mile round trip for me, conditions need to be reasonably settled. Unfortunately the river has been up and down like a fiddler's elbow this summer and I only managed three nights with the fly and not even a touch. I fished the spinner on a couple of other visits and on the penultimate day of the season on falling water and using Cerith's 12ft rod, I managed a nice fresh 9lb cock sewin on a silver toby. I would have released this fish but spinner well down and bleeding badly after quite a long fight.

Hopefully conditions will be more settled next season to fish the night fly, otherwise it will be a change of tactics to fish the "garden fly" during the day.'

50 miles for the BHF - DONE!

Just to let all of you who sponsored me know the Coventry Bike Ride was cancelled at the last minute due to adverse weather conditions! That didn't stop me however! I went out on my own around Stourport, Kidderminster, Bewdley and almost Worcester and completed the 50 miles despite the cold and rain! It was a horrible day and when I got back home my feet were numb! It took me about 5 hours, I didn't time it perfectly but the important thing was that I didn't let any of you down!

On line sponsorship amounted to £460.00 just £40 short of my target (that excludes the tax benefit that the BHF will get!)

In particular I would like to thank Gilda for her continued support together with a big donation and Llangadog Angling Limited for their £50 sponsorship!

Thanks everyone for supporting me and please keep supporting the British Heart Foundation - one day they may help save your life or someone you love too!

My 2008 catch report!

2008 was my worst season for many years!

This was mainly due to the water levels being up and down so frequently.

3 fish was the best I could do!

28th June 1 sewin 4lb (night)
3rd July 1 sewin 4lb (night)
13th Sept 1 sewin 7lb (fly by day)

Lets hope 2009 is better!

Tight lines

Llangadog Angling Limited launch their own News Blog!

Great News!

Llangadog Angling Limited have launched their own up-to-date News Blog which will keep members informed of fishing prospects, notable catches, Committee Meeting Minutes, a gallery of fishy images and a whole lot more including members comments!

Why not check it out? Go to the link at the right hand side of the page!

Tight lines!

No salmon today!

Well my trip to Golden Grove failed to produce me that elusive salmon!

On this trip I fished the beat directly below Llandeilo bridge. The river level was holding up about 2 or 3 ft above normal conditions which was ideal for spinning but not quite suitable for the fly!

There were plenty of coloured sewin about but no sign of any salmon. I caught a 2lb fresh, silver sewin which I returned but otherwise had no other offers all day.

The beat has a great deal of potential for summer fly fishing with plenty of holding water and some fast runs!

Well done Rod - a lovely 9lb fresh run sewin!

Rodney Byles called me yesterday to inform me that he had caught his first fish of this season! Yes, a 9lb sewin! Well done Rod!

Like most of us Rod has had little opportunity this season to get some concentrated quality fishing on the Towy! The river has been up and down like a yo yo! Living 150 miles away from the river he can only get down fishing every now and then and hitting it right is more luck than judgement! At last he has been lucky and well deserved too!

The fish was hooked on a toby whilst spinning! Not ideal for Rod as he is a fly fishing purist similar to myself but under the circumstances this season I would imagine that he is quietly relieved!




As I am fishing GG on Friday then I just hope that the river holds up till then!

Tight lines!

Fishing prospects for the last 2 weeks!

Having looked at the BBC Weather it looks as though we might get some rain!

This weekend (4th/5th October) should get heavy rain in Wales which makes me excited as I am fishing Golden Grove again on Friday 10th! It would be nice to see some water for the last week of the season! Despite being catch and release I can't wait to have a last bash before hanging my wader boots up for the winter!

Lets just pray for rain! Watch this space!

Tight lines!

If you enjoy this blog then please support me and be generous to the BHF!

I am cycling 50 miles for the British Heart Foundation on Sunday 2nd November! Please support me by giving generously!

WHY?

I am doing this event for a number of reasons!

I want to raise money for the BHF because without their support Mr Graham, my consultant, would not have been able to save my life the way he did, with the technology that he had at his disposal and when he did!

I was lucky - 2 weeks from diagnosis to CABAGE x 4! Mr Graham told me that my Aorta was almost blocked and that if it did block up I would be history! Fortunately I did not have a heart attack - if I had then I probably wouldn't be here now! Good enough wake up call, hey?

Yes it was a big big shock to me and my family! I owe my life to the forethought of Dr Horton my GP, to Mr Graham my Consultant, to the BHF for all their good work over the years and their part funding of the Cardiac Rehab Clinic at Kidderminster Hospital and finally to my wife and children without whom I wouldn't have survived the trauma of the operation let alone come out the other side wanting to live! I believe passionately that the BHF can and do make a difference to peoples lives! All the support from their publications, research, PR etc is vital to reducing the impact of this 'silent killer'!

At least two people who I have been close to have died unexpectedly from Cardiac Arrest! A long time friend of mine from work, who was about my age, had a fatal heart attack without any notice as such! He was unlucky! I was lucky!

