Cracked it at last! 8lb sea trout!

Rod and I spent last night on the river! It was quite windy but I managed to find a nice sheltered spot. He blanked unfortunately but I got lucky with a 1 1/2 Ib sea trout early on and then a beautiful hen fish weighing approximately 8 lb at about 1.00 am! Both were returned safely! Needless to say I'm hooked again!!!

2020 will go down as the 'Season' of 'No Seasons'!

OK not as bad as the 2001 'foot and mouth' season but still very weird!

I've only fished a handful of times this season so my catch rate is bound to be one of the lowest ever. In any case my enthusiasm for the sport has been waning of late having transferred my efforts since July to Sea Bass but I haven't even caught one of them either! So all in all I'm pretty well pissed off with fishing in general.

On my way back from Pembrokeshire on Friday I decided to call in to Llangadog for another go!

It was a fairly mild cloudy night with a slight breeze. The water was perfect. It gets dark early now so I started fishing about 8.30 I would think. There were no other anglers so I had the beat to myself. It wasn't long before I had a good but unexpected take on the dangle and I then felt the weight of a good fish but sadly it didn't stay on! Blast! I then started fishing with renewed enthusiasm, fishing down the same area. This time I was rewarded with a fine 2 lb sea trout which I safely unhooked and of course returned.

It wasn't long before the wind got up and casting became precarious. I packed up about 12.30am.

I do love his sport but ........it's really hard work these days.

Back again this forthcoming week!

3 nights and not a fish to be seen or heard!

The river seems dead! It's July - the best month of the season. Where are the fish? Over recent years every year gets worse! I've moved my caravan down to Pembrokeshire now but if the river picked up I'm only 1 hour or less from the river. On the other side of the coin I'm only 5 minutes from a potential Sea Bass!

Water Level?

It's gone over 2m which is surely good news! A good flush out will do it the world of good and hopefully encourage a run of sea trout? I will be fishing next week that's for sure God willing!

When will my first fishing trip be this season?

Coronavirus has put us all in lockdown and Wales is closed to vistors! Hoping the border might open soon? Can't wait to cast a fly!

Coronavirus?

I wonder if any of us will fish this season?

River height?

3.800 m on the gauge today!

The New Season is almost here!

Are you looking forward to the new fishing season?

Has anyone heard anything from Langadog Angling since the AGM?

Join NOW!

I've just joined the Wye Salmon Association for £10! It's a no brainer!

Enjoyable trip but no salmon!

Just returned from 3 days on the river! Knackered now - fished Crewel Pool really hard but to no avail! Really enjoyed myself strangely. When the day of reckoning comes I will really miss fishing the Towy - in fact I'm very very sad about the state of the river I love so much. It's almost like the feeling of bereavement!

The feeling of casting a line across Crewel Pool with anticipation of getting a salmon take is hard to explain for me. All the time I was fishing I really believed I would get a salmon. The water was perfect for Crewel! A hint of colour and 1.5 or 1.6 on the guage! 4 or 5 sea trout were showing over the days I was there. Kingfishers were common to see as well as a solitary Sandpiper! I saw 2 other anglers - 1 spinning down the bottom having walked over Crewel - when I shouted to him asking if he had caught anything all he did was hold his hands out about 5ft apart! The other was a guy fly fishing called Kerry who stayed for only an hour or so and said he'd caught nothing all season!

The Wye Salmon Association has declared an EMERGENCY - TIME FOR ACTION!

WE NEED TO DO THE SAME!

Hoping for a salmon?

With water levels currently around the 3m zone I'm hoping it will drop by the time I get on the river on Thursday! Except for some thundery showers tomorrow the forecast looks much more settled so fingers crossed! Looking back at the water level graphs it normally takes about 3 days to drop down to a fishable height! I can't wait to try out my new Sage X Fly Rod - it looks and feels incredible! I will keep you posted!

Saturday night was mild and calm and it almost paid off?

