Coltsford Mill Fishery 23rd March 2023

The weather was very different from a year ago when we were "basking" in warm spring sunshine. This year we had gale force winds and heavy squally showers.

However the 8 fishermen that braved the storms had a good day with plenty of chat and a good few fish caught, many of a very good size.

 We gathered for lunch in the "fishing hut" and of course while we were in there the sun came out.

George Fowler sent me his recipe for Gravalax which we are both using on a couple of our fish (the hardest part being the filleting of the fish which is very hard if you are not an expert. You also need a very sharp knife I have found.

We have other dates planned for this year but these are yet to be finalised.

 

Gerry Overy

 

ALBURY ESTATE FISHERIES, SURREY

The final venue for the PICT fly-fishing group was a visit to Albury Fisheries in Surrey.  It is a well-known fishery comprising of three locations for its lakes. The group on this visit focused on the Weston Lakes, which are a group of three lakes, two smaller lakes either side of a large lake. These are well stocked with Rainbow Trout and, in December, they will be introducing once again the Spartic Trout, which is a cross between a Brook Trout and an Arctic Char, so further good sport should be had for those fishing over the winter months. There is also a lodge at this site, which is a new addition and offers hot drinks, cooked breakfast, etc to the hungry fishermen.

We had six fishermen in all, arriving from 8.30am onwards (venue opening time), and set up on a cold November morning, a number of whom had been delayed by the infamous M25. The fishing was overall quite slow but a few Trout succumbed to the skill of our members, as witnessed in the picture, a fine Rainbow weighing 1 kilo.

We had lunch sitting on a very cold and wet picnic bench. Always a good time, however, to catch up with old friends, which is a good part of being a member. We also were exchanging thoughts of how we could perhaps do better after lunch, which is always the way to be, as the fisherman has to remain positive!

This time of the year, however, means that inevitably the light fades sooner and it was indeed a late meeting but certainly worth the effort. All in all it was a good time and I think that when we fish this venue again perhaps we will make it earlier in our fishing calendar.

We look forward to informing members about the planned venues and dates for next year in due course.

 Best wishes and tight lines in 2023!

Report by Andrew Smith

 

RIVER TEST, ROMSEY, HANTS

Thankfully, our visit to the River Test this year was not hindered by Covid19 restrictions, resulting in an excellent turnout of 23 eager fly-fishers.

With ideal weather forecast for the day, early risers started arriving at 08:00hrs, keen to capitalise on the near perfect conditions - light winds, dry, initially not too bright, with intermittent cloud cover. The day, arranged by our most loyal member, David Gould, allows us to fish a 2½ mile length of the river running from the Broadlands Estate in the north down to near to the M27 in the south. We have available to us, not only three salmon beats towards the Broadlands Estate in the north, but also a further three trout beats towards the south.

Unfortunately, the recent heavy downpours had notably clouded the river but with everyone keen to concentrate on the task in hand, it was not long before rod tips were bending, and catches were being reported. On many of the beats the river is fast flowing, and reasonably deep in some areas, requiring the need for heavyweight nymphs to get down to the fish near to the riverbed. This, however, can present us a few difficulties, not least of which is catching out-of-season species, a point proven when one of the guests, Mike, landed a rather nice 10lb Salmon on a purple long-shank heavyweight nymph. Furthermore, the unseasonably warm temperatures brought some unexpected benefits with dry flies also proving effective, Klinkhammers, Daddies and Grey Wolffs, all proving successful on the day.

In addition to Mike’s Salmon, Callum Noblett, our fly-fisherman of the day, landed an excellent Grayling, along with four further Grayling and one Brown Trout. An angler, who shall remain nameless, landed a rather small Trout.

The total catch returns from the 23 fly-fishermen numbered 28 fish - one Salmon, 17 Grayling, nine Brown Trout and one Roach. It is no mean feat landing wild Brown Trout and Grayling, and indeed Salmon, on this beautiful, world renowned, River Test. It constantly maintains its reputation for continually ‘testing’ the skills and ability of even the most experienced of anglers. Best PICT member was Alan Badcock, who had one Roach and three Grayling.

It was an excellent day with one of the best catch returns from the River Test for many years and my personal thanks to everyone who supported us on the day, but also a special thankyou to Mike Tolley, who kindly stood in for David Gould, assisting me to welcome guests and collect the much-needed contributions. Unfortunately, our new President was unable to join us.

Regrettably neither David Gould nor George Fowler, two of our staunchest supporters, were able to join us - David recovering from a bout of the dreaded Covid, and George having suffered a severe reaction to recent minor surgery. As an entity we are still coming to terms with the retirement of our long-standing secretary, George Fowler, who has consistently strived to find a comprehensive range of venues for us to test our individual skills. A special mention here to thank George for the incredible dedication he has given to PICT Angling over many, many years.

Despite some PICT members not recording any catches, I know everyone enjoyed their day and are looking forward to the opportunity to return next year.

