RH Fly Fishing

  “In all things of nature there is something of the marvellous” – Aristotle.     Pittleworth Trout Lake? No, me neither! Only appeared on our radar earlier this year, thence onto our fixtures list, seemingly it was a well-kept secret beforehand. The Inspector was responsible for finding this gem and bringing it to the Fluff Club’s attention, he joined us for a look around whilst walking his young dog, “Buddy”, a canine in a big hurry, bursting with energy and enthusiasm to explore the whole world.   Once a John Lewis Partnership water, and apparently quite neglected before being taken on by the current owners a few years ago, we suspect it was syndicated for a time but is now available for pre-booked whole days for a minimum of six rods, 24 fish to take, and strictly no C&R. Fed by the River Test, this mature, meandering 3.5 acre pond is absolutely stunning!   The Fluff Boys RDV’d at the fishing hut, where the catch return book evidenced good fishin...

  “… when my life is over, And my time has come to pass, Bury me upside-down, So the world can kiss my ass”.          – Blackberry Smoke     Alarmed before dawn, and in the car before 06.00, …”Brrrrrr” … the coldest morn for some time, but the heat from my stereo soon warmed things up; coordinates set for our northerly destination Draycote Water, for the annual Fly Dressers Guild John Watts Competition. The event is as social as it is competitive and everyone who fishes it always looks forward to the next; as the years mount so do the friends made from being boat partners for eight hours, there’s much meet n’ greet first thing.   The Fluff Boys’ competition section ‘Wessex Flyers’ were going to be a man down but the Fly Fishing Forum’s Fly Dressers Guild thread enabled us to find our fourth rod, one Paul F, who was very welcome indeed. The remainder of our team was made up of the Professor, Inspector, and Whytee. St...

    “Who?” you might ask, probably quite correctly. The man wasn’t famous in fly-tying and fly-fishing circles, so most readers will be unaware of him. Well, blowing his cover, he features in ‘The Continuous Adventures …’ under the pseudonym ‘Sailor’, due to his proclivity to set sail across the Atlantic (and other seas and oceans) at the drop of a hat. Sadly he has joined Dell-boy in the ranks of ex-Fluff Boys.   He and Whytee joined the Wessex branch of the Fluff Club on the same day, often enjoying a beer together before the weekly branch meetings, and developing a rivalry in fly tying competitions run by ‘FlyFishing and FlyTying’ and ‘Trout Fisherman’ magazines, eagerly checking the placings each month. Peter was more ‘traditional’ but innovation was never far away.   On the Fluff Club’s monthly outings, when he wasn’t at sea or road-tripping the USA, the rivalry continued, adding a frisson to our fishing which will be sorely missed. Peter much preferred dry ...