Big Wild Rainbow Trout – Attempt No 1 (River Wye, Upperdale)

My old man has just turned 65 so my brother and I have taken him away for two days fly fishing in Derbyshire to fish the picturesque rivers Wye and Dove. It’s quite delicate upstream dries in the main for wild fish of modest proportions; so I’m not expecting to trouble the scorers as regards the Big Fish Diary PBs or records, but it’s a great part of the world and should be fun.

I’ve fished both the beats we are trying before and managed two small rainbows on my one trip to the Wye, which I’m told is one of only two rivers in the UK where they breed successfully in the wild. I’ve also fished the Dove quite a few times and taught myself how to fish dries on the Isaac Walton Hotel stretch we’re trying, with big sedge flies normally working well for brown trout.

First stop is the Wye at Upperdale though, below the Monsal Head beauty spot, which is stunning countryside and importantly has a good battle cruiser at the top of the hill above the fishery for lunch, after we’ve done the morning on the river. It’s on a day ticket at £40 pp per day. The rest of the “Fish” family is running late so I scan out the runs and pools with my light amber Costa Del Mar polaroids I bought last year. They are great even in low light and show that the river is absolutely stuffed with good solid rainbows going from 1lb all the way up to 4lb and perhaps 5lbs. It’s only a small river and I’m shocked at their size, particularly as three years ago the biggest fish I saw were about 1lb brown trout. Any wild rainbow over 8oz would be a PB for me, so perhaps one is actually on the cards…

After waiting for three tedious hours for the others, I finally stop being polite and move to a pool to practice some single handed spey casting, which I’ve been studying on You Tube clips. It’s going out surprisingly well and about 4th or 5th cast the line judders into life as a trout takes the small amber coloured bug I’ve put on to straighten the leader on the casts. A snatched late strike hooks the fish but after 5 seconds it’s off – good sign though.

The troops finally arrive, but it’s now warm and hard going. The big rainbows don’t have the good grace to slunk into the depths when we start covering them (Klinkhammers; sedges; mayflies; bibios; adams; hawthorn fly etc.) and merely sit in plain view watching every fly go over their heads with no interest at all.

Finally, dad tempts one on a small white dry but it’s a tiddler of 3-4 oz and by late afternoon we’re really struggling. I’m virtually through the fly box and settle on a Tups Indespensible because there’s some pale olives coming off and I can’t come up with any other ideas. I’m trying to tempt a brown of about 1lb, which just keeps ignoring the fly even when I’m positive the drift is perfect, when I notice two larger rainbows further back in the pool on station, at least looking like they intend to feed. The drift seems ok, so I let it keep going over one of the trout, which as usual just lets it go straight over but, maybe me being lazy; or perhaps I’m learning this game(!), I don’t take the fly away and when it’s a foot past the fish turns rises to the surface, accelerates with the flow and eats it with no wariness or urgency whatsoever. Fish on…

I throw myself down the steep bank through the nettles and cow parsley and it’s a good fight in the clear water and small pool, with the fish looking about 2lbs. It’s still streaking across the pool whenever it turns onto the current so I tighten the drag a touch to gain more control and bring the fish into the edge. A final dive for some close in rocks at my feet is cushioned by the rod, but the fish goes for them again and the 3lb fluoro leader touches a jagged rock edge and………..parts – it’s off. I resist the temptation to have a swearing rant of Viz Comic style proportions, but I know I’ve missed my chance for the day – gutted.

We give it three more hours but it’s a fat zero and off to the Isaac Walton Hotel 20 miles away to drown our sorrows and plan for tomorrow.

Blank No 7 of the Diaries...

Mr Fish

Big Rainbow Trout – Attempt No2 (Avington Trout Fishery, Hampshire)

The somewhat tarnished Elite Fishing Team rocked up at Avington Trout Fishery at 8am for an early start, after a tame curry and a couple of pints in Winchester the night before. We’re all surprisingly confident after yesterday’s disaster at Dever Springs and I go for a four fish ticket which costs a chewy £65 plus VAT. He who dares…

First impressions are much better today. The water is crystal clear and the weed much more manageable. Most importantly, there are fish – loads of them - and within 15 yards of walking down the bank of the first pool, I’ve cast at Rainbow of at least 7lbs and it’s veered away from the red headed damsel at the very last second. More action than all day yesterday already!

