October Catch Report

October Catch Report

 Autumn is now in full flow and with that comes plenty of opportunities for anglers to catch a variety of different species, whether that be in salt or freshwater. Sea anglers have been treated to an early run of cod, with rays, congers and other species still being caught in large numbers. For fly anglers, the river season is over for trout, but the still waters & grayling have been keeping our customers busy! We've also had a great mixture of reports from coarse & lure anglers both in the UK & abroad. Enjoy our October round up below for plenty of reports!

Fly Fishing

 Luke Gator has been putting in plenty of hours recently on the fly and he's been reaping the rewards. After visiting us in-store to purchase a new Hardy Ultralite 7wt, set up with a grand elite line, Luke landed this stunning 7lb sparctic which was stalked at Dever Springs.

 Ceri Thomas and the Fishing in Wales team are joined by our customers, Welsh international fly anglers Kyle Cheshire & Nathan Gittings as they visit the River Rhymney  in South East Wales on the Royal Oak angling club water. This post-industrial river now produces fantastic grayling fishing, in addition to trout, salmon and sea trout. What's more, the river is very easy to access and inexpensive to fish.  

 Anglers have been enjoying the extended season on Llyn Frongoch, which runs until the end of this month. This stunning location near Aberystwyth offers plenty of sport from hard fighting rainbows and brown trout, which often take  dry flies in this mild weather.  For more information about this fishery, make sure you take a look at Aberystwyth angling Association's website.

Coarse & Carp

 For the 2nd year running, the Colin Cook memorial match was held at the East Dock in Cardiff, otherwise known as ‘The Wharf’. Renowned for it's quality head of carp including the Welsh record, named Ebenaezer, the venue also holds a large stock of silverfish and quality bream into double figures, although they are not often fished for. In this years match there were plenty of respectful weights up to 70lb, but it was Andy Neal who ran away with the victory with a sublime weight of 107lb. Although Andy initially arranged a range of whip setups, his chosen peg was screaming to be fished on the method! Fishing over a mix of Sonubaits Special G gold & fine lake dark, Andy was attached to a big skimmer within minutes, with this form continuing throughout the session resulting with 53 skimmer/bream in total. 

Congratulations Andy, for winning a match that is close to many hearts in the Garry Evans team.

 Dead baiting for Pike is often the chosen tactic for targeting these magnificent creatures, especially as the temperatures begin to drop. A variety of baits can be used such as mackerel, herring, lamprey and many others, often depending on the venue. Known for it's stunning scenery set in the Brecon Beacons, Llangorse lake is South Wales' largest natural lake and a popular destination for pike anglers. In the picture below, Lloyd is holding an immaculate Llangorse Pike, caught using a whole smelt, fished under a 35g Fox slim slider float. 

 Koari Woodgate has been a regular customer of ours for years, who enjoys targeting specimen Carp, Barbel and bass. He recently stepped it up a notch and headed over to the River Ebro which is renowned for its quality carp and catfish. He was not disappointed, with plenty of action throughout the week, with the catfish pictured below being the highlight of the trip.  During the trip, Koari and the rest of his group landing catfish up to 188lb, carp to 40lb and a surprise Zander which tipped the scales at 11lb!

Spinning & Lure fishing

 As many of you may already know, October 1st traditionally marks the start of the winter pike season .If you're looking for some inspiration to get out after these toothy critters, join writer and explorer Will Millard who teamed up with  Fishing in Wales on the banks of the river Wye at Monmouth in search of a big river Pike!

 Jake Jones is well known for his all-round angling ability, whether he's chasing barbel or Pike on the River Wye or bass and pollack along the Welsh coast. His most recent trip was slightly further afield, with Morocco being the location for the week. Equipped with heavy duty lure outfits and plenty of sun cream Jake's target species was the Leerfish, a powerful predator which can reach 30kg in weight. In order to land these powerful beasts, The set up required consisted of the MajorCraft triple Cross 30-50g spin and the Penn Slammer VI loaded with heavy braid. The saltwater resistance that comes with the Slammer VI will give you the reassurance that your reel will be able to hold up to the wear & tear of any saltwater trip. 

Jakes perseverance paid off with numerous fish being enticed by an array of lures, just like the one in the image below caught on a Samson ‘fat minnow’. You can read the full review from Jake's action packed trip by clicking on the image underneath.

Sea Fishing

 October spoilt us with plenty of sea fishing competitions across Wales and other areas of the UK. Our very own Ben Beal managed to finish 5th in the seniors and 1st in the junior section at the 61st Penarth Open, with a codling and a conger eel for a combined weight of 3.52kg. Ben was also trying out his new Vass Hybrid waders which certainly held up to the test.

 For every angler that heads out during October, there is always a hint of hope and optimism that they may land one of the big cod that are lurking in the murky waters of the Bristol Channel. Black lug is often the go to bait, although some anglers look to use other baits such as peeler crab or squid. We received numerous reports of cod showing up and down the Bristol channel from late September and throughout October. One of the most noticeable catch report was this 12lb 10oz specimen caught by sea angling guide and Akios/Inova sponsored angler, Gareth Griffiths.

 The fishing has also been good on the English side of the channel recently. Father and son Duo Ben & Max Worsey made the trip over the bridge on the hunt for an early cod. It turned out to be fantastic session for the Worsey's landing 5 whiting, 2 flounder, 2 strap congers, 1 codling, 2 bass and a sliver eel! Max certainly put his new Penn Surfblaster III LC reel through it's paces during this session, which we currently have at the cheapest price across the UK. 

Young Max was chuffed to catch the target species amongst the others, however the bass pictured below was the highlight of the session, weighing 2lb 9oz. Well done both, keep up the good work!

 In recent years there have been increased reports of blue fin Tuna showing in British waters, with the Celtic deeps being a hot spot off the welsh coast of Pembrokeshire. In the article below which was reported by Fishing in Wales, you can read about the biggest rod and reel caught bluefin in British waters!

"A giant 900lb tuna has been caught in Welsh waters, the biggest fish recorded on rod and line. Simon Batey and friend Jason Nott caught the Atlantic bluefin tuna off the Pembrokeshire coast. The huge 9ft (2.82m) fish was caught, measured and then released while fishing in an area of the Irish Sea known as the Celtic Deeps, approximately 30 miles off the west Wales coast. During the hour-long struggle, Mr Batey passed the rod to Mr Nott, from Cwmaman, Rhondda Cynon Taf, while working with skipper Andrew Alsop. It was measured from the nose to the fork of the tail while a globally recognised formula then gives an approximate weight. Video of the fish below.

Andrew Alsop, of Rhoose, Vale of Glamorgan, captains one of only six boats in Wales licensed under the new tuna catch and release tagging (Chart) scheme.

Well done to everyone involved in bringing the Bluefin Tuna sport fishery to Wales! It is sure to be a big draw for angling tourism in the future. "

 The ray fishing reports have continued to pour in throughout October from all across Wales and beyond, with Blonde rays being caught in good numbers in particular.

TronixPro brand ambassador Mario Asprou went out to try his new 'competition Performance' rod from Tronix's new range on one of his local South Wales marks. It's fair to say both Mario and the new rod stood up to the test, landing 14 rays in just one action packed session!

 We hope you enjoyed his months catch report for October 2022. If you would like to feature in next months edition, don't hesitate to send us in your reports & pictures. We are always happy to hear your feedback, so feel free to give us your thoughts in the comments.

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Tight Lines,

The Garry Evans Team.