What will 2022 be like I wonder?

Interesting question?

Well let's hope there are more fish first of all? The sea trout were a bit thin on the ground last season to say the least I think.

There are a number of things on my mind currently, one of which may definitely affect whether I am able to fish! I am currently undergoing exploratory tests on my Urinary Tract / kidneys / bladder / Prostate! For anyone wishing to learn more then there is a Link on the sidebar to a blog I am writing.

Secondly, I am thinking of selling my caravan, an Adria Adora Seine 2020, 4 berth. I can't at this moment in time because it's being serviced at Tenby Tourers and it's probably not the best time anyway. I'll wait till March or April probably to advertise it just when all the potential new caravanners are waking up to Spring! 

Anyway, in case anyone is reading this blog, have a Happy New Year and Tight Lines for 2022!

Message from the Angling Trust!

 

Environment Bill Update: A message from our CEO Jamie Cook

Dear Subscrber A big thank you to all those who took the time and trouble to write to their MPs on the issue of sewage discharges into our rivers and to everyone who supports the work of Angling Trust, Fish Legal and our Anglers Against Pollution Campaign. As you may have heard, the Lords amendment to beef up the Environment Bill and force more action to tackle storm overflows was defeated in the House of Commons on Wednesday (20th October). But that’s not the end of the story. Thanks to the many anglers and supporters who wrote to their MP, 22 Tory MPs defied their party whip and joined the Opposition in support of our campaign by voting for the Lords amendment. This will be key to us keeping the pressure on the government to act, especially if we can increase this number next time around. You can see which MPs voted “No” to the government’s attempt to block the change here. The Environment Bill now goes back to the House of Lords for further debate tomorrow (26th October). Discussion is taking place between campaign groups, including the Angling Trust, and members of the House of Lords around another attempt to secure action. And Anglers Against Pollution continues to fight on other fronts. We are calling on the government to take bold action in giving new guidance to the regulator, OFWAT, to allow more investment in cleaning up our sewage systems and make water companies do more to tackle pollution. We set out the case in our recently published joint report, Time to Fix The Broken Water Sector which is gaining a lot of support and attention. You can rest assured that we are not giving up the fight for cleaner rivers and will continue to press for meaningful action to tackle the scandal of sewage pollution. Thanks again for all you did and we will keep you informed every step of the way. All the best, Jamie Cook, CEO – Angling Trust and Fish Legal   Download a copy of our Time to Fix the Broken Water Sector report HERE To find out more about our Anglers Against Pollution Campaign click HERE

2nd day salmon fishing in October 2021 - Bingo!

I caught a 10lb salmon (or something like that) today on the river! I was chuffed!

The river height was somewhere in the region of 1.300m on the guage! Running clear and at a good height I thought that there was a chance of a salmon and I was right!

Yesterday I think the water was too high.

Today - well perfect! Accessing the river was not as straight forward though! On reflection I came dangerously close to disaster!

I spent at least 20 minutes, maybe longer, trying to cross the river. I thought I could get across but it turned out that where I was crossing was very deep on the far side! I was close to the far bank but couldn't reach it. This meant wading upstream in heavy water till I could spot a place to actually climb the far bank. Not easy! My back got soaked as the water went over my waders! Very scary at times but I made it eventually!

I didn't realise till later what impact this event had on me physically and mentally!

Fishing after a flood like this is not straight forward in any sense! Silt at the edge of the river becomes quick sand after a flood like this and is extremely difficult to remove oneself from. A couple of times I got completely stuck and only just about managed to free myself!

Last night I slept like a log - completely knackered! Today my lower torso and legs are very sore.

So this season I think I have had 3 sea trout ( 1 double figure ) and 1 salmon! I've also lost a few big fish too!

Watch the video here by clicking the link below!

kingfisher catches a 10lb salmon - Oct 2021

Water level?

 1.843 this morning?

Water at last!

3.001m today! Will some water hold till Monday next week I wonder?

Fish about?

Wednesday night - Rod and I fished from dark till 3.30am! I lost a good fish and Rod caught a 3lb sea trout - his first of the season! There were fish on the move - some big ones. The wind got up at times which made casting difficult, otherwise it was a fairly mild night. All in all these 3 nights of fishing were better than expected. More importantly it was good to see some fish around!

Fish caught!

Went out last night with Rod on the river. It was a very mild still night and I fished till 1.00am in a tee shirt! At about 12.30am I hooked and landed a 5lb sea trout. During the evening we saw a couple of other fish jump. There appears to be a trickle of fish moving from pool to pool during the night which is refreshing!