Seconds later and “Rocket” the novice of the team has hooked up to a super tanker and is in a real hurry to get his first ever fish to the bank. Sadly, too much of a hurry and the hook pulls.

After 45 mins and quite a few follows, I move to the start of the second lake where the feeder stream flows in and a big overhanging tree provides plenty of cover. I vaguely remembered one of the internet fly fishing podcasts I’d bored the Mrs to death listening to on the way back from some rain sodden UK seaside trip saying forget casting like a god and just think “Oxygen; shelter and food” in that order. This spot has the lot and first cast produces a little nip from a good fish. Second cast; a good follow and I’m in….

The fish bolts straight through the shallows for deeper water and it’s a real scrap as it takes line again and again before I finally have her in the net. It’s big and I know before the scales tell me that it’s a new PB and the third for the Big Fish Diaries. A quick tap on the back of the head (all fish have to be kept at Avington) and then the scales – 6lbs 2 oz – we’ve cracked a PB by 1lbs 2oz. The fish took a red head damsel and before I can get back to the taking spot one of my “Mates” has jumped into the swim and bumped off two fish. I decide to go into the even shallower water near the inlet where the fish have moved to and one risky cast (in terms of losing flies) and the damsel sails straight under an overhanging bush and draws two fish from the cover. The bigger one bullies a smaller fish out of the way and eats the fly.



The fight is much more dogged but still an arm acher, especially after the fish goes through the next swim into the deeper water and goes deep. This one’s bigger and goes 6lbs 8 oz, again on the red head damsel. Another PB by 6oz and I decide to give the third lake a try, where stalking big solitary fish under trees is the best tactic.


I switched to a weighted stalking nymph at this point and have a couple of hours trying to find a real whopper. Surprisingly, there’s carp of 1-3 lbs everywhere in this lake but I can’t get a lump to really take an interest in the bug.

Walking back towards the lodge and there’s two cruising bruisers in the first lake with no one fishing nearby. A switch to a size 12 pheasant tail nymph produces an immediate response. First cast and after letting it sink a single twitch brings a new trout from quite a distance onto the fly which takes a very close look but doesn’t take.

The midday sun’s really baking now and a big rainbow cruises by. He ignores the first cast so I try plan B and cast behind the fish and tweaking the fly as it falls through the water column. It works (!) - the big fish must have just seen the fly in it’s peripheral vision and without hesitation turns downwards and eats the fly. No need to strike because the line tightens as the fish bolts for the near bank side vegetation. It’s heart in the mouth stuff as I lean as far out as I dare without slipping into the drink. It’s a little more stressful because I know this is a proper one and it just keeps lunging into the bank and the leader is picking up gunk each time.

Rocket manfully takes a soaking trying to net the beast and after a couple of scarily proddy attempts finally scoops up the fish. I reached into the net to take the fly out and it falls into the net with the hook point almost fully straightened out from the fight – lucky, lucky boy. The fish goes 7lbs 10 oz and although far from the biggest in the lakes, I’m chuffed to bits as to both the size and how I caught it. The pre-trip PB of 5lbs has been smashed by 2lbs 10oz and I’ve had a truly memorable morning’s fishing.


After a good lunch at the nearby Trout Inn the team is back at Avington to have a final 2-3 hours hard at it. I decide to spend the time trying to stalk a real monster for my final fish. With the benefit of hindsight, it was a daft thing to do
because having had the contents of every angler’s fly boxes thrown at them over the morning the big girls are twitchy as hell. I had a great time sneaking up on then but only got about three meaningful casts off at big fish all of which bow waved off on seeing the fly. I did see eels rooting on the bottom in bright sunshine though; grayling moving between the lakes and the Itchen feeder stream and two monster browns – all good fun.

Final tally for the team was 17 fish to 8lbs, with the smallest going 4.5 lbs. Our novice has snared a 6lber and we’ve all had a fantastic day. Perhaps not one for the purists, but still great fun.

Next trip is to the Ribble in a week’s time. My mate Andy from Harrogate says the Tickled Trout section is fishing well so let’s see if we can snare a first river PB for the diaries.

Mr Fish

Big Rainbow Trout – Attempt No1 (Dever Springs, Hampshire)

Red eye start today to drive down to Hampshire from Chester. I leave the house at 5.30am and the blasted Sat Nav somehow manages to take me to Winchester via Henley on Thames (Very nice) and Reading (Not so nice!).

