Wealden Brown Trout - First of the season

[Vagabond]

Species Hunt 2007: No 1 Brown Trout

Back from our Mahseer fishing in India, we realise with near-disbelief that it is already mid-April, and not only have we given the rest of you jokers three and a half months’ start, but a fortnight of the trout season has slipped by.

So what better start to the 2007 Species Hunt than a split cane #3 fly rod, matching reel and line, and a visit to the headwaters of the Medway system ? These tiny Wealden streams run off the Ashdown Forest, and I have caught trout from them for over sixty years. The streams are well overgrown, and fly-fishing them is all about improvisation. Switch-casting, roll-casting, and dibbling the fly over the bank is the order of the day – I don’t think I made a single overhead cast all morning.

Parked the car, and walked up to where the stream comes off the sandstone slope of the Forest onto the highest of the ploughed fields. Bracken and heather give way to lush grass, and the plant that always makes me think of Wealden trout – the Ransoms, or wild garlic.



White flowers, and a rich smell of garlic as the leaves are crushed underfoot. Many a time have I taken a leaf home to garnish my grilled trout – the leaves are strong, and you don’t need more than one.

One of the pools has changed since last year (well, they all have, but some changes are more noticeable than others) A big tree-branch had fallen in the water, smaller branches, twigs, dead leaves and flotsam have lodged against it – a really impenetrable tangle.



I cast a dark brown caddis-grub imitation in front of the tangle, where the water is shallow over a white sandy bottom. The artificial shows well against the bottom as it trundles towards the barrier of twigs and branches. Wallop ! comes a grey blur from the dark fastnesses of the deeps under the tangle, and the rod hoops over as I strike and pull the fish clear of snags all in one motion. He is lively in the shallow water – he cannot dive, so makes up for that with a series of cartwheeling leaps – what Isaac Walton’s generation described as “flaskering”.



The first trout of the season, and a keeper too. Some other trout are caught and returned, but this one comes home to lunch, is grilled, drizzled with lime juice, powdered with black pepper, and eaten with wholemeal bread and butter.

A good morning’s sport – half a dozen trout, and I saw a kingfisher too.

[pingu]

cracking report and pics there vagabond sounds a top day

oh and thanks for the 3 months head start , bets are on as too how long before get the lead

[Twiddler]

Great report/pic Vagabond.....aww what a shame for a nice fish like that to land in the frying pan

[Norfolkboy]

Great report Vagabond, hopefully we can expect more.

Well done on your first points of the year.

[Greenheart]

Great report Vagabond. I've fished the lower Medway many times, but never had a chance to fish the upper reaches. Nice to see you using a split cane rod. I occasionaly give my old cane rod an airing. You should hear it creak when I hook a 3lb rainbow on it. It's got a great action, but feels a bit heavy compared to my 3oz Orvis 6#. I also use wild Garlic for cooking. It's great in a cheese risotto or wrapped around a leg of roast lamb.
Are you going to do a post on your Mahseer trip?

[wellyfish]

great report and nice trout , its never too late to join the species hunt look forward to more reports

[Vagabond]

Originally Posted by Greenheart

Are you going to do a post on your Mahseer trip?

I was not sure how much interest in overseas fishing there is on this forum. Didn't get any giant mahseer (mid doubles the best) but a report is at

http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/forums/i...howtopic=73882

and the second instalment at

http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/forums/i...howtopic=73885

[maghouse]

Sounds like a great day !

Nice report & pics .... had a quick read of your other India reports - looks fascinating ... will read in depth later tonight when I have more time !

[Vagabond]

Thanks for the positive replies - can someone answer/explain an admin problem ? - I can only access this thread via my CP - can't find it on the flyfishing forum, although it says "Fly fishing forum" at the top of the page with the post on it.

[Fishing Forum Admin]

Cracking post mate and have no problems my side