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
Blind Fishing
Armed with lightweight Greys XF2 Streamflex #2 or #3 outfits the plan was to extract one of the Culms large Trout for Henry’s lens using bugs. This venue has become a firm favourite and just a couple of weeks ago produced some far better than average Trout for Lewis and I during an evening session. The fact that we had taken most of them on dries should have told us something! Unfortunately we forgot that session and blindly went about the business of flicking our heavyweight team of bugs into all the likely looking nooks and crannies. We did bump a few fish, but obviously our tactics were not right during the blustery wind, intermittent showers and harsh sunlight. Even so we continued to fish, blind to the conditions and with very little success!
The fish we had hoped to catch! This fish was taken in late May during a session on the Culm.
During our previous session I had cottoned on to the dries and quickly started to land some decent fish, this time it was Lewis who made the switch and finally we began to catch. Of course the plan to extract a big fish was not the right one for such changeable weather conditions although I did blow it on one fish which would have pushed over a pound. It took a small Retirer Sedge fished on a double dry rig and blew up my leader after an all too hasty strike! The take was also a little hesitant, which was not surprising in the conditions and also because these fish see a lot of flies.
One of Lews decent fish from our previous "evening" session
So what should we have done differently? Well it would have been sensible to head to the venue in the evening, this is when the large fish are likely to play ball, often showing themselves at the surface. Our second mistake was to blindly fish with bugs for so long. Some venues, the Lyn being a classic example, respond incredibly well to this technique, but the Culm is a very different river. Meandering with cut banks and the odd riffle, plus slow deep pools … perfect dry fly water! And one more thing, that wind! It was howling and yet even when I decided to adopt a dry approach my leader remained at 14′! This year in the low water conditions it has been necessary to fish longer leaders than ever before and I must admit to being blown away by the Varivas Yamame versions, but in such a high wind I needed to go shorter. As soon as I cut the leader down, scaled up my size of fly (good silhouette in the ruffled surface) and went looking for an opportunist Trout hoping to intercept a surface meal the rod began to bend … although to add insult to injury most of the fish then managed to slip the hook! But who cares, I came away with a lot from that session and it will be a long time before I second guess what the fish are up to again … and next time we will get that big fish for Henry’s camera!
There are some decent Chub in the Culm - these do like bugs!
Exciting Exe
I am just loving the river fishing at the moment. Yes we do need water, that’s for sure, but the Trout are still willing to feed and it is very pleasing to see how well conditioned many of them are. However on our local stretch of the Exe they are by no means giving themselves up easily and standard Black Klinkhammers on a 10′ leader are meeting with little in the way of results. Instead long fine leaders coupled with tiny emergers have been the way to go.
Well stocked up with the relevant lightweight tackle I started guiding in earnest last week and enjoyed looking after a number of guests, including a party of four which included three generations of the same family. The Innes clan originate from Scotland and John Innes senior is no stranger to fishing, working as a trawler-man for most of his life. Anyone who knows anything about going to sea knows just what a tough (and dangerous) job that is. I marveled at this man who was incredibly agile for his 70+ years and an obvious fishing nut … our mission was to try and get John, his son John and Johns grandsons into their first ever River Trout.
Team Innes, wadered up and ready for their first ever river fishing session
Prior to the session we set up the obligatory team photo and then it was down to business with an hours refresher lesson on the lakes tuning up the casting; such an important part of river fishing. Instantly Lewis and I were impressed by the two sons Keiran and Tom, both teenagers showing some real casting skill and before long the two Johns were improving their loops while learning about those all important side casts. Lesson over we all headed off in earnest for the river with anticipation at fever pitch!
Lewis made a quick getaway for the upper beat with John senior and Keiran while I opted for the lower section. The sun was up which I like but this was the first day of the gusty downstream wind which we have been experiencing recently and an absolute menace when trying to cast long leaders upstream! Its a guides job to overcome these problems which are not solved by changing a fly but by continually offering encouragment and tuition where necessary to improve the cast. Practice tight loops when it is windy, coupled with high line speeds and it is quite possible to enjoy your fishing even on a blustery day.
Keiran with a Wild Trout. Who says we must dress in green to catch Trout?!
This was proving the case for John junior who started to pop some really nice presentations into an inviting looking run, often meeting with an acceptance of his emerger pattern. All we needed to practice now was the strike! We missed a few, hooked one that got off and then the silence was shattered by …. yes of course Lewis! Kieran had hooked a stunning wild Brown of above average size and Mr Calamity himself (I have many loooong stories!) had dropped his mobile phone into the river while trying to photograph it, all because he had forgoten to pack his camera. I can forgive Lewis quite easily because he is a top guide; indeed one of the best with an infectious enthusiasm. He grabbed my camera and ran back for a quick photocall …. well done Keiran, what a superb first ever wild Trout.
