Water temperature is just right for the trout
AT Papermill Fishery in Fforestfach the week fishing has been excellent over the past week or so.
The water temperature is 12.5C and this is a really good time to fish as they are chasing and looking at most flies. The takes are hard and they are fighting hard too.
The fishery has had three doubles out since last Sunday, which were all put back safely on catch and release. All were around 12lb-plus, and there have also been some lovely 5lb to 9lb fish caught as well.
Jonathan Ronan caught a superb 7lb 5oz rainbow trout on a damsel, Dennis Morris landed a lovely 5lb 10oz rainbow on a blue flash damsel, and Roy Rogers caught a cracking 9lb 9oz rainbow on a diawl bach, and more big fish are going in every week.
The best flies have been nymphs, buzzers, black and green, white and green and traffic light buzzers.
There are still a few places left for Papermill’s over-60s competition on December 4; ring 07814 741252 to book a spot.
Fly: Hywel Matthews, 3 fish, 9lb 11oz, caught on a black buzzer; Wayne Roberts, 4 fish, 12lb 8oz, taken on a green fritz; Fred Lewis, 3 fish, 15lb 3oz, caught on a diawl bach.
Meanwhile, Pembroke Dock-based Osprey Sea Angling Club’s annual open beach fishing competition at Amroth on October 7 was again blessed by good weather.
Again this year the fish turned up, with two golden grey mullet, an average number of in-size flounder and plenty of lesser spotted dogfish, as tends to happen most years.
Conditions did look good from the off, with a gentle breeze and a small surf running just enough to give coloured water on a sunny autumn day.
Sixty-seven anglers, including four women and three juniors (all boys), turned out to support the club. Roy Rogers landed this cracking 9lb 9oz rainbow trout on a diawl bach at Papermill Fishery, Fforestfach.
Twenty-three anglers, including one junior, weighed in 16 flounder, which was on a par with the last two years, two golden grey mullet and 14 lesser spotted dogfish, with many other dogs caught.
Other fish such as three-beard rockling weren’t caught this year.
The winner was Keith Williams from Milford Haven, not an Osprey member but a regular supporter of these open events. He caught three flounder for 1kg and 5gms.
Second, from Swansea, was another regular, Peter Evans, with a lesser spotted dogfish of 795gms, just beating another Swansea rod, Mike Watkins, who had a golden grey mullet, by 10gms out of the heaviest fish of the day for which second prize was up for grabs.
Third place was a tie between the winner two years ago, Osprey vicechairman Haydn Cole from Lamphey and Daniel Tucker from Milford, the son of last year’s winner, Shane. They had two flounder each for 705gms.
The top junior was Dan Fisher with a flounder of 300gms. The pairs competition was again won by Shane and his son Daniel with a bag of 2kg 315gms. Second in the pairs were Peter Evans and Kevin Hughes with 1kg 560gms.
The stewards’ draw was won by the Osprey president John O’connor.
The organisers thanked Ian Wilkinson of the Temple Bar Inn for accommodating the competitors, and club members and others who helped on the day, and also the sponsors who donated cash and raffle prizes.
Osprey Sea Angling Club has announced provisional dates for forthcoming competitions. They are January 6 for the Air Ambulance Open and January 20 for an open match to support the local RNLI, with a possible new charity open to support the Blood Bikes charity on February 17, though this may be better held in the autumn as catches tend to start falling off in February.