During the mid winter lull in sea fishing, it was time to get back to Moorhen Trout Fishery and get into some hard fighting trout. Nestled in the Meon Valley, with the Meon river running through its grounds, Moorhen is a special place. A calm, cool lake with all sorts of wonderful bird life and teeming with eager fish. Or so I thought. The fish were there but far from eager!

I arrived at the fishery just before 10am, dipped my net, and checked in to buy a two fish ticket. There were a couple of other anglers and everything looked pristine and ready to go. I selected a Pats Rubber Legs fly and got to work. Three hours later, and after several fly changes and trying different spots, the fish still eluded me. What made it worse was I saw the other two anglers catch fish whilst my casts were fruitless. Even the swans were feeling sorry for me! I soldiered on, flogging the water and settled with one fly, regardless. This was the Nomad Dawson’s Olive, a small yellow and green nugget that imparted a nice action when stripped back. It was now 1pm and I had one hour left to make something happen. I cast out a nice arching roll cast which turned over the fly perfectly. After 4 strips a nice rainbow nailed it! After a brief and careful fight, he was in the net. Thank the gods!

One of the friendly staff came over to collect the fish, and I got straight back to it. No time to waste now that the fish were on the feed. After another 20 minutes casting in the same place, I got another hit. A slightly bigger fish this time and I carefully brought him in. What was noticeable after my recent trip to the USA, it was a lot easier landing a fish when you were not fighting a river current.

With my two fish in the bag, it was time to retire to the lodge for a well earned cup of tea. I really had to work for the fish today, that’s the way it is sometimes. The other anglers here today caught them earlier, and more consistently than me. But persistence paid off, as it usually does.

The Redington Field (Trout) kit (9ft – 5wt) worked nicely today, and I am looking forward to returning to Moorhen soon, maybe when the weather is a bit nicer, and when I need some more delicious trout fillets. I’m looking forward to eating these ones, that’s for sure.

Colorado has had a mild winter so far, which is bad news for winter sports lovers. It has hardly snowed and whilst on some days temperatures were frigid, it has mostly been fairly pleasant. On my last trip here back in May 2025, I fished mountain lakes and tail waters like the The Frying pan and Gunnison rivers. I tried the Roaring Fork river, but with spring run off, I couldn’t make a decent go of it. Now here in winter, water levels are low and consistent and the fish were biting.

On my first session I started at spot near Carbondale near a footbridge that looked promising. On my first cast, I hooked into a fine rainbow trout that fought and jumped all the way to the net. I caught another one, then moved down river to try a spot in an urban canyon.

This is part of a public fishing section, accessible by a footpath from a housing area. The section starts with rapids up river which then eventually widens to a wide shallow flat glide. The bit in between is a deep riffle area that holds plenty of fish. On this occasion it was overcast, a bit chilly and they had a small covering of snow.

I got straight into the action and hooked a beautiful rainbow trout. This was followed by another 3 fish. I had to drag myself away as the bite was on, but I wanted to try another spot in the town centre of Glenwood Springs.

Here at Velvis park there is a nice riffle near the bridge. I had fished there before and lost fish twice when they sped off downriver and shook free of the hook. This time, with day light dwindling, I managed to hook a lively rainbow and break the curse. It was a great moment.

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On the 2nd and final trip I started again in the canyon, but on this day it was sunny and somewhat warmer. The trout didn’t like it and were harder to catch. They certainly made me work for them.

I caught another four trout, in excellent condition but the cast to fish ratio was far from on my side.

I moved back to the Velvis park section in town and caught another two fish. I have confidence in this spot now and if you keep casting and following basic nymphing rules, you will catch fish. I found using a pats rubber legs as the lead fly whose weight helps the other flies get down to the fish. In the middle was a size 14 purple or green perdigon. This is main fish catching fly, the trout cannot resist them. Then a small 18 size midge, as the point fly. It doesn’t matter too much which type. I found the river is more about presentation than specific fly patterns.

I tried another spot a small walk upriver. There was a classic shallow riffle that screamed trout, and after a few casts I caught one.

With that it was time to leave. With a heavy heart I packed away my rod and waders. The Roaring Fork has become a favourite of mine. There are some big fish in this river that will challenge anyone. I can’t wait for the next opportunity to get back there and put myself to the test.

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The summer drought we suffered this year had a negative affect on our local trout lakes. A lot of these lakes are spring fed, and those springs ran dry, reducing water levels. The warm temperatures also made trout fishing difficult, as trout don’t tolerate warm water very well. Some of the lakes had to close over the summer months to ensure the welfare of fish, and the rapidly diminishing fishing quality. The Moorhen Trout fishery, in the Meon Valley near Wanford in Hampshire, was one such fishery. Now in December following weeks of heavy rain and cooler temperatures, water levels have been restored, springs are running again and the trout are active and on the feed.

I booked a two fish ticket (£37) and headed to the lake. After a quick chat with Michelle (the manager) I learned that the fish were biting but were a bit finicky due to the fluctuating water temperatures caused by a period of unsettled weather. However fish are being taken. It was up to me to find the right fly and presentation and make something work.

I started with the yellow and orange blob fly seen above and fished it around 18 inches under an airloc indicator. This kept it suspended in the water, as most of the fish I saw were swimming just under the surface. After some time, the line tightened and the first fish was on! After a brief tussle I netted a nice looked 2.7lb specimen.

After several more casts, this method was no longer working. Now I try to subscribe to the 10 method. If there is no action either after 10 casts or 10 minutes then change something. Either your location, the type of fly, how it is presented, or all three. I liked the spot I was fishing in, so I tried a variety of different flies. Success finally came with a brown and black balanced leech, stripped back at a medium speed. Though somehow I had hooked the trout in the tail, so I had either snagged him or he had lunged for the fly and snagged himself. Either way he was on the hook, and after a back and forth scrap I got him into the net. A chunk of a fish at 4.2lbs.

This was a great fly fishing refresher as I had been purely sea fishing of late. It reminded me of the simplicity of fly fishing and the excitement when a trout grabs the fly. Moorhen is a great place to come and practice this craft. The staff are friendly, the lake is picturesque and most importantly the trout are hard fighting and in great condition. You have to work for your fish, but when you get it right, the rewards are there. I’ll be booking another session soon.

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