Thought I'd beat the cabin fever and brave the freezing conditions to wet a line last Tuesday at one of my favourite haunts.
After phoning the fishery and being assured the trout lakes were clear of ice, I thought "lets make a day of it" and booked a Four Fish Gold ticket on Spring Lake, followed by all day catch and release on the other three lakes (assuming I was fortunate enough to catch my first 4 Spring Lake fish).
Arriving early, I was greeted with a cup of steaming coffee (needed, ground temp was 2 degrees, windchill felt more like -4). Twenty minutes later, 2 extra coffees and a bacon and egg sandwich inside me, I walked up the lakes.
Whilst the coarse lakes were frozen, all four trout lakes were completely free of ice as promised.
The light was kind, allowing me to see reasonably well below the surface, but alas no fish were spotted. On the assumption they were all sulking near the bottom, I opted for a fast glass intermediate on a longish leader with a mini Humungus on the business end.
Two hours later, I changed to a mini Nomad to try and avoid the out of season Brownies (I'd innocently caught and released 7 up to about 5lb).
The change of fly did the trick, and took 4 Rainbows to 5lb 8oz over the next 90 minutes.
After a trip back to the shop for more coffee and a thaw out, I returned back to the other three lakes for my catch and release session.
Three hours later, using a floating line, long leader and a size 14 GRHE, I'd taken another 13 Rainbows to about 4lb. Because of the previous spell of bad weather, I am certain the lack of angling pressure helped what turned out to be a red-letter day.
It was a real pleasure being outside after what seemed an eternity away from the water. Add to this a very warm welcome, great food and arm-wrenching fishing ........... if Carlsberg did fly fisheries, they'd call it Woodington!
If you've never fished there before, I whole-heartedly encourage you to give it a try. John and Amanda, the owners, will welcome you like a regular and once you've been, you'll probably become one too.
If you want to find out more about Woodington, you can visit their website at
Woodington Fishery .
Gav
Woodington, Hampshire
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