ABERAERON TOWN ANGLING CLUB
THE RIVER AERON’S ONLY ANGLING CLUB
News 2021
28 March 2021
Permits available!
The new online booking and joining system went live today for the first time; day, week and season permits can now be purchased online using Clubmate’s secure online payment system. Note that permits are no longer available via the Post Office or Tourist Information Cenrtre.
27 March 2021
Bank maintenance
The Club has conducted annual bank maintenance on the Town Pools in readiness for
the new season which opens on 01 April. Thanks to Robin Foster and Mike Lench for
coming along and helping out the Committee. A large tree had jammed in Bevan’s pool
where the fish hold, making fishing difficult to impossible; this was removed and
cut up into pieces. The hedge bordering the leet has been cut as were overhanging
branches from the large trees in Parc y Fro which were both affecting flyfishing.
Access to the bottom pool on the south side has been improved and the leet is now
flowing again having been blocked for weeks with stone.
20 March 2021
2021 fishing season
The Club will open its waters this season fully as normal. Permits will be available for purchase online from the Permits page of this site only. Permits will not be available from the Post Office and Tourist Information Centre, Aberaeron as in previous years.
New Club logo
The Club has designed a new logo which is visible in the header banner for this webpage. The full logo is shown below as applied to baseball caps available for purchase. Two designs are available priced at £15 and £20 respectively.
Nitrate vulnerable zones
It is good to report that the Welsh Assembly Government will introduce new legislation declaring all rivers in Wales as nitrate vulnerable zones. This status will require farmers to manage all agricultural waste and comply with new restrictions particularly with respect to slurry storage and spreading. This is good news for the Aeron and rivers of west Wales as they have been plagued with chronic and acute slurry pollution for many years which has had a significant impact on the health of our river and fish stocks.
08 February 2021
Website security
Some of you may have noticed that this website was displaying the words “not secure” in the browser bar. This has now been resolved by the purchase and application of a SSL certificate which provides protection via encryption of transactions between users and the website. As there is no provision for financial transaction within the site at present, in practice this will make no difference. However, the Club plans to move all of its permit sales online via a partner’s website. Their site is also protected but, as access to their site will be via a link on the Club website, it was felt important to portray the correct level of security and protection throughout.
04 February 2021
Obituary - Peter Jarrams
Regrettably, I have to announce the sad passing of Peter Jarrams, of Aberaeron, who died earlier this week. Peter was always described as a ‘lovely man’ by everyone who met him and was a long time member of the Club, who could regularly be found fishing the Town Pools. Peter was a former trout hatchery owner and fishing author, his books can be found on a page on this site here. He will be missed and our thoughts and sympathies go out to his family.
30 January 2021
New website launch
The Club website has been been updated, refreshed and relaunched with a new, cleaner and more modern look. It is safe to say it has not been as current as it could have been of late, caused mainly by technical challenges but they have now been overcome and going forward this will be a maintained more closely.
Covid-19
As a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic, ATAC did not sell Club permits in 2020
and closed all of its waters other than the Town Pools which were fished, once restrictions
were relaxed to allow those locals access, free of charge, by local members of the
Club who had joined in 2019.
The ongoing pandemic makes predicting the 2021 season
a difficult task but, all being well, the Club does intend to open its waters and
sell permits as normal in 2021. However, anglers should note that this position may
change and all anglers are expected to follow national guidelines on travel restriction
and social distancing at all times. The Club calendar is published on this site and
it is again expected that we will be able to conduct lake competitions and trips
further afield but ,once again, this is all subject to change based on the developing
situation. Please check with the Club ahead of time before travelling.
The business of the Club continues despite the restrictions with Committee meetings held on Zoom conference calls.
Wales slurry pollution
The frequency and extent of the pollution of Welsh rivers with
slurry has, over the years, been a blight on the rivers, the environment and the
fishing the rivers support; the Aeron has had its fair share of incidents too with
two major fish kills on the Mydyr in recent years. The Club has fought tirelessly
to bring about change in this area and is happy to report that the Welsh Government
has now announced it will finally align with the other UK home nations and the EU
and legislate on the issue of agricultural pollution. This is great news for Welsh
rivers that have suffered so badly and has not come a moment too soon. If you witness
a slurry ingress then please take photographs and video evidence, note your position
and report it immediately to the NRW Hotline; it will be vital for the application
of the legislation that perpetrators are reported so that they can be held to account
by the courts and we need your help in this regard.
National Resources Wales fishing byelaws
National Resources Wales (NRW) byelaws have changed in recent years and, as fishing was greatly affected by Covid last year, many of you may nave missed the changes. The changes are significant over what were in place for many years and it is important you make yourselves fully aware of their content.
In summary:
Salmon restrictions
- All salmon caught must be returned to the water alive, without delay and without harm. This now applies to all times in the season.
- Use barbless or de-barbed hooks.
- Fly refers to unweighted artificial fly of less than 5g in weight.
- Salmon flies (trebles) are allowed up to 7mm gape - approximately a size 8. If you use larger singles or doubles, they must be de-barbed or barbless.
- Only single hooks are allowed on spinners, spoons or plugs, with a maximum gape of 13mm. You can use up to a maximum of 3 singles on a plug.
- Shrimp and prawn are allowed with single small treble with a gape less than 7mm. Shrimp can only be used from 01 September to 07 October.
- Using treble hooks on spinners, plugs or spoons is not permitted.
- Worm fishing for salmon is prohibited at all times.
- Using a float in conjunction with any lure or bait to take salmon is not allowed in the Wye Fisheries District or in the Upper Severn Area.
- Groundbait or feeder bait is not allowed at any time.
- It is an offence to sell, barter or exchange for goods or services rod-caught salmon.
Sea trout restrictions
- All sewin caught before 01 May must be returned to the water alive, without delay and without harm.
- All sewin over 60cm must be returned to the water alive, without delay and without harm at all points in the season.
- Permitted baits can only be used from 01st May to 07th October.
- All hooks you use must be barbless or de-barbed.
- Fly refers to unweighted artificial fly of less than 5g in weight.
- Flies (trebles) are allowed up to 7mm gape - approximately a size 8. If you use larger singles or doubles, they must be de-barbed or barbless. Tandem and 'secret' weapon type flies are not prohibited up to a maximum of 4 points. Treble hooks must be less than 7mm.
- Only single hooks are allowed on spinners, spoons or plugs, with a maximum gape of 13mm. You can use up to a maximum of 3 singles on a plug.
- Using treble hooks on spinners, plugs or spoons is not permitted.
- Bait fishing for sea trout is allowed outside the catch and release period, with small hook gape size of 8mm (approximately size 8) and a single worm.
- Groundbait or feeder bait is not allowed at any time.
- It is an offence to sell, barter or exchange for goods or services rod-caught sewin.
Maggots, pupae or non-aquatic larvae are not allowed. This is except within the Gwynedd Fisheries District where it is permissible to fish with maggots if they are used with artificial fly when fishing between one hour before sunset and one hour after sunrise.
Full descriptions of the NRW byelaws can be found here:
NRW byelaws