page revision date : 30th June 2010
No problems for Ian in sport
Ian Harries, of Haverfordwest, lost an arm in a motorbike accident as a young man, but still manages to play football, snooker and pool – and indulge his lifelong passion for fishing.
Ian has fished since he was a child at Shoals Hook Lane, where he started with a small rod that cost two shillings and sixpence (that’s 12p to you youngsters) and has caught his share of salmon and sea trout, and once caught a tope that was just short of 25lbs.
He said: “I started out as a six-year-old with a metal rod, a Winfield spring reel and a can of worms. There were always plenty of trout around, especially after the rain.”
The rain would colour the water at Floodgate, Gracious and Billy Hughes pools, where he learned to swim in the old head waters and nearby waterfall.
Tricks of the trade
“As I became a little older I started fishing on the Eastern Cleddau, where the trout we caught in those days tasted lovely,” he says. “Sadly, there are fewer trout today but I still enjoy the fishing, though I had to adapt my technique after losing my arm.”
Ian added: “At first I used to hold the hook in my mouth and thread the line through with my hand, but after some great advice from Ronnie Webb I started using a bulldog clip held between my knees. It certainly helped because before that I used to get bits of the brandling (bait) in my mouth and they were filled with a vile yellow juice – now that was dedication on my part!”
He is now on the committee of the Pembrokeshire Angling Club and feels that conservation is vital – and that is why he joins other members in keeping the banks tidy and making sure that fallen trees are cleared out of the water.
“It is often hard work but always good fun because we work well together,” says Ian with a chuckle.
Other tricks up his sleeve
It was a similar story when he was a regular snooker player at the Balfour Club or when he took part in pool matches, using the rest or the cushion to place his cue.
As a footballer with Haverfordwest County and Withybush the only thing he couldn’t do was take throw ins. He played for more than 20 years which ended with the Marauders in the Night Owl League on the Astroturf and winning the cup.
He is also a keen darts player and likes the odd game of dominoes, both of which he can handle with ease, and is one of Haverfordwest Cricket Club’s best supporters in the Summer months.
Ian says fly-fishing is easiest for him: “I’ve adapted a harness to fit around my chest and waist and I love to fish the River Cleddau with my pals at the Pembrokeshire Angling Club.”
Another favourite spot is Llys-y-fran Reservoir, where he once caught a seven pound rainbow trout. He recently fished there in a competition, with Jack Jones as his partner, and his heaviest fish was a 2lbs 9 ounces rainbow trout in a bag of four fish. Jack also caught four fish as they came second out of 21 pairs in the heaviest bag category. As for Ian’s fish, he gave them all away to family and friends!
Big fish that didn’t get away
On the Cleddau, Ian has caught salmon weighing up to almost eight pounds. Other notable catches include a four-and-a-half pound sea trout and a brown trout weighing almost seven pounds.
Ian also enjoys sea fishing and trips out on boats, like the sea cat from Neyland. On a recent boat trip off Aberystwyth he caught a tope that was almost 25 pounds.
Not content with that, he has been shark fishing at about 25 miles off The Heads.
Another area of fishing he really enjoys is night fishing on Newgale Beach or Druidstone with Barry Owston, where the prized fish are the large bass.
“Fishing is great relaxation even if there are no catches,” says Ian. “It is that prospect of that next big catch that keeps everyone going.”
Ian has been fishing an amazing 47 years now and plans to try coarse fishing, and he will approach this in the same way he approaches everything else – with the enthusiasm that singles him out as a great example of someone who certainly makes the best use of what he’s got and doesn’t consider himself disabled as he pursues his sporting loves!
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