Report by Alan Badcock

 

Frensham Trout Fishery, Surrey - Tuesday 10th May 2022 

The magnificent seven fly-fishers

The dedicated members of the PICT Fly Fishing group convened on Tuesday 10th May at Frensham Trout Fishery, Churt, Surrey, for our second meeting of the year. Unfortunately, our numbers were reduced to just seven fly-fishers, a little disappointing being down from the 11 who attended our first outing at Coltsford Mill in March this year. The weather was not as warm as forecast, somewhat chilly and rather more overcast than predicted, with a little light rain to start proceedings.

Our magnificent seven started to arrive from 08:00hrs onwards, everyone eager to test their skills at what is, from personal experience, not only one of the most challenging but undoubtedly one of the prettiest locations we are fortunate to cast a line. Our host, Jillian Twite, has spent a great deal of time and effort, been very busy throughout lockdown, improving many of the pitches and surrounding grounds. The facilities must now be considered amongst the best available in the south. 

The morning session started with much optimism with several fish being visible near to the surface on each of the lakes. However, Frensham was again proving to be a testing venue, with fish totally ignoring anything on the surface with only the exceptional rise, taking heavens knows what? But, it was not long before some beautiful trout were netted utilising a wide selection of buzzers, nymphs, and the odd dry fly, all eventually proving successful in the morning session, prior to a break for lunch.

As lunch concluded the weather started to improve and everyone was keen to try their luck, especially as a new delivery was made with several fresh fish being released into each of the six lakes available at Frensham. The increase in temperature increased fly activity with some good hatches but still the lures and nymphs proved the order of the day. 

The afternoon session proved successful for everyone landing some very fine fish with a total of 12 Tiger Trout, 3 Brown Trout, 5 Blue Trout and 15 Rainbow Trout. These were landed on a variety of different flies/lures; Montana’s, gold head Blue Flash Damsel’s, mini Cats Whisker’s, GRHE’s, gold head black nymph, red epoxy buzzer and brown swimming shrimps. It was great to see that all fly-fishers tried such a variety of attractors, which emphasises exactly why the sport is not only challenging but most rewarding when you find what works. To finalise the afternoon session the sun made a well-timed appearance completing a great day of sport in enjoyable fun company of friends and colleagues with the last fly-fisher departing at 17:30hrs.  Everyone has stated how enjoyable and challenging the fishing had been capping yet another superb day at Frensham.

We are always keen to welcome new members to try this fascinating and challenging sport. Even if you are not a fisherman you must give it a try, all you need is a little patience and a willingness to accept a challenge. It really is rewarding and simply great fun!

Prior to our annual visit to The Test in October, we are all looking forward to our next meeting at Aldbury in the Autumn.

Alan Badcock

 

Coltsford Mill, Oxted, Surrey – Friday 25th March 2022

Andrew hooks another

Gerry about to lose one.

Tony in action

Gerry successful

After a considerable gap in our activities due to Covid, our group had not had a chance to get together for some time. It was great therefore to get a chance to meet at Coltsford Mill Fishery for our first outing of 2022.

When we arrived at the venue at 8am the weather was glorious (sunny and warm) and this persisted throughout the day. Also, Coltsford was looking beautifully manicured with perfect grass and easy to reach swims. There was a good turnout (11 of us) and we were soon having a good catch up before getting on with the task in hand – fishing.

Our initial worry was that on days like these would we catch any fish, as the fish notoriously tend to prefer nasty windy cold weather? However, we all caught one or more fish, all of a good size and some interesting variations of trout hybrids.

Neil, the manager, kindly let us have the use of the patio behind the bar for us to get together for our packed lunches and we had to force ourselves to leave this comfort to do a bit more fishing. 

More fish were caught in the afternoon and we finally parted company, having had a great day, looking forward to and talking about the next outing at Frensham ponds in Surrey.

Gerry Overy

 

River Test - Monday 25th October 2021

The organisers

Barry with specimen Grayling

Due to Covid disrupting plans for the year coupled with my resignation as Angling secretary, our outing to the River Test was the first and possibly the only angling meeting of 2021.

It turned out to be a cracker of an event with a record number of anglers, 33, prepared to descend on this famous chalkstream just outside Romsey in Hampshire. Such is the popularity that people had come from as far as Torquay in the West, Ipswich in the East and Huntingdon in the North with the majority made up of visitors from Herts and Sussex.

After an early morning squall of rain the weather cleared to blue sky and sunshine apart from one more shower just before lunch, but without rain there would be no rivers and no fishing!

The new Covid system sees me collecting envelopes from participants before letting them through the gate and this worked very smoothly as all were parked and tackling up when I joined them at about 9.00am.

I took a very relaxed approach and did not cover much of the 2½ mile length that we now fish and stopped to chat to those who I passed. It is very difficult to get any idea of how much success people were having due to the distances ,but slowly reports of catches started to be heard.

