hello

my names jon and i'm new to fly fishing as of christmas, though i've fished all my life for coarse and sea fish.

firstly, i'd like to say thanks to people like the pits ford pirate and platinum angling, who have been very kind and full of excellent advice in helping me get some basic gear together! i'm finding the fly community extremely friendly and so helpful so far.

I have a specific question for this post - i need to drop my wife at Gatwick airport on saturday morning, and would like to then drive to a friendly fishery in the area and perhaps catch my first trout. I've already had a casting lesson from a friend but am going to make a lot of mistakes and so am really looking for somewhere where there will be understanding and friendly people about who won't get annoyed with me splashing about.

I live in hammersmith and so far have seen places like colts ford mill and hallimere, but anywhere pleasant in the sussex area would be fine for me while i'm down gatwick way.

Cheers!

PS - if anyone can point me the way of an expert on bone fishing in belize, i'm after some lures to take with me - i'm going there in 3 weeks and so on the fast track to learn and gather together some cheap SW kit!

Hi Breaking, im from london too. I dont no about around Gatwick, maybe someone else
Will help you with that, but down the road from you hammersmith is Syon park trout fishery a good place to practice and you are bound to catch a fish, if you dont mind Heathrow planes overhead. A fishery i enjoy going to is Thornwood Springs in Essex not to far for a good days fishing, great fishery
Browse the stillwaters on the forum. Good luck
Oh yes, welcome to the forum!

Where you are in the game ,yes a beginner ,I would come backm into town and give Syon park a go .
Wear some polaroids and fish some kind of lure and watch the fish follow and hopefully grab your fly as yo pull it back ,you will learn a lot from watching what fish do .
Best of all ,wont be a long drive home .
As too your bonefishing I cant help ,but go for a chat with Sean in Farlowes ,If Seans not there Brian will put you right .

Btw the weather will be damp and chilly do wrap up well ,Something this forum has set in stone for me is "there is no such thing as bad weather only poor clothing ",Since learning that my fishing in all kinds of conditions has improved and become far more enjoyable , Modern wicking fibres and wool and gertex analoques have made winter and wet weather fishing great ,
Even here

__________________
Andy Wren
Winter grayling taking a year off !
Claret not just a great dubbing colour!

hi welcome to come here to thornwood as lake 1 great for beginners as a very long thin lake so distance casting not needed,and i allways on hand to advise/help.& our special offers allways a bonus,also epping tube only a mile away! but no heathrow traffic!07588669255 hope to see you soon-peter

thanks guys, that's fantastic advise. one of the reasons i started was to use syon park as its proximity to london means a 'suit' like me has the option of popping down there after work during the lighter evenings of summer. I'll definatelty go there soon enough.

And yes, I know about dressing for cold weather - another reason for starting the fly was me getting sick of sitting behind a bank of carp / pike rods for a whole winters day without a single bleep from my buzzers....my casting lesson on jan 2nd felt positively tropical compared to winter carping !

---------- Post added at 10:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:37 AM ----------

Peter - thanks also for your reply. the guys in Grangers also recommended you and I'll be sure to take up your kind offer.

Hi Breaking, i'm from W London too (well, SW London). we're planning a forum trip to Lechlade later in Jan if you fancy it.? I'd gladly give you a lift.

If you're near Gatwick, i'd suggest you have a crack at Chalk Springs. It's a fair way away, (in Arundel) but it'll give you a new experience as the water is utterly gin clear, allowing you to see your quarry. It is famous for having a lot of very large brown trout in there (like the 18 pounder in my avatar) and they're frustrating when you can see then ignore your fly over and over!!

Tight lines.
Alex

thanks Alex - I'll save Arundel for a future trip, that fish looks awesome and I love that part of the world....beautiful west sussex. I won't be around for the lechlade dates but THANKYOU for a very very kind offer indeed and enjoy the trip!

If you are looking for someting in Sussex relatively close to Gatwick, you could do worse then try Lakedown Trout Fishery. They have 4 lakes and the staff at the fishery are very helpful.

Lakedown Trout Fishery - Home

About 30mins from Gatwick is Hazelcopse which is a great if slightly ugly fishery. That said, you will generally be concentrating on the massively powerful fish trying to pull your rod into the water to worry about the working farm going on around you.

Cheapest place I have been too, wonderfully politician-hating Farmer and plenty of fishy water to cast to even if you arent a distance caster.


That is the closest to Gatwick as I used to live 5mins from there and was my local water for years.


Otherwise, if you drive, feel free to see if you can get out to Essex on the 4th Feb for a wee meet that is happening at Chigboro Fishery near Maldon.


Otherwise , there is a group of us at Thornwood tomorrow which is just off the M11.


There are plenty of other fisheries within an hour from you too.



Best of luck


Benjamin

__________________


**The SKB Website**


Tackle Essentials - Pliers, Snips, Pimps etc

Utterly Pimping Reel Porn


MrTrout's Furled Leaders


Help our Heroes



*Proud Sponsor of the EYFA and Pitsford Pirates*

Not the prettiest stillwater in the country but I have many good memories from my days on Walthmstow reservoirs in North London, used to be a season ticket holder a good number of years ago and had some cracking sport, lots of good guys and gals fished it also, always willing to help newcomers.

Only downside is the cormorant population.

Pub across the road from the entrance as well, always a bonus

The Pirate.

__________________
Sonik Sports Team Pitsford Pirates - No pressure, just pleasure! Pip pip!

http://www.flyforums.co.uk/trade-cla...e-bonanza.html

http://www.soniksports.com/

http://www.flyforums.co.uk/fly-lines...unkistbob.html