Medi out to finish on a high
THE captain of Wales’s youth fly-fishing team is relishing the honour of leading her country in international competition — and sad to be in her final year at youth level after having made many friends from across Wales.
Seventeen-year-old Medi Treharne comes from Llangennech, near Llanelli, and started fly-fishing five years ago under the tuition of her dad Craig at Garnffrwd Fishery, near Drefach, Cross Hands, where he has fished since it opened back in 1984.
“This is where I learned all my craft of fly-fishing,” she recalls, “finding it extremely challenging to begin with, but my father was great at teaching me and he taught me very quickly how to get the knack of it.
“I caught some very big browns and rainbow trout, the biggest one being 15lb from Garnffrwd Lake, and this is where it all started as I was asked to fill in for the Welsh youth team up in Scotland in 2015.”
Having thoroughly enjoyed the experience of winning her first Welsh cap, Medi was determined to continue to fish for Wales, and she has always been successful at the annual Welsh youth trial held on Llyn Clywedog in Mid Wales every September.
“I’ve been very lucky to have made it through each trial to fish for Wales, gaining five Welsh caps in total, but I was absolutely thrilled to bits back in November up in Bala to discover that I was selected by our team manager Cheryl Bullman to be captain of the Welsh youth team for 2019, which will be my final year as a youth international.
“This is a massive privilege, such an honour to be captain for Wales, and it took me a while for it all to sink in.
“As sad as I am that this will me my last year in youth, I will be finishing exactly where I won my first Welsh cap in 2015, in Scotland, and I am hugely looking forward to it all in July.
“My father also taught me fly-tying, which took a while, but I managed to win numerous competitions through fly-fishing magazines and have also have been extremely lucky to have done many articles in a few magazines too.
“I also enjoy river fishing and my favourite place is on the banks of the Towy and this is where my father (again!) taught me all his tactics on how to fish and catch sewin (sea trout) at night here.
“I caught one on my very first time of trying. It was a different style of fishing but what a fantastic experience it is catching one of these fish, that are mostly fished at night. It’s great fun!
“The best experience for me flyfishing is the anglers. I have made so many friends over the years, it’s a wonderful family-like sport.
“My ambition is to help get as many youngsters as possible out in nature’s space, teach them fishing or to get their parents, uncles, brothers or friends to teach them fishing. I want others to experience what I have.
“I would like to say a huge thank you to my father for introducing me to fly-fishing and for teaching me all his secrets.
“Hopefully we can do Wales very proud in July and I am able to get the team to go one better than we did back in 2015 when I fished Lake of Menteith for that very first time when coming second overall, winning silver for Wales.”