Lunch was taken around the table this year for as many of those who turned up, some preferring to fish on with a sandwich. Those who did make it were treated to ginger cake by John Clark, one of our regular guests and later Doreen Gould produced a tin of fruit and cherry cake to celebrate David’s birthday the following day.

There was lots of chatter in groups that went on for quite some time but as always we tore ourselves away to have another go at tempting a fish out of the fast flowing water. I am never very successful and spent ages casting to a shoal of Grayling splashing about in the shadows under the far bank but decided to call it a day when David Gould’s fishing pal Mike arrived and I suggested he have a go. To my amazement after a few casts I saw his line go taut, his rod bend and we watched as he landed a 4½lb Brown Trout, which turned out to be the best of the day.

Later I learned that guest Barry Smith had caught a 2½ Grayling on a very light weight rod and tackle. Best PICT member was Gerry Overy who had 1 Trout and 1 Grayling.

I turned for home happy but had to wait for the results to be emailed to me. It had been a record in every sense – eleven out of the thirty-three had caught a total of 23 fish, 12 Brown trout and 11 Grayling, which made it a record on all counts.

My thanks go to David Gould for organising it with the fishery, but the biggest thanks must go to the enthusiasm and generosity of all the anglers who made it such a success.

Hopefully someone will come forward and organise an event early next year although there are still a few weeks before the end of this year!

 

PICT – RIVER TEST – Monday 25th October 2021

 

Our event last year was very successful and despite the Covid regulations in place at the time, I think everyone thoroughly enjoyed the day. This year the regulations have been lifted but with a caution to act responsibly as the virus is still with us and will be for the foreseeable future.

PLEASE READ ALL OF THE FOLLOWING AND COMPLY WITH IT AT ALL TIMES DURING THE DAY.

 

1)  The Angling Trust updated the guidelines for Match Organisers on July 19th and if these are followed we should all remain safe and well. It doesn’t cover people falling in!

See their guidelines here:-  https://anglingtrust.net/covid-19/

 2)  If you are suffering any symptoms, persistent cough, temperature or loss of taste and/or smell please do not turn up.

3)  It is your responsibility to decide who to travel with, how many in a car, according to Government Guidelines.

4)  I do not want to be handling cheques or cash on the morning so please place cash, £45 plus donation if a non PICT member, in an envelope and seal it. One envelope per angler.

Please write your NAME in full, MOBILE PHONE No, CAR REGISTRATION No (even if you are not the driver), on the outside of the envelope. This is so that we can contact you on the day to move cars or for any other reason.

You will be able to drive up to the old car park by the fishing hut as well as using the normal parking area.

5)  I will be at the gate from 8.15 onwards to collect your envelopes, please leave spaces between cars and respect distancing, coming forward when the previous car has been dealt with. 

6) Please park sensibly and maintain social distancing, if possible have your rod made up or take your tackle to your chosen fishing spot.

7) We will be fishing the usual beats, which means that we should be able to space ourselves out along the 2.5 miles of often double sided  bank, with plenty of room between anglers.

8) Please ensure you make people aware if you have to pass them and be patient.

9)  If you catch a couple of fish from one swim please move on so that others can have a go 

10). You will need to bring your own lunch as we are miles from anywhere, as most of you will know

(11) I will be supplying hand sanitiser and wipes but make sure that you have your own requirements as necessary.

 (12)  Fishing for Brown Trout and Grayling - all fish to be returned.

(13)  Have you renewed your Rod Licences?

I hope that you will appreciate that the above have been set out in the best interest of everybody and so we all keep safe. I am sure that we will all be able to enjoy a great day and I look forward to seeing you on the day.

Should any new guidance come through from the Government in the next 3 weeks it may be necessary to amend the above.

If you have any queries please contact me

Please email me to let me know you are coming, with names of any guests: georgefowler464@gmail.com

Finally I will be away for the whole of September and will only have irregular access to the internet.

 

PICT Angling Report 2021

Cranefly - Ctenophora pectinicornis

Cranefly - Ctenophora pectinicornis

Prominent, Lesser Swallow

Prominent, Lesser Swallow

Tortrix, Marbled Orchard

Tortrix, Marbled Orchard

Shield Bug, Hairy (formerly Sloe Shield Bug)

Shield Bug, Hairy (formerly Sloe Shield Bug)

In November last year I announced that I would be retiring as Secretary of the Angling Section after 25 years in the post. Sadly nobody stepped forward to take over from me although Alan Badcock and Andrew Smith have volunteered to organise a day each at their respective local waters.

Fishing has been allowed during lockdown but with restrictions on travel it didn’t seem right to hold any meetings until after the lockdown had come to an end.

As we enter the second half of the year we hope that the final go ahead will be given, albeit not earlier this week as expected, but sometime in July.

Alan and Andrew will therefore be organising their  outings as and when water temperature and fishing conditions are deemed appropriate.