I have a beautiful granddaughter called Sofia who I love dearly and who I want to be healthy and live a full life! I don't want her to go through what I've been through! I want her, like millions others to eat sensibly, exercise and be healthy without the threat of this evil killer hanging over them and I know that the BHF can help turn things around in time!

Has it affected my life? Before my diagnosis I was tired, worn out, lifeless, useless, knackered and more!

Now I am fighting fit, full of life, enthusiastic about my new job, mad on fishing, mad on photography, mad about Sofia, mad about taking my wife away for holidays and long weekends, mad about cycling, mad about my kids and their wives, mad about my allotment!!! MAD, MAD, MAD MAD!!!

Thank you BHF for letting me live, giving my kids their father back, giving my wife her husband back and most of all - giving my granddaughter Sofia a GRANDAD who would do ANYTHING for her no matter what the consequences!!

Sorry - gone a bit 'over the top but can't help it'!

By the way - a heart by-pass gives you back your heart a million times over!

4hrs - 36 mins to beat!!!

YOU CAN DONATE SECURELY AT

www.justgiving.com/andrewholmes1


PLEASE DO IT NOW!

Cerith cracks it again!

Cerith had a 'cracking' salmon last week! Here is his brief report!

'Had an 8.5lb salmon on the worm earlier down the bottom, lovely clean fish which gave a good fight on 8lb line. Had a few good knocks as well before three otters disturbed the pool completely for about 20 mins'.

Cerith

Let me have a picture Cerith!

My report from the Golden Grove Fishery!

I have just returned from a days fishing at the Cilsane Beat at Golden Grove and thought I would report on the fishery for the benefit of any of you who may be considering fishing there.

I met the Ghillie on the bridge at Llandeilo at 8.00 am and he showed me the beat, car parking places and an outline of the river and pools. The water had fallen to about 300mm above summer norm so I was not overly optimistic of catching especially as it looked like it was going to be a sunny day!



This section of the river is slightly wider than the Llangadog water but has a nice mix of water with fast flowing runs and glides that looked very good. There is some canal type water that I would imagine would hold sewin well in the season especially under the trees or alongside occasional obstacles. There is a car park at both ends of the 2 mile beat and one in the middle and fishing is from both sides where appropriate. Fishing alternates from side to side so some river crossing is necessary which would be a restriction to the angler in high water I think. The canal like water represents probably about 40% of the whole and looks extremely good for holding big fish and for night fishing!

I fished all day in bright sunlight and didn't see any fish at all! There were Red Kites about though so there was plenty to entertain me. All in all I can see why GG has such a good reputation and I am looking forward to fishing again in early October.

Tight lines.

Day time fly fishing success at last!

John and I fished Saturday 13th September. The water looked good! A little bit of colour and about 2ft on the gauge and falling.

It was quite misty when we first started fishing. I kicked off at about 8.30 am with a 7lb sewin on a teal, blue and silver double size 8! John followed suit at about lunch time with a bar of silver 5lb grilse caught in bright sun light on the very same fly pattern! I lost another fish of similar size!

I can't seem to raise a fish so I've decided to raise some more money for the BHF!

I'm riding 50 miles for the British Heart Foundation in Coventry on the 5th October and I need loads of money!

Please be generous and donate safely and securely on line.

www.justgiving.com/andrewholmes1

Tight lines

My 100th Post on this BLOG!

Because I had a business appointment in Bridgend today I thought I would pop over to the river and do a spot of fishing!

I got to the river by about 4.00pm. The water level was up about 600mm - 1000mm from normal which was hardly surprising since it hasn't stopped raining now for weeks! I was pleased to see that the colour was what I would call 'cloudy'! It wasn't muddy but had started clearing and you could see a Toby lure quite easily when retrieving near the bank! There wasn't any rubbish floating down either! I would say that the conditions were good for spinning and worming!

I was spinning for about 3 hrs from the Car Park Pool down to below Crewel but with no success! It was windy and rained on and off. I have never seen such sodden fields in all my 20 odd years fishing on the river! Even the cows were struggling up to their knees some times in the field - not the river! Muddy on the river bank? Not half - the worst I have ever seen! I parked my car up the lane halfway between the river and Colin's farm in an effort to avoid the mud which consisted of mud, cow shit and cow piss all nicely mixed together - lovely!

There were no other fishermen to be seen!

Tight lines!

Rod sends me his latest 'bleak' report!

Rod says

"Went down the river on Wednesday for a couple of days equipped with worming and spinning gear knowing I wouldn’t be able to use the fly as water up quite a bit. Had to wait about half an hour before I could get out of the car to tackle up Wednesday afternoon as it was p*****g down. Water a good height and nice colour for spinning and tried under the railway bridge and above Crewil using different spinners, but saw nothing.

