It must be an ominous sight, looking up from within your apocalyptic snow globe, watching hundreds of friends wriggling up to the surface amid the onslaught of nymphing trout. Some get trapped in the film under a barrage of giant rain drops, others crushed in the beaks of swifts and hobby hawks. You would think any self-respecting Mayfly would wait for another day.
The very same mayfly from the last newsletter, only now in its final form, the Spinner.
Cast your mind back to those arctic two weeks in May. The winds were high and blustery, the air was bitter and cold and the rain was… well… hail. Quite the opposite of what you hope for when fishing the Mayfly on the chalkstreams.
Remarkably, despite abhorrent weather, the Mayflies decided to make a break for it and while many were unable to dry their wings, pinned to the water under siege from the rain, there were at times thousands of duns pulling over the river like a duvet. So many, in fact, that on some beats, the trout simply didn’t know what to do with themselves, presented with the impossible conundrum of which one to eat next. Those that did break free from rainy bombardment didn’t last long though, as they were briskly swept off the river and into the trees by powerful gusts.
It wasn’t just the brown trout that gorged on the hatches. One afternoon, whilst guiding a group of beginners on the main River Test, we found some large perch happily mopping up the nymphs as they made a desperate bid for freedom. Chalkstream perch are beautiful and fascinating in equal measure. Their stripey camouflage melts away in the riffling tails of ranunculus and ribbon weeds, but if you watch carefully they are like gun dogs at the peg, twitching with excitement just before they accelerate to engulf the next mouthful.
A colourful chalkstream perch that fell for the careful lift of a mayfly nymph.
Throughout those first two weeks in May, we enjoyed steady fly life on both the Test and Itchen here in Hampshire, but as always it wasn’t until the evenings that the mayfly really started to pick up. When the fly fishers had long since retreated to the pub for supper, at the going down of the sun, that is when the mayfly hatches were at their most prolific.
Despite all the changeable weather, our guests enjoyed some terrific sport and we had several exemplary days, particularly on some of the middle Test beats where the fly life was most prolific. Below is a picture of Chris with a sterling example of a River Test brown trout caught on a small grey wulff. Turned over amid many hundreds of duns flapping off the surface, it is a wonder how any trout may single out your fly at all!
A lovely River Test brown trout taken on a small grey wulff during an explosive mayfly hatch.
Then came the heat wave… Woah that was a hot one! After the coldest start to May in as long as I can remember, we endured 10 days of excruciating sun, dripping foreheads and damp waders. We brits are impossible to please! The fly life didn’t seem to mind the warmth though and again it was those who stayed long until the evening rise that were rewarded fairly for their efforts.
Somewhere in the middle of it all I guided a group of 5 chaps on their first trip to the Wilderness on the River Kennet. The mayfly hatch tends to come around a week or two later on the Berkshire streams but even on the 25th May the Kennet certainly didn’t disappoint. The fish rather threw caution to the wind and after a well-earned barbecue supper at the shooting lodge, our guests headed back out to enjoy what started outas a gentle burst, but steadily intensified into a heavy crescendo at dusk. A chalkstream dream come true!
Its not too late to book a day of fly fishing on the chalkstreams this summer. We have a range of lovely options across the River Test and Itchen in Hampshire and the River Kennet in Berkshire.
There are selected beats on our website that are only available by special permission for guided day rods, but we we have many options across the River Test and Itchen that are not advertised online.
Do get in touch to chat over your fishing plans and arrange your trip!
We have a range of fishing options this summer for anyone who would like to visit the chalkstreams in the company of a fishing guide. We provide all the tackle, equipment and flies, plus access to some private and exclusive beats on the River Test in Hampshire and the River Kennet in Berkshire.
A day in the company of a friendly, knowledgeable and fully qualified fishing guide.
Click the button below to explore some fishing options, or give us a call in the office on 01264 554 884 to find out more.
If you are at a loss for what to give for an upcoming birthday, why not give the gift of fly fishing and take a gift voucher redeemable against any day of their choosing.
Our gift vouchers are beautifully made with a premium card wallet and personalised inlay, plus an illustration of the Hampshire chalkstreams and a signed letter from me. Every one is finished with with gold foil embossing and our unique wax seal, packaged inside a traditional string and washer envelope and delivered first class direct to your door!
A bespoke fly fishing gift voucher for every occasion.
They are valid for two years and can be made out to any value of your choosing. Click the button below to find out more and order online today…
That’s all from me this week.
Wishing you the very best of luck and the tightest of lines if you are 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!
