Hows it Fishing 2023

Wildlife at the Fishery

The start of 2023 and the wild life continues to surprise and impress .

05.012024
Happy New Year to you all.
As the weather has been so awful it is not a surprise that the Christmas period has been very quiet. I did howver mage to take a few pictures of which I decided to share with you.

16.12.2023
Considering the water in both lakes is so clear we have had some good catches in the recent couple of weeks.
An angler who used the top lake to target the perch has had a successful couple of days even if the biggest perch of the day did get off his hook. Geoff another regular also visited this week to target perch on the bottom lake. He however gave up after carp moved into his swim and he decided to fish for them instead. He ended the day with 6 excellent commons . Bernard who was fishing the opposite bank only caught 3 commons but it shows that the warmer weather quickly brings the carp back on the feed after a bit of a lull during the frosty nights we had recently.
30.11.2023
Its a quiet time of year with the shorter days and also the weather conditions have not been brilliant either. It has gone from being very wet for most of the month to being cold frosty and crisp at the end of the month.
That said we have had some excellent fishing and one match during November. The match where only 5 anglers turned up was eventually won by Brian with 12 plus kilos. He also failed to land 3 carp, this is not unusual as the match anglers do fish with very light lines , in this case i blieve it was only 3lb hook length. As usual all the anglers weighed in their nets which goes towards their league total.
Mathew and Dan also had a great time on the top lake recently . The pictures below are two of the best carp of the day.

13.11.2023
Its been a mixed month with very few dry sunny days to tempt the anglers out. That said those that have arrived have had decent catches. Mathew a regular on the top lake has has very good results with his biggest carp at 16lb .6 ozs. His best day up there he caught 10 carp but two days later only 2 carp. With winter fast approaching and the days getting shorter the number of anglers will get less. Those that do venture out will target perch and silver fish which are always plentiful. Those who target carp will need to uise smaller baits and lighter tackle. To be honest lighter tackle is great sport as you need to play the fish to enable you to land them. Trying to bully hte carp in will not work as one angler found to his cost on Saturday when his hook straightened completely and he lost the carp !

Also this last week we had Geoff, a regular angler arrive and he had several small perch in the morning to keep him interested but it was only after 1.30 pm that other fish moved into his swim. He then caught a sizeable number of roach using bread flake with a few of them around the 1lb mark. He finished his day with 4 carp when using dog treats as bait. The largest was 9lb.2 oz.
Dusk and its only 5 pm.

May be an image of kookaburra, woodpecker, kingfisher and text that says "I don't know much about birds but I can easily identify the husband in this picture"

20.10.2023
It has been a fairly quiet week at fishery but the hardy angler who have ventured out have caught plenty of fish, carp in paticular are feeding well , no doubt fattening up ready for the colder winter months. Roach, rudd and perch are as always being caught with some decent size fish amongst them.

12.10.2023
It has been a bit quieter with anglers recently but those who have ventured out have all had decent days. carp are feeding happily if you use the correct tactics . A couple of nice tench caught and plenty of smaller perch for those who have fished for them. Below I have added a few tips for fishing for perch without resorting to using lures.

Bait fishing is a popular method for catching perch. Perch can be caught using worms, maggots, prawns,. A good tactic is to feed plenty of worms and then use worm or maggot as hookbait over the top of where the loose feed was introduced. It’s important to keep the bait moving to attract the attention of the fish. You can also use a float to keep the bait at a specific depth in the water column.

When fishing with bait, it’s important to use the right equipment. A light rod with a sensitive tip is ideal for detecting bites from perch. You’ll also need a reel with a smooth drag system to prevent the fish from breaking your line. Use a hook that’s small enough to fit in the perch’s mouth but strong enough to handle its sharp teeth. When using worm or maggots, try threading them ontothe hook so they're les likely to fall off when casting. With these tips in mind, you should be able to catch some perch using bait fishing techniques.