I started fishing at about 8pm just as it was beginning to get dark! Immediately I saw and heard a good fish move in front of me! Full of anticipation I cast a line to where it showed but nothing. I continued on down the pool but had no offers! The evening was warm with a hint of rain. Time for a cup of tea! After some re sustenance I started again aiming for the place where the fish showed. I went past the place where I thought the fish was lying and then suddenly I had the take! It was solid and strong! A fish I guess of at least 8lb maybe more! The fish ran a number of times stripping line off the reel. I could not stop it - my rod was holding the fish but was bent almost double! Then the fish started swimming upstream on the far bank to a point opposite where I was wading. I was in solid contact. I let the fish run when it wanted to but kept a good tension on it. It seemed well and truly hooked at this point about 3 minutes into the fight but no! The hook let go and I stood there in disbelief!

Another couple of nights fishing for those illusive sea trout?

With the promise of 11 degrees tonight and 15 degrees on Saturday night I've decided to have another go for some sea trout! Watch this blog!

Crewel Pool video!

Fishing Crewel Pool for a salmon!

Llangadog Lower Beat Video - Part 1

Lower Beat Video - Part 1

3 nights fishing but no fish landed!

Spent a few days down in Llangadog but only had 1 night that was was perfect for fishing. Sunday night was mild and warm with a gentle breeze. Very soon after starting fishing about 8.45pm I hooked a good fish but it didn't hold on! Really disappointing! Stef was also on the river with his mate Charlie and he told me that he too had lost a good fish. I didn't get any more offers and I packed up at about 3.00am! I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed my fishing this night and it was a pleasure to spend time out on the water. If the weather forecast holds up then I will be fishing Saturday night this week and then again for a few days in October either for salmon during the day or sea trout at night but in October that is unlikely to be the case. Of course I also have the option of sea bass along the coast!

4 nights on the river - 2 sea trout!

I went down last Wednesday and fished Wednesday night alone and then Thursday, Friday and Saturday with Rod!

Wednesday night ended abruptly at about 11.00 pm with thick fog or mist! I just about found my way back to the car it was so bad!

Thursday night wasn't too bad but a bit blustery. I hooked and landed a 5lb sea trout which, after I had removed the hook whilst still in the water, shot off like a rocket! I think Rod had a few pulls and lost a fish too!

Friday night was windy but I managed a small sea trout of about 1lb or so! Again I think Rod had a pull or two.

Saturday night was calm but went very cold quite quickly after dark! No offers!

My tally for this season so far is 4 sea trout!

Martin loses a salmon!

Martin is down the river as I write this report and told me that yesterday the river rose a couple of inches and that he hooked a good fish but it didn't hold! I think he's fishing again today so lets hope he gets lucky! Looks like it's going to be up to me and Rod to turn some fish in next week?

Water Level?

1.121 m at 9.00am! Perfect!

Water perfect for salmon?

Today the water height looks perfect for salmon fishing! Sadly I can't be there but I do intend to visit next week sometime for probably my last few nights sea trout fishing for this season!

I think it's fair to say that the collapse in sea trout runs on the Towy is probably going to result very soon if not already in most anglers giving up! It's sad that it's come to this but unfortunately the Welsh Government dont give a toss! Sadly, my Blog, which I have been writing now for many years will also come to an end!

My biggest regret this season is buying a Licence - more fool me!

IF I bother fishing next season I WILL DEFINATELY NOT BE BUYING A LICENCE!!!

Fishing poor everywhere?

Whilst I was fishing at Tenby on Thursday my sole came off my wading boot (again)! On my way back home I called into Sportfish to get a new pair of waders and boots (could have done without the expense having just forked out £1000 on a new motor mover for the caravan)! Anyway Steve in the shop was telling me that the fishing this year is pretty poor everywhere including Scotland. The Wye is crap too apparantly? The Severn is reasonable so he said. He wasn't optomistic for the future of Sportfish as they can't survive on the handful of people who are tackling up to go off to exotic fishing destinations! Many people seem to have packed up fishing altogether! There was only 2 staff in the shop on a Friday afternoon! I remember when there were loads of staff there.