We got back to business and meanwhile little did I know that Lewis had hopped out of the River with John senior for a quick visit to Island lake. This is a sediment pool within the Exe Valley complex but fish thrive there on a rich soup of Bloodworm and Buzzer. Just look at the Brown that succumbed to dry fly tactics on a lightweight river outfit, I hear it put up quite a fight before once again being safely released.
John Innes senior gets in on the action with a nice Brown during an Island Lake raid.
Meanwhile we were still after a first fish which came in the form of a 6 incher to John juniors rod. I could see that Tom was desperate to get on the scorecard too as during his short fishing career he had taken part in four sessions and blanked every time! There was no way I was letting that happen again, but I could see Tom needed encouragement … we all know how important it is to bank that first fish. Post lunch we climbed into the back of Bend Pool and started to carefully fish up a smooth glide; the fish were feeding. I was blown away by the quality of Toms presentations considering his lack of experience and felt sure that any moment it would happen. It did!!! It is a privilege (and a huge buzz!) to stand next to someone when they catch their first ever Wild Brown Tout and even more special when it is their first fish ever. Small yes, but perfectly formed, wild and captured while fishing a dry upstream. It doesn’t get much better … Toms smile says it all.
Toms first ever fish!
He was now in the groove, confidence boosted and the sibling rivalry had kicked in. He wanted a bigger fish than his brothers. I reckon I had been gone a maximum of 10 minutes, guiding his father John along Bridge Run when I heard a shout and looked up to see a Trout mid air and Toms rod hooped over. Out of the water and off up the bank I went arriving just in time to net Toms 2nd fish, an absolutely stunning Brown with tons of condition and a definite contender for the best river fish of the day. All good but as I explained to Tom the fact that he had spotted the fish, made the cast and hooked up without any assistance was first class. Once again his smile says it all.
Tom with a cracking Wild Brown which fell to an emerger pattern
Later that day John senior and I hooked up for a quick session fishing emergers and I am pleased to say that he also managed to hook one although it managed to slip the hook, but as I explained river fishing is far more about the experience rather than just landing fish and it is only right that a few manage to get the better of us. Fortunately a quick visit to the lakes resulted in a few Rainbows for the table! All in all a day that both Lewis and I enjoyed organising from start to finish and made all the more special when we received this email from John junior the next day. Many thanks guys, it was pleasure to meet you and we hope to fish with you again someday.
Dear Nick and Lewis,
Sincere thanks for the time you spent with me, my boys and my father yesterday. I had set myself high hopes that the day would be good but you exceeded my expectations with your knowledge, patience, manner, good humour, and extremely professional delivery. You taught us an immense amount during the day, and if we can retain even a fraction of that, we will be richer anglers by far. The expressions on faces, laughter, and enthusiasm around the dinner table as each of us retold episodes from the day was proof of how successful, enjoyable and well received the day had been.
I will most certainly recommend both of you, the shop and the fishery, to any other angler, novice or otherwise, and look forward to visiting you again soon.
Many thanks for making yesterday so memorable for us, for the fish we caught and lost, the fish we caught and kept, and for the fish we caught and released. You covered everything I’d asked for in my original requests, and more. I couldn’t have asked for a more complete day.
It was an absolute pleasure meeting you both, and I wish you every success as you certainly deserve it.
Kind Regards
John
Introducing Lewis Hendrie
Many of you who read this blog will have met Lewis Hendrie during a guided fly fishing day or in the shop. He has seemingly boundless enthusiasm. In fact I would rate him as one of the most passionate anglers I have ever met and I have been lucky enough to meet a few!
Lewis is a seriously talented river angler who began making a splash as a World Youth Fly Fishing team member and more recently only just missed out on his first senior international cap. I have not doubt he will achieve this goal very soon. But competition is not his only talent, as Lewis has a natural ability to pass on his passion and the knowledge required for guests to further their fly fishing ambitions.
Lewis Hendrie guiding on the River Lyn in North Devon
So I am seriously pleased that Lew has agreed to get involved with the blog and author some content. I hope he will have a post or two ready for next week and in the meantime find out more about Lewis here.
From one passionate angler to a guy who we all know frequently describes himself as a “fishing junkie”. Henry Gilbey joined host Keith Arthur earlier today on the long running Sky Sports show Tightlines. If you missed it the show will be repeated and a full schedule appears here although there is also a very useful Podcast service available if you have a smart phone to hand. The weather has hardly been favourable recently and the fishing a little slow but I have no doubt that Henry will inspire you to dust down your rods. Check out his blog too.
