Following on from last week’s newsletter, I promised I’d keep you updated on our progress with the River Test weed cut, and knee deep is about right, some of the carriers have been running high enough this week to make wading a proper workout.
We’ve now cut our way through most of the upper and middle beats, and the difference is night and day. What was a slow, weed choked trickle a week ago is now clean, fast flowing chalkstream water, exactly the kind of habitat wild brown trout and grayling thrive in.
Many river keepers have been out from first light most mornings, and by the time we finish each stretch the carriers are running clearer and faster than they have all spring. We’ve spotted some really promising fish holding up in the freshly cut margins this week, a good sign for anyone with a fly fishing day booked in over the coming weeks.
With the ranunculus trimmed back, the character of the river changes almost overnight, faster currents through the open channels, fish pushed out of their winter lies and into new feeding lanes, and for a few days the water can carry a slight green tinge as the last of the cut weed drifts downstream.
If you’re planning a day of fly fishing on the Test or Itchen over the next couple of weeks, this is genuinely one of the best times to book. Freshly cut beats tend to fish exceptionally well once they’ve settled, with fish feeding harder in the newly oxygenated water. The evening rise has also continued to fish beautifully throughout the weed cut, so don’t rule out a late afternoon session if mornings don’t suit.
That’s all from me this week, back to the scythe I go.
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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