Fair play to Steve though he said he would send them off to Vision and see if he could get them replaced! Can't remember how long I've had them but probably over 12 months. Interestingly he said that salt water fishing is very bad for wader boots!

Salt Water fly?

Spent a lovely afternoon yesterday at Tenby. Disappointingly there was a sandy soup all around the bay stretching for about 30 metres! Also it became quite windy before I left. Needless to say I didn't catch anything!

Latest fishing report!

I spent Friday night on the river. It was very humid and overcast until about 2.30am when the mist came down and forced me to pack up!

I fished the flats first as soon as the light had faded. A good fish moved in the tail which was promising! I then continued down to the bush, above and below with no offers. Andy's Pool was equally lifeless! I battled my way through the undergrowth from my pool to the bottom pool and fished that down to the tail. 

At about 1.00am I decided to fish the flats once again concentrating in and around the 'hot spot'. At the hot spot I had a good take and felt the weight of a good fish but alas it only stayed on for a few seconds! At this point I had changed my fly to a Rodder's Special, a fly I haven't fished for quite a long time! I carried on down again through the tail and down to the bush and below. Whilst fishing below the bush a good fish moved above me in between the bush and the tail of the flats. Then the mist came down quite quickly and forced me to pack up! Somehow I feel that if the mist hadn't come I might have had a fish? I wonder?

All in all not a complete right off. There seems to be the odd fish about here and there. The amount of fishing activity seems very very low this season. I haven't seen any other anglers this season other than Dan and Steff and for the past few outings I've seen no-one! One thing that has struck me this season is the amount of small fry about! There are thousands everywhere in the shallows! I wonder why they are not turning in to adult sea trout or brown trout? A mystery!

After quite a few nights fishing this season my tally still stands at 2! Back down in 3 weeks God willing!

More bollocks?

https://gov.wales/written-statement-outcome-local-inquiry-natural-resources-wales-proposed-all-wales-salmon-and-sea

Another 2 nights on the river with little to show for it!

Rod and I fished for 2 nights. Pretty favorable conditions on the whole I would say. I caught a 2lb sea trout which I have to say fought like one twice it's size! Rod had a couple of pulls but that was it. I saw 2 good fish move over the 2 nights. Again - very disappointing! By the way I haven't seen an Otter for ages and ages!! Sad!

No fish!

July - the best month of the season? Rod and I fished for 2 nights and nothing! I saw 1 reasonably good fish but no pulls! Rod had one pull I think! Dan and Steff were fishing Friday night but they had nothing too!

Fish caught?

Martin says that he's heard that 25 sea trout and 3 salmon have been caught on Golden Grove in the last few days! Looks like they're in the system now?

We have water?

Good news - the river has risen a few feet! Should bode well for my imminent trip?

Well how unlucky am I?

For the past week I've been feeding next doors cat twice a day while they were on holiday on the Isle of Arran in Scotland. They came back today and I heard the door bell go and Gilda went and answered it. It was Lauren from next door clutching a tube shaped container identical to that that Highland Malts are sold in! Yes I thought - a nice bottle of Scottish Malt Whiskey. To my horror Gilda took the end cap off and slid out a bunch of smelly sticks and some smelly oil stuff that some people use to disguise smells in their houses! Now I'm not kidding but that shit can put me in hospital if it triggers my asthma! Just my fucking luck eh!

Scilly Isles adventure?

Having just returned from my Scilly Isles adventure all I can say is 'Wow'! If you've never been then you must go! I've been to the Seychelles but this is better! We kayaked about 6 - 8 km each day calling at many of the tiny islands. On arriving at each island we made a cup of tea and then did some litter picking. The weather was gorgeous! I'm booked in again for next year - God willing!

My Scilly Isles kayaking adventure!