Another disappointing nights fishing?

Last night was, for the most part, very windy.  There was a spell around 12.30am to say 1.30am when the wind subsided and casting became a pleasure again! I struggled to find somewhere where I could cast and kept moving from one pool to another in the hope of getting some shelter. It was dark and cloudy most of the time but annoyingly there was a farmer on the hillside the other side of the A40 who was cutting grass I assume and his tractor lights were frequently illuminating the river and casting my shadow across the pools.

Light rain the day before had made the river level lift an inch or two but the water was running clear. In almost 5 hours of fishing I saw 1 fish jump just below the hedge. Amazingly there was another angler on the river for awhile - Lee Graham, the son of John Graham. Lee told me that he had only had 2 fish this season (the same as me).

So - my next trip will be in 2 weeks time, hopefully with Rod so I guess 2 rods will maybe double our chances of catching fuck all?

Tightlines!

A wet day!

I was hoping to fish Wednesday night but it rained all day and evening (light rain) so that put me off. Instead I went into Carmarthen and found a record shop above a real ale bar! What a find! It's called CWRW (the bar) and the record shop is called Tangled Parrot! I bought a few records so I'm looking forward to getting them home for a play!

As far as tonight is concerned I'm not sure if the river will be clear so I will have to go and take a look. Watch this space!

Smidge comes to the rescue!

Some fish running!

I came down on Monday to fish but the river was too coloured. I spent the afternoon fishing and droning in lovely light. I was unable to park at the Pumping Station because of Welsh Water vehicles so I asked Terry who lives in the cottage if I could park on his land and he kindly gave me permission to. We had a long chat and I found out that he is not well.

Yesterday (Tues) the river had cleared so I was hopeful of some sport. I started fishing at about 10.15. The night was still and warm with cloud cover. I met Dan and had a chat with him for awhile before making my way downstream. At about 10.45 I got a solid take in a pool I seldom fish these days. Sadly it didn’t hold! The fish turned on the surface and I could tell it was big! Another one that got away! I carried on fishing various pools without a touch and then at about 1.00am I returned to the pool where I lost the fish. I started fishing and very soon heard and saw another good fish splash at the entrance to the pool. I carried on fishing till 2.00am in the hope of intercepting it on its journey but it didn’t happen! I packed up as the mist came down over the river and got back to the caravan at about 3.00am. It was an enjoyable nights fishing and I was always hopeful of a fish but sadly my luck was not in. Maybe tonight will be my lucky night?

Fished Monday night with no success!

Interestingly I heard a good fish move downstream and so concentrated even harder in the hope that it would come to me. After half an hour or so I sat down with a cup of tea and a sandwich. As I was tucking in a big fish jumped in front of me and then proceeded to run through the shallow water upstream! I can't explain the sound but I knew what it was straightaway! So possibly that cup of tea and a sandie may have cost me another double figure sea trout?

Saw one other angler - Andrew from Merthyr Tydfil. He fishes a lot and hadn't had a fish yet! Some big brownies but no sea trout!

Fished for 3 nights with Rod but no success!

Rod and I fished really hard over 3 nights but to no avail!

We covered all our water except the Railway Bridge and the Road Bridge beats. Crewel Pool had barely any flow in it although a few small fish were showing there. No pulls and very few fish showing! Very very disappointing!

Some running fish about?

Fished again Wednesday and Thursday night and although I didn't connect with a fish I did see a number of good sized fish splashing in different places. With lots of slimey weed now taking over we will very soon need rain in order to fish anywhere.

10 lb and the hardest fighting fish of my career!

 Almost 12 pm and I get a savage take! What a fight! Nearly ripped my fingers off as the reel screamed! Quite a few fish moving up. - great to see at last. I had opportunities to catch other showing fish but it just didn’t happen! A most enjoyable evening I must say!

The odd big fish about!

 Had a couple of big fish in recent weeks! Great to see them back!

The Towy at Halfway!

 An amazing sunset at Halfway! This water is Cross Hands!

Crewel Pool after the Winter floods!

Spent a lovely afternoon on Crewel Pool yesterday. The water was about 1.500m but still ok for the fly! I didn't have any luck but I enjoyed fishing in the sunshine and having a chat with an old friend! The pool looks better than ever I would say so I can't wait to have a go at night this season. Video LINK below!

Crewel Pool

The Top Section of our Lower Beat!

 Top Section of Lower Beat

Water at last?