Went out again Thursday and water up a bit from day before but looked okay for spinning. Tried above and below Crewil with different spinners but saw nothing. Then went down where the cattle cross and then by the tin hut, which I used for shelter during some heavy showers and strong wind. Saw one nice fish 5-6lb move along the opposite bank but couldn’t say if it was a sewin or small salmon. Joined Cerith further down who was fishing the worm and thought he was bound to have a fish as looked ideal for the worm as beginning to colour up and also rising slowly. Cerith saw a couple of fish move in the quieter water on the opposite bank but couldn’t tempt them with spinners. Packed up about 7pm and back to the pub.

Friday was horrendous. Went to Road Bridge and water rising and colouring all the time. P*****g down again and river rose about a foot in the 3 hours I was there and got very coloured.

I left the river about 1 o’clock and a good job too as the other side of Llandovery the rain started to get much heavier and the A40 from Sennybridge to Brecon was horrendous and worst driving conditions I've ever been in. Lots of local flooding and one point I almost stopped on high ground to let the rain stop. However I decided to press on and good job I did as I later learned the A40 was closed between Sennybridge and Brecon. Rain eased a little the further east I went. Despite the bad weather an enjoyable coupler of days. I will try and get down again before the end of the season as need to break my duck!"

River still rushing through!

Went down to the river last night.

It was a gorgeous night, warm, still and overcast! I looked at the road bridge first and found that it was far too coloured to take the fly at night. I then went down to the Car Park Pool where the river was rushing through at one hell of a pace but appeared to be fairly clear. I fished for an hour and came back home! I am glad that I didn't attempt to cross the river down the bottom because I am fairly certain I wouldn't have been able to. A wasted journey I guess!

Latest news!

Dylan has kindly sent me this report!

We had more torrential rain here last night and I’ve just been over the Tywi at Llangadog where she is full to the banks, probably the highest water this season so I would imagine fishing is a waste of time today. The upper river may fish for the more adventurous anglers with spinners tomorrow but I would have thought it will be Thursday before she is in any state for spinning particularly on the lower river. Fly fishing will be out of it for some time I fear. There is more rain forecast also!!!!!!!!!!!!

Salmon on the Towy?

Just to prove that salmon can be caught on the Towy!

Wednesday 13th August - latest river conditon!

Just recieved this report from Dylan Roberts.

More heavy rain last night the Tywi is bank high today, probably the highest its been this season and on the verge of bursting its banks. I’d hold off coming down for a couple of days but should be good spinning water Friday onwards if there is no more rain.

Dylan Roberts

Thanks Dylan!

This sort of firsthand information is invaluable to many of us who live so far away.

Huge sewin caught!

20 lb sewin - what a catch?

Big pike caught!

A 23 lb pike caught on the Towy!

Tim picks up 2 good sewin!

This is Tim's latest report! An enjoyable weeks fishing and judging by most of us a very productive one! Well done Tim!

'Got there Saturday and the river was high. Tried spinning on the evening but no luck. Sunday evening the river had dropped somewhat and was getting towards clear so I tried a few hours night fly down at the cattle drink. Had one pluck first pass through and that was all. River was too high and probably too coloured in reality.

Monday night the river was in better order, running clear but about 12 inches up. I fished down at the bottom end and had one at 6lb at 10.15pm and another at 4.5lb at 10.45pm. Both of these on a 2 inch silver and black tube. Had another couple on briefly while fishing the jambo but I think that the speed of the current was making the fly move so fast across the surface that the fish were misjudging their attacks and hence they were only very lightly hooked.

Tuesday it rained hard all day and the river shot up. I didn't fish. Wednesday was another day of heavy showers. I tried spinning and even had a go at worming in the evening but again no luck. The river rose another 6-12 inches while I was there. Didn't bother Thursday at all. Tried Friday night on the fly but was being a bit optimistic really as it was the last day of my trip. The river was up 12-18 inches and the colour was the wrong side of clear (it actually got worse during the night and started to cloud up). Needless to say, I didn't do any good.

Overall an enjoyable time spent in Carmarthenshire but the weather gods had not been kind to me at all. It really didn't feel like the first week of August.
Just waiting for it to stop raining now and I'll be trying again.'

Tight lines all!

Latest news Tuesday 5th August 2008!

Cerith says:-

'River been up and down lately, until today, when she must have risen around 30 inches or more after it rained heavy all morning and afternoon. Went down after work and wormed some of the quieter back eddies and managed a small sewin around 1.5lb. As I left, the river was starting to fall, but the forecast is not so good for tomorrow. Might try again tomorrow night and Thursday before heading North'.

Tim strikes lucky again!

Tim sent me his latest report.

'I took a flyer on Tuesday night and drove over to Llangadog hoping that the showers on Monday hadn't done too much to the river. As it was, the river was up about 2 inches at most and still running clear. It was a dark, wet and at times extremely windy night. I saw fish jump as early as 8pm up in Crewil pool tail.
I fished at the bottom end and saw one or two small sewin jump. The river continued to rise while I fished (up about 5 inches by the time I left). The rise seemed to have shaken the fish, because around 1am I saw one bigger fish jump and heard an almighty splash from downstream - I really did think that a cow had fallen in - the splash was enormous. That must have been one heck of a sewin - pity I didn't connect with that one!

