Based on the south coast of England, where I started fishing aged 7, I enjoy sea and game fishing from shore, kayak and boat. My biggest fish so far is an estimated 60lb halibut from the shore in Norway. I'm always excited to try a new fishing spot and I cannot go past a body of water without trying to spot a fish!
May is a fantastic time for fishing in the harbours. The weed and algae growth increase food sources and the bass swim in from the sea to enjoy this bounty. They join their smaller brothers already there, hungrily eating their way to adulthood. On a very pleasant Monday evening I made my way to a mark inside Langstone harbour and got to work with a Westin Sandy Andy weedless 12g lure in white. It was deadly. I caught a small shoal bass (what I call Robber bass) on the third cast, then a few more followed, some slightly bigger.
I used a steady retrieve casting onto what are mud flats at low tide. It was interesting lesson, I normally bait fish at this location. From lure fishing, I could see that bait fishing there would be fruitless now, as the small robber bass would quickly strip those juicy rag worm baits. After one cast into a tidal lake area, something decent grabbed the lure the moment the lure landed in the water. Fish on! It took some line and swam off in the opposite direction. I got the fish under control and gradually worked it back to me. A fine specimen indeed. After a quick photo it was released and swam off strongly.
I continued fishing and caught several more small ones and one that was half decent. It was a magical evening and I found it difficult to drag myself away. One last cast turned into several as the light faded and the time marched on. Regrettably it was time to go home.
It was one of those days that just felt good for fishing. Unsettled weather but with rising pressure and temperature. Some weeks had passed since my last shore fishing trip, so it felt like it was time again. Plus I wanted a bass to eat. So in the afternoon I drove to Fishon tackle in Paulsgrove and bought 1/2lb of fresh ragworm. Then at 6pm I made my way onto Hayling Island and set up my fishing gear at a spot on mudflats about 2 hours into the flood. There was a strong SW breeze at my back and it was relatively mild.
I set two rods up. One rod for bait with a 3oz lead, running ledger rig, size 4/0 hook loaded with ragworm. This was cast out into water around thigh deep some 40 yards out. The second rod was set up for lure fishing, with a soft plastic paddle tail. As the bait settled in the water I went to work with the lure. After three or four casts and only catching weed, my lure stopped dead and the water boiled. A fish jumped then fought hard, fish on the lure! It splashed in the shallow water and I could see it was a nice mullet. As I drew him closer I could see I had foul hooked him, right in the middle by the dorsal fin. Good luck for me, bad for the fish. I beached him, removed the hook and then he swam off strongly. A bizarre catch considering I was using a weedless set up. Everything aligned for that fluke.
After three casts on the bait rod, I finally had some action. The rod bent sharply in its rest. I picked it up and felt for the take which came immediately. Fish on and it felt decent. I reeled in quickly as the fish swam towards me, taking in the slack line. A bow wave appeared as the fish entered the shallows. A spiky fin broke the surface, then the fish turned and swam away from me again. After a tussle it was beached and in my hands. A nice 50cm specimen that I quickly dispatched to eat later.
I cast again both lure and bait to catch another. The lure was not working and the bait was being snaffled by tiny robber bass, as soon as it settled on the sea bed. I quickly went through my remaining bait, to no avail. When the robber bass are present, the fishing is largely a waste of time and bait. As the sun set, I was thankful for the fish to eat and the pleasant evening on the coast.
Its finally warming up, fishing opportunities are widening and soon it will be time to get out again in the kayak. Also the trout season is open and the rivers of North Devon beckon.
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.
Watch the video!
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.
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.
This week the temperatures have plummeted below freezing. We even had a small snow flurry, which is rare these days on the south coast of England. I was itching to get back to Chichester Harbour and have another go at the bass. I just had to wait for the tides to line up and this Friday they did, with high water at midday. The fishing area at Northney on Hayling Island fishes well from 1 hour after low water and then up to high water. I arrived two hours late, 3 hours before high water and set up the rig. A 10 ft bass rod, size 4500 reel with 20lb mono, running ledger with a 3oz weight and 15lb, 3 ft hook length. A size 4/0 bait holder hook was loaded with ragworms. This is the tried and tested set up for chunky harbour bass.
At the first spot, the tide was coming in fast over the shallow mud flats, so I had a few casts and then had to move. To access this spot you need to walk though a gully that is thigh deep later in the tide. I needed to be at this spot a couple of hours ago, but it was worth a quick go anyway.
