LATEST.     Another fish reported and for the benefit of Charlie H I will post the message as I received it.

"Another fish today from the Quarry Pool at Aramstone. After the 'rods' have flogged it all day, Ghillie Stan Turner popped down ''for a couple of casts at last knockings'' Second cast with a yellow and black flying c, he hooked what turned out to be a superb 20lber. Weighed, witnessed and photographed - including the head!!!  (I will forward the picture on when I get a copy)"

Oh and by the way WUF immediately posted it on their website. they obviously trust us. We give captors names too.

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A lot of speculation on the internet regarding the fish reported from Llangoed, this years first on the Wye.   Not much point in speculating on the weight of the fish, its was not weighed so we shall never know.   Various pundits have expressed their opinions which they are entitled to of course but at the end of the days its speculation. However I wouldn't go as far as one guy who said,

My size 8 welly boots are 4.25" width , Pic of the kelt is is 8 x 4.25" = 34" long ? or at best 35"/36" , 12lb at best in this condition, 16lb to 18lb when fresh. 40lbs my arse , 47.5" in yer dreams. so annoying exagerating size of fish .

That's just ridiculous
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Another right Charlie, who appropriately refers to himself as Charlie H, often butts in with words of wisdom.from afar and he often has a dig at RWGA or me in particular. See his latest snide remarks below..

"I notice that RWGA have listed the fish at just 35.5lbs. Frankly, even if this fish had lost some condition, I think the above figures indicate that that's a bit risible, and sadly says more about the embittered and niggardly attitude of some in the RWGA - one can't help wondering what weight it would have been listed as, and what the comments might have been, if it had been caught by almost anyone else!.  

Seems we are embittered and niggardly - really.  We report truthfully what's reported to us and verify it if we can.I we see things that affect our river, not Charlies, well we shall continue to say so and if Charlie or others don't like it tough cheese.   The fish was reported first to me at 35 1/2 lbs and that's what I reported. Since then it has been upped to 40lbs even 43lbs in some quarters by one Rigsby. well he should know he's been around at least three or four years now.
I
No one knows what the true figure is. suffice to say its been around a while, is slim for an early Wye springer and something doesn't look quite right to me about the photograph.
That's the end of it as far as I am concerned though I wonder what Jonathon Heron thinks of the whole episode?

We then have Simon Evans the WUF Deputy Director, who I think caught his first 20lber last year from the Wye ,  then comes out with another of his often fanciful edicts,   He said,

"The pool it came from is a noted holding pool on the upper river some 98 miles from the sea. Mint fresh fish are rare up here outside of May/June. "  (By the way it has a recent average of 3 fish per year so hardly 'noted'.

Complete and utter bull===t. True they are scarcer than they were but he was never around when the early Wye spring run was strong. The fish we caught in January, February or March as far as Builth Wells and sometimes above were magnificent, pristine fish, not sealiced maybe but not lacking of condition whatsoever.

This is an early Wye springer 32lbs I caught in March some way upstream of Llangoed. Oh and it snowed in those days too.  Sorry its a photo of a photo but gives you some idea,  I have a picture of it lying alongside the rod and reel somewhere to give some idea of scale if I can find it.   It was 43and bit inches long and fat as a pig.  I have a cast of that fish too.

Below is a cast of the 38lbs fish caught by the same angler which has previously been referred to  Another a similar size was caught by Bob Browning from the same beat. I made casts of both. The below fish was in much better condition than the recent one so in my opinion this fish would have been heavier than the recent one.  It is being held slightly forward but bear in mind I am 6'2 1/2

However argue amongst yourselves.

Note. NEITHER PICTURE HAS BEEN EDITED OR DOCTORED!.

This is the 32lb fish with the rod and reel alongside it including the minnow it took.
Makes the length for weight scales compared to some other fish rather redundant don't you think.  Taken at the Nyth well above Llangoed in March..