228 
THE FISHING GAZETTE 
[March 25, 1893 
hammers, contrive, by violently striking the 
stones under which the trout are concealed 
to destroy an incredible quantity of fish of all 
sizes. 
The Towy 
Enters from Brecknockshire, a little below 
Ystradgynlais; after receiving the Upper and 
Lower Clydach, it empties itself into the Bay of 
Swansea.* There is no angling in this river until 
you reach the neighbourhood of Languike, about 
seven or eight miles from Swansea, the copper 
and coal works having poisoned the waters to a 
considerable distance from its mouth. 
Elies. —The blues, dark and light; the grouse 
hackle, wren’s tail and coch-y-bondy. 
The Ogmore. 
The source whence this celebrated salmon river 
takes its rise is situated in a wild and moun¬ 
tainous part of the county, forming a portion of 
the parish of Ystravodwg. After a course of 
nearly fourteen miles, it falls into the Bristol 
Channel below the town of Bridgend. Seven 
miles from its mouth, and about two below the 
village of Llangeinor, the stream separates into 
two branches, known by the names of the Little 
and Big Ogmore. At this point there is very 
good fishing. The western arm is the only one 
on which fiy angling is practicable, the other being 
thickly encumbered with wood, which, however, 
forms no impediment to the running worm and 
natural fly; neither can the former method be 
followed much above a place called Blackmill, 
eight miles from Bridgend, for the same reason. 
This water is in very few instances so wide as 
not to be commanded from either bank by a two- 
handed rod. Erom the village of Bryn-y-minyn, 
or Butter Hill, down to the ruins of Ogmore 
Castle, about half a mile from its mouth the 
river is exceedingly open, and abounds with long 
gravels and beautifully purling streams. At St. 
Bride’s Minor, called in Welsh, Llans-anfraid, it 
is augmented by the Llunvy, a tolerably good 
river, and at Bryn-y-minyn by the Garw, a still 
better, but not adapted for fly fishing, you must 
dape only. Begin to angle from about half a mile 
above Blackmill down to Bryn-y-minyn Bridge. 
In the neighbourhood of St. Bride’s are found the 
best salmon and trout, and near the bridge on 
which the tram-road crosses the river are beauti¬ 
ful streams, reaching for a distance of a mile and 
a-half. Thence, with some few interruptions, to 
Bridgend. At the weir, and above and below the 
stone bridge, near the gate of Sir John Nichol’s 
park, we have killed many noble fish; thence 
down to Ogmore Castle, where the Ewenny flows 
in. During Eebruary, March, and April the 
salmon fry swarm in every part of the Ogmore 
and its tributaries. The trout, though numerous, 
are not very large, seldom exceeding two pounds 
in weight; they are commonly much smaller. In 
July and the three succeeding months a small 
fish, called scalings, resembling the samlet in 
form, and having a number of spots like finger 
marks on its sides, are also very plentiful, and, 
though they afford but little diversion, are 
delicious food. 
The Ogmore has always been distinguished for 
its salmon, and there are few rivers in Wales 
more productive of this fish. Notwithstanding 
every destructive engine that ingenuity can 
invent is made use of for their capture by the idle 
and dissolute population of Bridgend, the supply 
of salmon and .sewin appears to suffer no diminu¬ 
tion ; and the skilful, persevering fisherman need 
on no occasion return home with an empty 
pannier. Erom the commencement of the spawn¬ 
ing season, at the latter end of September, until 
.lannary, parties are engaged every moonless 
nigbt in spearing salmon by torchlight, whilst 
roaming upon the shallow, gravelly streams in 
search of a suitable spot for depositing their ova. 
On such situations they congregate to the number 
of twenty or thirty in a shoal, rooting up the bed 
of the river like hogs. The poachers, aware of 
their favourite haunts, assemble about midnight, 
and, having kindled a small bundle of straw by 
means of a tinder box, one of the party holds the 
light over the water, being closely followed by 
the spearman, armed with a heavy trident, and 
behind walks a third person, carrying on his back 
a large suppl 3 ’^ of fuel, as in windy nights 
especially, the straw is rapidly consumed. The 
instant that the surface of the stream becomes 
illumined by the torch, which renders every 
object, even the smallest portion of gravel, dis¬ 
tinctly visible, the -whole shoal of salmon dart 
towards the light, and the spearman, instantly 
selecting the largest fish, hurls his -weapon with 
unerring aim, and, if an old man, never fails of 
transfixing his scaly prey. He then immediately 
throws the fish upon the bank, and, quickly dis¬ 
engaging the spear -with his foot, stands ready to 
repeat the blow. It frequently happens that, if 
he strike a large fish, the poacher is compelled to 
leap into the stream, for the salmon proves 
exceedingly strong in his element. These depre¬ 
dators proceed, in a similar manner, from station 
to station, until the approach of day warns them 
to depart. The quantity thus destroyed in one 
season is immense, every farm and mill being 
provided with its winter stock of dried salmon.* 
One Thomas of the Leychard, about two miles 
from Bridgend, on the road to St. Bride’s Minor, 
is the most skilful and determined poacher of 
this description in Glamorganshire. Thomas 
Johns, of Bryn-y-minyn, is another -nmrthy of the 
same stamp. 