I then moved to spot 2 which overlooks a gully and small channel branch for the main channel. Bass will swim along this as they progress through the harbour hitting the mudflats, weed beds and stony areas hunting for crabs.
About 15 minutes after casting, the rod tip started to twitch. A bass was playing with his food. After a few moments he hit the bait and swam off, first fish on! After a brief fight, I got him ashore, a nice 48cm specimen and I quickly dispatched him to take home for the pot.
Soon after I caught another smaller fish, bang on the 42cm limit size and let him go. He swam off strongly.
Then it went quiet as the tide slowed as it neared high water. Time to move again. I moved to spot 3 which is a shallow bay that dries out from mid tide down. Now it was full and my theory was that bass would be in it hunting food as they followed the tide up and down throughout the harbour. A few summers ago I kayaked across this bay and saw lots of signs of fish, and it has lurked in my sub-conscious ever since. Finally it was time to give it a try.
I gutted the first fish and its stomach was full of small soft back crabs. I added one to my hook already loaded with worms. I guessed it would enhance its attraction.
The fishing was slow and my rod tip remained motionless. Still, it was a bright sunny day with lots of interesting bird life flying around. There was definitely worse places to be. Just as I poured a drink from my flask, the rod tip bent over and it was fish on again. It felt ok and I beached a nice looking 40cm bass. This was quickly released and fishing resumed.
Another hour passed and high water came and went. I was getting ready to call it a day when the rod tip slammed over, decent fish on! I reeled in the slack line and something heavier than the fish before pulled back. A nicer fish indeed! After a short tussle I got him in, a 50cm chunk, perfect eating size.
It was a great way to end the session. Winter is drawing in and fishing opportunities are dwindling. It was fantastic to have a session like this in the harbour. Lately I’ve neglected this aspect of fishing. Years ago it used to be my main focus and it has been fun getting back into it again. Now I will wait for the weather, tides and opportunities to align to see if I can get another go before the year is out.
I went back to the Oyster beds on the Langstone Harbour side of Hayling Island. On both occasions I only caught tiny shoal bass. They were excellent bait robbers and made my fishing attempts feel worthless. A change was needed. So on a recent weekday, the conditions looked promising. Very little wind, small chance of rain, a bit of low pressure and a neap tide. Neap tides are great as it means more time to fish, as the tide doesn’t move in and out of its full range, so unfishable parts stay fishable at low water. I choose a mark in Chichester harbour near Northney on Hayling Island. There are mud flats with bits of weed you can lay your bag down and stand on without sinking.
I used a simple set up. 10 ft 1-3oz bass rod, reel with 20lb mono. I rigged a running ledger rig with a 3 oz weight and a 3/0 bait holder hook. The bait was ragworm loaded onto the hook to form a big bunch of wriggling worm tails. Irresistible to a bass.
I started my campaign 3 hours after low water. The tide was moving in slowly and the fish were following it on the hunt for food. After about 20 minutes, I caught my first fish, a small one, but a good sign that the fish were about and biting. Then over the next hour or two, I caught another 5 fish. Each fish made its presence known by pulling the rod tip down or in some cases pulling the rod right over. Exciting stuff, bass never disappoint. They always hit the baits hard and run off powerfully. You can be fooled into thinking you have a whopper on the end of the line, but often it is just average. My best fish this time was a 45cm specimen that I kept for dinner the next day. The size limit is 42cm and I caught another almost bang on the 42 but let that one go.
There are bigger fish in the harbour and it takes a degree of luck and persistence to catch them. In years past I’ve caught fish up to 65cm (6lbs). You need to be out there putting the hours in and eventually a big one will find you.
Its been awhile since I fished the Oyster beds at Hayling Island. I’ve been focused on kayak fishing and an easy shore fishing trip was long overdue. So midday on Sunday, I met with Del and his son Arty and we did a 3 hour session, 3 hours before high water.
Simple tactics, bunched ragworm on a size 4/0 hook cast out amongst the weed in waist deep water. Soon enough a plucky 35cm bass found my bait. It was a beautiful small specimen and fought well for its size.
About 10 minutes later, my rod pulled down again, this time with a slightly chunkier fish. Exciting stuff! A 40cm bass this time and in perfect condition.
It was good to finally return to this favourite venue of mine. There is always a chance of a decent bass here, maybe in less settled weather at the first of the flood. I’ll pay it another visit before the year is out.
