The 2019 Season is not far away now!

Just 2 months separates us from the river we love! But I wonder what we will find this season? I wonder if there might be a bigger run as some fish may have chosen not to run last season because of the unfavourable conditions. I believe the LAL Permit costs are the same.

Well I'm keeping an open mind and the thought of a sea bass will probably never be far from my mind!

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Saltwater Fly Fishing for Bass

No fish for me this season!

This is the very first season in 30 years that my catch return will be officially and truthfully 0! Only fished a couple of times early in the season before the drought set in then I turned to the sea bass.

Rod looses a salmon!

Spent last Saturday in my bird hide whilst Rod went down to Crewil after two fruitless days bass fishing! He called me at 2.00pm to tell me he had lost a salmon! He then went on to catch a 5lb sea trout.

At last the river is ready for salmon!

Having fished this river for over 30 years one thing I have learn't is when the water level is right for salmon on the fly and take it from me today and maybe the next 2 days should be perfect! Today the river is 1ft - 2in on the gauge. I remember quite a few times when the water has been at this level and salmon have been caught on the fly. I've had quite a few myself and remember a few years back when I had one in Crewel and then another in the Car Park Pool.

After such a dreadful season of drought I hope a few anglers get some pleasure over the next few days!

I will be fishing the river tonight after months of low water!

Yes I'm fishing the river tonight! It seems ages since I've been on the river but Rod and I are going to give it a go tonight. After one of the longest hot summers ever the river has a couple of inches on it so we've decided to try our luck. Tomorrow we're off to Pembrokeshire to hit the bass for a few days! Also for my 67th birthday I got a GoPro camera so hopefully I'll be able get a bass and record it? Fingers crossed!

6 inches on the gauge tonight!

After my absence for several months I think I might give it go this week! I dare say there are fish everywhere but who's likely to tell me I wonder?

Back to square one?

River levels have dropped back again so forget fishing in the river this season! I hope that you will ALL join with me and demand a Licence refund from the EA?

Rain at last?

After nearly 3 months of no fishing due to extremely low water levels it is raining! The dam has been maintaining water levels at 0 at Manorafon for that period but today at last it's up to 3 inches with more rain forecast! At last perhaps the fishing season might start in August? Fingers crossed!

Can't catch a sewin or a salmon? Go after the Bass on the fly!

Tim Wilkinson's very first bass fishing trip and look at the beauty he catches in Pembrokeshire!

At least 4lb maybe larger! I think he's hooked like me! Safely returned to fight another day of course!

Heavy rain may be on it's way?

BBC Weather Forecast forecasts strong winds and heavy rain for Sunday! I wonder?

2 nights fishing but 0!

Had 2 enjoyable nights fishing on Wednesday and Thursday but to no avail. Fish were very few and far between from what I can see. I did disturb a large fish at the bottom of Crewel Pool in broad daylight as I walked down from the hill and it shot off like a torpedo leaving a huge bow wave in it's wake across the pool! Other than that I did hear a reasonable fish (not large) jumping a number of times down the bottom of the beat but nothing else! The next few weeks should bring some fish into the system I hope? Fingers crossed!

I think the first sewin of the season is imminent?

Mr prediction!

With rising pressure I believe that the first fish of the season is very close! It will be either the 17th, 18th or 19th May so WATCH THIS SPACE!

Petition response!

My first trip of the 2018 Season?

Decided at the last moment to go down to Llangadog and try my luck last weekend.

I fished for a couple of hours on Friday night and the same on Saturday night. The river was too high really -  1.400m or so so was probably more suited to day fishing but I considered that nonviable due to the clear skies and powerful sunshine! Daytime temperatures were quite high for the time of year so on Saturday I took a trip to Tenby for the day which was most enjoyable!

Friday night went quite chilly very early on so I only fished till about 11.00pm whereas Saturday night stayed reasonably warm so I kept going till 12.00 midnight. The water height restricted where I could fish quite a bit so I tried Crewel on Friday and a couple of pools lower down on Saturday as Crewel is not really my cup of tea! I didn't see or hear any fish just the Otter which was nice! It was great to be on the river again and I can't wait till the water drops and the night time temperatures start to hold up a little! Lets hope the sewin arrive soon?

Who is going to catch the 1st sewin of 2018 I wonder?

Well the season has started and now it's up to us as to what we make of it! I wonder who will catch the 1st sewin of 2018? Let's report it here first please!

Just 1 week to go!

Spent a day on the river yesterday! It's looking in fine condition after a long hard winter with no dramatic changes to report. The level was about 1ft-6in on the guage and was clearing nicely. Saw a small shoal of fry in a backwater which was encouraging. Presumably they must have hatched very recently!