In the end I managed to get a 3lb 12oz fish on a Jambo - it took it like a demon and charged around the pool cartwheeling all the way. I have to say this was the best fight so far, even though I've had bigger fish - I really thought I'd hooked a double figure fish. I ran through the pool again with no luck, so had a coffee and a rest for 15 mins. During this time another big fish crashed in the pool. I tried fishing for it, but the wind became that strong that it became impossible to cast - as soon as I cast forward, the wind blew the line back at me. At this point I thought I'd call it a day - I'd been rained on all night, the temperature had dropped and I was a bit concerned about getting back over the river to the pumphouse. Would you believe it, as soon as I got back to the car, the rain stopped and the wind died away totally.

Anyway, it seems the extra water has got the fish on the move again and I'm looking forward to next week - I'm over near Manordeilo for a week starting Saturday and am hoping that the rain stops falling now, which gives me a chance of night fly. If not, I'll be packing the spinning and worming gear'.

Thanks Tim and well done! With the prospect of a whole week on the river I will expect some good reports and some fish caught!

Tight lines!

Friday 25th July 2008

John has reported back on his visit!

He said that he fished the lower beat first without seeing or hearing a thing. Then road bridge and again nothing! Very disappointing!

The river appears to have gone very quiet! Maybe its because of the recent rise in water level which encouraged a lot of fish to move up stream. Hopefully new shoals of sewin will be moving into the system over the next week or two!

Tight lines!

Latest report from Tim Wilkinson - Thursday 24th July 2008

I fished down at the cattle drink last night. Saw a few smaller fish jumping and one or two bigger ones. They seemed to be moving at dusk, before it got dark. After dark I didn't see or hear anything. The wind got up about 12.30 am and fishing became difficult.

The good news is that I managed to winkle out a sholie of about 1.5lb in the run in to the cattle drink. This was early in the night at around 22.45 pm. Had one or two nips after that but nothing at all after the wind got up.

Cheers

Tim

Wednesday 23rd July 2008!

Popped down to the river in the hope that there might be some sport!

It was a lovely warm night, half moon though with a scattering of clouds! Not too bad! Had one decent pull and a few knocks but that was all. Saw one fish of about 3 lb jump early on, well before dark, opposite the bush, jumped clean out of the water about 1.5m at least! Fished from 10.15 pm to 2.30 am in my shirt sleeves! Fantastic night to be out doors but a distinct absence of any fish in numbers! Disappointing for July!

Tight lines!

kingfisher

Friday 18th July 2008

Well I have to say that this was a very disappointing night for all three of us, that is John, Chris and I! Conditions were pretty good! Warm, cloudy and fairly dark and the water was crystal. One thing that did hinder us though was a stiff breeze!

We all fished hard from 10.30 pm to 4.00 am! I blanked completely without any decent pulls; Chris lost a good fish early on; John had a few pulls and finished up with a lovely silver 2 lb sewin!

Worming in Crewel pool was also a complete let down! Not a fish to be seen or heard! I caught a small sewin of 1 lb and that was that!

Positive thoughts: Otters were around? Saw 2 kingfishers!
Negative thoughts: Bullocks and, dare I say a BULL!!!!!! F..k..g hell!!! The things that we fishermen put ourselves through! We must be MENTAL!

Monday 14th July 2008

Went down to the river last night hoping that the conditions would be favourable! Unfortunately they weren't!

The river was far too high for my liking, in fact, whilst crossing back over the river at 2.30 am the water was above my waist by a few inches! There was too much flow in most of the pools although the water seemed reasonably clear. The night was dark but breezy at times. I didn't see any fish at all. Fished with Dave from Swansea and Tim Wilkinson but no one got any pulls. I will try again nearer the weekend if the rain stays away.

Disappointing!

Latest Report - Friday 11th July 2008

Report courtesy of Rodney Byles

Cerith had another fresh hen sewin yesterday evening just where he caught his other monster last year.

It took nearly 30 min's to land in the fast high water and was 29ins long. It was definitely bigger than the 10 pounder he caught earlier in the season and he reckons it could have been well over 11lb! It took 15 min's to revive and release.

He tried spinning by the tin hut first early evening but with no joy so he changed to his favourite method of angling, the worm!He's a lucky sod or should I say a bloody good wormer! I might have to take it up if I'm going to catch anything this year!!!

Thank you Rod for this post and all the others that have sent me! You make a valuable and informative contribution to my blog even if sometimes a little controversial! Thanks!

New link to Towy Water Levels and more....!

Good news!

All visitors who want to know about up to date river levels and 5 day weather forecast can now click on the links provided!

All part of the service!

