PHOTOS:
John Codd
John with some of his angling-coach colleagues
John's self-made collection of fishing flies
John's Book

 

 If ever there was a genuine ‘character’ in Pembrokeshire Sport then John Codd would fit the bill because as chairman of the Pembrokeshire Federation of Angling Coaches he is not only renowned for his skills with rod and line but is a keen conservationist and has a knowledge of the Western Cleddau and its banks that is second to none.
 
John has been a keen angler for almost as long as he can recall and laughingly describes himself as a ‘fishing cross dresser’ in the sense that he is the only local coach qualified to show newcomers the piscatorial pleasures of fishing in the sea, rivers, ponds or off a boat, and loves all of them with a passion.
 

Taken to his new role well

 
He became chairman of the local angling coaches this year after 12 months as acting chairman when Eric Williams decided to step down.
 
“Eric had done a brilliant job,” John told us, “and I was reluctant to take on the role because I was just happy to sit on the committee whilst enjoying my own angling.
“But I have had superb support from Eric, Roger Pratt, Steve Esmond, Rhian Taylor and the rest of the group so here I am as chairman.
 
There is a mutual appreciation because Eric told us,
“John knows the river as well as anyone and has a depth of experience that will serve our association well.
“He was at our angling centre in Treffgarne for our open day in Pembrokeshire Fish Week and had a natural affinity with the students who joined us for the day.”
 

Natural philosopher

 
As well as his fishing and conservation skills, it is also worth noting that John is also known as a natural philosopher and to that end had a book published called ‘Codd’s Concordance’ which uses each letter of the alphabet to  provide his philosophy on life in general, accompanied by a cartoon, which he also drew.
 
For example, with regard to the letter ‘Z’ John opines,
“A zebra born without stripes would be called a horse. It is only the circumstance of birth which gives one advantage of another. Do not feel superior to someone born less fortunate than yourself. They could have been you and you they.”
Powerful stuff and John can recite each letter’s message at will because he believes in his own advice.
 

Tales of the riverbank – and never nervous!

 
John can also regale a listener with stirring tales of the riverbank from the many hours he has spent there under moonlight. My favourite revolves around a time when he was happily up to his waist in water near Nevern, puffing away on his famous pipe, when the peace was broken by a hen mallard charged past him in the water, nursing a broken wing and making an awful racket.
Then all became clear as a mink followed eagerly, looking for a kill – but well upstream the canny mallard took off in fine style and flew back downstream to reacquaint herself with her chicks and leaving the predator looking elsewhere for its food!
 
Ask him if he is ever nervous fishing in the dark and again his wicked humour comes to the fore as he answers,
“I’d be more afraid at 2am if I was in the middle of Haverfordwest town centre!”
“The river bank is my cathedral where all the pressures of the day are washed off in the calm, peaceful dark.”
 

Fifth decade of fishing – and a monster catch

 
John is an organic farmer and first took up fishing when he was 17 – and now, 45 years on he still loves it with a passion. Ask him about top fish caught and there is lots of thought because there have been so many.
“In early 2000 I won the News of the World’s ‘Fish of the Week’ when I landed a blue shark, fishing off the ‘Sabre Tooth’ boat run by the Hambidge Family.
 
“We were just out of sight of land when I caught it, an 8’2”monster of 124lbs which put up a heck of a fight – and I did well to land it because I am 5’4” tall and weigh in four pounds lighter than the blue shark!
“It was one of three blue sharks I have caught alongside a porbeagle shark but I have to say that there was even more excitement when I caught my first ever fish, a three-inch tiddler when the late Martin Mathias took me out on the Western Cleddau!”
 

Western Cleddau trout and salmon

 
John enjoys all sorts of fishing but loves fly fishing the best, using any one of many artificial flies he has tied himself which are kept in a tin where the multi-colouring and designs are spectacular, to say the least. They certainly work because his most recent success was a lovely 3lb trout caught just below Treffgarne Bridge near midnight on a warm summer’s night.
 
He started out as a coach when the late John Pilcher asked him to put his knowledge to good use and then Roger Pratt persuaded John to go on a course for being a Level Two coach and he’s been involved on the committee of the Pembrokeshire Federation of Angling Coaches, as well as helping out at the local Rivers Trust. He was on their stand on the first day of the 2013 County Show, showing how to fly cast, and decided he would go fishing afterwards – and the decision paid off because at 1.30am John caught a 3.5lb beauty of a salmon, which he photographed next morning alongside his famous hat and county show ticket!
 

12 carp caught, averaging 8lb!

 
The last two years have also seen John coaching course fishing with Peter Tadman and Peter Jordan at the Pembrokeshire Piscatorial Association at Wolfsdale Pit and as a treat one day visited Sarnau for carp fishing – and on his very first day caught 12 carp, the biggest of 12lb and averaging over eight pounds.
“It was really good,” laughed John, “because the bait I used was luncheon meat and sweet corn. So if you don’t catch anything you can at least enjoy eating what’s left of your bait!”
 

Beach fishing and kayaking

 
“Then there’s beach fishing to catch bass or mackerel at venues like Newgale or Aberbach, or I can use my recently-acquired flat kayak to get out beyond the surf but I always wear a full life jacket for safety.
“As well as so being involved in all I have done I am also a member of Rosebush Fly Fishing Association, the Nevern Angling Association and the British Association of Shooting and Conservation, and the British Columbia Wild Life Federation.”
 
John visits his cousin Ian Walters in Canada as often as possible, his trips organised by Mark White, who is fishing president and great friend, and has caught huge halibut up to 110 lbs and a 44lb salmon.
“Now that is fishing,” John tells us!
 

Shaking hands with a grizzly bear!

 
“I have also seen moose and put my hand in a snow print of a grizzly bear that crossed the path just ahead of us – so I can say that on my 60^th birthday I shook hands with a grizzly!”
Ask John about carrying on and he will tell you that he could never imagine being alive without a rod and line.
“I’ll carry on until I shuffle off this planet.
I only hope I pass away with waders on – preferably in the river!”
 
Light hearted perhaps? Not a bit of it because it is what John would love, especially if he was puffing away at his pipe. John Codd loves conservation, the river and the river bank with a passion – and is doing a great job of passing that passion on to fishing’s newest recruits!