We will be holding our main money raising event of the year with the help of David Gould as follows

RIVER TEST – Romsey, Hants   MONDAY 25th OCTOBER 2021

Full details will be circulated nearer the date but if anyone is new to Fly-fishing and would like to join us, please contact me at georgefowler464@gmail.com

LOCKDOWN JOY – Cont’d

I am continuing my passion for all insects as illustrated in my previous articles.

Despite Covid lockdown and the cold and windy weather, nature in the garden and hedgerows has continued to throw up plenty of new specimens and some old friends as well.

SURPRISING CRANEFLY (Daddy Long-legs)

Last time I gave you a Green Cranefly but this one that flew out of the shrubs and almost into my edging shears is even more remarkable.  Most Cranefly are rather dull grey or brown but this one was astonishing for the bright colour and shining orange and black body. Also look at those antennae protruding from its face showing that it is a male of the species  Ctenophora pectinicornis.

LESSER SWALLOW PROMINENT MOTH

It is hard to believe that a creature of such beauty is likely to be flying round your garden at night, but along with at least 2,000 other species they are there.  They are only in this world to find a mate and procreate, they do no harm to plants or man and have a very short life.

HAIRY SHIELDBUG

One of a range of insects that live on plants and shrubs and seemingly do no harm to them. Many of them are plant specific but there is a range of sizes, colours and patterns. They are a useful  starter species because they are very tolerant of being approached with a camera and rarely fly off.

That is your taster for this edition. Look on plants, hedgerows, green wheelie bins and you will be astonished at what you will find. At the moment the hedgerow shrubs are showing small moths that come into the category of Bird-poo Moths, just look for a black and white dropping on a leaf and make sure it is not a moth! If you find something interesting let me know.

 

RIVER TEST, ROMSEY, HANTS - TUESDAY 27thOCTOBER 2020

 

Lesley and I always stay nearby in our caravan so that I can be up nice and early to greet guests. We arrived on a lovely afternoon and soon had the kettle on the boil, when she pointed out that there was “something” on the window. I went out with the camera and following on from my lockdown story about bugs and insects, I found a Western Conifer Seed Bug, a species introduced into Europe in 1999, arriving on the south coast of England in 2008, but native to USA.

We then went for a walk in sunshine and later watched an almost full moon rise above the pine trees along with a starry sky. However our daughter texted that it was due to rain at 5.00 am and sure enough out of a clear sky it started to rain at 5.23 and it continued all morning – an organiser’s nightmare!!

Up early the next day to greet the first arrivals at 8.15 in a steady light rain. Covid restrictions meant that I had arranged for cash to be handed to me in sealed envelopes before sending cars on to park and the anglers to disperse along the 2.5 miles of riverbank.

They had all arrived within half an hour and I was able to join them. By this time not only was it raining, but the wind had strengthened thus making it more difficult to cast and even more miserable.

It was remarkable that we had a record turnout of 29 anglers and were joined by Dennis Cole mid- morning and PICT President Rod Benwell who arrived at lunchtime. A big thanks to both for giving their support on such a foul day.

In fact it was so bad that several people packed up at lunchtime after eating their sandwiches in splendid isolation, with none of the normal banter and fishy stories.

Only three Brown Trout and one Grayling had been caught but later one guest who persevered into the afternoon was rewarded with some takes on a dry fly, quite amazing given the conditions. By this time most of us were trying to dry out soaking wet “waterproofs”!

Despite everything most people had enjoyed their hours on the river and were already looking forward to next year – gluttons for punishment.

It had been a successful day with the record number of anglers, all of whom contributed generously to PICT and I thank them all for their support. A big thank you must also go to David Gould who was once again instrumental in getting access to the river.

Perversely, back in the caravan with a hair dryer at work on my wet trousers, I looked out and there was the moon rising above the pines, out of a clear sky!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

RIVER TEST – TUESDAY 27th October 2020 - FLY FISHING

 

We will again have access to the same stretch of river as last year which gives us a considerable amount of riverbank with lots of different conditions including anything from deep quiet pools to fast, shallow rapids – always a good challenge. 

 As always, guests are very welcome so bring along friends, relatives and colleagues and enjoy a great day out in the most beautiful scenery.  

The price this year will be £45.00 which seems to be in line with an average day ticket price these days. As most of you know, we changed over to charitable status a few years back and members will already have paid a subscription but as usual I will collect a minimum of £2.00 per guest or non member as a donation to PICT. Just as a matter of interest the normal cost is £145.00 per rod, per beat!!

 This year we will meet as usual at the gate which I will man between 8.30 and 9.00 where I will collect your cash or cheques made out to David Gould. If for any reason you are not going to arrive by 9.00 please ring me on 07554 094637 and I will give you the gate code.

Please bring food and drink because we are miles from shops and behind a locked gate. Social distancing will almost certainly still be in operation so please make sure that you respect the rules when meeting at the start, during the course of fishing and at lunch time.

Many of you are regulars and know the venue well but I am attaching a map to show you the meeting point which is roughly the midway point of our fishing beats and will give you freedom to venture up and down stream.