Tight lines

Kingfisher

Big sewin caught Sunday 6th July 2008!

18lb 2 oz - a fish of a life time?

This is what Rodney Byles has to say about the capture of this fish!

Andy

I have been reading bits and pieces about the 18lb sewin on the forum and decide to add my two pennerth and sent the following comment. You may wish to use it somehow on your blog.Murray’s fish is indeed a fish of a lifetime and suspect if he ever catches a similar one he will probably return it or donate to the hatchery. The various comments on the forum about its egg quality and their survival interested me and thought that I would add some food for thought. I have always believed the larger the fish the greater the number and better quality of eggs. But I have no scientific basis for that opinion.However, I am reliably informed that a hen sewin will produce an average of 600 eggs/pound of fish weight so the larger fish will produce far more than the smaller fish. In Murray’s case that fish probably had nearly 11,000 eggs. Also it has probably returned to the river three of four times before reaching that incredible size so it had probably developed survival skills that could have been passed onto its offspring. It could be said that alevins from these big multi-wintered fish could have greater survival rates than those from smaller and younger less experienced fish. Who knows!I can only pass on information I have about one big Towy sewin caught last season at Bethlehem weighing 15lb 4ozs. This hen fish was donated to the hatchery and produced over 9,000 eggs. The alevins or fry are now 2 inches long and will be put into the Towy sometime in October. If the fish has been persuaded to feed in captivity there is a possibility she could be stripped again this year prior to being released in the estuary later in the year.I was fortunate a few seasons back to catch a 14lb hen sewin at Llangadog and had I known then what I know now I would have taken a photo and either returned it or tethered it for donation to the hatchery as brood stock. So those of you anglers who are successful in catching a big hen sewin and wish to donate it to the hatchery, make sure you have a tether with you and most important of all keep handling to an absolute minimum as fish can be easily damaged and will have far less chance of survival. If you put the tether through the mouth and out through gills and secure to a tree or whatever in slack or quiet water the fish will just rest until collected for the hatchery, or so I’m told.Will be interesting to see response if any!!

What's your view on this?

Kingfisher

Latest report from the 'crack' team!

Cerith and Rod are fishing all week and they are kindly reporting back to me conditions and catches so watch this space!

Monday night 30th June

Conditions were good, warm and dry but despite this neither of them caught any fish on the fly! Tim Wilkinson, a new member, appears to be having a lucky streak by catching a small sewin of about 1.5 lb. Cerith caught a couple of sewin up to 2lb on a worm at dawn in Crewel Pool!

Come on lads! This one was caught last night! What are you playing at? It weighed 15lb - 12oz!!!!!! Fish of a life time!

Tuesday night 1st July

Rod fished all night until 4.0 am with no success! Cerith didn't fish but went down to Crewel early Wednesday morning and caught 2 sewin, 1 of 2.5lb and 1 of 3lb.

Wednesday night 2nd July

Rod blanked again despite fishing hard till 4.00 am! Tim Wilkinson, despite being a new member and not knowing the LAL water at all caught a lovely 6 lb 14 oz sewin on a mouse! Well done Tim! I am glad that you are showing Rod how it's done! A picture would be welcome!

Thursday night 3rd July

Well, I could see that Rod and Cerith were struggling, to say the least, so John and I decided to go down and show them how its done! Only one fish was caught and neither Rod, Cerith or John caught it! Yes, Andy came to the rescue again! As a result of a kind invitation from Rod to fish down the pool that he was about to fish but didn't know quite where to wade or what length of line he needed! I agreed to show him! Halfway down the pool I caught a 4 lb sewin that fought like one twice the size! Thanks Rod!

Friday night 4th July

No fish were caught!

IMPORTANT NOTICE

A new marker has been installed just below Crewel Pool.

I have been asked by LAL to remind all anglers that fishing is FLY ONLY below Crewel when the marker is showing. Failure to comply with this rule may result in membership being rescinded!

Recent catches!

Having been away on holiday last week I haven't really had time to update the blog properly so here is some recent news on catches!

On 19th June Cerith tells me that he caught a silver 10 lb sewin on the worm together with a few smaller fish! Having just popped down to the river after work as the river was looking hopeful after a small rise it certainly paid off for him. No doubt he will be trying to beat the monster fish that he caught last year! Well done Cerith!

Also, new member Tim Wilkinson caught his first sewin of 4 lb on 24th June! You do realise the implications of this don't you Tim? Yes you are now hooked for life but take it from me it's not all plain sailing, in fact it can be very depressing at times especially when the fish are few and far between! Anyway, well done Tim!

So there seems to be a few fish about but I think the real test will be this week when Rodney Byles and Cerith are battling it out all week with John and myself joining in the fray later in the week! Some of us have to work for a living!

Tight lines everyone!

Saturday 28th June - my first fish of the season!

Well, despite adverse weather conditions last night I managed to open my account for the 2008 season in reasonable style I think! I didn't weigh it but it must have been at least 4 lb and a good silver colour.



