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
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