White Springs
   Fishery

Steven Huxter aged 23 from PenPedairheol was woken at 3.30 in the morning in the snow to find his lines in a frozen lake on the Soil Shed Swim and his alarm sounding, whilst playing the fish he was helped by his two mates Christian Duplessis and Tom James who broke ice in the lake to allow him to land this lovely Mirror that doubled his PB from 14lb to a lovely and very respectable 31lb2.

Well done Steven and a lovely fish caught on only his third visit to White Springs and in probably some of the harshest fishing conditions that we have seen for years proving once again that White Springs is no ordinary fishing venue

Tight Lines Everyone.

On the 17th dec i went down springs for a 24hr session on a freebie as i had won the nov competition which i really enjoyed, two reasons for this was one not having to pay vince to fish, his face was a picture we all know how much he loves to have your money cheers vince ha ha. now about the fishing i was the only one fishing that night as the other two anglers that had been fishing were going home as i arrived. thats the thing i love the most about the winter is its always nice and quiet as all the summer anglers pack away their gear until next spring. having set up on the old cabin swim my favourite i had to wait until the following morning for my one and only run which was well worth the wait and the freezing conditions as it was my old mate the big common at a new p b weight of 33lb on the button, the fish is in tremendous condition like a bar of gold with its winter colouring. i've now caught this fish five times in the last two years it obviously likes my bait and having its photo taken with me ha ha. i dont understand how people dont fish down springs in the winter as i've always had my best results down there during this period, its definately the best winter water around this area. i know its hard fishing with the cold and the long dark nights but the rewards are there for those who percivere. merry christmas everyone and maybe see you down springs soon.  cheers zoee.

Tony Wale (70) is originally from Devon and is currently residing in Llandybie where he is heavily involved in various good works within the community and a man that likes to keep himself very busy. He enjoys in the fishing world a personal best of 240lb overall weight and his favourite method of fishing is down the edge. He enjoys fishing whilst using his trusty Garbolino G995 Pole and his powerline line with a B911 Kamason Size 8 Barbless Wide Gape Swept Point hook and likes to spend as much time as he can on the bank.

When I caught up with Tony he was in the middle of a match with the Pirates and although he was busy he still found the time to speak to me about all manner of subjects and I managed to speak to Tony for some time about his current involvements and other bits and bobs. With regards to fishing this is what Tony had to say on Baits whilst having a huge grin on his face a winking at the same time he said........

"My favourite bait to use it sweetcorn. I like tesco's because it is cheap  I don't think that the carp really cares which shop it comes from, they don't know if its from tesco's or its jolly green giant until it is in their mouth and then it is too late, they are hooked, I think it applys to most baits like sweetcorn"

You gotta admit he makes a good point!

Asking him why he started fishing he told me without hesitation that is was due to ill health and he revealed that some time ago he had suffered three brain haemorages and had been told by Doctors that he had to lead a less energetic life in order not to futher damage his health and he had to take things a lot easier than he had for up until then Tony had lead a very energetic and atheletic career which included honary titles such as Captain of the British Orienteering team and he had ran against the top runners from the likes of Wales and Scotland for his home team in the top competitions several times quite sucessfully as well, he had also ran cross country for the 17 years when he was in the army which is no mean feat in its own right  and something that only the top atheletes would be able to do for that length of time, you must admit some great acheivements in his lifetime and something to be proud of.

I asked him since he had started fishing what was he loved about it and he told me....

" Its the old hunting instincts, they never leave you, it's a sport that you will never stop learning and you will never beat it, thats why I love the challenge of it.

Asking about what he loves about White Springs he told me that he...

"....loves the variety of fish at White Springs, the different challenges of the lakes and the fact that you can use your keepnet here when you are pleasure fishing, If you wanted to come here with your wife or friends and have a friendly little competition amongst yourseves fishing you can. Most fisherys will only allow you to use a keepnet in matches, here it is a relaxed atmosphere, they treat you like you are a responsible fisherman and you can fish here without having loads of rules being thrown at you, you are left to your own common sense, without the owner breathing down your neck and just left to enjoy your fishing in peace."

"So what was your most memorable fishing experiance Tony?" I asked.

"Catching my first 20lb'r at Broadwater, Godalming, It was my first 20lb Mirror Carp and I was relieved to get it into the net as I thought I was going to lose it, it fought me hard for about 15 minutes but I got it in the net relatively easy after that and my adrenalin was pumping, I used a rod and waggler at about 13-14 metres and it was some fantastic fishing."

