Trip #37 - Why the Wye

Recently a few friends of mine have been venturing further afield in search of specimens or bountiful river sessions. But as yet I have been unable to join them. So when I had a phone call from one of my angling friends recently, to see if I wanted to join him for a few hours in the evening on a day ticketed stretch of the great river Wye I positively jumped at the chance - Especially after he had confirmed that the stretch we would be fishing contains an enormous amount of Barbel (a species which I have yet to catch from a river). My friend being an avid (and secretive) river angler was quite wary about my writing up this report, so adhering to his rules I can’t mention the exact peg we fished. But the day tickets for the stretch can be bought from the local tourism office (and online).

A sign of things to come! Although he didn't let me land the first fish!

River Sirhowy Site Visit

After recently meeting with and receiving an invite from Project Officer Hywel Abbott from the charity Groundwork Caerphilly, I was keen to get to the site along the Sirhowy river to see the work that was being carried out. The site visited was Fairoaks Farm in Argoed, and this virgin unfished section of River had me intrigued. The Groundwork team, along with the landowner were in the process of removing an enormous concrete wall that had previously been constructed along the riverbank and was originally intended to protect the nearby football field.

Trip #36 – Tinca Time

2013 has been an up and down year for me (so far), but fishing more regularly meant that I was rattling through the fresh water species list. But one species that had evaded me so far was the Tench! I had thought that, given the current weather conditions and time of year, maybe my chances of catching one were coming close to an end. I knew of a venue which had produced well for me in the past and decided to give it a whirl (especially because if it produced it would be a venue I could take my father in law who has never caught a Tench), and the venue I had chosen to fish was the Reservoir Lake of Duffryn Springs.

The Reservoir Lake is on the bottom left, and I would be fishing the southern corner.

Tackle Store Review – Green’s Tackle, Pontllanfraith

With an upcoming fishing trip planned after a week away from the bank, it was time for me to replenish my pellet supplies as well as getting some fresh bait to ensure I caught something on my next outing. Green’s fishing tackle (owned and run by match angler Howard Green) is one of my nearest tackle shops and generally has a good level of quality coarse fishing equipment, even if you have to search around a bit to find it.

River Sirhowy Rejuvenation and Groundwork Caerphilly.

As anglers, we’re always keen to hear about projects promoting our local waterways and working towards improving the health of these environments and the fish that live in them. After viewing some recent press coverage on the Healthy Rivers programme and visiting the following website (http://www.wefundthevalleys.com/opportunities/healthy-rivers-sirhowy), I have become increasingly interested in the work that the National Charity Groundwork is currently undertaking along the Sirhowy River. Local to the area, I decided to contact them to see if there was anything in the way of voluntary work I could do to help. I was invited to the local Groundwork’s offices in Blackwood to discuss the Healthy Rivers Campaign with project officer Hywel Abbott and also to talk about the on-going river clean up plans for the river Sirhowy.

Product Review – Chub Twin Tip Barbel Rod

After a few sessions of surface carp bashing, I was becoming increasingly aware that my tackle was aimed at the lighter end of the fishing spectrum, and if (or when) I was lucky enough to catch that “lump”, my tackle might let me down. It was time for me to start looking for a better quality rod, one with enough stopping power to deal with double figure carp, but flexible and adaptable enough to use on a river/commercial venue. Time to scour eBay for a bargain, and a bargain is what I found. I bought myself a Chub Outkast twin tip Barbel rod.

Trip #35 - Lucky Horseshoe

After being incredibly impressed by the quantity and quality of the products sold at Cefn Mably tackle shop, the lakes now had a lot to live up to. I have fished Cefn Mably numerous times in the past, I knew roughly what to expect, but this was my first trip back to the venue after several years of living up North. Not only have substantial changes been made to the tackle shop but also the lakes. Since my last visit, the complex has seen the addition of a few new ponds, and the entire complex is now entirely Coarse fishing where as previously it was Coarse and Trout. I aimed to fish one of the original ponds known as the Horseshoe (using meat and pellets), as I wanted to avoid the suicidal F1 and Koi Carp. I was also hoping that my old favourite peg would be free, although this seemed unlikely as I arrived at the venue at quarter to 11 after a busy morning of wedding planning.

Cefn Mably is stuffed full of skimmers this size or bigger!

Tackle Store Review - Cardiff Angling Centre (Cefn Mably)

After being repeatedly told about the massive improvements in the shop at Cefn Mably Lakes, I thought it best to stop by before a recent fishing session on their horseshoe lake and have a look for myself. It has been several years since I’ve last visited this shop so had no idea what to expect. The outside, unlike almost every fishing store, doesn’t have huge windows displays, so first impressions would have to be made on entry.