THE DEMISE OF THE ELVERS

Late 70,s living  the Wye Valley, it  was  an annual spring bounty to go down the river, it was a right for locals to go to the river and catch elvers in the spring. The quote then  was , "Elvers in May stink in a day"  indicating the end of the fishing.  It was of course  the elvers were no longer usable as food and past their best.

You could fashion a  "net " out of some old net curtain , and a couple of hazel sticks, This time of year, March and April, you could go down the river  in the evening , go and look at the tide push . you knew the tide times,   Arrowsmiths Tables. Decide where you fancied fishing , go to the pub for a game of Pool and a couple of pints. Down the river , bucket and your net and catch a good feed. If you had a good night , you sell a few pressed and have another free night out at the pub.  the river was alive with elvers, great snakes of them . On the tide push as dusk fell, you could see them making their way up river, and as the tide flattened and turned they ran to the bank sides , swimming against the run off, until they tired and dropped to the bottom , to wait for the next tide push, They even ran in the day tides.

Then Welsh Water  somehow got control of the Wye, they asked for a free licence  to be applied  for those fishing for elvers .

you should   (note the wording ) have one to fish .

Well within 2 years , a nominal Fee was placed on the licence.

Then along comes the NRA (National Rivers Authority) to take over from the Welsh Water , which becomes a Water Authority, selling water and disposing of effluent . Where is this going you may ask .  

Commercial buying of elver fry blossomed , there was money to made from the river, licences were being granted willy nilly.

Locals applied to the NRA to limit the licences , stop this expansion, NO,  fishery officers for the NRA argued , "everyone has the right to fish. 

100,s turned up on the lower Wye every tide night, lining the bank from below Tintern   to the Florence Weir above Bigsweir .

The rivers were raped of fry, sold all over the world , vast sums of money changed hands.

The eel population was virtually wiped out.

The NRA became the EA and that has been sub divided to become The NRW.

Thanks to Peter Wright.

                                               MORE ON THE TEST.

My first day on the Test gillieing for my Boss.  I was Mayfly time  which a big hatch going on. Fish rising under a bush taking mayflys with gusto.   The fly was cast at it and it virtually shouldered the naturals out of the way and took it.   A long fight followed but eventually the fish neared the net.

I saw the fish, looked at my small folding net and thought "It,s not going to go in there".

Well with a bit of s struggle it did.  It weighed 9lb 8ozs.  The next fish was 7lb 6ozs and the last of the morning 6lb 7ozs.   These were brown trout which were stocked into the river from the hatchery run by Mike Lunn.  Big rainbows to double figures were stocked too.

It was all a little artificial but at the time it was something different.  Not sure if this still goes on.

There was quite a good size bag limit allowed per day and the gutting room was full of fish.  Some anglers dumped them on the slab, took one and asked Mike to get rid of the rest.  Catch and release -don't think so.