Fishing Wales: Golden Grove Instruction - Fishing Visit Wales

Golden Grove Sea Trout (Sewin) Courses for 2011 - River Towy

In 2011 we will again be hosting a number of three-day sea-trout fishing courses, complete with accommodation, on the Golden Grove Fishery on the River Towy in Carmarthenshire, Wales. Golden Grove is regarded as the best sea-trout fishing in the United Kingdom and the 2009 season alone produced over 500 sewin (as sea-trout are called in Wales) with an average weight of nearly four pounds, mostly caught on the fly, including twenty-two sewin over 10lb. Catching a double figure fish on a fly at night is regarded as the holy grail of sea-trout fishing and a lifetime's ambition for many. In 2008 Golden Grove produced a sewin of 21 lbs which is the largest caught in the UK for many, many years.

These are not purely theoretical courses but are designed to be intensive fishing experiences with a hands-on approach where all the participants will fish over three nights, conditions permitting, and have an excellent chance to hook fish. They are in prime times and there is every chance of encountering a real monster.

We will provide rods the chance to fish with professional guides at night whilst improving their casting and range of skills and giving them a better understanding of how to read water, approach and fish for sewin, and increase their chance of success.

The courses are designed both for those anglers who have already some experience with river fishing for sea trout, but want to improve their skills, and also for beginners who may have only fished for trout and/or salmon but not had the chance of experiencing night-time fly fishing for sewin.

Golden Grove is only an hour and a half from the Severn Bridge and is very accessible from London and all parts of the South and the Midlands.

The Towy is a large river and Golden Grove is very well maintained. Overhanging trees are not generally an issue. Access is very good and whilst wading is essential it is generally easy. Fishing is permitted in Wales on a Sunday (unlike Scotland) and midges/mosquitoes are very rare indeed (also unlike Scotland!).

The courses are limited to six rods each and you will be taught and looked after by Illtyd Griffiths and Jamie Harries.

Profiles of Course Tutors
Illtyd Griffiths is a professional fishing instructor and Chairman of The Association of the Advanced Professional Game Angling Instructors (AAPGAI) and a Master award holder in both Trout/Sea Trout and Salmon. Based near the Towy which remains his first love, he has fished for sea trout for over 50 years throughout the British Isles and also in Argentina.
He developed the Sewincaster flylines which were the first lines dedicated specifically for sea trout and these have become firm favourites with a great number of sea trout anglers.

Jamie Harris is the head ghillie on the Golden Grove Fishery aswell as being honoured as the current Captain of the Welsh fly-fishing team. As one of only two full time ghillies on the Towy he has an unrivalled knowledge of the water which he has fished for over 30 years. He is regarded as one of the best fly fishermen in the valley and uses his experience to guide rods throughout the season at Golden Grove. The number of successful and returning fisherman attest to his professionalism and ability.
Accommodation at the Plough Inn, Rhosmaen, Llandeilo.
Accommodation (B & B) is included in the price and is only a few miles from the Fishery in an excellent well-appointed hotel which is well used to the needs of fishermen. The rooms are quiet and set well back from the road and it has very good food. See www.ploughrhosmaen.com.
The accommodation has many facilities and is suitable for anglers who wish to bring their partners. For the non-fisher the Towy is a lovely Valley to explore with many castles (Dinefwr, Dryslwyn and Carreg Cennen) and the famous Aberglasney Gardens and The National Botanical Garden of Wales. The coast and beautiful beaches of the Gower are not far and the coast of Pembrokeshire can be reached in an hour or so.
Dates of Courses
27th -29th June 2011
24th 26th July 2011
14th -16th August 2011



Course participants should arrive at the Plough Inn at 3pm on the first day where Jamie and Illtyd will be there to greet them, to have a short meeting to allow everyone to get to know each other and to give up to date report on the river.
We will have a river walk to look at the beats on this first afternoon and there will be a chance for Illtyd to show the various casts which may be useful when fishing that night.
The anglers will return home after breakfast following the last night fishing i.e. Thursday July 1^st for the first course.

The courses will include:

·                          Three nights fishing on private beats, all double bank.

·                          Three nights accommodation (Bed and Breakfast).

·                          Full guiding and instruction. Rods will be guided until 2am (anglers will be able to fish on if they so wish).

·                          Casting demonstrations/instruction during the day.

·                          Reading pools and maximising one's chances of success.

·                          Tactical considerations.

·                          Tackle advice.

·                          Fly considerations and fly dressing.

·                          Day time fishing for sewin will be an option if the river is coloured after heavy rain and night time fishing is not advisdable.

Tackle:
The list is not exhaustive but is a good indicator. If you do not have some of the tackle requirements please let us know in advance and we will ensure that they are available:

·                          Rods of 9'6" - 10'6" AFTM rated 7 or 8

·                          Flylines: floaters, intermediates, sink tips or full sinkers i.e. Wet Cel 2 or equivalent AFTM 7 or 8.

·                          Nylon or fluorocarbon in 8, 10 and 12lb

·                          Flies of black and silver or blue and silver in sizes 6, 8 and 10 with tubes of 1 - 1.5" with double or treble hooks size 8, 10 and 12 and possibly some Waddington or tandem lures

·                          Chest waders (essential). Wading staff.

·                          Wet weather clothing - the weather in West Wales is very unpredictable even in June!

·                          Flask

·                          Torch (inc head torch)

·                          Eye protection or spectacles.

Some feedback from course participants last year:

Dear Illtyd and Jamie,

Many, many thanks to you for the course. To say I benefited from the three days would be an understatement. You’ve got the structure exactly right. To give you a little more detail:

On day one, it was great to watch you casting but more importantly you coached myself and the party so well, making it clear and understandable how to deliver a successful cast in night conditions. On the occasions when things did go wrong when I was actually on the river, you stepped in and rectified the fault, delivering instruction in a style that not only immediately improved the situation but also built my confidence back up.

I could see that the second day, when we were instructed on how to approach a night’s fishing, was building on what had been covered on the first day and night. No information overload, but pertinent points on matters such as tactics, depth control and casting angles to give just a few examples. It was great to hear that you do not see yourself as delivering inflexible principles, and encouraged us to think for ourselves based on the points you were making to us.

Everyone learned something new from the fly tying session, again delivered in a clear and understandable style.

Having been on the course, I won’t hesitate to recommend it to others. I came with no clue of how to fish for sea trout and went away feeling I had the tools to take myself forward. You build confidence. Over successive nights, I felt more comfortable being on the river at night and what I was learning was translating into better performance on the water. It is a testament to the quality of your instruction and the easy, friendly style with which you handle your clients.

Thanks again for a great course,

Mark Latham

Hi Illtyd, Jamie,

Back at work now unfortunately, but wanted to say thanks again for a great 3 days this week. I really enjoyed the course and the fishing, and it was one of the most exciting and satisfying fishing experiences I've ever had.

I think you provide a really good combination of theory and tuition with the practical hands-on guiding and fishing. I liked all the afternoon sessions, and thought this was a good use of time during the week (rather than sleeping!). The accommodation at the Plough was also excellent and they are very friendly and flexible (e.g. allowing wet waders in the laundry room to dry). I also really enjoyed the company of Nigel and Rob, and the mix of experience.

Overall it was an excellent experience and good value too. Hopefully I can find time to have some more nights on the Towy in future (babies permitting) - and will definately be in touch if I do.

All the best,

Alan Rogerson