Having fished a few times early this season I noticed a great deal of 'slimey' weed on the river bed. This is particularly annoying when wading in the shallows as it sometimes hooks itself around your line below your feet. With about a 1m rise in river level yesterday I'm hoping some if not all of that will have been washed away ready for my next fishing trip?

New Videos of our river?

 The Towy from Midges' perspective?

and

The Towy from Smidges' perspective?

Rain forecast?

According to the forecasts rain should be heavy on Monday 3rd May and Saturday 8th May? Lets hope it raises the river a foot or two?

Fished another night on the 29th April but with no luck!

The night was cloudy and relatively warm (about 8 or 10 deg I guess). The river is so different this season so I fished many different spots, some I was familiar with , others not. Our beat is more interesting this season I think. Lots of gravel movement has created new pools and different runs. I really like it. Sadly no fish appeared other than a brown trout of about 1.5lb and another much smaller. I fished till midnight at which point it was starting to get really cold. The river needs water so with rain forecast next Monday I'm hoping that the river will be good and free from weed in a weeks time when I return!

First sea trout of the 2021 Season!

At about 12.15am on 27th April 2021 I caught my first sea trout of the 2021 Season! The fish was about 3lb in weight and fought like buggery!

The river has changed so much over the winter, far more than I have ever seen before. There has been lots of gravel shifting. The overall effect I would say is positive. As soon as I get a suitable day I will put a drone over the river and load it up here.

So I’ve opened my account for the season and now I’m looking forward to many more to come!

First visit of the 2021 Season!

On Monday 12th April I was able to travel legally to Wales because of easing of Pandemic Restrictions! I picked up my caravan from the Little Haven Retreat and took it to the Towy Valley Caravan Park at Half Way, Carmarthenshire right beside the River Towy!

We have had a hard winter in my view with regular frosts and the frosts are still with us so I wasn't very hopeful of getting any fishing in. Tuesday night went cold quickly but Wednesday seemed a bit more hopeful.

On Wednesday night I was sitting on the log waiting for the shadows to lengthen when a nice fish jumped virtually in front of me! Promising? I fished all the way down the flats with a 'fast sinking' polyleader on until I reached the end by which time most of my fingers were about to fall off! I walked back to the car at about 9.45pm and the temperature at the car was 2 degrees!

Any one interested in helping clean up our River?

Why don't we get a team together and at least tidy up our own beat?

Clean up our oceans and rivers

The Atlantic Salmon Trust

Are there any other anglers out there prepared to STAND UP AND BE COUNTED I wonder? From my experience probably not! I personally can't just stand by and see salmon and sea trout become extinct and the sport I love so much become one of the past!

I've just Donated my EA Licence Fee of £54 to the Atlantic Salmon Trust! Why? Because the EA have done fuck all for salmon and sea trout over my lifetime (70 fucking years) so I've decided to give the AST a go instead!!!!

I will carry this with me as MY LICENCE!

The Missing Salmon Project?

 If you care about our sport DONATE HERE NOW! Atlantic Salmon Trust

The Missing Salmon Project

Early Season Fly for Sea Trout

 Early Season Fly

Check out THE WYE AND USK FOUNDATION

Worth checking out especially if you are interested in fishing different waters! Very well thought out website I think!

The WYE and USK Foundation 

HAPPY NEW YEAR and TIGHT LINES for 2021!

Well it's only 3 months till the start of the 2021 fishing season.

I don't know about you but I've been tying flies lately, as it's been too cold for me to venture out for long periods because of my Asthma. For a year or too now I've been mostly fishing the same fly, with some variations. I call it Andy's Killer (although I don't kill fish anymore and haven't for quite some years). If there are fish around then I think this fly works very well (but I'm sure others of you think the same about the flies you fish and that's fine).

This simple fly consists of a stinger treble at the rear and a low water salmon hook as the main hook. I've introduced a bit of sparkle to it of late but I'm not sure if it's essential or not. The body is 3 turns of peacock and the wing is bucktail or similar.

I've had a number of double figure sea trout on this and the odd salmon.

Finally, just in case some of you are considering giving up on the sea trout fishing I would like to encourage you not to. Without you and me and our angling friends on the river day and night the river will deteriorate even further. Pollution will become the norm and the abuse of the river and it's surroundings will increase even more! We need to be on the river as much as possible so when April 1st comes along, dust off your fly rod, clean up your gear and get out on the river! Be optimistic for the future of our amazing rivers and fish - I know it's not been easy over recent seasons - but things are looking up a bit I think!

Also - think about COVID! At least if you're on the river fishing you won't catch it or much else for that matter!!! (JOKE)

Tight lines for the 2021 season everyone!