Please support PICT by turning out to this event on 27th October and I hope to see as many of you as possible on the day. I know some of you have already indicated that you will be coming but I would like confirmation following this letter.

 

 

FRENSHAM LAKES

The days leading up to this event were full of warnings about the Coronavirus pandemic  but the full government restrictions were yet to come into force and so it was that seven members and guests made their way to Frensham Lakes on a pleasant morning with sunshine and a gentle breeze.

The greetings were rather more subdued than usual, no handshakes and keeping our distance, but a fishing lake usually has plenty of space, is out in the fresh air and seemed the ideal place to avoid coming into contact with the dreaded virus. Frensham has always been a self-service fishery with envelopes to post through a letterbox with payment for the day’s fishing, so no human contact necessary here either.

There are 6 lakes in total so we spread out to find our chosen spots, well away from human contact but able to chat at a distance. The first couple of hours were very hard going with only one fish being caught by regular guest Granville Ainsly, who always seems to conjure something up when no-one else is catching.

However, mid-morning a van pulled up with a tank of fresh trout that were offloaded into the various lakes. Newly stocked fish are known to sulk after their journey and do not usually feed but on this occasion they seemed very lively and were soon spread out round the lakes. One never knows if it is the new fish or whether they have stirred up the existing stock, but rods soon started to bend and fish were being landed or returned, depending on the ticket purchased.

Lunch was far from the normal bonhomie that is enjoyed at PICT meetings, on this occasion everyone eating their sandwiches in well-spaced micro groups. Alan Badcock presented the Monk Trophy to me at arm’s length, no handshakes and the trophy held in the green baize that always wraps it, with only Robert Taylor present to photograph the event.

Most people had chosen to have a morning ticket, fishing from 8.00 to 2.00pm so after the quick break we had another hour or so during which more fish were caught.

The traffic on the M25 was busy but it seemed everyone was behaving sensibly, so no hold-ups which should be a lesson to us all. I found the atmosphere almost subdued, no doubt minds focused on what may lie ahead for the country and the world.

Sadly it is difficult to say when the next event will take place as many of the fisheries have closed under government guidance. As soon as the situation eases I will send emails to participants and it will be posted on the website.

Finally I would just like to wish good health to every member of PICT, their families, friends and guests  - look after yourselves.

 

RIVER TEST, ROMSEY, HANTS

It is always pleasing as an organiser to get a good turn-out to our events and this year our annual visit to the River Test was supported by a record equalling 28 anglers, made up of PICT members and guests largely from the fellow charity, the Masonic Trout and Salmon Fishing Club.

The enthusiasm never wanes and people set off from homes as early as 5.00 am so that they could be at the gate at the appointed time between 8.00 – 8.30 before making their way to the car park to tackle up and have a chinwag with friends.

Each year we have the opportunity to fish 2.5 miles of this iconic chalk stream with its clear fast flowing water which varies in depth and width along its length, giving ample room for the Trout, Grayling and occasional Salmon to hide from eager anglers!

It is rather difficult to report on overall activity because we all get spread out along the banks and only catch up with each other over lunch or when passing by. I headed towards the shallower stretch with my son Andrew but he soon saw a gravel bar with a couple of trout holding station over it and it didn’t take him long before his rod was bending into a lovely fish of about 1½ lbs., which was netted and returned. He tried to help me catch one, but in recent years my luck, or more probably ability, was lacking.

Late morning we were joined by PICT President Peter Bothwick who had made the journey from the Midlands to show his support for the Angling Section and we really thank him for doing so. Having fished through till lunchtime most people met up for an informal picnic and to swap stories of the morning, with reports that several trout and a grayling had been caught.

I would like to thank Dave Sea from MTSFC who had very generously donated a fly rod to raise money for PICT and with the help of Alan Badcock a draw was organised and the rod presented to the winner, Mark Vincent, by Peter Bothwick.

The weather had started dry and pleasant, turned very wet and soaked us all, but then the sun returned to dry us out. The afternoon finished about 4.00 with another shower threatening but everyone expressing that it had been a great day. A total of 16 Brown Trout and 2 Grayling had been caught and returned.

I have a lot of people to thank for the success of this meeting, firstly David Gould who obtains the access to the river for the day, the bailiff who manages it, the anglers from PICT and MTSFC and friends who gave their wholehearted support and especially to Peter Bothwick for adding his Presidential presence. 

MONK TROPHY

The winner of the Monk Trophy for the heaviest overall weight caught throughout the year has been won by George Fowler, beating three times winner Alan Badcock literally by a Cat’s Whisker (very appropriate because that is also the name of a fishing fly!)  It wasn’t so much skill on my part as the fact that Alan was dragged on holiday and missed two meetings.

FUTURE DATES

So our fishing calendar closes on another season and it won’t be long before anglers and the secretariat will be clamouring for dates for next year and those will be circulated when I get my new diary!

My thanks to all members who have attended meetings this year. We have also seen new faces, which is very encouraging. I look forward to seeing you all in 2020.

