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The three musketeers on the Western Cleddau river bank
If you would like to spend a thoroughly relaxing afternoon where the only thought is what bird you might see next or whether the three decent guys you are with will catch you a salmon or sewin to put fresh on your table for dinner that night then I have just the fellers you need.
Steve Brown, Steve Esmond and Adrian Batty are all members of the Pembrokeshire Anglers Association but as well as being ultra-keen anglers they are also heavily into conservation of the Western Cleddau’s fishing stock, preserving the flora and fauna on the river bank and generally gaining a great deal of satisfaction from nature. All three act as voluntary bailiffs throughout the angling season, which takes place from April 1st to October 17th, making sure that those who fish this stretch of water have a permit, which can be obtained from County Sports, one of our superb sponsors who also sell the full range of kit needed to be the complete angler!
Low cost – high enjoyment
So what does it cost to be part of this particular part of paradise? The princely sum of £85 a year allows fishing throughout the season and there are half-price concessions for pensioners and school children are charged just £10 for the season so everyone can get involved if they wish, without a huge cost. This has been one of the best seasons known for a long time, with all the bad August weather making the river conditions ideal to catch big salmon and sea trout, and all three love nothing better than testing their angling skills on the Cleddau, no matter what the weather because they get themselves well protected from rain and wind, and really enjoy the special treat of fishing in the dark!
Steve Brown – Chairman
Steve Brown is the current chairman of the association after a previous spell as vice chairman and 11 years in total on the committee, where Tony Summers was the stalwart member. He can recall going with his dad at three years of age to The Dingle, in Crundale and first went fishing at Shoals Hook as a nipper with his pals and was well and truly ‘hooked’ on the sport. Now, 38 years on, he is still as keen as mustard and was a founder member of the Rivers’ Trust because he truly believes in conservation. This year has seen Steve catch 41 sewin (the heaviest being 8lbs) and six salmon, (including a beauty of 12 lbs), a number of which he has returned to the water, and as well as his regular trips to fish the river he also travels up to the Treffgarne area to act as bailiff so that he can be sure that things are going well on the river bank.
Rugby coach
There is a cross-over period where Steve is also busy as coach to Haverfordwest RFC youth XV, where he was a very good first XV prop for over a decade but he readily admits that although he loves the oval ball game he can’t wait for every new April Fool’s Day so he can get his rods out again.
Steve Brown also enjoys sea fishing and has caught big fish like tope and bull huss – and recently achieved a long-held ambition when he went out some 30 miles off the coast on the ‘Wildcat’ out of Neyland and reeled in a 54lb blue shark, had a picture with it and promptly returned it to the waves.
But he is not content to just be an angler because he is more than happy to take fellow wildlife supporters on guided walks along the river bank, where there are otters, kingfishers, dippers, peregrine falcons, barn owls and a host of other birds and animals to savour. He, like the other Steve and Adrian, spends many winter hours cleaning up the river banks and making sure that conservation is a priority. Fishing is not allowed outside the season but Steve still spends many hours on the banks of the Cleddau, making sure that there are work parties to conserve the banks and the surrounding areas in which he clearly takes great pride.
Steve Esmond – Secretary
Steve Esmond has been fishing for over 33 years and can still vividly recall going to Tom’s Sports, the then well-known sports shop in Market Street, and buying a new rod on his seventh birthday.
He now has more rods than he cares to remember but laughingly says,
“You can’t have too much fishing kit!”
He walks the river bank and enjoys his fishing in any sort of weather and especially likes testing his skills against the salmon or sewin after dark, although he advocates taking care and sharing the session with someone else who can help drag you out if you fall in!
Good season – with heart-stopping moments
He’s had a good season and caught plenty of sewin, plus two nice salmon that weighed in at over six lbs and between 7-8lbs. Both went back into the river because he says that catching the fish, not eating it, is the pleasure.
“I’ve caught a few in my time,” he says, “but there is still that heart-stopping moment when the fish takes the fly or the lure and you start trying to guide it into the net. The fish are beautiful but I usually put them back in, especially since I am not a great fish eater.”
Steve is secretary of the Pembrokeshire Anglers Association and organises committee meetings, writes the minutes, acts as a bailiff on a voluntary basis and still finds time to write a short monthly report of what is going on for the ‘Salmon & Trout’ magazine, the oldest magazine of its sort in the angling business.
Big fish galore
He has caught salmon up to 13lb in weight and has hauled in huge fish as a keen exponent of sea fishing. His most memorable catch as he went out into deep water were four large tope in one day, all over 30 lbs – and Steve says.
“I was breathless after all the hard work and with the excitement of playing such magnificent fish!”
But like his two side-kicks he is equally happy walking the river nearer home and casting out as he looks on at the wild-life. He often tells the story of how some of the anglers started feeding their catch to the otters in the river but had to stop since these canny animals latched on to the notion that here was easy food and they were taking the fish, literally off the anglers’ line!
One has to chat for a short while only to see how enthusiastic Steve is about his chosen sport and love of the river and its banks!
Adrian Batty – Committeeman
Adrian Batty hails from Merlin’s Bridge and has been involved for over 20 years as an avid angler who likes nothing better that walking the river bank with a rod, reel and line, using his experience to the full as he regularly catches fish.
Prior to his river fishing he was also a course fisherman and caught a 15lb pike in Bosherston Lily Ponds as his best specimen of that lurking pool monster.
Like the two Steves he is actively engaged as a bailiff, especially in the evenings as the trio try to ensure that there is no illegal fishing on the Western Cleddau. This has also been a very good year for Adrian since he has caught 13 salmon, 11 of which he has put back, plus 45 sewin and a few brown trout as a bonus.
Only eats smoked haddock!
Ask Adrian about why he throws so many fish back into the river and his chuckle is very evident:
“I only like to eat smoked haddock and we don’t catch very many of them!”
He recently caught a 10lb salmon on the Western Cleddau but he has caught much bigger fish, like a 17lb salmon on holiday in England and real monsters of 25lb and 30lb whilst on holiday in Russia.
When he was fishing in the French Lakes he caught a 38lb carp, has literally dozens of other species he has landed, including huge ray, bull huss and a 31 lb tope.
But talk to Adrian for a while and it becomes very evident that he is more than happy to be involved with the Pembrokeshire Angling Association and likes nothing better than being on the river bank – and doesn’t even mind the graft of winter cleaning of the surrounding areas because he knows that the hard work pays off long term.
“We all try to put a little back and the river has to be well looked after for future generations – we have it on loan for our time here and then can hand it on to the next generation to do the same.”
Few of us could argue with that particular sentiment that is shared by all of our three top anglers.
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