Itchen Archives | Page 2 of 3

Episode 003 – The Story of a River Keeper Turned River Restorationist, Neil Swift.

In this exciting discussion piece, we dive into the mind of Neil Swift, the project officer at the Wessex Rivers Trust, charged with rolling out some of the most ambitious river restoration initiatives across our southern chalkstreams.

Join us on the hallowed banks of the Oakley beat as we grapple with upheaving centuries of human ingenuity and stewardship, and passing the torch back to nature at the epicentre of fly fishing itself, Mottisfont Abbey.

We find out what makes a river keeper turned river restoration practitioner tick, what are the challenges that face the WRT, and specifically all that has been done to improve chalkstream habitat at the Mottisfont Estate on the River Test.

Halford’s Hut, Oakley Beat, Mottisfont Abbey

This week we look back on redecorating Halford’s Hut, the ‘Mooph’ joins the Fork and Feather Guide, and Samba the capybara is still at large. Welcome to the newest instalment of the Wilde Trout newsletter.

Episode 002 – What’s Been Happening at Wilde Trout?

This week podcast host, Jamie Pankhurst, takes on the task of fishing at Mottisfont Abbey, decorating a fishing cabin that once belonged to FM Halford, and looks forward to the season ahead. The chalkstreams are brimming, the flies are hatching and the trout season in Hampshire opens next week! Welcome back to the Wilde Trout Journal.

Wild Trout Trust Auction Goes Live

This week the Wild Trout Trust spring auction lots are live, and the Dog and Gun joins the guide. Welcome to the newest instalment of the Wilde Trout newsletter.

The First Cuckoo of the Chalkstreams

This week the Bourne Rivulet is brimming, the blackthorn is blooming, and Mottisfont Abbey is reopening for fly fishing! Welcome to the newest instalment of the Wilde Trout newsletter.

The Dog and Gun

A classic country pub in the Wiltshire village of Netheravon

The Duke on the Test

If you follow the gentle pull of the river, you will arrive at The Duke on the Test

The Great Bustard

Deep in the Avon valley lies the Great Durnford Estate and their disruptive new pub, The Great Bustard.

The Winchester Royal

Tucked into the quiet back streets of old-town Winchester, lies the 16-century silk mill turned Winchester Royal Hotel.

The Bath Arms

Tucked into the picture-postcard village of Horningsham is the Bath Arms at Longleat, deep in quintessential Wiltshire.

Anne Lewinsohn

It was lovely to be greeted by Jamie when we got off the train in Winchester. He immediately took us to a pub lunch during which he explained the ecology of chalk streams. He organized a perfect day of fishing for my grandson and made sure the rest of us got to our lodgings in Stockbridge from the River Itchen. My grandson had a wonderful day and experienced great fishing with Jamie's knowledgeable guiding. I would highly recommend him as a personable, knowledgeable, and well-qualified guide for all ages and fishing experience.

Bryan Gordon-Smith

Jamie helped me recce the site for a potential visit by my grand kids and to diagnose my bad habits having fished for a few years with precision and charm rectifying them with some great tips which he also summarised expertly in a follow up email. It was great fun and extremely useful!

antony hill

Wow! A fly fishing experience every passionate fly fisher should have. The history alone (FM Halford's hut) makes the day unique but then you add the phenomenally natural river keeping of an expansive footprint and the wild brown trout and grayling that, due to infrequent fishing, are accordingly co-operative and a delight to catch and return. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a truly memorable day.

ollie pattinson (olliehp97)

A really amazing experience and learning oppurtunity for getting into fly fishing. The whole day was organised and planned to be incredibly smooth and easy for beginners to get a true experience while enjoying and learning a lot. James our guide was also incredibly helpful, friendly and great at tailoring the day to what suited our group and what we enjoyed. Would strongly recommend and will be booking again

Fady Iskandar

A fabulous family day with Wilde Trout. We were complete beginners at fly fishing and we thought a full day would be too long. Quite the contrary, as we were all fully engaged with plenty to learn in a very friendly, fun and patient environment. James and Freddie were phenomenal, and you could tell they are truly passionate and loving what they do.

Stephen Duffy

Wilde Trout made for an amazing day for me and my son on the River Test. The beat was a peaceful and beautiful spot with a small fishing shack. The water from the chalk stream river was so clear that we could even see all the trouts ingoring our perfect presentations. Still managed to catch some brownies and a 3 pound Grayling in the heat. Also have them take you to the Mayfly for lunch. They reserved a table right on the river where we ordered their signature trout dish and a Guinness for lunch. They picked us up and dropped us off at Winchester train station which made things super easy. Thanks for great time. Will have to book you guys again.

Jeff Coote

All round fantastic day had with these guys - we had a full day private tuition on Wherwell lake and Chris our guide gave us a fantastic introduction to fly fishing. So much fun and we caught our first trout also. They went over & above what we were expecting. Cannot recommend them enough - we will be back (hopefully)!

Paul Davies

“Had a fantastic day with beginners and a couple of more experienced anglers on our recent day on the Orvis beat at Kimbridge. Jamie instructed and encouraged our novice anglers with great skill and patience and had them casting effectively quite quickly. He helped them with fly choice and understanding that choice and added immensely to our day with experiences and anecdotes from his own fly fishing experiences. A fantastic day on this beautiful river and I would recommend Jamie’s services unreservedly to others”

stuart robertson

What an absolute pleasure to be guided by Jamie on our recent chalk stream trout fishing venture. His experience, expertise and most importantly, patience (especially with the kids on our family day) were really exemplary and his fishing kit covered all our needs! Highly recommended! Thanks very much Jamie.

Andrew Cole

Very well organised day, with lot's of useful information ahead of the day's course. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day and Jamie's teaching excellent. Teaching was a very well constructed, a balance of fly fishing in a nice relaxed format. Catching the fish was a wonderful way to round off! Would recommend.

Nearest River: Itchen