* A somewhat similar mode of killing salmon is prac¬ 
tised upon the vast lakes of the British dominions in 
Canada. “ The evening,” says Captain Head, “ turned 
out remarkably fine, and the water was smooth as a 
looking-glass. Everything was ready for my fish- 
spearing expedition, the preparations for which were 
extremely simple. The fish spear consisted of a straight 
handle, about fifteen feet long, to which a couple of 
barbed iron spikes, of sufficient size to pierce a 
moderately-sized salmon, were affixed. The birch bark, 
for the purpose of light, was prepared in pieces of three 
or four double, each the size of a large quarto book, and 
one at a time of these was stuck in a cleft pole, five or 
six feet long, placed at the head of the canoe, overhang¬ 
ing the water in such a manner that the blazing bark 
might shine upon it. It was no sooner dark than I went 
to the water’s edge, where Libertc and another Canadian 
were ready with the canoe. As he held the vessel to the 
shore, I steadied myself by his shoulder, and, stepping 
in cautiously, took my seat in the middle. The canoe 
was a very egg-shell, and as cranky as a washing-tub, 
more fit to carry ghosts than men, while Liberte was as 
ugly as Charon himself ; a boy of twelve years old could 
have carried it, notwithstanding it was to hold three of 
us. We had an establishment of some tinder and 
matches, and some pieces of fat pork, cut into slips, as a 
substitute for candles. As soon as we embarked the 
men paddled away along shore towards the head of the 
bay, and when we came near some small streams which 
set into the bay we stopped, and, the men having struck 
a light, kindled the birch bark in the cleft pole. Crack¬ 
ling like soft fat, the unctions matter produced a clear 
flame, which lighted up the watery depth beneath us to 
the brightness of day. The light ashes which fell occa¬ 
sionally from the fire caused a ripple, which, for a 
moment, confused the objects beneath ; but, otherwise, 
at a depth of ten feet, everything was clear and 
resplendent. The slightest form was distinctly visible, 
every pebble, even the beetle that crawled upon the 
ground. We passed some perch, lying close to the 
bottom, and soon after a rapid quiver of the water 
announced the presence of some larger fish. Liberte 
now became animated, and, pointing his spear in the 
proper direction, made signal to the man in the stern to 
give way. He struck once—twice—without success ; but 
the third time brought up a large fish on his spear. It 
was a sucking carp—worthless, full of bones, and very 
watery. However, we pursued the remainder, and killed 
two more. We advanced nearer the head of the bay, 
and at the same time saw two other lights, proceeding 
from the canoes of Indians who had visited the neigh¬ 
bourhood, and were pursuing the same occupation as 
ourselves. All of a sudden Liberty again sounded an 
alarm, and off we were again in pursuit of a fish, which 
I could not for a long time see, a fine salmon tront, but 
of a nature infinitely wilder than the carp. We chased 
him like lightning, turning and doubling in his wake, 
till I was obliged to hold both sides of the canoe, to keep 
myself from being thrown out into the water. However, 
1 caught sight of the fish every now and then, when he 
was foi a moment still; then he made a dart, and all 
again was secure. We were some minutes after him, 
having lost and come upon him again ; but finally eluded 
our juirsuits, and made his way into deep water, till the 
glimmer of his silver sides was lost in the lurid gleam 
that, becoming by rapid degrees more and more opaque, 
confined to its very narrow limits our subaqueous^ pros¬ 
pect. 1 changed places with Liberty, with some risk of 
being upset, and took the spear, kneeling down in the 
head of the canoe. We had regularly replenished our 
lights, which burnt out every five minutes, or there¬ 
abouts. We went back again to where we left the carp, 
and found them again. I struck at them several times, 
but without success. I saw some perch close to the 
bottom, and speared one of them. We were in about 
ten feet water, and I found it very necessary to aim at 
least a foot below the object. I saw also at the bottom 
a hideous-looking fish, yellow, with black spots, the 
body like that of a snake, with a large head, about a 
foot and a-half long, and somewhat in form resembling 
the small fish found under stones in running streams in 
England, and called the miller’s thumb. I speared him, 
and found him so strong that I verily expected ho would 
have broken the handle of the spear; he was what the 
Canadians call a cat-fish.” 