As soon as I arrived at the pumping station I could tell that it was quite breezy and in fact a couple of degrees below temperatures at home. In fact it was cold enough to warrant a fleece even for the walk down to the river. One good thing though it was cloudy and overcast! Having returned from Sorento in Italy on Friday where the temperatures were early 30's every day I found myself feeling decidedly chilly!

I saw 3 other fishermen in total, one on the Llandeilo AA water opposite and two guys walked past me to the very bottom of our beat. I don't know how any of them got on.

Fish wise I saw one fish of about 5 lb move just by the bush opposite where we sit and that was all. My excitement came in my usual spot, around the corner in the tail of the pool at about 11.30 pm on a 2" black and silver tube. The fish must have followed me for a while and only decided to take as I was about to start retrieving. It fought well and I landed it in the shallow water below. As I write this piece she is cut up into 6 steaks and is well and truly frozen! Can't wait until tea tomorrow! Poached sewin, new potatoes and broad beans - all caught or grown by me!

Latest report from the Towy!

There are reports of a few fish making themselves known; some hooked; some lost!

Lance has told Rodney Byles that there are some decent fish lurking at the Road Bridge! Lance has found them difficult to catch but has seen some good fish moving at night! He has also lost a big fish very recently there! His catch to date is a 4lb sewin from the Car Park Pool!

With water levels very low we need rain urgently! I am off to Sorento for the next week so I wont be on the river for a week or so! I have yet to open my account!

Tight lines.

John open's his account for the 2008 Season in style!

My brother-in-law John caught his biggest ever sewin on a fly on Saturday night! The first of the season for any of us John's fish weighed in at 6 1/2 lb! Well done John!



Chris and John planning their nights fishing!



What a cracker?

Anglers get lucky on Golden Grove!

A few fish were caught on Golden Grove last night. This is just one of them and a beautiful specimen too. Hopefully we will start to see fish like this up at LAL water in the not too distant future.

Tight lines!

Rodny Byles goes to Sweden in search of some sport with sea trout!

Rod has sent me this report from his recent trip to Sweden. At last I have some pictures of sea trout on my blog!

'I have been going to Sweden for well over 30 years on business and always wanted to fish there but never seemed to have the time. So during my last and recent visit I decided I would definitely make time for fishing the fly for Baltic sea trout. I opted to fish one of Sweden’s best sea trout rivers, the Dalaven at Alvkarleby, around 100 miles north of Stockholm and a few miles from the Baltic coast. There is a good train connection from Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport to Alvkarleby costing about SEK300 return (about £25).

I stayed at the local and comfortable Alvkarleby hotel – they also have much cheaper self catering options – and bought my fishing ticket costing SEK160/day, about £13.60. Fishing when I was there in mid April was from 5am to 9pm. I was in for a big surprise. The river was very wide, about 150 yards in places, very fast flowing between 400 and 500m3/sec and water temperature quite cold at around 4ºC. The nearby hydroelectric power station regulates the flow and the river was up and down like a fiddler’s elbow.

My new 10ft Sage, equipped with fast sinking line and heavy tube, was also the wrong tool and much too short for the task in hand. All the other “sensible” local fly anglers, were deep wading and using 15ft double-handers with 750 grain fast sinking lines and casting well over 50 yards or more. Interestingly all were using large arbour Loop reels. Still I gave it my best shot with my little wand and stuck to the margins and managed a “first” by catching and releasing two bream on a 2inch tube!!!



There were some nice sea trout caught on the sunk fly (see photos) up to 3.6kilos (8lb in old money). But most anglers were either spinning or using the preferred method of a paternoster system of a fly tied on a longish cast linked to a heavy weight trotted down along the bottom in the fast flow. Salmon also run up in the summer and biggest caught a couple of years back weighed just under 28 kilos, that’s around 60lbs!!!



The Alvkarleby fishery bailiff and local Swedish and Finnish anglers were all exceptionally friendly and helpful, making for a very enjoyable but “blank” visit. I even made friends with a very tame Red Squirrel (see photo) and the miles of walking I did in the fresh air was also a great tonic for my recently repaired “ticker”. However, I was very disappointed with the amount of nylon line left discarded on the riverbank just waiting to get tangled up in birds’ legs. I picked up hundreds, yes hundreds of yards of the stuff and put it in the numerous waste bins along the river.



As I left the river I looked over the main bridge with my polaroids and watched for about 10-15 minutes in the bright warm sunshine a constant stream of sea trout nose to tail and 3-4-5 abreast slowly making there way upstream. There were hundreds of them and never seen so many in one place before. An amazing sight.





For those interested have a look at the link'.

http://www.alvkarlebysportfiske.nu/

Gravel extraction - the story continues!

Rodney Byles has kindly sent me a piece that he has written which describes his findings and views on this very important matter!


