The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Matt. According to the Brecon and Monmouthshire Canal website, it is still open. I will do a recci soon because I know that the canal suffered a break in the wall at some point a couple of years ago and was drained for repair but I don't know whether Llangynidr was affected. I will let you know

Many Thanks Jim, I'd love to find a place quite near with some big perch in.

Trediton barton was a well known pond to me also,very good for surface fishing and one of the few places where you could bag up with small tench.I also fished Crafthole a few times,absolutely crammed with small carp as it sits in a sheltered valley where the carp bred easily.That trudge back up the hill with all your fishing tackle was a killer!

SparrowHawk wrote:Trediton barton was a well known pond to me also,very good for surface fishing and one of the few places where you could bag up with small tench.I also fished Crafthole a few times,absolutely crammed with small carp as it sits in a sheltered valley where the carp bred easily.That trudge back up the hill with all your fishing tackle was a killer!

I know what you mean about the walk up hill at Crafthole....actually this got me thinking as i remember seeing a write up in my school library about Crafthole ..

this gentleman was talking about how he fished there and in particular one carp .this carp was called Bumpy [or similar ].....and i recall how he went about catching it and so on.....it wasn`t the biggest fish,but for Kernow at the time it was ! Think it went around 15lb .wish i could remember the name of the book as any book on Cornish carping back then would be interesting....

Re Tredidon..... I used to fish for the tench along the wall ,just past the wooden fence / style you had to climb over...

do you remember the `blue boat` and `Tintagel three wheeler man`.........RIP...........and Tom Stone from Egloskerry....

Everytime i think about Tredidon i get a lump in my throat.....loved that place.....

Kath used to bring down cream/jam scones for me and Tom every new years eve .It became tradition.....

i started my carping on there proper..! I always remember using or trying to use my old Heron heads and washing up liquid bottle indicators....made loads of friends there....some still fish !! Also remember `Piperspool`....is called that for a reason especially if you like wildies...................

Some of you may recall The Fishing Race series back in the seventies where the contestants fished some unusual venues.
I recall Terry Eustace fishing for carp under Spagetti Junction and Ian Gillespie I think managed to gain entry to London Zoo to bag a Piranha.

Wandle,there's a brief mention of a deformed crafthole fish in Robin Armstrongs book,split cane and sable.He mentions that he catches it 11 times.
When me and my mate fished it,the place was over run with small fish and all the old fish were starting to suffer as a result.It went from being the kind of place where you could get 4 or 5 double figure fish in a day to a complete nightmare,any bait was attacked by hoards of starving carp,like a scene from a piranya horror movie.We resorted to making 2 inch diameter boilies and fishing with maple peas threaded onto 2/0 aberdeen sea fishing hooks,we still caught 2/3 pound fish.It was a shame to see such a nice fishery spoiled like that,we think that it was as a result of a couple of hot years where the carp spawned and the fry survived unusually well

Sparrowhawk,i will look out for that book thanks..

I also remember about Crafthole being over run ,i cant put this anyway other but ..............even human spittle was taken off of the top,which was not good ..

We moved on ......there was also a bit in the letters pages about it once,in Carpworld and the bailiff at the time was not a happy laddy as he was doing his best..........coupla lads in the village had the `secret`even though it is not a secret .....

During the early eighties, I used to work on board the TSMV Lochiel which was moored at Bristol Docks. It had been turned into a floating bar/restaurant and was a very busy place to work during the summer months. After lunch, the leftover and unsold food was thrown overboard for the fish. Bread, sausages, cold meat, cheese etc was collected into a large bucket and 'splash', as the food hit the water, a maniacal flurry of activity followed as the fish fought for the food on its descent into darkness fifty feet below. The flash of silver fish on the surface was an extraordinary sight. Some seemed enormous. Although this was during my self imposed sabitical from fishing, I knew I had to have a try for some of the fish. I only fished it the once, on a quiet sunday, on borrowed tackle and freelining being my tactic. As I threw some bread offerings into the area I knew the fish would be expecting free food, the water erupted with a frenzied period of splashing. Immediately, I caught a Roach of well over a pound, maybe two. and this was followed by many many others until the bites slowed. I fished a bit lower in the water and then caught a large Eel on cheese. This was followed by another and another and the bites were instant and regular. After about an hour, I got fed up with catching a fish a chuck, even though they were superb specimen fish. An unforgetable day but hardly a challenge. Sometimes it can be too easy (but not very often).

JimmyBobkin wrote: ..................................and the bites were instant and regular. After about an hour, I got fed up with catching a fish a chuck, even though they were superb specimen fish. An unforgetable day but hardly a challenge. Sometimes it can be too easy (but not very often).

I wish it was 'too easy' much more often

An dismantled gas holder in Beckton. Left a big brick lined very deep hole with water in it. Full of Rudd.

I never fished. I just fed the Rudd with bread (it would have been too easy) it but others did as I saw a big Rudd towing a float.