I am rejuvenated… having been approached by Vision, I’m honoured to join their World Team in conjunction with fishing maestro Tony Riley. After some lengthy conversations with the said man, we’ll be working on and unveiling some exiting new stuff in the new year, rods ‘n’ all… floating my boat are some nymphing 10 & 11 footers which I hope will tingle my spine.

…… Watch this BIG space! ……

With this and the recent AAPGAI event, last week has just been hectic blur, lots of hither & dither, fog & mist, duckin’ & divin’ etc. So it was a pleasure to get back to some of the day job. That being time with David Cunningham, a man on a river mission. This time Wherwell and my first Autumn jaunt. Regularly hammered it may be according to some, but fish it right and fish it well, there’s no end as to how good a day you can have on so much water.

The river is still abundant with trout and try as you might, they’re still just as keen to take your meagre offerings. David drops in from a bank position to net this stunner, his first fish of the day… a brownie it may be but we’ll forgive him that.

You can obviously tell he’s disappointed…

Some further target practice on sighted grayling lies proved bountiful…

A pewter beauty recovers in relaxed hands.

The mid reaches – marginal wading only when necessary followed by some exceptional casting…

What a pwiddy fish… they always seem to be cheerful.

Some frenchspanishczechpolishlobhighstickeuronymphing before lunch…

Posh horses doofers… medallions of bacon

My that’s a fine pair of baps you have… ooh get you sir… no sir… surely not sir

The lower reaches with an iridescent carpet of cover… an absolute b##ch to fish!

Walk by and ignore these tight neck runs at your peril… for at the end is an opening

David with one of Warrens silver bead quills, fishes an opening (Riffle)…

…and nails this ‘hunk of lurv’ (David – why does this picture not do this justice?)

Waiting for the get go… she’ll let us know when she’s good and ready.

From the same pocket on the same fly…

Autumn has crept in, the nights drawing nearer, sooner… casting into the last light

K’plunk… some times these are the best of times, you can’t see it, you just feel it.

Mate – what can I say, it was a pleasure to watch you fish today… all the hard work was yours. Well done, I look forward to the Itchen for the next river session. Now get back out there darn it! ~ Jim

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With a welcome change in both weather and forecast it is perhaps a smile and a warm glow that adorns anglers keen to put behind them some ‘topsy turvy’ conditions that have either made or ruined an otherwise good days fishing.

Today good friend Keith Passant joined us for his first visit to a stretch of the Wylye… with lush green foliage but yet still high water we looked forward to something… anything… that would show interest to some of our meagre offerings.

Whilst I spent the best part of an hour dithering with my recent leader/indicator innovation, Warren and Keith made haste with their setups and went on to wet a line…

Paying particular attention to a fly Keith tied and decided to fish (I daren’t show you its scale)

Needles to say a good fish rose to the far bank opposite Keith. Now this fish is significant in that since April, Warren, Richard and I have tempted this particular fish to the fly but never quite nailed it… Keith had all but two well placed casts with said fly and…

well… nailed it he did… a stunning fish falling to a fly that did nothing other than command surprise.

Before even wetting a line myself for having dithered so long, it was time to play chef… bacon baps for lunch. Not sure if Warren’s enjoying my efforts or is about to ‘chunder’

Desperate to make amends for not having yet fished, it’s to the one handed bacon butty technique

Post lunch of baps, crisps, mars bars and tea… then more tea, we soon got down to the more serious business of fishing.

Warren below in the weir (testing) pool at the bottom of our beat with the new indicator

There’s the take right there…

I wish I could say he nailed the fish but fly fishers don’t lie.. @#&$!

With exacting setups we both focus hard and look for any micro movement… easily seen they are too

Unlike Warren I’m nailing mine… (It’s my blog and I can write what I want so ner ner)

Keith trying all manner of his excellent flies at the top of our stretch

With light fading we fish both dry and nymph to tempt some of the more regular incumbents. Given the weather we were quite surprised there was so little surface activity…

…even though a good mixture of fly were regularly active throughout the early to late afternoon: Cased and free swimming caddis, long horn sedge and a healthy number of mayfly

Let’s hope this vein of weathers continues… enjoy your fishing ~ Jim