James Harrold lets us take a look inside his world of owning and running a trout fishery
I started fly fishing at the age of eleven on a local, small stillwater which sadly no longer exists. I would be dropped off, left to thrash around for the day and maybe if I was really lucky catch a trout or two. The appeal to me was the technique, skill and variety of methods or flies used to tempt one of these surprisingly clever fish.
The fact I was able to fool one of these creatures with an imitation fly blew my mind, something which reached a whole new level when I started tying my own flies.
Most of my friends were off coarse fishing and I must admit, I did join them on the odd occasion and enjoyed it, but for me personally it always lacked the challenges involved in a day's fly fishing.
Fly fishing is an extremely diverse sport, whether it is simply subject to variations in the quarry or the waters in which we are fishing. However it can also be tailored to the individual’s specific tastes. There is more than one way to skin a cat and I’m sure there are even more ways to catch a trout, but it is about how much enjoyment is taken from this process and this differs hugely from angler to angler.
A small stillwater, freshly stocked with farmed rainbow trout is not everyone’s cup of tea but for an aspiring fly fisherman, particularly the younger generation this is the perfect place to start. Waters such as this are regularly stocked, well managed and cater for all ages, abilities and bank balances and are usually the first place one catches a trout. In contrast, a meandering chalkstream with beautiful, free rising wild trout nestled in the middle of nowhere with not another angler in sight generally costs a pretty penny nowadays and isn’t as accessible or as easy to fish as the first option for someone wanting to take up the sport. Both are environments in which to fly fish for trout, but I can guarantee the way in which this is carried out will be very different.
I now own and run a stillwater trout fishery, a difficult subject to write about as my brain and my heart have a slight difference of opinion!
I started Rocklands Mere Fishery when I was 21 years old, from scratch.
Scratch means, no vehicular access to the site, no power, water or telephone line in the vicinity and even more dauntingly, no real idea of what I was doing…
In hindsight, there were probably easier paths to follow! The first project was to turn the old mere (from which the business gets its name) into a specialist crucian and tench fishery, I’ll quickly move on…
Three years later and what was an arable field was transformed into a large (or so I thought!), deep hole in the ground which was to be our trout lake. Tastefully shaped and landscaped with one island, 1600 native trees and hopefully plenty of room for a backcast! An angler’s lodge then followed, providing a place to get out of the rain and share stories about the one that got away over a coffee by the fire. A small tackle shop was then added as we began to start our online business. I became an instructor that same year and on-site tuition as well as guiding became part of the RMF repertoire.
Looking back, that first year was pretty busy considering it was a new venture.
Lots of new faces wanting to try out a new fishery, some became regulars, some didn’t. A lot was learnt…
We are now in the 16th year at RMF and we’ve seen plenty of changes.
Surprisingly, an amazing wife has appeared. Two wonderful children and a labrador have also joined the clan. The day to day running of the fishery and lodge, now a purpose-built shop and office is split between Katie and I, so when I’m out on the lake teaching or have a strimmer attached to my arm, Katie is manning the lodge and looking after the anglers. This is something we pride ourselves on at RMF and feel that customer service, both in the shop and on the bank is an extremely important part of our little business. Whether it is a newcomer struggling to catch a fish, or an angler needing help with a knot we try and ensure we help as much as we can.
Being a relatively small water of just over two acres and generously stocked we feel that although some anglers could happily fill their boots, most like to make the day a little more challenging for themselves. We cater for so many ages and abilities that correct stocking density is one of the hardest things to achieve and we aim to ensure that a newcomer to the sport has a good chance of catching a fish or two, even if the more experienced guy on the other bank is on number 20. It can be hard to find the balance of catering for different anglers. Some want to catch a fish a cast on pulled blobs or lures, while others are happy with one or two fooled on a dry fly and the fine balance between overstocking and challenging fishing is not easily achieved.
I know this isn’t everyone’s idea of fly fishing utopia, but for some people, particularly those new to the sport of fly fishing, the answer is found in these purpose-built and stocked day ticket fisheries. They range from small, local waters to huge reservoirs such as Rutland and everything in between.
Small stillwaters provide the angler with a suitable environment in which to enjoy their surroundings and the relaxing activity that is fly fishing. They may not have been around for thousands of years, improving and evolving with time, but instead, usually constructed following serious planning and effort to ensure that there is a sympathetic cohesion between the purpose built and the wild. It is places like this where the journey into fly fishing usually starts for most people.
Being able to teach really helps the business and without it we wouldn’t be where we are today. I hate to think how many clients I have taught or guided over the years, but by now it must be into the thousands. Not all have taken up fly fishing as a full time hobby, in fact probably only a very small percentage have actually taken the next step and are regularly fishing a water, but for me this is one of the most rewarding parts of the job. Seeing someone get genuinely enthusiastic about not just catching a fish, but making a perfect cast or understanding how a rod and line works is for me more important. Catching a fish is a by product and a derivative of all the factors that go beforehand, it also requires a certain amount of luck!
While owning and running a fishery is a nice way to spend your days and the benefits of such a job can be very rewarding, believe it or not it also comes with some pretty sizable drawbacks. While every fly fishing enthusiast may think it seems like I’m living the dream, in reality it is sometimes quite the contrary.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I’d trade any of this for a 9-5 office job but in the height of summer when I’ve been on cormorant patrol since first light and I’m still out at 10.00pm grass cutting it sometimes seems quite appealing!
We’re open seven days a week and only close for a few days over Christmas regardless of what else life may throw at us. Family celebrations, poorly kids or the dreaded man flu – the fishery must always come first. Whether its predation, water temperature, oxygen levels, weed control or the dreaded argulous, there is always something to keep you on your toes and 22 acres is a hell of a back garden to look after.
