The Lovely Lambourn
Every now and again it is cool to travel away from home and look after clients. Our local spate rivers teem with Wild Brown Trout and make for an energetic days fishing in stunning surroundings, but the Southern Chalkstreams are a little different. Slow moving, crystal clear, frequently stocked and convenient. City workers may find it difficult to head into the South West for a day’s fishing at the drop of a hat but many chalk streams are little more than an hour’s journey from central London.
The door to the fishing hut - ideal for a post fishing cup of tea
Rather than the over manicured razor shaven grass more fitting of a top flight golf course than a Trout fishing beat, the Lambourn is an entirely different proposition. In fact it is about as undomesticated as any chalk stream available, with a reasonable head of wild Trout to its name. And Grayling; BIG Grayling! There are 3lb + specimens that can easily be seen against the sand coloured river bed, but tempting them is another matter. These are clever fish!
Tackle ready for our Lambourn guests
All in all perhaps not the perfect place for a couple of novice anglers! But we like a challenge and so just recently Lewis and I set off for a mid morning meeting with Jim Pool and a couple of his guests. Jim is well known to us through his fishing adventures which he has enjoyed here in the West Country, but Jim was not our priority today. Instead he was hopeful that his guests may enjoy a guided day on a chalk stream (instead of a mundane corporate Golf outing!), with a fish or two to show for their efforts. It was only a few days before the event that Jim let on that one of the guests in question had never fished in his life! The dry weather has made for low flows and the Lambourn can be a tricky river at the best of times so this added a new twist to the day.
An enticing Lambourn hatch pool - home to BIG Grayling
Upon meeting Tom it was obvious that he was very enthusiastic to give fishing a go. We spent the morning getting to grips with the gear and learning how to cast, please note for those that think we are fishing downstream on a chalk stream (god forbid the thought!!!), Tom does not have a fly on. This was merely practice, meanwhile behind us the fish began to wake up and sip the occasional meal from the gin clear surface of one of the Lambourns mouth watering hatch pools. All was going well until we decided to tie on a fly and then Tom’s business associate Richard arrived, who had enjoyed a very successful morning. 4 fish with Lewis!
Teaching Tom to cast on the Lambourn
The heckling began and for 30 minutes Tom fell to pieces, until eventually Richard got bored and left him alone! The flow reappeared, a nice tight loop sailed upstream and in an instant Tom was playing his first ever fish. Phew … pressure off, grip & grin (Tom seemed quite happy!) and then it was time for lunch. The Cowdray Farm Shop provided a fantastic picnic, plus there was wine and champagne. For our guests anyway … while they talked a hefty amount of business Lewis and I watched several huge Grayling and a shoal of well conditioned Trout going about their day. We were both itching to get guiding again!
Tom practices his cast ready for action!
Eventually we got back down to the real business of catching fish. Tom added another fish to his scorecard as did Richard and after a mesmerising hour working on the elusive Grayling Jim popped the perfect cast. A decent specimen succumbed and engulfed an Oliver Edwards Freshwater Shrimp; a proven killer when gold head patterns are refused. And then it was time for the guys to head back into the smoke, although a celebratory pint in the local Pheasant Inn helped them on their way. Don’t let looks deceive, this pub may not seem like a typical English hostelry from the outside but their beer is very well kept and the food is superb. I see they also have accommodation. Maybe I will give it a go the next time I head up to the lovely Lambourn? Here are some memories from the day.
- Fishing and a Feast – certainly beats a day in the office!
Tom seems pretty pleased with his first ever fish!
... and just as happy with his second.
- Richard had fished just a handful of times but ended up with 5 lovely Trout under the guidance of Lewis Hendrie
The Lambourn Trout are stunning
... and this is a small Grayling on the Lambourn! Caught on an Olive Shrimp fished "upstream & induced" by Jim Pool
