Testing
15/08/06
Dear
Nadder
It's been two weeks since we saw each other for more than ten minutes before and after work. Things haven't been quite right between us for some time what with your low flows and untrimmed bankside growth, I just haven't had the courage to talk to you about things. Well, you see, the thing is, I've been seeing someone else. I've only seen her once and didn't exactly get on great with her on that day but I can't quite shake from my mind how well matched we were.
You see I recently got given a day in the Test valley, my first ever experience of those hallowed waters. Although I was only on a carrier of the main river I was somewhat awed by the drive through Broadlands Estate alone. I meandered down private roads, through number coded gates until I at last got to the Test.
The detailed map, was to my mind a little too detailed, it somewhat reminded me of evenings in my youth driving round Somerset in a convoy of cars looking for that elusive party that someone 4 cars ahead claimed he knew the location of. Invariably these evenings actually consisted of hours of driving finally followed by 3 hours in a muddy field listening to music that on reflection sounded like a thousand drums falling down a flight of stairs.
Anyway, I digress, I had the number code to get ino the famous Nissan Hut on the banks of the main river so stuck my nose in for a look around. Dusty sepia coloured photos of men in tweed suits holding aloft huge trout and salmon really do adorn the walls, and as I sat in the chairs outside the hut you could really become taken with the whole sense of occasion and glamour that pervaded the area. I've never fished anywhere before that just felt quite so, right and well, fishy. All those years spent dreamily reading T&S as a kid (no thats not an acronym for some top shelf mag!) and I finally found myself sitting in the middle of it all.
So, we've had one of the hottest, driest summers that I can remember. I'd been looking forward to this trip for months and guess what, I woke up on the Sunday morning to find that the skies had greyed out completely, the temperature had dropped to 16 degrees or so and there was a howling south westerly wind. Bloody typical.
I had invited a friend from Salisbury & District AC along for the day and the fishing can be summed up in one word '*^!!*$£' or another 'bugger' or even 'frustrating'. We could see large Rainbows clearly in the water but they just were not in the mood to feed, at all. Nothing couldnt tempt them to come to the surface and nymphs plonked right in front of their noses had no effect whatsoever. Over the whole day I managed one 8" wild brownie, 2 palm sized grayling, a 3/4 lb chubb and a handful of dace. Speaking to others who have fished the stretch it is normally a very prolific fishery, perhaps sometimes too easy. Well, it certainly wasn't for us.
That said I will be going back, well, I will if I get another invite that is!
If Mrs Nadder doesn't object too much I think I've found my bit on the side, a dalliance with clear water, wafting weeds and a sense of history. Theres a scene in a film called Waynes World where Mike Myers kneels in front of a Fender guitar and vows that 'she will be mine'. Well, the Test, she will be mine, oh yes, mine I tell you. muahahaha
Oh and imagine my suprise looking up at a tree on a stretch that I would assume was fished mainly by purists and people with sensibilities over fly selection to find out that Dennis(ScotFly) must have been there first! It has to be his, no-one else would tie, let alone fish something like this and I know he has a deep dark trout popper secret...
It's been two weeks since we saw each other for more than ten minutes before and after work. Things haven't been quite right between us for some time what with your low flows and untrimmed bankside growth, I just haven't had the courage to talk to you about things. Well, you see, the thing is, I've been seeing someone else. I've only seen her once and didn't exactly get on great with her on that day but I can't quite shake from my mind how well matched we were.
You see I recently got given a day in the Test valley, my first ever experience of those hallowed waters. Although I was only on a carrier of the main river I was somewhat awed by the drive through Broadlands Estate alone. I meandered down private roads, through number coded gates until I at last got to the Test.
The detailed map, was to my mind a little too detailed, it somewhat reminded me of evenings in my youth driving round Somerset in a convoy of cars looking for that elusive party that someone 4 cars ahead claimed he knew the location of. Invariably these evenings actually consisted of hours of driving finally followed by 3 hours in a muddy field listening to music that on reflection sounded like a thousand drums falling down a flight of stairs.
Anyway, I digress, I had the number code to get ino the famous Nissan Hut on the banks of the main river so stuck my nose in for a look around. Dusty sepia coloured photos of men in tweed suits holding aloft huge trout and salmon really do adorn the walls, and as I sat in the chairs outside the hut you could really become taken with the whole sense of occasion and glamour that pervaded the area. I've never fished anywhere before that just felt quite so, right and well, fishy. All those years spent dreamily reading T&S as a kid (no thats not an acronym for some top shelf mag!) and I finally found myself sitting in the middle of it all.
So, we've had one of the hottest, driest summers that I can remember. I'd been looking forward to this trip for months and guess what, I woke up on the Sunday morning to find that the skies had greyed out completely, the temperature had dropped to 16 degrees or so and there was a howling south westerly wind. Bloody typical.