The Ewexxy 
Is the best river in Glamorganshire for large 
trout. We have seldom caught any there weigh¬ 
ing less than a pound, and they frequently weigh 
four or five. It is a small river, but abounds 
with the most beautiful purling streams, and its 
banks are generally very open, especially that 
portion flowing through the common, in the 
vicinity of Coychurch. Erom Pencoed (about 
fou- miles from Bridgend) down to Moor !Mill, at 
the little stone bridge (a few hundred yards from 
the latter place), in the mill pond below*, and 
thence as far as the bridge crossing the new rnail 
road from Cowbridge, are the finest angling 
stations on the unpreserved portion of the 
Ewenny. The heaviest fish, however, lie from 
below the last-named bridge to the river’s con¬ 
fluence with the Ggmore, near the castle of that 
name; but, before you attempt to angle in this 
part, it will be necessary to obtain permission 
from Colonel Turberville, of Ewenny Abbey, who, 
we believe, never refuses it to the fair angler. 
We once took seven large trout near a mill, 
situated about half a mile from the mouth of the 
river, without moving twenty yards from the 
spot where we had first stationed ourselves. The 
flies were a blue dun fly, with a body composed 
of a mixture of green and yellow wool and gold 
thread; dropper, a coch-y-bondy. There are 
some excellent anglers and fly-tiers who haunt 
and poach this stream. A shoemaker, and a deaf 
and dumb man, of the village near its mouth; 
Stradling, of Bridgend, and Jenkins, a one-armed 
man, of the same place, are also capital fishermen; 
yet, to employ or encourage them in any way 
serves only to confirm them in their malpractices. 
Cotton, of St. Bride’s Minor, the Earl of Dun- 
raven’s keeper, is a most expert salmon fisher. 
The Principal Fishing Stations are: 
Bettws on Ogmore, five miles from Bridgend, 
watered also by the Llwynvi and the Garw. 
Blaen Cwrach on the G wrach.. This village is 
situated near the village of the Vale of Neath, 
here seen in all its varied and romantic beauty ; 
the striking character of its scenery, abounding 
with luxuriant verdure, is heightened by contrast 
with the sterile brow of a lofty mountain, which 
towers above the neighbouring hills, and whose 
rocky declivities are indented by numerous deep 
fissures, through which, after heavy rains or 
rapid thaws, the waters rush down in impetuous 
torrents.—Salmon, trout, sewin, &c. 
St. Bride’s 1\Iajor, on the Ogmore, near Bridg¬ 
end .f—Eine salmon fishing. 
Glyn Connon on the Taf, seven miles and a-half 
from, Merthyr Tydvil. This hamlet overlooks 
the valleys of the Taf and the Cynon.—Salmon, 
sewin, and trout. 
Glyn Corwg, eight miles from Neath. The 
parish comprises some of the highest mountains 
in Glamorganshire. In Blaen G wrach, through 
which flows the Neath River, is a lake called 
Llyn Bach, nearly a mile in circumference. 
There are also numerous fine brooks.—Excellent 
angling. 
Blaen Honddan, one mile and three-quarters 
from Neath, is pleasantly situated on the western 
bank of Neath River, in the midst of very beauti¬ 
ful scenery. 
* In this pool we once booked ten large trout in the 
distance of a hundred yards. 
t This place holds a distinguished rank in the ancient 
history of the principality, and is celebrated as having 
been one of the earliest known residences of its princes. 
The castle and manor of Dunraven formerly belonged to 
Sir Arnold Butler ; but, on the extinction of the male 
branches of that family, they were conveyed by a 
daughter in marriage to the family of Vaughan. 
According to local tradition, confirmed by subsequent 
discoveries, the last of the Vaughans who possessed the 
manor was in the habit of inhumanly setting up decoy 
lights, to mislead vessels in the Channel, in order to 
increase his revenues by ivrechi de mer, to which, as 
lord of the manor, he became entitled. Within sight of 
the house was a rock, dry at low water, to which two of 
his sons, having gone to divert themselves, and neglect¬ 
ing to secure their boat, it floated away, and they were 
left on the rock till the return of the tide, and perished 
in sight of the family, who vainly attempted to afford 
them assistance. During the confusion occasioned in 
the family by this melancholy event, the third son, a 
child only just able to walk, fell into a large vessel of 
whey, and was drowned : and the proprietor, thus left 
childless, sold the estate to an ancestor of the late 
Thomas Wyndham, Esq., of Dunraven Castle.— Lewis. 
(To he continued.) 
