[Mepps4me]

Morphfly, I was fishing the lower river below Whitemill. An amusing incident, although scary at the time, happened to me a few years ago while fishing one of the tidal beats at night. It was pitch dark and I was wading thigh deep in one of the pools when a seal surfaced and cleared his nostrils a few yards from me causing me to yell a few choice words !!. I don't know whether it was me or the seal that had the most fright

 

[morphfly]

Thanks Mepps. I'll stay up river for a few weeks
Morphfly

 

[Sewinboy]

Went for a walk this afternoon on the lower river. It’s looking low and gin clear. From what I hear from anglers, there seems to be a good head of salmon in the river. There are many large salmon jumping in the railway pool on Carmarthen District, but they are not biting, which is frustrating the wormers who give this pool a lot of attention.

At other location, I did see a further 5 salmon either just swimming around off high banks, or jumping. There are also very numerous schoolies observable off Nantgaredig bridge.

 

[Handel]

And there I was believing NRW that there are no salmon in the river.

 

[Sewinboy]

I don’t believe it’s all rosey. The NRW have indicated that with the absence of juvenile salmon in most of the Towy, (and other rivers such as the Usk), catchments during early 2016, (the cause of which was the very mild winter, Salmon eggs require cold water to incubate), it is forecasted that the grilse run this year to be poor, and the 2 winter salmon run in 2020 is also envisaged to be poor. There is very convincing scientific evidence to underpin such an assertions from the NRW.

However, the same evidence also indicates that a recovery could only be one year away from happening.

 

[peterchilton]

So did they tell you what the water temps were in the spawning tribs in the 'mild' winter of 2016? How convinced were you?

 

[Sewinboy]

Hi Peter

I have not come across any announcement from the NRW regarding the cause of the absence of salmon juveniles over such large areas. However, scientists at the game and wildlife conservation trust indicate that an insufficiently cold winter is the scientifically accepted cause. Considering the work the GWCT carry out, I am persuaded by their claim.

Apologies, I don’t know how to past a web link. Take a look at gmct.org.uk>home>latest news>2017>August>poor runs of wild salmon returning to our rivers predicted following a very low survival of young salmon.

Paragraph 7 to 11 is the most relevant

 

[fixedspool]

I wonder if they took into consideration the severe flooding and possible washout of redds during that period too. A double whammy perhaps?

 

[peterchilton]

hi sewinboy, yes i agree that could be a cause but do they know what the temperatures were on Towy tributaries? They didn't on the Wye.

 

[Sewinboy]

They do not have the temperatures of the water in the Towy or Wye tributaries. They do however have the air temperatures and water temperatures of tributaries of other rivers such as the Frome, which have demonstrated similar losses of salmon juveniles.

 

[peterchilton]

So they are assuming that's the problem despite having no evidence

The Frome is much further south and lower than the Towy

 

[long Preston]

I think the evidence was the lack of juveniles and I assume redds?

 

[Handel]

Could be though once you satrt talking tribs there are miles of them and NRW aren't well known for straying too far from their cars

 

[peterchilton]

I think the evidence was the lack of juveniles and I assume redds?

Surely that was the outcome.

NRW claim this was caused by warming of the spawning areas and their evidence for this was? ...............

It could have been caused by redd washout or even predation, there is no evidence of that either

 

[Sewinboy]

I fished Llandeilo yesterday morning. The river was looking bang on, 2ft and dropping, my favourite height. Used a 7cm rappala and fished Cobbners down to the stone bridge. It's a lovely part of the world. Caught some sewin up to about 3lb. I swear that as the season goes on, sewin seem to get better hooked. If I had hooked these fish back in May or June they would have thrown me, but yesterday was having difficulty unhooking them.

I dropped down to the Weir at Nantgaredig on Carmarthen Amateur Angling Association in the evening. As soon as I started fishing, a fellow angler lost a double figure fish that took him over the weir and down stream. I then saw a lovely chrome silver salmon jump, shaking lice. Not much after I had a hook up. Jagged heavy head shaking. Yep. Salmon. It kitted in to my bank, and I simply reeled it in, until it was under my rod tip. Then it made a run from my bank to the opposite bank, with the clutch on my reel absolutely screaming and the fish's back out of the water all the way. I have never seen anything like it. It came back to my bank, under my rod tip, I could see the rappala outside it's mouth. It was very very fresh run. I was all ready expecting it. It started shaking it's head and it threw me. It wasn't huge, about 7 or 8 lbs, but a chrome silver absolute fighter.

We also saw probably one of the largest salmon I have seen on the Towy for a long time. It was a stale cock fish that jumped 3 times in the same spot during about 10 seconds, just in front of the pumping station.

I can't wait until I get to go fishing again after work!!!

 

[Handel]

I fished Llandeilo yesterday morning. The river was looking bang on, 2ft and dropping, my favourite height. Used a 7cm rappala and fished Cobbners down to the stone bridge. It's a lovely part of the world. Caught some sewin up to about 3lb. I swear that as the season goes on, sewin seem to get better hooked. If I had hooked these fish back in May or June they would have thrown me, but yesterday was having difficulty unhooking them.

I dropped down to the Weir at Nantgaredig on Carmarthen Amateur Angling Association in the evening. As soon as I started fishing, a fellow angler lost a double figure fish that took him over the weir and down stream. I then saw a lovely chrome silver salmon jump, shaking lice. Not much after I had a hook up. Jagged heavy head shaking. Yep. Salmon. It kitted in to my bank, and I simply reeled it in, until it was under my rod tip. Then it made a run from my bank to the opposite bank, with the clutch on my reel absolutely screaming and the fish's back out of the water all the way. I have never seen anything like it. It came back to my bank, under my rod tip, I could see the rappala outside it's mouth. It was very very fresh run. I was all ready expecting it. It started shaking it's head and it threw me. It wasn't huge, about 7 or 8 lbs, but a chrome silver absolute fighter.

We also saw probably one of the largest salmon I have seen on the Towy for a long time. It was a stale cock fish that jumped 3 times in the same spot during about 10 seconds, just in front of the pumping station.

I can't wait until I get to go fishing again after work!!!

Great stuff, tight lines for tonight.

 

[Mepps4me]

Well done sewinboy , great report. A good indication whether fish are being caught is the number of cars on the railway pool at Whitemill. There must have been a dozen cars there earlier.
Catch returns at the end of the year will be interesting. It seems that the Tywi is having a good run of salmon and sewin.

 

[willies62]

Tywi seems pretty dire judging by no fish showing, few being caught and shortage of cars along the river. Did see two move one day but they were the first seen for three months.

 

[Sewinboy]

The lower river has been too high to fish for the last 2 weeks, and it’s rising again after last night’s rain. It’s likely to be out of action for another week. With the night’s drawing in and the evenings period after work very short, it not likely that I will get out again this season. Tight lines for all that venture out.

 

[Aled]

Had an hour before dark this evening, fished a bunch of worms as much for "old times sake" as in the expectation of catching a fish. Caught nothing, and I saw one rather red sewin jump and that was it.
Tight Lines
Aled