 

TRINGFORD TROUT LAKE

A glorious morning greeted me as I looked out over the beautiful Chiltern countryside, the sun was just rising over the horizon and there were already two hot air balloons slowly drifting across the sky.

This was going to be our third visit to Tringford Trout Lake, one of a series of lakes situated just outside Tring, Hertfordshire and on this occasion there were going to be 8 members, friends and family in the form of my son Andrew.

We tackled up in the car park before following the scent of bacon and sausage along the track where we were greeted by Head Bailiff, Bob Menzies and his welcoming group of Tringford members. There was the usual banter as we ate our rolls and enjoyed a cup of coffee before embarking on the four rowing punts .

After a short row out to our selected spots, we dropped our anchors and prepared to catch some of the Rainbow Trout that could be seen jumping all over the lake. The first rod to bend into a fish was that of regular guest Granville Ainley. He was accompanied by his son-in-law Glen Jenner who used to work for McNaughtons and who was a regular member of the angling section until a change of jobs.

Andrew soon followed with a beautiful fish that I netted for him and which then was gently returned to the water. It took me a bit longer to catch one, but it was just idyllic being out on the lake in beautiful surroundings.

We rowed back to the pontoon for what has become a traditional Tringford spread of Smoked Salmon sandwiches, Pork Pie, Cheese and loads more, all washed down with a beer or glass of wine. The Tringford crew really are the most sociable bunch and with good fishing in the morning and lively conversation there didn’t seem to be any rush to get back out, but eventually we set off for the afternoon session, which turned out to be just as enjoyable.

Reluctantly we had to call it a day as there were long journeys to tackle, none worse than Alan Badcock which took 4½ hours, but he had caught five fish. New member to our group, Roy Mills caught his first trout and Tony Spicer lost four after playing them for some time. Andrew ended up with 6 declaring it the best days fishing ever.

Our thanks to Bob and Tringford for putting on such a splendid day and to whoever picked the most wonderful weather!

 

RIB VALLEY LAKES

 

Seven members and one guest turned out for the meeting at Rib Valley on a lovely sunny morning with a pleasant ripple on the water. I was pleased to welcome John Cane for the first time and also regular guest, Granville Ainley.

That is where the fishing side of this report ends as there was only one bent rod all day and that was Granville’s. It was a strange day with fish moving but none attracted to our flies. We had a very relaxed lunch, nobody too keen for more of the same. I was able to present the Monk Trophy to Alan Badcock for the third year in succession which was very well deserved as usual.

With nothing else to report on the fishing scene I intend to indulge my passion for all things to do with nature and being a ‘quiet’ day I had plenty of time to roam around with my digital camera. It is amazing what else there is to see on the bankside and I was greeted by 2 pairs of Greylag Geese that between them had produced no less than 25 goslings, all seemingly happily mixing together.

The other sightings tended to be smaller and need to be searched for although it is amazing what one notices out of the corner of one’s eye whilst waiting for that pull on the line that never comes! A mahogany coloured Cream Spot Ladybird was first, nestling on the seed head of a reed. Then an Orange-tip Butterfly which most people will know from the bright orange tips to its wings, only this one was a female which has no sign of orange on it at all.

There were dozens of Dock Bugs adorning the leaves of Dock and Mallow, an orange Soldier Beetle seen hanging upside down from a nettle leaf and a tiny moth, only 7-8mm long seen landing on a grass stalk.

All the usual fishing flies were also present, Mayflies hatching from the reeds and spiralling up into the sky, blue flashes of Damselflies and the rather static dark Alder flies.

Despite the poor fishing, it was a wonderful day for me with new species seen and photographed. I hope this may awaken an interest in the smaller things in the animal world and you don’t have to venture beyond the garden gate to find lots of them. I arrived home to find 4 Rosemary Beetles chomping through our Rosemary – beautiful but a pest!!

 

COLTSFORD MILL

 

I left home with dire weather warnings ringing alarm bells, forecasts of 40mph winds and heavy rain showers which are not ideal conditions for casting a delicate fly on the water!

The journey round the M25 was its usual ghastly self with a huge tail back to the Dartford Crossing and I sat in miles of traffic wondering whether the abolition of toll booths has made one iota of difference.

When I arrived at Coltsford I was greeted by Neil, the fishery manager, who was somewhat surprised to see me as he thought the forecast would have put people off. This was somewhat surprising as he was in a short sleeved shirt, it was dry and the lakes were looking as pristine as usual.

At one time I had expected 11 anglers but due to illness, weather, holidays and dare I say age, we ended with 5 intrepid enthusiasts who all had a splendid day with everyone catching lovely Rainbow Trout.

The forecast was about 30% accurate as we did have the odd shower and there were occasional gusty squalls, two of which threatened to push Robert Taylor and myself into Willow Pool but on the whole conditions were fine for casting, with a good ripple on the water.

