The Last Day of the Season and I get a 7lb salmon?

Took a trip to the river today on the last day of the 2020 Season!

The water level was about 300mm above summer norm and falling when I looked at the guage before I left my caravan in Pembrokeshire. I wasn't sure if I would be able to cross the river to get to the best pools on the bottom of the Llangadog beat but I thought it was worth a try. On approaching the river I could see it had a fast pace to it - much faster than normal. I tried to cross in my normal place but the current was too powerful. Looking downstream I could see that the pace reduced greatly so I though I would try and wade down the middle of the river until I found a place to wade across to the other side. As a precaution I put my phone in my waterproof bag before I started. It's reasonably shallow at this place but gets deeper as you get further down on the opposite side. I waded down the middle and kept trying to cross but it was too deep. Eventually after quite a long wade I found a point where I could just about wade across to the shingle on the far side. At last I was on the other side with some lovely pools and runs to try for a salmon on my favorite beat.

After throwing a line in a number of different pools and runs I decided to go down to my favorite pool and try my luck there. With a large orange coloured Allies Shrimp Fly on a treble hook I soon had a good take just as the fly swung around near the place where only a few weeks ago I had hooked and landed an 8lb sea trout. This was definitely a salmon not a sea trout this time. Lots of head shaking going on but no acrobatics. Eventually I managed to get this powerful fish into the shallows. What a beautiful fish it was too! It was a cock fish in it's spawning colours of reds and oranges! I have never seen such a gorgeous looking salmon in all my 30 odd years of fishing! But alas - my phone was in my bag further upstream so I couldn't get a picture! Bollocks! I soon let it go and it swam off strongly!

Thank you River Towy for rewarding me on the last day of the season! You will always be my favourite river and the one I love the most!

On returning to the car a guy was mending the fence and I stopped to talk to him. He said that a couple of weeks ago a Dad took his 8 year old son fishing for the first time ever in Crewel Pool and the boy caught a 15lb salmon! The River Towy never fails to surprise!