Fish about?

Apparently there are fish about according to my source so I'm optimistic of some sport when I fish this week. I'm planning to fish Thursday, Friday and Saturday God willing! Any action will be reported here without fail so watch this space! I'm also intending to do some new videos of the river and maybe even put Smidge up!

First fishing trip of this Season?

Well fishable or not I'm off for my first proper fishing trip this season this week!

There has been a little rain recently which raised the level up about 200mm so I'm hoping that the slime has been washed away and that a few sea trout have been encouraged to run. With fine warm weather forecast I can't wait to throw a line!

With my campsite booked now for the rest of the season lets hope that some sport can be had.

Rain forecast Saturday 18th June?

Will this be enough to flush the river out properly I wonder? I doubt it!

NO RAIN!

Despite a drop of rain yesterday the river level only rose a small amount so sadly my prayers have not been answered! I've booked a campsite in July - I wonder if I will be able to fish? 

Rain?

Possibility of heavy rain tomorrow?

Lowest Recorded Water Level not far off?

The lowest ever recorded water level at Manorafon is 0.862 m and the water level is currently 0.912 m so a further drop of 51mm will beat the record!

River still unfishable?

From the research I've done it seems that the river is still choked with slimey weed! I didn't think that 200mm of water would make any difference so 140mm (which is actually what we got) wouldn't have done anything! Another example of the NRW ignoring the interests of angler but still taking their License Fee's! Well, they can go to hell as far as I'm concerned!

Notice to Polluters

Get polluting NOW because there won't be any anglers on the river to report it for many weeks to come!

Water dropping!

It seems that the water allocation is now coming to an end as the water level is gradually beginning to fall. Lets hope it has done some good?  

Water Rise?

140mm rise? What happened to the 200mm rise you promised Dave Charlesworth? In my view this is no where near enough!

The River is starting to rise!

It appears that Welsh Water are indeed releasing some water from the dam as promised?

River very low with no rain forecast!

If you are like me and hoping and praying for rain to flush all the crap out of the river then think again!

It's almost 7 weeks since the river had a reasonable flood and sadly there is no sign of any significant rain to come! What a disappointing start to the season? Interestingly we might get a bit of help from the water authority according to this letter seen on Facebook!

Another Llangadog AA angler leaves us!

Sad to hear that a long standing Llangadog angler has recently passed!

Sandy, renowned for his fishy stories and generous gifts to the club of his handmade tables and benches recently passed away! My sincere condolences go to his partner and family.

REST IN PEACE SANDY!

Welsh Water leaking sewage pumping station?

 Sewage seeping from foundations of Pumping Station!

River unfishable in April?

Yes the river is pretty much unfishable! With every cast the fly comes back covered in green slime! Wading is very slippy too! This could be the final nail in our beloved river's coffin! So so sad!

The 2022 fishing season is almost upon us!

I don't know about you but I am desperate to get out on the river!

As I am now a 'camper' rather than a 'caravaner' I'm waiting for some reasonable temperatures to arrive before I venture out. This season I an going to fish more water than I have in the past. As a member of Cross Hands AA as well as Llangadog Angling Ltd I intend to fish the Teifi this season too as the catch returns from it last year were very encouraging.

I'm changing tactics a bit too! In the past I have generally fished a floating line almost exclusively. This season I am going to fish a sink tip mainly later on in the night but I will experiment at other times too to see if it makes a difference. I'm also going to fish for brown trout as well during the day on much lighter tackle.

I am determined to improve on my catch rate which as been abysmal over recent seasons! If all else fails then Garnffryd here I come!

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!