After a morning fishing the three lakes, we all adjourned to the lodge to eat our lunch and to have a good natter on a wide range of subjects, before returning for a short afternoon session that saw more fish caught.

Once again we were shown the way by a guest, Bill Berboth, who caught a total of 7 including the biggest fish of the day of about 4lb. Yours truly was the best of the PICT members with 4, one of which weighed 3lb and is now sitting in the freezer as Gravlax – delicious!

A wonderful day that defied the forecast and from all the comments everyone enjoyed themselves.

 

RIVER TEST

 

This annual meeting always means an ultra-early start for many anglers and this year I heard talk of 4.00 am but even this becomes acceptable on a glorious day with wall to wall sunshine, little wind and the expectation of the magic that is the River Test.

The dry conditions meant no hold-ups on the motorways and just after 8.30 in the morning I shepherded the last of the 21 participants through the gate and joined them to tackle up. To my surprise one Brown Trout had already been landed and returned by one of the early arrivals so the signs were even better for a good day ahead.

The river rises at Ashe and is always in full flow on our beats as it has only a short stretch to go before joining the River Itchen and flowing into Southampton Water, a total distance of 40 miles and we have the pleasure of fishing both banks for about 2 ½ miles of it.

It means that there is plenty of space for everyone and when one does meet up there is always time to stop and swap experiences of flies, etc. On one such occasion I was able to slide my landing net under a beautiful Brown trout as Gerry Overy guided it in.

This year about a dozen or more met up for lunch and to hear the usual fishy stories of ones that had been caught, ones that had got away and ones that never came near an angler, as in my case! The general consensus was that it was a superb day with everyone enjoying the ambience as much as the angling.

The final news of the day was one of our guests, Ian Hoper, landing a 7lb Salmon and congratulations to him.

Our numbers were swelled by members of the MTSFC and I would like to thank every one of them for their support and generous contributions, all of which will go to PICT after paying the Estate.

Finally our usual thanks have to go to David Gould who is in charge of negotiations with said body and who makes this annual visit possible.

MONK TROPHY

The Monk Trophy is presented annually to the member with the highest weight of fish combined with the number of fish caught over the season and has been won for the third year running by Alan Badcock.

Congratulations to Alan who is a stalwart supporter of the Angling Section and very much deserves this award.

 

FRENSHAM FISHERY, CHURT, SURREY

 

A combination of events, mainly people taking holidays, meant that we had a very meagre turnout for our outing to this delightful fishery at Churt, Surrey. After the usual frustration of the M25, I arrived at 8.30 to find that a lot of work had been carried out since our last visit, with a newly built open fronted barn, housing two barbecues as well as a fireplace, to be used for outdoor entertaining. The old lodge had also been opened up on the first floor and fitted with large tables and chairs, ideal for corporate visits but sadly neither facility was necessary for the five of us who turned up on the day!

The weather was ideal, with a gentle ripple on the six lakes, a hazy sun which clouded over later and with fish cruising tantalisingly close to the surface, it seemed we should be in for a good day. However looks can be deceptive and we all found it rather difficult to entice fish to take our flies. Andrew Smith had the first excitement when his Thermos cap bounced three times and disappeared without trace into the lake but had the consolation of being the first of us to see real action when he landed a nice 2lb Rainbow. It was much later that a bailiff suggested using blood worm and after 20 minutes sorting out a terrible tangle and eventually discarding my leader, I managed to catch a super fish on the first cast using a bloodworm made from red rubber! When this happens you automatically think that you have the answer, but not another touch before lunch.

We were able to have a brief al fresco lunch with most of us eager to get back to the fishing as we only had half day tickets finishing at 2.00pm. We were joined by Les Bidewell who had set out with the intention to fish, only for his car to let him down and to return to borrow his wife’s car by which time it was too late to do anything other than enjoy the chat and the scenery, not only kingfishers but a couple of Spitfires flying overhead. Our regular guest, Ron Gorin fished through lunch to no avail, but had the excitement of seeing fish following his fly on each cast.

In the final half hour, I managed to get a second and saw Alan Badcock catch one, before leaving him to fish out the afternoon – a glutton for punishment obviously!  Later, I learned his perseverance had paid off as he caught another two after we had all disappeared.

My thanks to everyone who attended, your commitment is really appreciated.

Next, it’s on to the River Test which might be even harder fishing!!

Report by George Fowler

 

TRINGFORD TROUT LAKE

 

Largely due to holidays, a rather depleted group of 4 members and 2 guests met at Tringford Lake on a lovely sunny morning, to be met by the smell of bacon and the sizzling of sausages, the usual greeting from Head Bailiff Bob Menzies and his cheerful band of helpers.

With our appetites duly satisfied we returned to the car park to tackle up before heading for the rowing punts that make this different from our normal bank fishing. Guests Granville and Chris Ainley took one boat, Alan Badcock and Tony Spicer the second, while Gerry Overy and I shared a boat.

