Dear All,

I want to buy a gift for a friend, namely a day's chalkstream fishing. I have a budget of around £200 and ideally it needs to be wild fishing only (a very big ask I know !!!)

I have seen this place and the write up it receives in T&S seems good - has anyone any experience of it ?

The Wrackleford Estate Fly Fishery in Dorset

I am very cautious of the 'big' chalkstream rivers as I have been stung in the past - namely on the lower reaches of the Test that bore more resemblence to the Grand Union Canal than a world famous chalkstream river.

Any help or recommendations greatfully received !

Many thanks & happy new year

Drfrank

Have a look here Frank, that will take some beating, and you can go as well.
Steven.
Lot#6 2 rods on the Test at Wherwell.

__________________
"A glint of sun has warmed the air,The flies will soon hatch out, To lure and tempt from their deep lair, The bonnie speckled trout." SKB tackle supporter. I love Furled Leaders.

The Frome is good as is the nearby Piddle.

Fly fishing beats in Dorset,fishing in Dorset, Dorset fly fishing

Fishing Breaks - River Piddle

I'd leave the Test completely alone as there is virtually nowhere that isn't stocked. The Itchen is OK in parts as it has no rainbows and many stretches are unstocked.

Fishing Breaks - River Itchen

Other options are the Meon, Bourne, Wylye and Gloucestershire Coln where there are unstocked beats amongst some that stock. Try Fishing Breaks and the Rod Box for more details.

Fishing Breaks - River Meon

The Rod Box : Country Pursuits & Fly Fishing

Fly Fishing on the the River Wylye - Go Fly Fishing UK

There are also chalk streams in Yorkshire

http://www.mulberry-whin.com/

__________________
“There is no more lovely country than Monmouthshire in early spring. Nowhere do the larks sing quite so passionately, as if somehow inspired by the Welsh themselves. There is a blackbird on every thorn and a cock chaffinch, a twink as they call him there, on every bush...... It moved me profoundly. I had been spared to see another spring, and I thank God for it.”

Oliver Kite
“A Spring Day on the Usk”
A Fisherman’s Diary

Not as pricey as Wrackleford, but a lovely bit of water:

Dorchester Fishing Club

Or one of Richard Slocock's beats: River,chalk stream fishing,Fly fishing in Dorset,trout fishing,fishing in Dorset,Fly Fishing on the River Frome,Piddle

Best
Dave

__________________
"A homeward tramp thro' mist wrapped night,
With heart and creel in common light,
Complete content, the day has brought it,
They fished for pleasure - and they caught it"

P F Morgan
taken from the catch record book at Llanthony Hotel, Honddu Valley, Aug 1942

www.monnowlogue.com
www.monnow.org.uk

Unless you are stuck on travelling down south, save yourself some money and go to mulberry whin in east yorkshire.
Mulberry Whin - Chalkstream fishing chalkstream flyfishing
Superb set up. just over a mile of river with a fishing hut (that include a flushing toilet) in the middle of the beat. The owner (brian, really nice guy) will also supply hampers at lunchtime (home made and damned good).
Maximum of 4 rods, so plenty of room.
It does get stocked with brown trout, but only once at the start of the season and only to replace any fish taken the year before.
There is also the odd rainbow, they escape in from the fish farm up stream.
The main thing for me though is the grayling, absolute monsters. My best from there went 2lb 11oz, but I've seen fish to over 4lb.
Stunning place, crystal clear water and fish all over the place ... they are not easy to catch and succesful fishing requires creaping around, fishing small flies ... basically, wild fishing.
There is also accomodation available on site and other hotels around driffield - Last time i was over there I stoppped at the blue bell, which is only about 15mins from the fishery.
Blue Bell Hotel @ Burton Agnes - Bar, Brasserie Restaurant and Hotel

Given that mulberry whin is only £45 - £60 depending on the time of year you go - your budget will go a lot further than if you go south.
The price by the way is not cheaper because it's better fishing down south - it's simply because the owner is a yorkshire man and charges what he beleives is "reasonable" for a days fishing. He had a river test keeper fishing last year who said "if it was mine I'd charge twice the price and double the amount of rods" !!!