I finally get to Dever Springs at 10.30am after 5 hours, where two of the four mates that are joining me for the next two days have booked in and are ready to go. My personal best rainbow trout is 5lbs from the pond on my dad’s farm – not bad given the fish went in at ¾ pound – but with Dever Springs stocking from 4lbs I’m confident that another PB is on the cards…

There’s two lakes and a feeder stream for the Itchen at Dever Springs to go at and it’s £60 for a four fish ticket on the lakes and a further £25 if you want to fish the river. First impressions are a bit mixed from the lads because the stock ponds surrounding the lakes are full of very impressive specimens from 4lbs to easily 10-12 lbs, but the water in the main lake is very murky while the second lake is practically choked with weed – poor form in my view if you’re paying £60+ for a ticket…

It’s minimum 6lbs leader and I’ve bought some 9ft 6lb Riverge tapered leaders from Sportfish on the internet. Not cheap at £5.99 each but coupled with a tippet of Stroft very low diameter line attached with a four turn water knot, I’m hopeful it will give me an edge. Firstly though, I had to deal with a bit of a disaster – I’ve shut the tailgate of my 4x4 on my fly fishing bag and bent the drum of my fly reel spool so it won’t turn. Magic……..no spare; two days fishing ahead and a potentially goosed Hardy Angel reel, which I treated myself to when the property market was a lot better than it is now!

Luckily I keep a multi-tool thing which I bought from a garage in the back of the car which has pliers on it. It starts of as gentle persuasion but ends in plenty of grunting as it gets more brutal and although I’ve a wavy shaped spool at least it now works and I can fish.

There are loads of damsels about so after popping on a damsel nymph pattern with some flash in the tail I pick a spot on the main lake with the wind over my left shoulder to kick off. There’s an 8 ins jack pike sitting in the margins to my left which is a bit of a surprise…

While I’ve been mauling my reel an old boy at the bottom of the lake where all the flotsam has gathered has eked out a trout of at least 5lbs. The signs look good, though it’s already starting to get very hot. The three of us try a few different flies, depths and retrieve speeds with no success before meandering down to the second lake for a look. There’s floating algae everywhere but at least we can see a few good fish cruising. After braving a big bank of nettles, I manage to flick a damsel nymph in front of a whopper which turns onto it….but then veers away…rats!

It’s just way too tight with loads of bottom weed and floating algae to fish effectively and so we’re back on the main pool just as the final two guys on the trip arrive, having also driven down from the North West. After taking just long enough to tell us all how useless we are not to have caught yet, the five of us are in each corner of the main lake and fishing hard. It’s looking like the hottest day of the year though and buying a four fish ticket could have been a bit rash.

6.30pm – we’ve not really had a pull between us all day. Only two fish have come out since our arrival at 10.30am and it’s a job to know what to do – I’ve tried damsels; buzzers; pheasant tail nymphs; mayfly nymphs; orange fritz; various lead heads; suspender buzzers; small gold heads and even big and small dries. I’ve caught on all these patterns before and after the lads report that the old boy caught jigging an orange blob fly in the edge (though the catch return book lists four very different flies!) I’m loosing faith a bit, particularly as there’s virtually no fish showing.

8.00 pm – gee whiz this is hard going. My mate Damian has lost one fish and another angler outside the team has landed an 8lber but has had to jog an orange blob 4-5 ft from the bank for an hour to catch it – desperate stuff…

9.00 pm – finally, I’ve seen some activity. Casting away in front of the lodge and there’s a big movement in the water to my front left. At first I think it’s a big dying trout floating to the surface but the Polaroids soon show the head of a big trout is being held in the mouth of a huge pike, easily a big double and probably a twenty. The pike holds the trout upside down near the surface right in my casting area like the killer whale/great white clip on You Tube before gliding across in front of me to show how it’s done and then sinking into the depths. With a minimum stocking size of 4lbs in the pool, I think I’ll be upping the size of my trolling baits for pike this winter.

9.30pm – Packing up time and somehow all five of us have blanked. Only three fish have come out in all the time we’ve been on the lake, with two to jigged blobs in the margins. In some defence of the venue, the weather has been very hot and sunny, but still this kind of water should have delivered much more. Bitterly disappointing day but at least I got to see James, my work colleague and “Purist” fly fisherman resort to jigging fritz egg flies and blobs in the edge!

Avington Trout Fishery tomorrow. After today’s duck, an unthinkable pair is now on the table...