Carp Gwyllt Cymru – Our ‘Wild Carp Wales’ Campaign
The Wild Carp Trust’s spiritual home is Wales. We were formed on the banks of Llyngwyn in 2013; all the carp in our care are Welsh, most of our conservation pools are in Wales, two of our three trustees live in Wales, and our upcoming fisheries are also in Wales.
Wales is in our (slightly feral) DNA and so, being smart about our unique brand (and our limited time), we decided in 2025 that the Wild Carp Trust will focus its activities for the foreseeable future in conserving and promoting Welsh wild carp.
Wales is famed for its beautiful wild countryside and the wild fish it contains. Anglers and conservationists travel from all over the world to fish for Welsh sewin, salmon and brown trout. But did you know that Wales also contains some of the oldest and rarest strains of carp in Europe?
Reputed to have been introduced to Wales by monks in the 1400s, these fish exist in ponds often found in remote or overlooked places such as llyns or farm ponds. You can find their homes by following the old roads north and west, tracing the locations of abbeys and monasteries and looking for old stew ponds and lakes nearby. From Tintern in the south, to Aberconwy in the north, via Abbey Cwm Hir and Strata Marcella, Wales is a stronghold of these medieval fish.
Locked in time, these old strains of carp have bypassed 600 years of fish farmer cultivation that occurred elsewhere. In England and in Europe, carp were bred to become ever larger and with fewer scales. These modern carp are the varieties best known to anglers. The Welsh ‘wild’ carp, in contrast, are how carp used to look: golden scaled, sleek lined, comparatively small, and with power reserves far exceeding their fatter cousins. They present a unique sporting challenge to the angler – both on fly and bait tactics – and are historically and ecologically important fish to conserve.
The Wild Carp Trust is a Wales-based charity that conserves these rare fish. We are seeking introductions to landowners and fishing clubs that have ponds or lakes containing these carp or which might be suitable for stocking with these valuable fish. We wish to collaborate to create conservation pools and fisheries where these carp can be protected and enjoyed.
If you’re an angler seeking to catch wild carp, then the Wild Carp Trust administers the carp fishing at Llyngwyn, in partnership with Rhayader & Elan Valley Angling Association. We also host guided trips to Welsh wild carp waters.
More information, and how to book fishing or order merchandise, is available in our membership section.