It's not very often that I find it necessary to publish other peoples articles on this blog but this report is so detailed and informative that I felt it in everyone's interest to do so! Clearly Rodney not only shares my views but that of many others too, about the environment in which we live and the place that we all value so dearly - the River Towy!

The research that he has done, including endless telephone calls and emails has uncovered a great deal of valuable facts that we all need to know. Much of the views that he expresses in the piece are I am sure shared by most if not all of us! I am sure that you will find it most interesting and that hopefully it will stimulate further debate on this very important subject! Clearly the story continues!


'I believe Cerith may have already had a chat with the farmer about some Llangadog Angling Association Ltd members’ concerns the gravel/shale extraction is having on the water course and the creation of the bypass channel shown in the Google satellite image, which I believe was taken sometime last season in lowish water. I do not know if this is now an accurate picture of the area as I have not been down there yet this season. Also I do not know what response Cerith got.

As many members will know who fish this section the farmer has been taking out shale for several years and this area, has at times, resembled a bomb site with heaps and craters everywhere. Last season the bank of the main river was finally breached and over topped during a flood allowing the fast flowing water to carve out a smooth bypass channel and preventing anglers’ access to the bend of the main river.

The action of the farmer was recently brought to the attention of Environment Agency Wales. However, the EAW’s Flood Risk Management section does not consider the alleged activity presents a fluvial flood risk to people or property; therefore, no action will be taken by flood risk management. The local EAW bailiff also made a site visit and concluded that no enforcement action is warranted from a fisheries perspective. The EAW has advised LAAL of its conclusions.

I spoke with our bailiff after this and his first visit to the area since gravel extraction started. He told me that he believed the channel had been caused by “natural erosion” as he saw no evidence of gravel extraction. I would probably have reached the same conclusion had I not known the history of its creation. However, he did say that without any evidence of actually catching the farmer in the act of gravel extraction or photographs of his action, there was nothing he could do. But he was adamant that if he had the evidence he would definitely prosecute the landowner for illegally extracting gravel.

Our bailiff was surprised, that as the gravel extraction had been going on for some years, it had not been reported to him before, especially as some LAAL members who have fished at this location since unauthorised gravel extraction started, are also EAW employees. I couldn't’t answer that.

I believe the EAW appears to have abdicated its apparent responsibility. The farmer has apparently extracted gravel in contravention of the Water Resources Act 1991 and the Land Drainage Byelaws and understand he has not applied to the EAW for consent. I have requested to know what action the EAW will be taking to ensure compliance and prevent further gravel extraction and to repair the damage done to the bank by the apparent illegal extraction of gravel. I also believe the farmer has not applied to the Council for planning permission. Maybe Defra should be informed as this may come under their jurisdiction.

The farmer has put LAAL in a very awkward situation as LAAL rent this water from the farmer and would not wish to take any action that may jeopardise future fishing.
But it cannot be right that farmers/landowners can extract gravel willy-nilly and change the course of a river without any recourse from the relevant authorities. I can just imagine the fuss and uproar from anglers if this was on Llandeilo AA water.

If the EAW does not act to protect our environment it will just create apathy.'


Rodney Byles
Llangadog Angling Limited Member for over 20 years

Latest NEWS from the Towy at Llangadog

Just returned Saturday from a 3 day spell on the river!

The water level is low but there is still a reasonable flow through the pools. Green slime is a bit of a nuisance when worming but not an issue with the fly! There is the odd fish around.

My brother-in-law John has seen a few fish in Crewel. One of these I saw too and it was a silver sewin of about 5lb. I also saw a smaller fish by the tin hut at the bottom end of Crewel and another under the railway bridge. Other than that we fished right down the bottom on Thursday night and the Churns and Cattle Drink on Friday night but saw nothing.

A good flood would now would be perfect but I'm afraid the forecast for this next week doesn't look very favourable!

Tight lines!

Think I might start fishing my 'home' river!

This 8 lb springer was caught the other day at Holt on the River Severn just a few miles from where I live!

The Half Moon Inn is producing fish now that I have left! 7 salmon to date! For more information and latest news on the Torridge click on the link below.

http://www.halfmoonsheepwash.co.uk/

Gravel extraction is damaging our fishery!

It is clear for anyone to see. This is a low water picture! It may be too late to reverse this damage but lets hope not!

One thing is for certain we must do something!

Please pledge your support!

POST YOUR COMMENTS NOW!

The 'best months' to fish - these are MY statistics for what they are worth!

These quantities are based on my catch record published earlier on this blog. If you look at the catch record you will see that there are quite a few years missing!



Whilst I have caught more fish in July over these years the total weight of sewin is heavier in August!

So the message is - stay in doors till July, catch your specimen sewin in August? Take up badminton or coarse fishing for the rest of the year!!!

NOT SCIENTIFIC!

Guess what?

I am a grandad - Sofia Marie - 8Lb - 5oz born Wednesday 23rd April 2008 - a good size springer - apparently she fought well too!