Have you got any advice to any up and coming anglers Tony?

Read as much as you can about fishing, Learn as much as you can and listen to the other fishermen.....Don't believe all they say but keep an open mind, there is masses and masses of information out there and you got be able to sort it out and do things your way, make your mind up on what you are going to do and get out there and do it, that is what will give you the satisfaction in fishing, well it is for me.

Well said Tony and White Springs wishes you all the best fishing in the world.

 Tight Lines mate. 

 After six years of looking after our two kids, both were in full time education and i found it strange to have free time on my hands! My husband had recently started fishing again after many years so that he could have his time out to de-stress and relax. I decided one day when the kids were in school to join him to see why he loved it so much. We sat by the side of the match lake after setting up with our rods in and it didnt take to long before we started to catch. I can remember the thrill of bring my first fish in and knew from that very moment why people fall in love with this past time, you could say the fish wasn't the only one hooked that day! Although we only had the few hours that the kids were in school, i caught three that day and didnt want to leave! On our next trip down for a few hours we decided to fish on the specimen lake instead which has the larger fish and is alot more challenging. The whole experience is so different, waiting and baiting the area for longer, its a more lay back and wait for the big fight kind of experience. I look forward to one day catching a big fish but i think (at the moment at least!) i enjoyed the match lake more because of being able to catch more and get more bites quicker. So when my husband told me he had bought me my first rod licence i was itching to go and have a solo fish. Walking down from one of the warm chalets we were staying in to the peaceful waters edge seemed like such freedom with only the very basic of equipment with me. I set up and sat there with my rod in watching as the sun started to go down over the water thinking how beautiful it looked and how happy i would feel if i did manage to catch anything. So you can imagine my delight when after only 20mins i had landed my first solo fish and my new personnal best, a beautiful 4.5lb mirror carp. In the sunset its colours looked magical and glowed, i quickly and carefully took the hook out and just stared in awe for a few seconds before placing the fish in my keep net. I cast out for a second time knowing i didnt have much time left as the light was fading so fast and i had forgotten my head light or any other kind of light. From just over the hill i could hear my husband call me and knew it was getting dark and i had to start packing away, so reluctantly i started to pack away my bait, tools and chair but as i was putting it in its bag my carp alarm went crazy and my rod jumped off the front bank stick! I pounced on it quickly and found i had landed my self a 3lb common carp which put up quite a fight for a small fish! So although i had only been out fishing for an hour i had caught two lovely looking fish and was bouncing on my way back excited to tell my family the luck i had had on the lake on my first solo fish! I think its clear to see why so many people love fishing and can only imagine that no matter what kind of fishing you do its addictive! Tight lines peeps, tight lines. x

Gordon (The Pirate) Furlong (62) is originally from Somerset and is currently living in Glyneath he has an impressive overall weight PB of 170LB

His favourite setup is on his favourite pole which is a Shimano Exage Ax on which he uses a 012 Line with a 18 hook and a KC Carper Float 4g and Ringers Pellets and he is a match angler through and through. He told me he has fished since he was 17 and used to fish a lot with long time friend Colin Lockyer with whom he shared many great adventures.

Asking him about why he loves fishing he told me....

"The thing I love about fishing is the fish, I just love the fish, its the unknown factor with fishing, pitting your wits against the wily old fish and just being outdoors in all weathers, I love the challenge and also the banter with the boys in the matches, the friendly competative nature come win or lose its just good company with the boys fishing here."

Asking him why he loved White Springs he told me......

" Its everything here, the variety of fish here, with the different lakes and all the different silver fish here and also the specimen carp,"

He tells me that he has great respect for Mr Lloyd and loved the very friendly and relaxed fishing here at White Springs. What more can you ask for.

Gordons most memorable fishing occasion came from a trip in Denmark where he was catching approximately 150lb of roach a day, he said it was out of this world, he has had bigger weights come in but that trip was something special. Fond memories.

I asked him for some advice to up and coming anglers

"You have to keep thinking, to make things happen. Keep things simple and use a variety of things and if it isnt happening then keep trying different things, you must have adaptability and versatility and confidence in what you are doing and the determination to suceed."

I think that sounds like good advice especially when he added....

Enjoy your fishing, go when you can and life is for living.

Certainly is Gordon, certainly is, thank you for our chat and I hope that you suceed in your fishing and find the enjoyment that comes with it as so many do at White Springs.