Off the Log #5

This is a short account of a trip back in 2009, sourced from my fishing log once again.

My damsels box

 My fishing buddy, Brian’ had not been to Avon Springs, Durrington before. There are two ‘lakes’ and a short beat on the chalkstream waters of the upper Hampshire Avon. A day ticket allows fishing on both ponds, but the smaller one (back then, anyway) is dry fly or nymph only; alternatively, you could elect to have a day on the river. I set up with an intermediate outfit, plus a midge tip floater for an alternative. At first it seemed very quiet and the margins were ultra-clear, but then we began to see odd swirls out in the middle; I headed for the far end, casting into the wind, fishing blind because of the surface chop, but it wasn’t too long before I had a take and played out my first Rainbow, just two ounces under five pounds. Great start! I was trying a new Damsel pattern, with green glass bead eyes, yet despite catching the fish with it I had a slight doubt, thinking it was a little too big. We moved further round the far end to where the wind was less trouble, spotting several fish moving at the edge of our casting range. It was interesting fishing, changing flies a lot to see what they showed any reactions to, but after a while we knew we had put them off with all the repeated casts. We moved farther along the banks, towards the stew ponds area. Here a little flash-back damsel lured me another spirited, fighting beauty, four pounds fourteen ounces. Next it was Brian’s turn, one close to four pounds which took a gold bead daddy. The boxes in my vest contained no daddies, so Brian lent me one which I had bought once at a game fair and then subsequently given to him! It was one of those with a plethora of rubber legs, and it soon brought me a third ‘bow, just short of four and a half. That would teach me to be so snooty about ‘shop bought’ flies!

The two daddies, neither tied by me.

 I left Bri at this point to try the specialist ‘lake’ where I lured another Rainbow, around three pounds, sight fishing a little PTN on the midge tip. Lunch was calling so I walked back to round up Bri, finding he’d bagged his second.

 Over lunch we watched a Yorkshireman practicing on the bend in the river, right in front of the car park, sitting low on the bank, wadered feet in the stream. He was knocking out a shoal of small Grayling, which were rising madly to something too small for our eyes. He told us he was practising for the 29^th Hampshire v Yorkshire competition, held in each county alternative years. The ease of his expertise was fascinating, as he picked off rising fish. He said this year’s venue was a private beat none too far from Durrington, and any of the competitors would need to target fifty-plus fish to be in with a chance of winning! We reluctantly tore ourselves away before we became a nuisance.

 Two of the fishery’s regulars had already bagged up before lunch, using damsels or small Montana nymphs, so I went back to the intermediate line and the small, flash-back damsel. Casting to where I’d spotted a heavy swirl, I hooked a good fish which twice took me into the reel’s backing before I was able to net it: my best of the day and a cracking seven pounds four ounces! There were still fish showing out towards the middle and I knotted that little damsel onto the midge tip, thereafter, covering those swirls brought me a five-and-a-half-pounder, soon followed by a four-and-a-quarter to finish off with. Meanwhile Bri had been busy too, adding a five-pounder to his bag. A memorable day’s fishing, with hard fighting, stunning looking trout.

An old, battle-scarred warrior, one of my oldest fly reels, still going strong! (Vision Koma).