A Dyfed Powys Police Federation member says his life-long love of fishing helps in his job on the Force’s rural crime team.

PC Jonathan Thomas represented Dyfed Powys Police in last week’s Police Sports UK (PSUK) regional competition against teams from Gwent, South Wales, and North Wales police forces.

Jonathan took to the water at Clywedog Reservoir alongside colleagues PC Roger Jones and PC Taliesin Fargeot, where they were fly fishing for trout.

The event takes place every year on the first Thursday in May, and there is a day of practice on the Wednesday.

Fishing

“In the practice, you fish with a colleague to try to suss it out,” Jonathan said.

“We’re imitating a live insect. If the fish are feeding, they feed off hoppers, daddy long legs, those sorts of insects, and we’re imitating them.

“It all depends on the conditions. If the wind is cold, an easterly wind, the fish don’t like that and will go down in the water so you need to fish deeper using a sinking line.

“If it’s warmer and they’re feeding off the surface – you’ll be able to see their heads and tails – you use a floating line.”

PC Jonathan Thomas represented Dyfed Powys Police.

The day of the competition took place on Thursday from 9.30am to 4.30pm.

“It was baking hot and conditions were really difficult,” Jonathan said.

“The ideal conditions on a lake are overcast, a light breeze and the water needs to be about 13C.

“But because it was so hot, the fish were between 10ft and 15ft deep in the water, which made it difficult.

“Considering the conditions, we still caught quite a few fish.”

Wales Police

Dyfed Powys finished third with 29 fish caught. North Wales B came second with 35 and North Wales A won with 38.

The top 15 individual anglers, including the three from Dyfed Powys, have qualified to represent Wales Police against teams from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Republic of Ireland police at Rutland Water near Leicestershire.

Jonathan developed his passion for fishing at a young age, while his brother has represented the Wales international team.

That passion led to him taking up the post of Ceredigion rural crime officer in 2022 after nine years on response.

“I’ve been fishing the lakes and rivers in Aberystwyth since I was a youngster,” Jonathan said.

“I was brought up in the countryside, and have a real passion for the countryside.

“Having knowledge of the fisheries in the area really helps with the job. The same with hunting and shooting.

Anglers

“You get to know the culture and ways of the countryside, which is invaluable.”

Now Jonathan is encouraging Dyfed Powys Police Federation members to give fly fishing a go.

He admitted that interest inside the Force in the sport has fallen in recent years, resulting in only three anglers being available to represent Dyfed Powys Police last week.

Previous years have seen two teams of four take to the water.

Jonathan said: “We’d encourage people who want to give it a go to get in touch.

“We’ve had taster days for people to try it out. It’s very relaxing and really good for your mental wellbeing.

“When you’re out there on the water, you forget about everything and concentrate on your fishing. It’s absolutely brilliant.”

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