The chalkstreams of England are the original home of the fly fisher and it is conceivable that more has been written on the art of dry fly fishing than any other fishing subject.
This is no coincidence; the skill involved in stalking a trout as it plucks flies from a mirrored surface, gently casting a pattern convincing enough to fool the quarry into a take and then striking at exactly the right moment must be one of life’s great rewarding challenges.
In an age where it may be quicker to travel with us to Murmansk in Northern Russia than it is to Inverness, it is often easy to overlook the wonderful resource on our doorstep.
What many perhaps do not realise is that this fishing is something that all of us can do with little requirement of time and effort. It is not difficult to pick up the phone on a lazy lunchtime and find yourself fishing just an hour later, casting to big brown trout in open countryside. Possible, yes but normally a few days notice is all that is required.
On all the fishing we offer we can provide experienced guides who will help you to make the most of these famed waters. A sound knowledge of the beats is vital as it is all too easy to saunter past some of the best hiding holes of these wily fish, while heading for the place that looks the most ‘likely’. Guides are also there to help improve techniques where required; trout in these crystal clear streams demand a subtle presentation of the fly. The expert will also be able to ‘match the hatch’ on any given day, cutting out time-consuming trial and error.
It is rare in the modern world to do things in the same way as our ancestors and, despite merciful improvements in rods and reels, nothing has changed in the world of the chalkstream. The management of the river and in particular weedcutting, have been much the same for decades, even centuries; flies, although often renamed, are still based on the tried and tested traditional patterns; the necessity for using cover where possible and remaining invisible to the fish is still as crucial now as it was in the days of our forebears. We have access to water many only dream about, why not live that dream?
We have access to many more chalkstreams than are listed on the website. Please call John Russell or James Dent to find out more information.
