Fishing is more expensive than ever, to the point where an increasing number of anglers are being priced out of wetting a line in many of the UK’s best venues.
But one South Wales angling club offers fishing not only on one of Britain’s most unique lakes, but also on a prime stretch of the River Wye, plus a little-known carp water holding fish over 30lb, and the intimate River Rhymney, where you’ll find specimen grayling — all this for the price of a long weekend at some day-ticket waters!
Known throughout the UK for their fishing in Caerphilly Castle Moat, where some of the sport’s biggest names have targeted carp against the backdrop of a 13th-century castle, Clubmate member Caerphilly & District Anglers Association (CDAA) could quite easily charge several hundred pounds for a membership there. Instead, to fish there and access all their other waters, it costs just £80.
What’s more, they’ve done great work to encourage local kids to fish and are currently on the lookout for new waters so they can continue to develop as a club.
We caught up with vice chairman, Brendan Adair, and treasurer, Owain Rees, to gain an insight into managing fishing on an ancient castle moat and to learn of their other, lesser-known, waters.
Growth and change
The club has changed significantly since being founded in the late 1940s, both in terms of its size and the angling opportunities it offers.
“The moat always used to be a match venue, even when I started fishing it in the 1990s,” Owain told us.
“There were only a few carp in the lake then, and silverfish were the main stocks. Cormorants arrived and wiped most of those out, so we focused more on carp, and it’s from there that the club has really grown.
“Eight years ago, we had about 200 members – now we’ve got 600. Clubmate’s system has made us more efficient as a bigger club.”
CDAA offers memberships in gold (£80), silver (£50) and bronze (£20) tiers, with gold giving access to their iconic castle lake.
“We’ve limited these to 250 – we could have had 2,000 if we’d wanted, or increased the price – but we’re a club, not a money-making scheme,” Brendan explained.
“This is a disenfranchised area, and we don’t want to make the fishing inaccessible to local people.
“Gold membership isn’t totally closed, though, and each year, when people don’t renew, those places are offered to existing silver members as an upgrade.”
Junior development
Although known nationwide, CDAA maintains strong links with the local area.
“We’re affiliated with Tony’s Tackle in Caerphilly, and support local kids,” Owain added.
“There aren’t enough small fish in the lake for them to target, so it’s carp they start with. It’s a steep learning curve, and there have been some brilliant juniors coming through the ranks.
“We run junior carp days with Simon Ursell, whose efforts have blown us away, with trophies and tackle giveaways for the kids. Additionally, we host a pike fishing day, where kids have the chance to target these predators and to learn how to unhook them safely.”
There’s good demand for junior fishing in the area – the club currently have 68 members aged between 12 and 16 – but numbers are limited by the availability of certified coaches.
“Angling Cymru don’t have the capacity to train coaches and, because the Angling Trust are an English organisation, it’d mean sending members over the border to gain qualifications,” Brendan explained.
“But we’re working on a solution, as well as purchasing a new venue where kids can floatfish and get regular bites, then build up from there.”
Grayling first-timers
The club hosted a ‘come and try’ grayling fishing day on their stretch of the River Rhymney last winter, which highlighted what’s possible with the support in place.
“Kids and their parents who’d never caught a grayling before were involved, some of whom have gone on to fish for them independently,” Brendan added.
“We’ll run another day like that this winter, as well as a similar session on the Wye, targeting chub and barbel.”
While it doesn’t include the castle, anglers taking out silver membership gain access to a superb range of fishing.
“We have a prime stretch of the River Wye at Wyesham, and while it can only be fished between October and March, it’s a long stretch in unspoilt countryside, and contains barbel, chub and big pike,” Owain revealed.
Additionally, the club have miles of fishing on the Rhymney, with its enticing pools, riffles and glides.
“Grayling close to 3lb have been caught here, and there are also brown trout, sea trout and salmon, plus the odd barbel,” Brendan explained.
“The Rhymney can be fished on our bronze membership for just £20 a year, which is fantastic value for the quality and length of fishing on offer.”
One for the future
Perhaps the club’s most promising water is Semtex Lake, which has, over the last five years, been transformed by the club.
“This nine-acre mining pond is silty, historic, and home to carp over 30lb, along with pike, tench and silverfish,” Brendan revealed.
“Nobody associates the lake with the club and, while I don’t think it’ll ever be as busy as the castle, I think it could one day overtake it in terms of the fishing it has to offer.
“The stocks are growing rapidly, and once there are a few more big fish, it’ll become far more popular. There are exciting times ahead here and for the club as a whole,” he added.
