Fiercely protecting hedgerows across England with those needle-sharp thorns, the Hawthorn is perhaps one of the most common of any hedging plant. It thrives in most soils, full sun or partial shade, supporting wildlife with spring flowers and autumn berries and here in Hampshire, it is almost ubiquitous.
It is only as the snow capped blackthorn melt away that we see the hawthorn begin to blossom. Looking out of the window today, with rolling fields of grass and rape, the English countryside is a vibrant palate of greens and yellows, but soon these very same fields will be divided by white lines. Many miles of hedgerow will be peppered with the bright white petals of prickly hawthorn and the songbirds will sing that little bit louder as they weave in and out of their thorny home.
A Hawthorn bush in full bloom.
Hawthorn, the fly, is undoubtedly another spring spectacle on the chalkstreams. Look for a long, shiny, black fly hatching during the months of April and May around fields and wetlands. They are important pollinators, the adults feeding on the nectar of fruit trees and other plants including their floral namesake. They are weak flyers and regularly get blown onto the water, wriggling in the surface film between the eyes of hungry trout, so it comes as no surprise that trout should love them. And love them they do!
Anyway, the reason I am telling you all this is because on Sunday, one of my lovely guests managed to catch his first chalkstream trout on a dry fly, a small black hawthorn. This week, there have been large hatches of Hawthorn reported across parts of the Test, Itchen, Avon and Kennet chalkstreams and last week, we were treated to a hatch over the main River Test where the fly life was so dense it felt almost impossible to take a breath.
On Saturday, I guided John and his friends from London on their very first trout fly fishing experience at Wherwell Lake. They were a group of complete beginners so this was rather in preparation for the next day, when we would visit the River Test. The weather was gloriously bright, hot and sunny, a very welcome change from the blustery conditions when I had recorded the latest podcast a few days prior! It was a lovely day and in between a pub lunch at the Mayfly Inn at Fullerton, we caught plenty of well-deserved fish.
Fast forward to Sunday and we had been having terrific fun together. We were on a well-known beat of the main River Test. A relaxed, easy-going place with plenty of space to cast. It is the perfect venue for a beginner. Everyone was casting well, catching the occasional fish without my help and it was quickly turning into one of those weekends that truly didn’t feel at all like work.
A quick kick sample revealed lots of Mayfly nymphs and Caddis Larvae.
John had been tremendously patient with me all day at his shoulder; “don’t bend the wrist,” “do bend the elbow,” “ten and one!” It had been a tough morning, but when just before lunch his casting finally began to feel much more natural, we decided to pit our wits against a trout in the shallows.
We paused to observe the fish for a while, it was a large brown trout holding a prime position in a small gravelly lay just behind some water parsnip. Every now and then, it would dart out of position before returning to its preferred spot where it lay motionless once again. I pointed out the white flash as it opened its mouth, it was clearly feeding. Small nymphs perhaps? Or tiny emergers? It was feeding on something that was readily arriving to him in the flow.
John’s casting was much improved and he was able to present a fly exactly where we needed it, two feet upstream and slightly left of our quarry. The leader unrolled beautifully and his pheasant tail nymph slipped into the water without a splash. “Mend.” “Take up the slack.” “Pause…” “Strike!” …we missed it.
The clarity of the water here is such that you can make out every movement the trout makes, every quiver in the tail. Fortunately we hadn’t spooked him, but what followed was perhaps the starkest reminder I have ever had that we all still have so much to learn.
For the next half an hour we rattled through maybe 11 or 12 different flies, all the while the trout continued to feed, every 10 or 20 seconds lurching out of his lay to grab another tasty morsal. John’s presentation seemed perfect, but it didn’t matter what we tried, we simply could not get this fish to take another fly.
Opening all the fly boxes searching for that one I decided not to buy!
Whilst John and I soldiered on, the others had decided it was time to tuck into their picnic Hamper, courtesy of the lovely people at the Grosvenor in Stockbridge. Looking across the river I was weighing up whether we should join them, but we were determined to fool our nemesis.
