3 days on the Tyne!

 

After 10 years John fishes the Towy with me!

 

The River Tyne Trip? The best river I have ever fished!

 

Having not really fished much over the last few years I decided to push the boat out so to speak and book a trip to the River Tyne in September 2026. 3 days on Dilston beat with a Ghillie. Not cheap but worthwhile.

Day 1 - I was very uneasy wading so I didn't really fish as well as I could have. Also I was mastering the Double Spey cast which hampered me a little. I was also still tired from the long drive the day before which didn't help.

Day 2 - I was more relaxed and began to cast much better and felt more confident wading too. The water had risen a few inches and my Ghillie Rob was confident that we would get a fish although they weren't showing very much, just the odd splash here and there! Rob put me in places that I would not have fished if I had been on my own so his knowledge was priceless! The first salmon came to the net at about 11 lb but what a powerful fish? The fight was long and hard but very satisfying to see the fish in the net. The 2nd fish came along in a different spot, a place that I wouldn't have thought held fish! It was a Grilse of about 5 lb but again fought like buggery!

Day 3 - I fished till lunch but the water had receded and I had no sucess.

So will I fish the Tyne again? What do you think?

Why I gave up fishing the Towy?

 

Water Testing Crowd Funding?

 https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/water-testing-on-the-river-tywi-around-llandeilo

2026 - TIME FOR A NEW CHALLENGE?

 These are my Options.

1. Catch a Towy Sewin?
2. Catch a Towy Salmon?
3. Catch a Falling Star?

Did I ever tell you about the outcome of my Delphi trip?

 5 days fishing. Saw loads of salmon but not a sniff! Gutted!!!

Delphi Lodge Fishery - here I come!

On Wednesday 30th July I will travel to Holyhead where I will stay the night prior to catching the Ferry to Dublin the next morning. I am very excited about visiting Delphi Lodge for the 3rd time!

Sea Trout Forum NOT AVAILABLE?

Recently I tried to log on to the Sea Trout Forum via the LINK on this site. To my surprise I see a message that says it's 'been withdrawn'! If this is so then I think it's a shame but realistically not that surprising I suppose as there are very few sea trout to be found now in our rivers?

Shall I leave the LINK or delete it I wonder? What do you think?

Disappointing trip to the River Eden!

When I booked the fishing and the accomodation I knew that there was a risk of low water being an issue but I took a chance! And that is how it turned out! The water levels were low and I was told that there was little hope of a salmon! To be honest I didn't even bother fishing, instead I did quite a lot of wildlife photography and relaxing and enjoyed that instead.

The river at Eden Lacy has quite a few nice easy pools to fish and while I was sat in my hide I did see a couple of big fish splash in 2 different pools. The wildlife wasn't as good as I was expecting with just a small amount of birds playing ball! Common Sandpipers were plentyful as were Grey Wagtails. Other than that there was little else to see in the way of wildlife. Obviously at this time of year 50% of most birds are sat on eggs however I do firmly believe that bird numbers are down drastically this year! During the 3 days I spent on the river I didn't see a single kingfisher!

I stayed at Eden Lacy Lodge during my stay which was generally clean and comfortable however the alocated parking space across the lane from the property was not a good idea! During the last day the farmer decided to harrow the recently ploughed field and the wind was blowing straight towards my car and the property! The soil was bone dry so my car soon became brown instead of grey! I was not happy!

A slight rise in water level on the Towy but not the Eden where I'm heading next Monday!

Not sure what to expect next week on the River Eden in Cumbria? I thought that it always rained in the Lake District but....

I suppose trout fishing may be possible or some wildlife photography? Or maybe just relax and let the world pass me by? Erm -  not easy for me!

2025 Fishing Trips Planned and booked?

I hope to have a busy year fishing this year - unlike recent years?

I'm fishing the Eden Lacy beat of the River Eden made famous by the Gone Fishing duo Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse - late April / May

I'm travelling west to Southern Ireland to fish the renouned Delphi Lodge waters in late July early August

River Tyne - Sept TBC

And who knows - a trip to the Half Moon Inn on the River Torridge may be on the cards if we get rain?

My 2025 Fishing Season?

Well, as far as the Towy is concerned I havent even bought a Permit yet! I think I will 'watch this space'! Instead I intend to focus some attention eleswhere this season.

My first sea trout of 2024!

Yes I got my first fish of the season last Saturday night! It was only about 2lb but it was a sea trout!

I could maybe have had more if the mist hadn't decended! An Otter was very active with a youngster which must be a good sign as well as a huge herd of heifers who wouldn't leave me be and were literally shitting everwhere including in the river! Don't worry about the Water Authorities dumping sewage in the river these cows were dumping big time!!!!

Stories from the Tywi?

TALES FROM THE RIVER BANK - PART 1 

Earth Day today!

 

Fantastic turnout for the BIG RIVER - LITTLE CLEANUP!

2 seniors (me and Anthony Painter) and his wonderful son called Si.

Absolutely PARR for the Course! 

Llangadog River Clean Up - NEW DATE!

Big River clean Up - Sat 13th and Sun 14th April 2024!

Please bring waders if you have them!

River Clean Up POSTPONED!

Due to the river height we have decided to postpone the Clean Up till April! A new date will be announced in due course. 

WMO State Climate 2023 Press conference! RED ALERT!!!!!