AGM 2018

A brief report of the AGM

My ladder was rejected as on Crosshands water. Eifion couldn’t be specific about working days as very weather dependant so could be cancelled on the day. Eifion still sec and Dai Watkins appointed chairman. Eifion said he’d look at alternative path through the back end of heart attack hill as I said it’s now very dangerous at night as bank eroded etc etc and only way to bottom end when high water. Dai Watkins is going to speak to the farmer about grave extraction, so we’ll wait and see. The fishing rights owner Dr Allen wasn’t interested in helping with that.

Eifion said Dr Allen said LAL would be given first opportunity to buy when he pops off, but that’s not certain of course. He could even pull the plug if not happy with our rent in which case the Club is finished. The club will propose to Dr Allen a lease for five years, but not sure where the money will come from as rent is £5k/year.

AGM News?

Does anyone have any?

AGM?

This years AGM is on the 26th January 2018. I won't be able to attend because I'm in Devon but I have sent an email to Jeff in the hope that a few of my points might be discussed? Up till now I haven't had any reply.

• The excavation of gravel down the bottom of our beat is ruining our fishery and needs to stop immediately. I suggest a senior delegation arranges to discuss this issue with the farmer concerned and that the farmer is left understanding that his actions are completely unacceptable to our club.
• I would like to see a ladder reinstalled just above Crewel to facilitate easy crossing of the river at that point.
• I would like to help with the fishery care and management of our beat by assisting on a number of working party days. I would like to be informed of the dates well in advance so that I can arrange to attend as I have quite some distance to travel. FYI I have my own litter picker!

Off to do a spot of piking?

All being well I hope to get the old fly rod out again tomorrow to try my luck with the pike! I've bought all the gear and huge flies so all I need now is a bit of luck! Watch this space!

500 signatures reached!

Great result but we need more!!!

Petition?

Is anyone else prepared to help me this this please? With 350 signatures now with some help it's possible we might be able to get up 1000?

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/give-welsh-salmon-and-sea-trout-a-chance

Petition!

Save our fishing and sign my Petition!

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/give-welsh-salmon-and-sea-trout-a-chance

End of Season Report!

What a bloody frustrating season this has been? My season started off well with a 10lb sea trout but then nose dived from there onwards! Regardless of what other anglers may say there were very few fish about throughout the season. I think the water conditions were generally good with a number of good flushes during the season but for some strange reason very few fish seemed to come in with them. I fished harder this season than any other ever yet only caught 6 fish! So what now? Well next year I'm definitely going to do more sea bass fishing down in Pembrokeshire. As far as the sea trout are concerned then the jury is out on that one I'm afraid! Have a nice Christmas everyone!

River Towy Sea Trout Catch Statistics

Interestingly it was around about 1987 that I started sea trout fishing on the Towy and from the graph it appears that catch rates were at that time about at their peak! But more interesting than that for me is that catch rates today are apparently similar to the mid seventies?

Where are the sea trout?

I haven't posted here for a month or two because frankly I haven't had anything to report! To date I have managed 6 fish, the biggest 10lb but most around the 1.5lb mark! The last 7 or so outings I haven't even seen a fish let alone catch one! I don't remember anything as bad as this in the 30 years I have fished at Llangadog and I'm not alone! Many local anglers have only had the odd fish from what I'm told. Anyway on a more positive note I'm going to try for sea bass on the fly in Pembrokeshire over the next couple of weeks if the weather will allow so I'll keep you posted!

3 nights on the river with Rod but only 1 fish between us!

Just returned from Llangadog after fishing for 3 nights with Rodney Byles! A few nice fish were showing but all I could muster was a sea trout of about 1.5lbs!

3 nights bring 2 fish and 1 lost!

Spent 3 nights on the river in perfect fishing conditions, warm and still. Lost a good size fish which buried itself in a big clump of weed leaving me with the weed! But I did manage to get a 3lb and a 1.5lb fish both of which were silver and both returned safely. That brings my tally to 4 so far! There are a few fish about now and I saw a couple of big fish jump but didn't want to know my flies. Funnily I met a fellow angler who works for the NRW and when I mentioned to him about the gravel extraction which could ultimately destroy the bottom half of our beat all he could say was 'nobody's got the stomach to do anything about it'! Great - so what does the NRW do? Fuck all it seems to me! Best thing we could all do is to refuse to buy a licence again in my view!

Where have all the fish gone?

Having fished hard for 3 nights this week I could only manage 1 small sea trout of 1.5 lb and a small brown trout! Is it that there aren't any fish around or is it that they are there but don't want to know? Even more disturbing that despite the weather being generally mild and overcast I didn't see a single fish jump or hear any surface activity in a total of 15 or more hours on the river! From my records July is the best month for sea trout by far but this season is looking very doubtful on that score. I feel that I fished very well. I threw long straight lines and fished very carefully all the way down the flats; below the hedge and in my pool but to no avail. Is this unusual? My memory is terrible but probably not! I'm just hoping and praying that fish start running very soon so that we can all enjoy a little sport on the river this season!