Welsh Wild Carp

[Kingfisher]

The Welsh are a secretive bunch. I've lived and fished here for over 30 years and I know full well, most farmers don't speak of fish that they know of to just anyone. Treat them Freindly and loosen their tongues with a few beers and you'll often open up a wealth of information on the whereabouts of pools containing Wild Carp. Sometimes pools of such neglect that they've never even seen another Angler. I fear time may be running out for some of these pools. The otter population has got a firm foothold in Wales now and some of the pools I speak of have only been found to hold Wild carp because of Carcases found on their banks.

Happily, the likes of LlynGwyn and Pant-y-Llyn, well known to hold maybe some of the wildest strains of carp in Britain are widely visited by Anglers daily. I think this may just keep the otter away. These two venues are probably the best known for their wild carp, I know of others but prefer to keep them secret for the time being and I'm always on the lookout for new places containing them.

I spoke to a farmer yesterday, his brother owns a lake with Carp in, so I'll be making investagative phone calls to him soon, in the hopes of securing another venue nearby.

I'll leave you with this excerpt from the Rhayader Angling Associations website (They own the fishing rights at LlynGwyn) Pant-y-Llyn is a Wye and Usk foundation water and can be found on their website.


May fishing report for LlynGwyn.

May proved to be another fruitful month for fishing at Llyngwyn with an abundance
of bag limits being caught. Dean Humphreyes of Llandrindod Wells had four fish
for 9lb 4oz, R.Morris of Hereford had four fish for 10lb with the largest weighing
3.5lbs and Don Griffiths of Hirwaun had four fish for 8.5lbs, the largest weighing
3.25lbs.
The larger trout specimens of the lake seemed to elude our anglers this month
until Mr. Terry Kerr of Llaithddu was left stumped when hooked what at first he
believed to be a log. It wasn't until his line started racing across the lake that he
realised what he had just hooked. After a gruelling 45 minute battle he played
his prey to the side of the boat only to realise that he had caught a 25 lb Carp,
captured on a small 'Black Gnat' fly on an 8lb fluorocarbon cast.
The other anglers in attendance couldn't believe what they had witnessed.

I used to fly fish LlynGwyn. Many of the fly fishermen see the carp as a pest, they are incredibly easy to fool with a fly and they are seldom fished for with coarse tactics.

Most coarse fishermen here have no interest in fishing for a smaller strain of carp such as wildies, so LlynGwyn until now has been fished primarily for it's trout. Things are about to change.........watch this space!

[Kingfisher]

I've got a couple of visitors here camping in the field down below our house.

One of them is a forum member/moderator.....Stuart (SK) and the other is Nigel Fennel Hudson.

We will be off to LlynGwyn in the morning early in search of "bars of gold"....wildies.

Hence, Watch this space. Photos to follow with a bit of luck.

[J.T]

Looking forward to your report Kingfisher!

[GazTheAngler]

Lucky manKingfisher two chaps I would love to fish with.

Good luck in your wildie quest.

Gaz

[Estaban]

Enjoy the adventure, looking forward to reading the details.

[Woolly Bear]

Matt , tight lines and bendy cane chaps . kindest regards . Woolly Bear .

[Kingfisher]

Thanks Gents.

I offered to put Stu and Fennel up for a few days because stuart had told me over the phone that he and Fennel wanted to come over and catch Wild Carp.



Our hunt started today at LlynGwyn. It was scorching hot and there was a chance that we may get these mini torpedos taking crust.
We set about our bussiness at around 9am. I was first into a fish and a lean wildie was landed photographed and returned to it's home.




No sooner had I returned my fish and Stuart was into one.







More to follow.

[Kingfisher]

My report would have and should have been longer but those wildies Had worn me out. Stu could not beleive their fighting speed and upon hooking his first, it tore line from his reel and shot through a 15 yard bed of lillies. His face said it all, as he stood there Gob-smacked.
This is both Stuart and Fennel's first trip to LlynGwyn and they loved the place. The scenery is stunning, it's a little slice of heaven set in the hills away from the Rat Race. This is where time really does stand still.





Don't listen to Stu or Fennel if they tell you That I was a lazy Angler on the day. They've been winding me up asking if I'd fallen asleep whilst fishing. I hadn't of course, I was throwing out small bits of bread continuously using the wind to bring the fish in and it was working well. at one point I was no more than 4ft away from a carp and using the lakes rush fringe as cover. This meant that I had to stay low and laying down was the only way.
Even the trout Anglers were asking stu and fennel if their mate had fallen asleep.
Talking of trout Anglers, they really were nice to us and I think it shocked them a bit to see vintage rods on their lake when sage or Orvis fly rods were the "Norm".

Stu ever the enterprising Angler wanted to catch a carp on sweetcorn off the bottom. He found a little channel where the carp were passing through from time to time and baited a trap there. It paid off and he was soon into another miniature torpedo.




By now I was getting frustrated with these carp. They had started to be fussy and were now smashing "Bass style" into the bread crusts trying to break bits off. This resulted for me anyway, in numerous missed takes. I ended up with just the one carp but that was enough for me on a day where I was treated to a display of fine Angling by stu. He was like a kid with a new toy and I think has found another passion after the big fish scene.

I'm leaving Stu and Fennel to fish Pant-y-Llyn today whilst my Garden gets a much needed weeding and then tomorrow we'll hopefully return to LlynGwynn for round 2. My set up was just a Guru QM1 hook on the line and although this worked I need the added weight of a controller for casting. I'll also try dog biscuit for them too because of the way they were smashing the crusts and becoming fussy.

We returned last night from LlynGwyn around 7pm and decided to go and try my river, stu trotting, fennel and myself on fly rods. Small trout were rising everywhere and producing good sport. The grayling were quite elusive. We caught nothing more than small trout but it was fun. Stu got a bite as he trotted down a long glide on sweetcorn "something new for this river"! Then we decided to show Stu how to fly cast....He's a natural.

We retired for the night back to camp Bastion "My name for it". Fennel cooked us a curry which seemed to have repocussions on Stu's Bowells. Whilst rummiging through the supply tent he let off for a good five seconds. Fennel thought he was in his words "Using a mallard to play as a Bag pipes" whilst I'd originally thought the noise was the tent zip being done up. Stu might be good at fishing but He's rubbish at camping, he bought a self inflating air bed and because he couldn't get it to work he pumped it up himself...much to fennels enjoyment and then when it was pumped up it turned out to be a kids one and was no more than 4ft in length .

I'd put their tent on the flattest ground I could find and it's on a slight incline, so they were sliding down hill in their sleep. I've offered to help move the tent but neither of them seemed duly bothered and decided to leave it as it's a good talking point and brought a few laughs. This has really turned out to be a truly enjoyable weekend amongst three very good freinds.
I was touched when I opened an envelope given to me by fennel. it contained a certificate making me a freind of the priory "Nigel's website". I'm truly honoured.

[AndyB]

Great report Kingfisher and well done to Stu and Fennel. Those Welsh wildies look stunning as does LlynGwyn.

[Mark]

A lovely write up, well done chaps.