Skewen Coarse Angling Club was formed in 1984 by members of the B.P.A.C., which had recently became defunct due to apathy from the majority of its members, and also some local anglers who recognised the need for a club to help guide new anglers both young and old in the art of angling and care for the environment. The club started its meetings in the back room of the Rock & Fountain public house in Skewen, where it still meets today. The clubs first committee was Ray Southwell, chairman, Jim Foulkes, Secretary, Jos Hall, Treasurer, Tony Hughes, Kevin Hughes, and Mike Doyle as committee members. The club was mainly a pleasure angling club, organising trips to other waters as well as local ones, and as the membership grew over the next couple of years, the committee began to organise competitions for the members, first between club members only, and later on as matches between ourselves and other clubs. The club joined the Welsh Federation of Coarse Anglers in order to be part of a national organisation for match fishing, and as there would be no fishing without clean waters, it also joined the Anglers Co-operative Association to protect the waters it fishes from pollution

The demise of the B.P.A.C. meant that the fishing rights to the Tennant canal were up for grabs, and after some meetings with the representatives of the Tennant estate, our club was able to take on theses rights for our members and this meant that by issuing permits for this water, we could raise revenue for the club to further improve the waters, both for our members and the environment.

The club was in discussions with Mr Vobe for some time about sub leasing the Square pond from him, when in 1991 he decided to give up his lease of the water and allow our club to enter into negotiations with the representatives of Carnaud Metal Box for control of the fishing rights.
The match side of the club was now going from strength to strength, with a number of our members being selected for Wales’ National team, and the team enjoying success in open and closed competitions, and in an effort to try and raise more funds for themselves, and to get away from the control of the club, the core of the match team broke away from the club. (The breakaway group called itself the Cormorants, and lasted about six years before folding)

The club was now able to offer the members the choice of fishing on either a Stillwater or a canal. The fish stocks were quite different with the canal having a great amount of pike, perch, tench, and bream, plus other species of silver fish such as roach and rudd. The Square pond contained a lot of stunted rudd and some old stunted carp, which had been introduced to the water in the early seventies.

The club began a program of stocking the waters it controlled, alternating between them and procuring fish only from reputable breeders in conjunction with the environment agency who undertook to health check the fish before issuing a section 30 compliance form to allow stocking to go ahead.

The club increased the number of waters it controlled in the late nineties when it acquired the rights to the Neath canal, from Aberdulais to Briton Ferry. This water was recovering from a serious pollution incident, (which was first brought to the notice of the authorities by one of our bailiffs), and was carefully managed to produce habitats where fish could both be safe and also breed successfully. This water now fishes really well and has been included on our restocking program.

The club has appointed bailiffs to patrol its waters, and these are a useful deterrent in preventing both vandalism and poaching, and patrol in groups of two or more to ensure their own safety. We work closely with the E.A. when patrolling our waters, and are able to request assistance when required.

A review of our clubs policies and aims in 1999, concluded that the Neath canal was best utilised as a pleasure fishery, and that the Tennant canal and Square pond would be best suited to become specimen waters. The Tennant canal already held a good head of specimen Pike, Tench and Bream, so it was decided to concentrate on the Square pond. A syndicate was formed within the club to both control the fishing and manage the fishery, with two syndicate leaders appointed by the club to run this syndicate. There was a limit of 30 anglers allowed to join the syndicate, and they would be allowed vehicular access and also to fish at night.

The Neath canal currently is enjoying tremendous sport with matches held regularly, and plenty of good pleasure catches of Tench, Bream, Carp, and other fish.
The Tennant canal is a harder water to fish, and attracts anglers who like a challenge and want to fish amidst the quiet of the countryside it runs through. (the Tennant canal is a private water and is not a public thoroughfare).

The clubs constitution states that the aim of the club is to promote all forms of coarse angling.
All monies collected by the club are to be used for the improvement of its waters, and for the benefit of its members and the environment. No member shall benefit financially from the club, and all officer and committee positions shall be unpaid.

The club would like to own its own water, but there is a dearth of privately owned waters in the area which may in future be purchased, so its next objective is to obtain a long term lease of fishing rights for its members.

The lack of waters, which the club could conceivably purchase, has however meant that any monies we may have saved for a future purchase have been released to the club and have been used to obtain fish stocks. This means that it is possible to get greater returns on fish bought as the more you buy, the cheaper they are.
It is already a club members responsibility to assist both young and old novice anglers, and the club is currently engaged on appointing one or two professionally trained coaches who are able to hold coaching sessions on our waters. This has the added benefit of providing an outlet for children who might otherwise be tempted into less savoury pastimes. Club members have given up their time, and local tackle shops have donated tackle items to make this scheme work. The coaching sessions place an emphasis on safety, the environment, and proper care of fish, as well as making sure that everyone who attends enjoys themselves. The club has worked in conjunction with the E.A. and the W.F.C.A. with this coaching scheme.

With a view to ensuring that the clubs’ waters are utilised to their maximum potential, the club has enrolled two if its members in a fishery management course run by the Institute of Fishery Management. These members will then provide guidance for the club in the running of its waters.
It is also a long term aim of several other bodies, including the Neath & Tennant canal preservation society, The Swansea canal society, the Neath canal co., and local councils to restore the canals in the area as a tourism and leisure amenity. The linking of theses three canals would have a massive effect on the distribution of fish stocks, and it is our hope that we are consulted on any developments as the only club in the area who control fishing on the canals.