Coarse Fisherman

Nice article in Coarse Fisherman this month by our Bob.

And it's good to see him catching twaite shad on the fly rod, a far more interesting and challenging method than chucking a spinner.

Just a point here, how would you rate the Twaite Shad? A game or a coarse fish?

For me it's a game fish without a doubt.

I am also told they eat very well.

By the way, the Shad is not exotic as Coarse Fisherman claims. It's as British as fish and chips and with our rivers getting cleaner, lets hope it become more common.

If you want to fish for shad contact Sweet's Tackle shop in Wales, Look it up on the net and you should find the contact details. These fish run up the usk in large numbers and Jean at the shop will let you know when they arrive. The sport is apparantly great on small flashy flies.

Worth having a go whilst you still can. As I understand it there are only two rivers these fish run up in the UK. The Wye and the Usk.

They run the Severn too Richard....i have caught them on the Wye Severn and Lugg, but as you know they are conected waters.

A few years back they run in such numbers that two or three could hit your lure on the retrieve and the fourth get hooked!

I would rate it as a game fish Ron......very game!

Good for you Brummie.

Heck I would love to see them run the Trent and the Don. But Bob tells me they require a certain texture and type of gravel to spawn.

Do you know chaps, Wales is starting to beckon me. I might even decide to retire there. What with cheap wild river brown and seatrout, salmon and now shad.

Not only that there is the superb Welsh lamb, and they play half decent rugby too.

Now where can I get Welsh lessons?

I just might change my name to Dai Jenkins or something like that. They also have the best looking singer in the world. I could sit and watch Catherine Jenkins for hours. Catherine Zeta Jones is not bad looking either.

Brummie, I believe you have some good Welsh blood too, with a name like Williams!

And Welsh women have the sexiest accent in the world. I had a Welsh girlfriend for a very short period of time in SA. Then she married a mate of mine. No hard feelings of course, we remained good friends for many years.

Ron......a few months back i sat chatting to a flyfisher on a small Welsh river, the said river ran black with coal dust when he was a lad and now it is a flyfishers and coarse anglers hunting ground!

Wales and the Marches are amongst the most beautiful places on earth........and if i retire there i don't need to change my name.....it is surely the land of my forefathers?.......and i have always liked sheep!

Gwrymiau ydy 'r enilla bau i mewn 'r byd.

I think I will join you mate.