In my personal experience there is not much difference between parts of the Test and Itchen. It is certainly not correct to say that the Itchen has no rainbows. I was lucky enough to fish at Easton on the Itchen and caught more rainbow than browns.
Your chances of wild fish only on the Hampshire chalkstreams will increase the further upstream you go and onto the carriers. I don't think there's too much wrong with catching a few stocked fish on the river so long as they are in good condition and no bigger than that of the natural inhabitants. I digress onto another subject - hope you find a suitable beat.

Reg Wyatt

Although this may seem to digress slightly from the subject, I have to agree with reg's comment:
"I don't think there's too much wrong with catching a few stocked fish on the river".
It seems to me to be pointless to fish a river which is stocked to such a point that the water is more like fish soup and a monster throws itself onto the line every chuck. (although in fairness, I've never come across one of these waters yet !!)
The purpose of fishing is to catch fish. We dont want it too easy as that would be boring but so long as the stocking level is sensible and with fish of a size and type to be inkeeping with those wild fish in the river then you'll find that it doesnt take too long for stocked fish to become wised up and act like the wild fish.

The other side of the argument is to go for something totally wild such as the passport beats on the wye and usk passport. Small streams that have never been stocked and don't get much angling pressure. It's easy to spend a week on these waters without so much as seeing a fish, let alone catching one (I'm sure if you spend plenty of time on them you get to know where the fish will be, but as a visitor you are really up against it).

So, to my mind it's a case of finding a happy medium and to get back onto the subject, don't discount anywhere that is not totally wild as it doesnt mean it will be easy.

On another suggestion ... not chalkstream, but it is wild fish ... the haddon estate on the derbyshire wye. 7 miles of river that hasnt been stocked for a number of years and holds one of only a couple of wild rainbow trout populations in the country.
the fishinmg is controlled through the peacock hotel.
The Peacock at Rowsley - Fly Fishing on the Derbyshire Wye
More affordable accomodation is available at Home Page - - Rutland Arms Hotel

Were these rainbows stocked or did they escape from places like Avington which is of course not far upstream of Easton? (I've shot a few nice roe on the edge of that village!!)

I'd be very sorry to hear that they were stocked as I've never been unfortunate enough to catch or even see one on the Itchen other than on the carrier at Avington. Fishing the Test is like fishing a moving stillwater fishery in places with more rainbows than browns but for a lot more money, I never saw the Itchen as being like that but perhaps I was spoiled.

__________________
“There is no more lovely country than Monmouthshire in early spring. Nowhere do the larks sing quite so passionately, as if somehow inspired by the Welsh themselves. There is a blackbird on every thorn and a cock chaffinch, a twink as they call him there, on every bush...... It moved me profoundly. I had been spared to see another spring, and I thank God for it.”

Oliver Kite
“A Spring Day on the Usk”
A Fisherman’s Diary

I agree with you sewinbasher but I really believe things are slowly changing - both with regard stocking policy on the chalkstreams and what we think they should look like. i.e not canals! Organisations such as Wild Trout Trust etc and a few forward thinking keepers are making chalkstream traditionalists question past practices carried out because, "it's always been done like that."
And yes, if you fish the top of the Itchen you have most definately been spoiled! Not that I'm jealous or anything.
Apologies for changing the point of this thread chaps.

Reg Wyatt

I'll second Spiders suggestions of Mullberry Whin. That stretch of the Driffield Beck has the largest grayling I have ever seen anywhere. They were like submarines... I remember seeing one pod of seven fish, the smallest of which must have been 20" They wouldn't look at my flies though...

__________________
"A homeward tramp thro' mist wrapped night,
With heart and creel in common light,
Complete content, the day has brought it,
They fished for pleasure - and they caught it"

P F Morgan
taken from the catch record book at Llanthony Hotel, Honddu Valley, Aug 1942

www.monnowlogue.com
www.monnow.org.uk