After the last trip to Colorado, there is a real need to learn fly fishing techniques for the next trip. I started this training mission in January. I booked a lesson at the Meon Springs trout fishery. Under the tutelage of a friendly and experienced instructor, I learned how to set up fly fishing gear, how to roll cast, over head cast, retrieve a fly, that sort of thing. With someone showing you how, its pretty easy. Not something you’d want to rely on you tube videos for. Then a few weeks later, and now equipped with my own gear, I returned to Meon Springs to put into practice what I’d learned.
For small rivers, lakes a 3 or 4 wt set up is recommended. For bigger rivers, lakes, bigger fish you’d want a 7 or 8 wt rig. I went with a 9ft 5 wt rod and reel combo for its versatility. Somewhat over gunning it in some circumstances and under gunned on others, a middle of the road choice. I ordered a selection of flies online, dry, wet, nymphs and woolly buggers. Honestly, I’m still clueless on fly selection and there is a lot to learn. Dry flies obviously float and represent a fly landing on the surface and wet flies have a small weight that makes them sink and they represent some sort of aquatic trout prey. This level of knowledge will do for now.
Meon Springs is wonderful location with four stocked lakes (two catch and keep and two catch and release), all connected to each other. The lakes are spring fed, clear and well oxygenated. They have stocked rainbow and brown trout. A welcoming cafe, toilets, a fridge to put the fish in and nice people to help out and get advice from.
I bought a two fish ticket and started in a catch and keep lake. After a couple of warm up casts, I set the fly sink and started slowly retrieving it. Straight away a trout seized the fly and took off. I carefully released some line and let the rod take the strain and paid out line whenever the fish swam off. Its a lot different from conventional fishing, with 6lb line (light line required for presenting flies) you don’t have much to fight back with. I gingerly fought with the fish and gradually got him into the net. A nice 3lb specimen.
Another cast quickly brought another fish, of similar size. It took a little longer to get him in and now I had a fine brace of trout. Time to repair to the catch and release section.
The catch and release section is full of wary and wily trout and I didn’t have any success at all. Still, it was a good opportunity and practice the roll cast and overhead cast, different types of retrieve, fishing in confined spaces etc. All very useful training for use elsewhere. I tried a couple of different flies and gradually started to get the hang of the basics. I chatted with a couple of other fly fishers, very friendly chaps ready to impart their wisdom. One nice gent even gave me a fly that he’d had success with. A great fishing atmosphere.
I most definitely must return to Meon Springs and get a trout from the catch and release section. Then I’ll be ready for Colorado!
First of the Flood 