A disappointing trip to the River Torridge - Spring 2008

Rod and I arrived at the Half Moon Inn at Sheepwash on the evening of Friday 4th April with lots of anticipation, hoping that the fishing conditions would be conducive to catching a spring salmon or two! The water was about 300mm too high by all accounts but that didn't bother us as we were there for 4 days so maybe we had hit the river just right?

As far as the water was concerned then I think we had arrived at a good time! The water was falling and clearing - just what we wanted! The problem was that there were no salmon to be seen anywhere! We both fished hard, Rod for 3 days and me for 4 days but neither of us saw a salmon let alone caught one!

The expert at work on Sunken Tree Pool at Beam

Saturday was quite warm but Sunday morning we sat eating our breakfast watching the snow falling outside. Early mornings and nights were cold from then on but the days themselves were very pleasant and fairly warm. Its a lovely place to fish and we had a good laugh in the bar at night with Bob and his wife. Charles, the previous owner, still organises the fishing and has hardly changed over the years that I have known him. We were lucky to be put on one of the best beats on the river every day - Beam!

Rod trying his luck in the Weir Pool at Beam

Time for a break!

This is Yew Tree Pool at Beam

We tried sinking lines, sink tips, floating lines the lot! Big flies, small flies and every colour you can think of but to no avail. We didn't even see any sea trout!

Now it's my turn in the Weir Pool

The Torridge, looking down stream from the Bridge and Boulders Pool

By the time I left on Tuesday afternoon the water was at about optimum height and very nearly clear! One good thing is that the Hotel is more like what it used to be when Charles and Benji had it. A nice place to stay and a very pleasant holiday! Rod is off to Sweden next week and hopes to get a few days fishing in - might get some pictures of 'fish' for the blog? Tight lines Rod! Watch this space.

There were 3 of us fishing on this occassion!

The water level was almost perfect but the weather had turned cold

For latest news on the Torridge click on the link below

www.halfmoonsheepwash.co.uk

And some of yours!

I went into the hazel wood
Because a fire was in my head,
I cut & peeled a hazel wand
And hooked a berry on a thread.

And when white moths were on the wing
And moth-like stars came fluttering out
I threw the berry in the stream
And caught a little silver trout.
Anon.

Unknown contributor

My favourite sea trout fishing quotations!

Thought I would share these quotes with you while we are all getting ready for the new season. They are my favourites and can be found along with many more in the sea trout 'bible', Hugh Falkus - Sea Trout Fishing.

'Rivers and the inhabitants of the watery elements are made for wise men to contemplate and for fools to pass by without consideration'

Izaak Walton, The Complete Angler (1653)

'A moon that wades through a sea of clouds need not disturb the angler very much, but one which converts night into day is not loved by the keen fisher who desires some sport with sea trout. In these circumstances he must exercise the greatest care, study his every movement, approach the water quietly and always keep himself concealed from the trout, use the finest tackle and throw the lightest of lines; in short, he must stalk his fish, and in the end his reward, if any, will not be great. It will, however, be highly creditable. A single capture is a triumph; more than that constitutes a glorious night's sport'.

R. C. Bridgett, Sea Tout Fishing (1929)

Do you know any good ones?

The 'A' Team get stuck in to bank repairs!

Just 4 of us showed up to do bank repairs on Good Friday! There wasn't a great deal to do but it was good to get out on the river and get a bit of physical exercise!



So what did we achieve?



Well, we re-cut all the steps over By-Pass Hill (formally known as Heart Attack Hill), we repaired both bench's top and bottom of Crewil and we also repaired and improved some of the handrail over BPH. We were lucky to get the assistance of Collins quad bike to take everything down to Crewil and, I must admit, the help of a very competent driver (Eifions son).



The weather started off very cold but soon warmed up as we got started.





The river was up but by no means over the bank! I would guess that it was up about 1 metre above summer level? Maybe even less than that!





After we had finished our work the others went back up river but I went for a walk down the bottom!

I was shocked when I got down to the lower beat! There were 3 rivers! The last time I saw this was when we had very high water! But the water wasn't what you would call high now! The river wasn't in flood! The farmer has been extracting gravel for years now and I have been concerned before but this is serious! I could not get to the main river or the tree that we use as our base camp! I could see the tree but there were 2 rivers preventing me from getting to it!





In my view there has been serious damage to our fishing caused by the action of this farmer! We must not only make sure it stops but we must also force the farmer to replace the gravel that's been taken! I will speak with Eifion soon to see what he thinks. I have tried to get some pictures that show the extent of the damage but its not easy! I fear that this could be a deliberate attempt to change the course of the river? I hope it won't effect our summer fishing too much but take it from me lads, don't hold your breath! If this irresponsible behaviour is allowed to continue then my best fishing beat and that of most of my friends is finished!

WE NEED TO ACT NOW BEFORE ITS TOO LATE!