I could spend my entire day managing the site, particularly at this time of year.
Cutting back last year’s bankside vegetation, trimming trees and hedges, cutting grass rides around the lakes, repairing stagings, fences and gates… I could fill a page!
It is also a hugely diverse way of life. I’m everything from tractor driver and general dog’s body to accountant, salesman and fly fishing guide. It’s a very unpredictable and seasonal occupation as I’m sure many of you reading this will realise.
While the work load can ironically increase in the winter months with essential maintenance, the number of anglers through the gate and sales in the shop and online decreases. The days suitable for being on the banks are limited and there are days, particularly in January and February when we don’t see a soul… Ironically, it's days like this when people miss out on some really great fishing!
Whilst my days are consumed with running the fishery and everything that goes with it, my own personal pursuit has slightly fallen by the wayside and time with my young family is pretty much non- existent, in fact time doing anything else is hard to come by. Time for fishing, which is obviously the most important way to use it, hasn’t happened since my Shetland trip in May last year but that’s soon to be rectified!
Even over this relatively short period of time, looking back, the fishery has evolved surprisingly quickly. Not just the lakes themselves but the way we operate the business. Long gone are the days when we would post our newsletters to customers or make a phone call to suppliers. This has been replaced with a laptop and iphone!
Social media has become a huge part of the way we try and promote what we do and luckily, fly fishing the world over has embraced this as one common interest regardless of where you live, fish or work. At RMF we’re really embracing the technological changes and let’s hope it’ll encourage a younger generation into our sport.
I too have evolved. As an angler, fly caster and the way I feel about fly fishing. Catching a fish still ignites that special feeling, but it is the process which has changed over the years. I have become a total purist, the fly must be hand tied, the fish wild and even the cast must be perfect to be deserving of landing one of these spotted beauties. As for the fishery? She will always be my baby, even though 16 years on we’ve still got night feeds and teething trouble!
Spring on a small stillwater.
This has to be my favourite time of year when the fishery really starts to come to life.
After a cold, wet and windy winter, sinking lines and Cats Whiskers are replaced by floaters and buzzer or emerger patterns. The grass starts growing, the trees wake up and the trout begin looking up instead of down. The first buzzer hatches will have well and truly started by now and, when conditions are right, some afternoons when a warm breeze picks up and the cloud cover allows, the trout start gorging on this subsurface phenomenon - stillwater angler’s heaven!
Without doubt, one of the most effective and well known stillwater emerger patterns is the famous Shipman’s Buzzer. As a general rule, the clearer the water, the smaller the fly so don’t be afraid to go down to 14s and 16s as these will almost certainly be the closest match to the naturals that are hatching. Another of my favourites for early season buzzer fishing is a Scruffy Buzzer. They are a very simple fly to tie and consist of a stripped peacock herl body for the smaller sizes, or turkey biot body for anything in a 12 or above. The most important aspect of the fly is the scruffy thorax. I use SLF or seals fur and attack it with a Velcro brush so it looks like a hatching buzzer. This is a very versatile pattern as it can be fished subsurface, alternatively give it a little floatant and it’ll hang in the surface imitating an emerger.
Next come the hawthorns, those big, black, dangly legged things that hatch in their thousands on St George’s day (most years!) and get clumsily blown onto the water where the awaiting trout aggressively snap them up.
Black hoppers now come into their own, especially on the really windy, overcast days when you bounce them around in the ripple and watch for that adrenaline inspiring wake behind the fly as the trout hunts down lunch.
One of the most important factors to consider at this time of year is the weather.
Water temperatures are starting to increase but the days are still relatively short in comparison to mid summer and early morning or late afternoon temperatures are still usually in the low single figures. Hatches tend to be limited to when conditions are perfect. Predicting this and being on the water at the right time on the right day is key to the best fishing at this time of the year, especially those wanting to fish buzzer or emerger patterns or looking for top of the water sport.
Look for warmer, breezy days with sporadic cloud cover and I can almost guarantee as soon as the sun ducks behind a cloud the fish will be up like a shot.
Another tip is to always head for the windward bank, have a look at any shucks or cases of recently hatched flies and if nothing else, try and get the size right, you’ll be amazed at how small some of them are and how the trout even manage to see them most of the time. If you don’t fancy casting into the wind, a good place to start is with the wind on your opposite shoulder to your casting arm, cast across the direction of the wind and let your fly(s) swing round followed by the rod tip, this will prevent the dreaded “bow” in your line and keep you in touch with the flies ready for when you get a take. One common mistake people make when fishing buzzers is to retrieve them as they do nymphs. Chironomid larvae naturally rise up off the lake bed very slowly and actually spend the majority of time “hanging” sub surface as they struggle to hatch out. Moving the fly too much when fishing will cause the buzzer to spin on the leader and act in a very unnatural manner, particularly important if yours is joined by 1000s of naturals!
If terrestrials are being blown onto the water always fish with the wind on your back and aim to land a fly right on the edge of the ripple, this will be the point in which the trout instinctively wait for the naturals and will launch themselves at your fly, usually as soon as it hits the water.
One key thing which is often overlooked at the start of spring is that a certain number fish will have overwintered and turned from stockies into lean, fully tailed bars of silver. Couple this with abundant oxygen levels in the colder water and you’ve got some really powerful trout to contend with so don’t discount the strength of your leader!
One last thing. Nearly every fish that is dispatched and spooned at this time of year is FULL of buzzers, some tiny little olive coloured buzzers and some huge black buzzers, but there is one common denominator and over 90% of a stillwater trout’s diet at this time of year is buzzers of some description.
The problem is, there are 100s of different patterns for basically the same subject so choose the one you have faith in and you won’t go far wrong.
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