We’ve been suffering a long bout of foul weather. The past two weeks have been windy and very rainy. I looked at my kayak forlornly, willing a break in the weather. This morning it came, albeit briefly. The windy app showed a brief calm period until 10am this morning. It was time to fish.
I reported to the beach at sunrise and launched into calm waters. It didn’t go to plan, in my excitement to get out there, I forgot to remove and stow the wheels and almost got stuck in the surf. Luckily no one was watching. I headed south-east and paddled out about a mile and settled into a drift southwards.
Bait was frozen squid, presented on a 2/0 hook using a running ledger with a 2oz weight. It bounced along the bottom as I drifted with the tide. I also cast a lure with the other rod. Just as I cast out a lure, my bait rod bent right over and line quickly stripped off the reel. Fish on. It was a good job I loosened my drag. After a decent fight a nice bass surfaced and I got him in the net. A decent 50cm specimen that I quickly dispatched to take home for the pot.
Next I reeled in the obligatory dog fish. It was surprisingly chilly just sat in the drift, so I went for a paddle back towards shore, trolling as I went. Warmed up again, I settled into another drift and caught my second dogfish on squid. I kept casting the lure and just as I reeled up the slack on one cast, something smashed it! As I reeled in, the fish swam towards me kiting slightly to the left. Then I felt its full weight as I battled it to the net. Another nice bass, though smaller at 43cm. I kept this one too, a gift for my neighbour Maria, who enjoys eating fresh fish as much as I do.
Soon after, the winds started to freshen up and the weather window was closing. I paddled in, feeling extremely pleased with the session. Mission accomplished. I hope to get out again when the next window opens. Lets hope it is soon.
The beautiful river Barle runs from northern Exmoor for 24 miles until it joins its confluence with the River Exe in Devon. There is a day ticket fishery upstream of the Tarr Steps. Tickets are bought at the Tarr Inn Farm, just a short walk away. Trout or Salmon tickets are available. I bought a trout ticket and headed down to the Clapper bridge (giant stepping stones). The river was running crystal clear with a nice flow. There had to be some trout for the taking, I was dubious about the salmon though, maybe at the right time of year.
I used a two fly nymphing rig under an indicator. A size 14 perdigon and a size 18 or 20 midge imitation. Then I looked for likely riffles and runs deep enough to run my nymphing rig through using the high sticking method. After trying two or three different spots, I finally got the first fish. A nice looking 6 inch brown trout.
Next came a series of missed strikes. The trout were lightning-fast and often leapt free before I could land them. Eventually, one wasn’t quite so quick, and I netted it. It had the dubious honour of being my PW (personal worst) trout! Still good fun though.
I headed up and down the beat trying a few different spots. There were a few hikers around but generally it was a peaceful experience. Especially in the shade during one of the hottest days of the year.
I caught 4 fish in total, mostly tiny ones. I’d like to go back again sometime and crack the code, there is nicer fish in there. Not bad for a first trip.
Day 2 – River East Lyn
The next day I returned to the River East Lyn. After buying a day ticket at the Barbrook petrol station, I parked up at Watersmeet and headed down the trail. The plan was to head upstream from Watersmeet this time and try a new part of the river. The river cuts through tree lined, boulder strewn gorges. There is something wild and ancient about this river and I love spending time on it. Time seems to stand still and you forget all the pressures and downfalls of modern living and really reconnect with nature.
I found a likely spot and ran my nymphing rig through it. The indicator suddenly dipped, the line tightened and the trout was on! Another 6 inch fish, that certainly looked the part, albeit in perfect miniature.
I tried a bit further upstream and missed a couple of takes. Now for some reason I regret now, I decided to not explore further upstream and instead go back down stream from Watersmeet and try some spots I had unsuccessfully tried previously. My warped thinking made me believe due to slightly higher water flows and time of year I would have success this time. I didn’t. But I did go back to the one particular spot I did find trout in and caught another one there.
I wished I’d continued the mission heading upstream from Watersmeet, who knows what I could have caught. Its a good reason to go back again! These are totally wild trout. If you find the right spots they are eager to take a fly and pretty easy to catch if you are quick and somewhat lucky. Finding the right spot is a learning process from trial and error. Sometimes there is only one trout for the taking in each spot. That’s why its so damning when the fish shakes the hook. One has to be patient, mobile, and able to deal with multiple disappointments and a ton of frustration. When a fish does hit the net, it is always worth it.
First of the Flood 