I had invited a friend from Salisbury & District AC along for the day and the fishing can be summed up in one word '*^!!*$£' or another 'bugger' or even 'frustrating'. We could see large Rainbows clearly in the water but they just were not in the mood to feed, at all. Nothing couldnt tempt them to come to the surface and nymphs plonked right in front of their noses had no effect whatsoever. Over the whole day I managed one 8" wild brownie, 2 palm sized grayling, a 3/4 lb chubb and a handful of dace. Speaking to others who have fished the stretch it is normally a very prolific fishery, perhaps sometimes too easy. Well, it certainly wasn't for us.
That said I will be going back, well, I will if I get another invite that is!
If Mrs Nadder doesn't object too much I think I've found my bit on the side, a dalliance with clear water, wafting weeds and a sense of history. Theres a scene in a film called Waynes World where Mike Myers kneels in front of a Fender guitar and vows that 'she will be mine'. Well, the Test, she will be mine, oh yes, mine I tell you. muahahaha
Oh and imagine my suprise looking up at a tree on a stretch that I would assume was fished mainly by purists and people with sensibilities over fly selection to find out that Dennis(ScotFly) must have been there first! It has to be his, no-one else would tie, let alone fish something like this and I know he has a deep dark trout popper secret...
Posh Totty, guns and 4x4's
01/08/06
Thats right, it was the
CLA game fair at Broadlands this last week. For the
first time I decided to go and have a look and see
what the fuss was about.
Well, after hearing horror stories about travel to Broadlands I set off from Wilton at around 7:15am, I was going to go earlier but decided to spend a couple hours on the Nadder before I went.
So a couple of brown trout after waking up I arrived in a large field somewhere near Romsey only to find myself surrounded by the most clean 4x4's I've seen since I got lost in Clapham driving into London once. There was enough kerb weight on show here to perhaps tip red ken over the edge and send him into fits of hysteria... Ban them Ban them Ban them, I can hear it now...
What can you say about the fair apart from oh my god, it's bloody enormous! Admittedly I was only really interested in the fishing village I did take it upon myself to at least see some of the rest of the fair. Faced with hordes of tall middle aged posh blokes wearing red courdroy trousers and brogues and fine young fillies in tweed suits carrying shotguns I retreated back to the relative sanity of the fishing village in no short order. I had a lovely chat with John Wilson who was somewhat bemused to find that he was supposed to be demonstrating trotting on the Test which was looking beautiful, but was only about a foot deep and had almost total weed cover. All in all I was somewhat dissapointed with the show but that could be because I had to leave to get some work done as most people were turning up for the day. Don't get me wrong, it was a great place to just meet fellow fisher-people (how PC am I? ;) ) and I think I'll probably go back again but it did seem a bit off to be charged to go into a shopping village...
So, hows the Nadder you ask? Ok, I'm imagining that people actually read this site here, perhaps I'm being naiive.
The Nadder is fishing beautifully at the moment, just a pleasure to wander along it at any time of the day. The very hot temperatures forced fishing into the shady pools but I really dont mind that at all.
I leave you as usual with a couple photo's just to use up some bandwidth and make you feel all revved up and raring to get out to the river.
Well, after hearing horror stories about travel to Broadlands I set off from Wilton at around 7:15am, I was going to go earlier but decided to spend a couple hours on the Nadder before I went.
So a couple of brown trout after waking up I arrived in a large field somewhere near Romsey only to find myself surrounded by the most clean 4x4's I've seen since I got lost in Clapham driving into London once. There was enough kerb weight on show here to perhaps tip red ken over the edge and send him into fits of hysteria... Ban them Ban them Ban them, I can hear it now...
What can you say about the fair apart from oh my god, it's bloody enormous! Admittedly I was only really interested in the fishing village I did take it upon myself to at least see some of the rest of the fair. Faced with hordes of tall middle aged posh blokes wearing red courdroy trousers and brogues and fine young fillies in tweed suits carrying shotguns I retreated back to the relative sanity of the fishing village in no short order. I had a lovely chat with John Wilson who was somewhat bemused to find that he was supposed to be demonstrating trotting on the Test which was looking beautiful, but was only about a foot deep and had almost total weed cover. All in all I was somewhat dissapointed with the show but that could be because I had to leave to get some work done as most people were turning up for the day. Don't get me wrong, it was a great place to just meet fellow fisher-people (how PC am I? ;) ) and I think I'll probably go back again but it did seem a bit off to be charged to go into a shopping village...
So, hows the Nadder you ask? Ok, I'm imagining that people actually read this site here, perhaps I'm being naiive.
The Nadder is fishing beautifully at the moment, just a pleasure to wander along it at any time of the day. The very hot temperatures forced fishing into the shady pools but I really dont mind that at all.
I leave you as usual with a couple photo's just to use up some bandwidth and make you feel all revved up and raring to get out to the river.