Fishing guide Gilly Bate tackles a tricky question.
‘I am looking for sizzling hot trout’.
This was one of the latest enquiries that came through by phone and after I had calmed down and understood that it was fishing that the gentleman was looking for and not a fast food restaurant that I could make a sensible reply.
The fisherman had recently had a rather dull day catching stocked fish which were like ‘pulling in wet socks’. His words, not mine and I could empathize with his predicament. We have all had days like that and in all honesty, I think he had probably just had an unfortunate day in very hot weather with a few unhappy fish.
Generally speaking, I have certainly caught my fair share of extremely hot and scorching large stocked browns in perfect condition which have threatened to trash my fishing rod, generate a screaming reel, put me onto the backing and also moments of panic when one realises that one’s wooden trout net (suitable for the most discerning of chalkstream fishermen and reassuringly expensive) is not quite man enough for the job.
The gentleman in question had come to the conclusion that stocked fish were all awful (and no, I am not going to get into a discussion about the merits or otherwise of stocking in this article) and that he had decided that he only wanted to fish for wild fish.
All well and good you say. However, he was after wild fish from 5lb up and he wanted to catch his fair share of them. Mmm, well Mr Paul Proctor can find them but for the rest of us mere mortals they are pretty few and far between. (I can see that I am going to be inundated with photos of huge wild fish coming to my mail box now). But in all honesty, on the majority of chalkstream beats they are pretty elusive and this chap had only returned to fishing after a 10 year break so to say this was going to be a tricky booking was fairly obvious.
"wild trout are hot, they just are, fin perfect muscular and golden bellied"
My head was saying one thing but my heart was saying another as I thought back on his words. Wild trout are hot, they just are. Small, feisty and irrefutably trickier to deceive than their stocked brothers but the joy and undeniable satisfaction when you finally pick the right fly, the art of deception pays off and you are into a wild creature of such fineness and beauty that it makes your heart bang. Surely this is why we all fish. Yes is the answer however, there are many paths to follow on the fly fishing road with every fishing trip an adventure and a new discovery. It’s the experience that matters and the fish that haunt you long after the day is over.
So, in the end there were only two possible suggestions:
Two very different days.
One, on the glorious Bossington Estate, beautifully maintained and manicured with large numbers of superbly conditioned stocked browns patrolling their stations. Fin perfect, muscular and golden bellied, these fish hammer a fly and give you a run for your money. No soggy socks anywhere.
Two, on the elegant Itchen, sashaying her way through the Hampshire countryside with gravel beds and ranunculus waving seductively like mermaids' tresses in the crystal clear water. Shy, flighty, wild trout blending in with their habitat and hiding in all the likely spots but alert and eager for the perfect presentation of a tasty looking invertebrate. Fizzy little browns exploding onto the fly and electrifying the rod. Harder work but immensely satisfying and oh so very hot.
I also suggested a change of tackle which would not only be more suitable for the different beats but heighten the experience when catching them. 9 ft 5# for Bossington to help cast the line out across that wider stretch of the middle Test and strong enough to bring them in quickly. On the Itchen I suggested a little 7 ft 0 # with its delicate presentation and nifty ability in tight spaces and making those little browns feel like you are connected to a much bigger prize.
Two totally different experiences and why not. Great fishing is always about the day and every day should be different.
Forget ‘Tight Lines’, blistering good fishing to you all.
Contact Gilly via the Fly Odyssey UK website