Eventually, temptation got the better of me and I opted to see if we could invite this wily fish to take something off the surface. First up, a big bushy olive klinkhammer. Next a small parachute adams. Finally a meal I thought it simply couldn’t refuse, a giant sedge. One by one our offerings weren’t so much refused as ignored. It made sense of course, after all this trout was feeding on something beneath the surface. Why would he rise to the surface at all?
Just as we were ready to retreat with our tails between our legs, I made one final change. John’s tippet had become kinked and tangled in the reeds, and as I reached for the spools, I decided to take out the 6x instead of the 5. “We’re pulling out all the stops now, John,” I said.
I rarely use anything lighter than 4x with a beginner, simply because trout pull hard when you least expect it, but this felt like the right time to go finer. I rustled around in the fly boxes for a moment, then revealed a tiny black hawthorn pattern, with pale wings and knotted legs. “Now i’m having you,” I thought.
John’s first cast was sublime. The leader unrolled and the fly nestled into the surface film just over the water parsnip upstream. Time slowed. A small mend. It was looking good. The fish lifted slightly off the bottom. “Get ready…” …gulp! “STRIKE!” The line peeled off the water and John connected with the fish. But the fish didn’t move. The trout lay motionless in his lay, as if nothing had happened.
Indeed our fish had not moved because much to our astonishment, an entirely different fish had crept into the gravelly lay without our knowing and slurped up our fly from under our very noses! We didn’t have time to worry about that though. John expertly guided the fish to the net and we celebrated joyously, before breaking away from the river for our well earned lunch.
For me, it signalled the next chapter of the trout season, a time when fish are finally ‘looking up.’ For John, it was his first taste of the anticipation, adrenaline, and sheer elation of an electric dry fly eat!
John’s first ever chalkstream trout, caught on a dry fly.
We are delighted to be working with a private estate to offer exclusive guided fly fishing experiences at their prestigious beat on the River Kennet.
The first thing that strikes you here is just how much there is to explore, this is not your normal trout fishing beat. The myriad of main river and carrier streams makes this one of the most extensive privately owned beats of river anywhere in southern England and all put together, there is almost 5 miles of fishing from small, wild and intimate streams, to the wide open main River Kennet.
This part of the Kennet enjoys one of the most explosive Mayfly hatches of all our southern chalkstreams, along with prolific hatches of hawthorn, olive, sedge and other fly life throughout the season. On the main river, it ticks all the boxes for traditional English chalkstream fly fishing, with large trout obligingly rising to slurp up the hatch of the day, but when you explore the wilder streams, you could be fly fishing the rugged streams of Montana or Wyoming. This is a beat that has something for everybody and it is a true playground for the discerning fly fisher.
For a limited number of days throughout the season, we will be offering guided day rods, group days and corporate events to give everyone a chance to experience this extensive and adventurous style of fishing. With first class lodge facilities, this is the perfect place to entertain guests and clients for a day on the river, completely secluded in quintessential English countryside.
A private, exclusive and extensive beat of the River Kennet in Berkshire.
You will be able to book your day online on our website later this week, or if you prefer, please do give us a call on 01264 544 884 and we would be delighted to chat about your plans in more detail. Mayfly dates available!
This week we are welcoming the Peat Spade to the Guide. Quite how we haven’t managed this one yet escapes me but I am delighted that this quirky fisherman’s pub, nestled deep in the heart of the famous River Test valley, will finally be welcomed into the fold.
I am visiting new pubs, hotels and B&Bs on a weekly basis so stay tuned for the latest updates on the best places to eat and stay when you come fly fishing on the chalkstreams.
all from me this week. It’s been a busy one!
Wishing you the very best of luck and the tightest of lines if you are on the water in the next few days. Take some iron blue duns, some hawthorn, and some large dark olive with you wherever you go!
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!