28.09.2023
I dont normally have many pictures from the top lake but Nichola and her partner, who were on holiday in the area, sent me these recently along with the following message.
"From the first week In September when we visited from the Midlands. Thank you again for having us.
Your fishery is stunning."
It is interesting that these carp were caught on the Monday after the Pembrokeshire Piscatorial decided to try the top lake for thier Sunday league match. During that match they struggled to catch any carp, below is the report I put on our Facebook page from that match.
"The recent Pembrokeshire Piscatorial match for this month was held on the top lake. The very hot clear, sunny day meant that the carp were very shy with only four or five being hooked, and only two caught. However the silvers fished well with the eventual winner taking 16.8 kilos of them and no carp in his bag."
The fishing during this has been brilliant with loads of quality fish being caught. It is normal for the fish to feed well during the Autumn as natural feed gets less and they are trying to put on some weight to see them through the winter

14.09.2023
Sorry, but Its been a while since my last update, not only has it been a busy period but a change of internet provider did not go as smoothly as we had hoped .
It has been a busy month or so, plenty if carp and silvers being caught but then that unusually hot weather in early September changed the catch rate slightly . Maybe I should say the angling tactics needed changing . Carp were happily basking during the hottest part of the day but would only feed in early morning or evening.
The recent Pembrokeshire Piscatorial match for this month was held on the top lake. The very hot clear, sunny day meant that the carp were very shy with only four or five being hooked, and only two caught. However the silvers fished well with the eventual winner taking 16.8 kilos of them and no carp in his bag.

07.08.2023
Good fishing over the last few weeks with plenty of carp being caught to double figures. The top lake continues to be a bit a more challenging for carp possibly due to the lay out of the bottom of the lake which is more uneven and clearer water and shallower water close to the banks. Silvers are catching well in both numbers and size in both lakes.
The first picture is one of the many roach Terry caught on his last visit, you certainly do not get many of these to the pound.
The second picture is one of a stunning dragon fly that we see around the lakes.

17.07.2023
Good fishing at the moment carp and silvers are catching well. Its been a strange year with the perch with only a few of them being caught. The lager perch continue to be elusive but just lately the smaller ones are being caught again. If anyone can shed light on why this happens please let me know.
Some interesting pictures the first is just our friendly squirrel the others I took with a night vision heat seeking camera

25.06.2023
Plenty of fish being caught with a healthy mix of carp and silvers. The tench are being caught, some up to a pound and in very good condition. Last evening a grass carp was caught the first I have seen this year.
Visitors who stay on site have enjoyed the recent warm dry weather , not only have they benefited from fishing until dark but also are amazed at the variety of wild life they see at the fishery.

02.06.2023
It has been a busy few weeks in the run up to the May Bank Holiday. The fishing has certainly been mixed the silvers and perch have been plentyful. However the carp have been spawning and as such have gone from been caught in great numbers , Trish ended up with 20 plus one day. The following week she struggled to catch. It appears that with the spawing over it is back to fishing as normal. Carp are happily feeding on both pellet and floating baits. Our Fujka wafters bait isworking well as is
Spam luncheon meat .
Below are a few of the fish that Trish caught recently and one of a couple who had never fished before . They hired some tackle and after some brief tuition from Hannah they landed their very first carp. As you can see they were pretty excited about it all.

10.05.2023
Great Sunday morning with these two extremely excited anglers. They were staying at the nearby Bluestone resort, and they decided to try fishing, an experience that they had never tried before. Taking advantage of our tackle hire and some expert tuition from Hannah, they soon caught their first ever fish. An 8lb common carp! Even granny back in London got involved via the Goggle live feed technology. Well done guys it really made our day.
Other pictures are of Rhodri and Archie who both got in on the act in the swims alongside us.

02.05.2023
It was a good match on Sunday with the anglers who targeted the carp coming out on top. It was hardly surprising when you can land carp bags of this quality.
The winning weight was over 26 kilo made up of 21 kilos of carp and and additional 5 kilo of silvers with a couple of tench thrown in. Second place also had a 20.5 carp bag . Interestingly from the opposite side of the lake.

