Success!

[Anderoo]

I went for my first attempt on my Thames tributary yesterday evening. It's tucked well away in the Oxfordshire countryside and took some finding, but it's a gorgeous stretch of river - often no more than 10ft across, fast, overgrown, with nice deep pools and shallow gravelly riffles. I started off with a wet fly and worked my way downstream, with no luck. A short way downstream I saw a splashy rise near an overhanging tree, then another, so I swapped the wet for a little brown dry. (There were a few small brown flies hatching, but I've no idea what they were ).

I managed to sneak pretty close to the rises and on the second cast I had a splashy take - I struck, missed and caught the tree behind me After quickly tying on another fly I had another go and had a perfect take. The trout went crazy in the fast water, jumping and tearing off downstream, but I got him in OK - a perfect little brownie of about half a pound I went on to lose another two on the dry (I think I was being too gentle for fear of the tippet breaking and they were throwing the hook) but it was so exciting, and no-one else for miles. It beats lining up sholder to sholder at a stillwater any day (especially Farmoor!).

 

Apparently there's a club further upstream that stocks brownies and a few make their way down to this stretch. But would trout as small as the ones I was hooking be wild or stocked? I'd like to think the stocked fish would be bigger and that these were wildies, but maybe you know better?

 

Sorry for the rambling, just had to share

[Anderoo]

I went again yesterday evening and caught another 3

 

Two were little wildies and the other was a cracker of about 1 1/2lb (probably stocked upstream), all brownies and all on a dry sedge. The little wildies were leaping clear of the stream trying to catch the adult sedges! I saw a water vole too. A really nice evening.

[Snatcher]

Well done mate,good sport aint it

[Andrew Boyd]

I fish, as a guest, a river simular to what you describe. Upstream dry fly only, for Brown's.

 

It's a wonderful way to fish, just being there can be enough, but the bonus is the wildlife and taking the odd fish.

 

Well done

[wozzamozza]

I live in london and would love to know where this little gem is hidden!

 

wozzamozza

[Anderoo]

I live in london and would love to know where this little gem is hidden!

 

wozzamozza

 

Wrong end og the river I'm afraid - I'm in Oxfordshire. However, I lived in south London for quite a while until recently and there's a river you might want to look into for trout fishing; the Wandle. PM if you're interested.

[phil dean]

well done mate.............10ft across is wider than the water I was thinking of , but it's great fun, can't wait until I can get on the bank again.

[Anderoo]

Cheers! It's easy enough if they're rising but I haven't had any joy with nymphs yet. That's my next target...