As we move into full summer, the chalkstreams settle into their classic July character, low, gin clear water with barely a ripple on the surface. It’s a beautiful time to be on the river, but it’s also the most demanding time of year to fool a wild brown trout.
With so little water to hide behind, presentation becomes everything. A poor cast or a heavy footfall on the bank will send fish scattering long before the fly even lands. This is when the finer points of chalkstream fly fishing really come into their own, longer leaders, smaller flies, and a slow, patient approach from downstream.
If you’re booking a July day with us, expect your guide to spend as much time talking about approach and stealth as they do about fly choice, it genuinely makes the difference between a blank session and a memorable one.
As the mayfly hatches fade into memory, July belongs to the terrestrials. Ants, beetles and daddy long legs blown onto the water from the meadows either side of the river become a significant part of the trout’s diet, and a well presented terrestrial pattern can produce some spectacular takes, especially on warm, breezy afternoons.
It’s worth carrying a small selection of foam beetles and black ants alongside your usual dry fly box this month. Fish that have grown wary of standard mayfly patterns after weeks of pressure often can’t resist something a little different landing on the water, and the takes tend to be confident rather than the sipping rises you get with smaller upwinged flies.
That’s all from me this week, enjoy the long evenings on the water.
Wishing you the very best of luck and the tightest of lines if you’re beside the river in the next few days.
Best wishes,
Jamie Hayes-Pankhurst
Founder & Managing Director
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Dreaming of a burbling chalkstream brimming with frenzied brown trout slurping in the gunsmoke of an electric fly hatch? Your next adventure starts here!