19.04.2023
Always nice to have some positive feedback, this copy of an email I received recently.
Dear Huw,
Thank you for two wonderful days fishing at Llyn Carfan, over Easter. This has been my first time fishing, after a 20 year break, and I was delighted to catch numerous fish, but in particular a common carp on the 4th April (picture provided) and a beautiful rudd on the 13th April (picture provided). Both fish were caught on a waggler float setup. The carp fell to bread paste and the rudd to a chunk of luncheon meat, hooked as you showed me. Unfortunately my scales were rusty from 20 years of neglect so I can’t give you specific weights, but feel free to use the photographs to promote the fishery if you wish.
Regards
Iwan
With the weather getting warmer these last few days the fish are very actively feeding and moving around. This is always good for if you dont catch at least you see them! Both lakes are fishing well so why not dust of tackle and come along and give it a try. As an added bonus we are currently holding our day ticket prices at 2021 /22 level.

06.04.2023
The weather for this weekend is very promising, why not dust of your tackle and try a bit of fishing.

From Tuesday 11th April the Council Highways department, will be doing essential maintenance of the road from the junction off the Whitland , Lampeter Velfrey Rd. This is on the narrow road for the final mile until it reaches the fishery. We are told it will be open but with long delays. I would advise everyone to travel from Whitland up to Tavernspite. Go straight up to through the village and turn right along side the last bungalow, this road will lead you back down to us, just follow the signs for LLyn Carfan Coarse Fishing.
Presently we have no idea how long this work will last.

29.03.2023
Sorry but it has been a while since I updated. Although during the month of March it has been quieter than usual, mainly due to the weather conditions which has been awfully wet and windy.
However during the month we have had another successful Piscatorial match and the day ticket anglers that have fished here have all caught well. It has been noticable that some large roach and rudd have been caught from the bottom lake. Also some decent carp to 12lbs. Mathew has continued his fine form by catching some excellent carp from the top lake.

(Evening David,
You left an incorrect eamil address with your query I have posted my reply below.
We do not run a club, the fishery is day ticket only. Your welcome to call and have look or fish it anytime.
The posting I place about a club match is because the Pembrokeshire Piscatorial Club use our lake for some of it's league matches. They are based in Camrose. I think you will find them if you want to join them by searching for on Facebook.
Regards
Huw)

24.02.2023
We are already nearly into March and spring is almost here. Although in the last couple of days the weather has turned notably cooler again, but at least the carp have started to patrol and look for food again.
The recent silver fish match went well with all anglers catching and weighing in. It started with the far end promising a good day anglers on those pegs started briskly with top quality roach being landed. However their enthusiasm was short lived and by 12.oclock the swims went very quiet and remained that way until the end of the match. The pegs at the other end continued to fish all day and that is where the three top weights came from. 1st 8.75 kilos, 2nd 6.75 kilos and 3rd 6.25 kilos.

10.02.2023
Always something to see at the fishery, this was a spectacular sunset just the other evening. Its been fairly quiet on the angler numbers which is not really surprising for the time of year. Those hardy souls who have ventured out have all caught fish, mainly silvers and perch but with the odd carp in the mix. This Sunday the of 12th February there will be another Pembrokeshire Piscatorial Match , this time a silvers only, held on the bottom lake. The weather promises to be favourable and hopefully the catch rate will be reasonable with bags like the one below.

Fishing Report 11.01.2023

Sunday's match was won with this bag of silver fish and if you look carefully a small tench. The bag weighed in at 13.3 kilos. Second place was taken with the 8 kilo bag of carp. Well done all who braved some awful weather while setting up, although it did get a little better during the day it remained very chilly .

03.01.2023
As it is just a few days into 2023 there is very little to report on. Yesterday the 2nd of January and anglers had decided to blow the cobwebs away with a day on the bank. They were blessed with some unseasonable warm weather. I did not speak with all but I did see a few carp caught on the bottom lake. Also a few perch and several silvers. I am waiting to hear from the anglers who tried the gin clear water on the top lake. What I can tell you that the carp recently have been very active in late afternoons, unusually so, for January , normally I do not see them feeding as readily until Mid to late February, even that is dependent on how mild it is.

06.01.2323
As promised Mathew has now sent me a report on their recent day on the top lake.
"Wayne had a 2lb perch and a 9.5lb carp off the top on bread! Chris had a dozen perch and roach to 1.5lb and I had about 30 small perch.....a good day. Got photos if you need them.