SEE ALSO PAGE TWO


Looks like a decent fishing day again though there may be some rain around especially later.

Some nice fish coming off the lower river still and no apparent reason why it should not continue.
Friday looks OK too but weather more dodgy from then on so go for it..

TODAY.  Jon Daniels reports a 20lb  mint fresh fish on fly from the Ross AC water
                 Dave Roberts 9lb fish from the Carrots on F?C.
                 Jason Conlon. 15lbs from Wyemank.  Spinning.
Superb sea liced fish 24lbs  caught today at Ingeston by Ben Knight on a 1" cascade conehead.
Ben normally fishes in Scotland and its his first English salmon.

See below pic of Ross James and his 20lb fish from Wyebank yesterday.

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Those who doubted at catch of a 1,000 fish before the end of March in the past perhaps would like to check below. I was fishing at Hereford in those day and remember it well as I said.   Two thousand more fish were caught the previous year though I don't have the details of that year.  1,000 fish before the end of April was even more prevalent

Perhaps the most interesting aspect is that 3 forty pound fish were reported that year yet NONE appeared in the owners returns which formed the basis for this report.  If a forty pounder can't be bothered to be reported just how many other fish disappeared the same way, probably hundreds or even more.
106 in JANUARY
708 in FEBRUARY
1,218 in MARCH alone.
So the newcomers like - Rigsby and the rest  -who are now suggesting there are more fish around than ever should perhaps reflect.
I have suggested before that the rod catch in those days bore no reflection as to the number of fish actually caught, never mind those that were poached.  One poaching gang admitted to 1.300 fish a season during these years. There is a tape in which he admits it and quotes number of fish on specific dates and locations.   This was middle/lower river poaching never mind the guys on the autumn redds.  There were several gangs poaching at the same time.
So, like I said we who were there are not impressed by today's claims when virtually every fish is now recorded, and some that never existed too..
 Eat your hearts out guys -you will never see the like of that again.

SHOCKING ISN'T IT.  YET STILL THE REDDS WERE NUMBERED IN THOUSANDS AND OVERCUT INTO THE BARGAIN.

Mr Smith has asked what happened to my ' rantathon'as he called it.  Well I wasn't asked to take it off but I did so to save him further embarassment especially after his fish debacle.  However if he is not bothered here it is again with the above information regarding March fish I originally refered too.
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This remark was recently posted on the Fly Fishing Forum by Mr Marsh Smith.  It refers to me though of course as usual he does not have the guts to say so.

“A former Ghillie known to us both (and not infrequently given to making the odd rant) recently pointed out that when he started it was common to take over 1000 fish in March on the Wye. He took up his first of many positions in 1980. There were indeed some excellent years since that auspicious date: '81, '85, '86, and the legendary '88. However can anyone point to which year or years these great Marchesmatanzas took

place?.....NK”

I have no means of reply on that FORUM which he knows full well so please bear with me whilst I correct a few lies.  He is of course and always has been in my opinion a congenital liar.

First of all he states that I said there were years when in the 80s when I said a thousand fish were commonly caught before the end of March. That is lie number one.  I NEVER SAID THAT. What I said was that in the past a thousand fish had been caught before the end of March. I believe that to be true and although I don’t have the old records I will try and find out which year/s.

He then goes on to suggest I have had of ‘many positions’ on the river.  Another lie.   I only ever had three over thirty years, less than the number of wives who disposed of his services during that time not to mention  .. well perhaps I won’t. He is too fond of litigation.

I was at the Nyth for 15 or so years before my old boss died and a syndicate took over.  They did not and still don’t have a Ghillie.

I then went to work at Maesllwych for Mr John Bairstow until he had severe business problems and he closed down and sold his fishery.  I then went to work at Glanwye for Sir Edward Dashwood where I was for a good many years before I resigned and retired from the river aged 67. I fished the river for many years before becoming a Ghillie.

During my years on the river around Erwood I knew Mr Marsh Smith well and I have a long memory. I fished with him ,tied flies for him, did casts of fish , stuffed birds for him and smoked some of his salmon. Even went on trips to the Spey and Tay with him.  The RWGA tried to work with him on the original Wye foundation but what you don’t do with Mr Marsh Smith is argue or disagree on anything otherwise you are ‘persona no grata’ very quickly as so many others found out too.   I know how he works and operates to get what he wants and it’s not pretty. He surrounds himself with influential people who can help further his personal ambitions and to this day this river is still run by a small group of self serving individuals who brook no disagreement and have no regard whatsoever for the ordinary fisherman. The Foundation is now a money eating so called charity that seeks its funding wherever and whenever it can despite it’s often dubious advantage to the river or it’s anglers.   It works hand in glove with EA/NRW and stifles any initiatives by other groups who try and assist the river – referring to us recently as the Gestapo. Pretty ironic that.

We tell it how it is and they do not like it one bit.  He has been critical of my Trout and Salmon reports and just once in many years I made a mistake giving information that WUF did bank work on a certain beat which it seems they had not.  He threatened to sue me and Trout and Salmon if I did not retract it. It was not true what I had been told so I did so.  Consequently Trout and Salmon will no longer accept anything said about WUF for fear of further harassment by him. Oh and of course he is friends with forum Administrators, such as Mr Bradshaw now at Sportfish, who prevents me from replying on their forums together with others who tried to be critical of WUF.

I suppose this will be called a rant – as is everything you say that they don’t agree with.

So be it but the truth needs to get out there and there is plenty more in the locker. I do not believe he is a fit person to run a charity/business and I am not the first person to say so am I Mr Smith?

Let’s leave it there for now shall we.