It took a bit of getting used to rowing these punts because of their width but with Gerry raising arms windmill fashion to point me in the right direction, we made some progress towards the middle of the lake, where we dropped anchor. Tringford is actually 1 of a number of reservoirs supplying drinking water and is fed from the Grand Union Canal. The water was crystal clear and the bottom was very visible, with only a slight ripple on the surface in the light breeze.

The first excitement came to Gerry in the form of a 3” long Perch, not at all what we wanted but a beautiful looking fish nonetheless. Unfortunately this set the pattern for the rest of the day and despite changing flies regularly, type of line once and rowing to other spots several times we could not get a take from the elusive trout.

Lunch was traditional Tringford with smoked salmon and egg sandwiches, a huge slab of pork and egg pie plus all the trimmings, followed by a selection of cheeses and grapes and washed down with a choice of beverages.

After almost clearing the spread, we returned to our punts for much of the same action as the morning. It was clear that the other two boats had been more successful with each angler catching trout and the final tally was Granville 2, Chris 1, Alan 3, Tony 2 whilst Gerry had 6 Perch of varying sizes and all I could manage was a 2” Perch!

We packed up just as the first spots of rain were felt having had a very enjoyable day and a great thanks go to Bob Menzies and crew for making us feel so welcome.

 

FRENSHAM FISHERY

 

There has to be a considerable amount of organiser’s luck that the second outing of the year brought another beautiful day of glorious sunshine and light winds. Frensham is a very popular venue for our members and their guests, hidden away up a winding track which opens up to five trout lakes and one that is being given over to wildlife, not that there is ever any shortage of that.

Our last visit in September showed a number of improvements but this year it was quite spectacular with the lodge now finished. Also the open fronted barn is now sporting a terrace overlooking the main lake with tables and chairs for entertaining. Jillian and her team have really done a remarkable job and I understand there is more planned.

Originally there were going to be 11 of us but due to bad backs, bad diaries and gall bladder operations we were reduced to eight of us fishing. When I returned to the car after paying my dues there was a mayfly resting on the boot of the car, which is what every fly fisherman likes to see as this is staple diet of trout at the time of the Mayfly hatch. This one was early but in a couple of weeks time the water should be covered with them and the sight of trout slurping them down.

Our day proved to be a bit more difficult and it was some time before the first fish was landed, although several had been hooked only to be lost in the ever-present fight against the angler.

We were very pleased to be joined by PICT President, Paul Johnson-Knight, who was happy to watch the so-called experts at work. Fortunately, I was able to hook, play and land a two pounder so that he could see what our sport is all about.

Paul was also able to stay for lunch and join in the usual fishing, trade and other banter. This was enjoyed on the new terrace in lovely sunshine.

With many a mile to travel home for a lot of us, many had a quick afternoon session before calling it a day.

As is so often the case one of our guests out-fished us all by catching four, but with only one member going home with an empty bag, it had been another really good day.

 

RIVER TEST, ROMSEY, HANTS

 

Our visit to the River Test came in the wake of storm Brian which prompted one or two urgent messages asking if our visit was still on. In the event, the day started drizzly but with light winds and after a couple of hours the drizzle had stopped and we were able to enjoy a reasonable day, with the river running fast and clear as usual.

My wife and I had gone down the day before to spend a few nights in our caravan which gives me a head start as our site is only 10 minutes from our meeting point, so I was delighted and not a little surprised to find our President in front of me as I pulled up to the gate at 7.30. Joe Piggott had driven from Birmingham just to see us all set out on our endeavours to catch Brown Trout, then had to leave to an hour or so later to return for a meeting later in the afternoon. It really was a splendid gesture and I am just sorry that he was not able to see any of the action.

Talking of action, once again it was rather sporadic, or in my case non-existent! It was the same for my co-organiser David Gould who fishes the river regularly and neither of us caught a fish all day – I put it down to organisers curse!!

Elsewhere fish were being caught, but such is the length of the beat , news about catches was not heard until lunchtime when we met up in dribs and drabs to eat our sandwiches and talk about the morning.  It turned out that several Brown Trout had been caught and carefully returned.

A total of 17 anglers attended, made up of PICT members and guests supplemented as usual by 6 members of MTSFC, which meant that the event was a success and after paying the fishery there was a surplus for PICT funds. I would like to thank everyone who turned out for their support and generosity.

This year’s catch was a very good mix consisting of 2 Salmon, 10 Brown Trout, 1 Sea Trout, a metre long Pike, and a decent size Chub,, plus 6 anglers who blanked. Judging by emails I have received it seems that everyone thoroughly enjoyed the day whether they caught or not, which is not only due to the status of the River Test as one of our foremost chalkstreams, but just because the setting is so delightful.

My thanks as always to David Gould for organising matters with the fishery and we look forward to the same opportunity next year.

 

MONK TROPHY

For the second year running the MONK TROPHY was won by Alan Badcock, from George Fowler and Dennis Cole. Congratulations to Alan who consistently catches fish at each event and even managed to catch a couple of small fish on the Test.