From my work place in the Middle East during breaks, I carefully study google maps for future fishing spots. I’d heard of big bass at the warm water outlet of Marchwood power station in Southampton Water. This was already on my radar as a potential kayak fishing destination, being the Test Estuary. I found a likely launch spot with parking in Totton and awaited a suitable weather day.
This came soon enough and I paddled out into the main channel, passing huge container ships being unloaded. I tried some trolling on the way using what is known as the magic lure (Rapala XRD 10). It never fails me and I say that with every meaning of the work ‘never’. I soon caught a chunky 30cm specimen that put a good bend in the rod. I made my way down to the Power station outfall and trolled across the broken waters.
Just as I got through the discharge area the drag sang out with a decent bend in the rod. A brief fight saw a 45cm specimen in the net.
I carried on fishing, either trolling through the discharge, or floating outside of it and casting across it. I caught another 6 bass, mostly small, but excellent sport. They were smashing the lure with great enthusiasm which makes for great fishing. I had to drag (paddle) myself away from this spot in the end, I could have stayed until nightfall and beyond if I didnt practice a little self control. It was fantastic fishing and I must return again. The biggest bass I have ever seen swam right under my kayak and I’d love to hook into him some day.
I first visited North Devon in the 1990s on an Army Adventure training mission. Since then, I have visited many times over the years. I returned primarily for camping, hiking the coastal paths, and some sea fishing. I usually pitch my tent at the Sunny Lyn camp site in Lynton. This is a wonderfully peaceful place with the West Lyn River winding along the edge of the site.
The East Lyn River, the larger of the two, starts up on Exmoor and gurgles down through valleys and rock-strewn gorges until it meets the West Lyn and flows into the sea at Lynmouth.
Since getting into fly fishing, I wondered about the opportunities on the East Lyn River. I had hiked up it a few times for photography and it looked perfect for trout. Years ago, it was a renowned salmon and sea trout river, but I fear those days are long in the past. For sure there is a chance of one of these migratory river beasts, if you time it right after a spate. For now, I would settle for trout.
First order of business is obtaining a day permit. You can get these from the Barbrook petrol station. They cost £3.50 for the trout permit at the time of writing. Excellent value indeed. With permit in hand, I parked at the end of Tors Road and headed up river where the fishery began. It is about a 3 mile stretch past Watersmeet to Brendon.
The water was low and crystal clear. Though I couldn’t spot any fish in the pools I scouted, I knew better than to assume they weren’t there. After some fruitless attempts I searched for smaller pocket water, riffles, and undercuts. The sorts of places trout would ambush prey flowing down river. There was not a huge number of suitable places. I found it was either deep clear pools or fast runs that were too shallow. Eventually, after some serious reconnaissance, I found what looked like a suitable spot. Using a two fly nymphing rig under an indicator, I got to work.
After three or four casts, the indicator quickly dipped under the surface and the line tightened up, fish on! I carefully played him to my net, a wonderful eight-inch brown trout. Success!
I strongly believe that catching one of these is worth ten pellet fed pigs in a stocked still water fishery. A truly wild fish fooled by the fly. I fished another spot close by and caught another. I found that by alternating spots, and letting them reset, another fish would be there for the taking. On the first session of a few hours, I caught four in total. I did not go far up river at all, not even half way towards Watersmeet.
The next day I hiked the coastal path from Minehead back to Lynmouth with my niece Sophie. About 24 miles and 4000 feet of elevation, it was a solid hike.
On my final day I headed back to the river, this time parking at Watersmeet. My legs were tired and after trying several spots, they carried me all the way back down to the first spot where I had success on the first day. Here I caught another three. I had a bit of a problem snagging a tree and my fly rod floating off down river, which I just managed to retrieve. Then I lost my net when I slipped in a shallow fast flowing bit. Those weed covered rocks are like ice, even with studded wading boots! Nevertheless, it was a fantastic few hours on the river before driving back to home to Hampshire.
There’s so much more to explore on the East Lyn—more fish to find, more secrets to uncover. For now, I carry the memory of wild trout and clear waters, already planning my next return.
During this winter’s trip to Colorado, I felt it was time to branch out. I had been obsessively fishing the Frying Pan River on recent trips. Who can blame me, it is a very beautiful and special river. If I am not fishing it, I am thinking about when I am next fishing it. This addiction is not useful so I decided change was needed.
The Gunnison River, starting in Almont and then 180 miles later joining the Colorado river in Grand Junction, is one of the best trout rivers in the USA. From my base in Grand Junction, an hour’s drive found me at the Pleasure Park at the end of the Gunnison Gorge. This is a gold medal section and well worth a visit. In February the flows were pleasant and the water crystal clear. On my first solo trip I hiked up 1 or 2 miles from the Pleasure Park and tried a couple of likely spots.
I really had to work for a fish and eventually I hooked a nice brown in a wide shallow section of the river, using a basic nymphing technique with 3 flies under an indicator. A San Juan worm as the attractor, a purple perdigon size 14 and a small midge size 18 as the anchor. Pretty much the same set up I was taught by Nate on the Frying Pan last year.
On the second trip I tried a spot on the edge of a main current and caught another two browns. Just fantastic fishing surrounded by stunning scenery and plenty of room for everyone.
On the third trip I took my sons and their dog Eddy and we hiked in a bit further and tried a few spots. I was barely fishing and getting huge enjoyment watching Eddy enjoy swimming in the river and his general frolicking around. Jack got the only fish, again in a wide shallow section and a lovely fish it was indeed. Not huge but a great catch.
Of course I did not neglect the Frying Pan, how could I? A nice rainbow from the Toilet Bowl still eluded me, so I needed to take care of that. Also, I wanted to try a few new spots down river. Arriving early at the Toilet bowl, I secured my spot and started some high stick drifts with 2 mysis shrimp flies’ size 18 under 3 medium split shot, no indicator. It worked well, and I landed a small brown trout right from the first cast. Ian from Canada turned up and we shared the spot.
On one drift, just as it turned out of the main outflow, a bigger trout took the fly and swam off strongly. This was it, a decent one at last! I mean I enjoy catching the many smaller fish there but this was better. Acutely aware of the tiny flies I was using I carefully let line out as the fish made off. Then I reeled frantically as it swam back towards me, to keep the line tight and the hook firmly in place. A back-and-forth tussle ensued, then the fish went belly up and Ian helped me land it. A deeply red and fat rainbow, my best yet! How wonderful.
I sent him on his way and fished a little while longer, more trout followed in a hectic fishing session.
I relinquished the prime spot to Ian and left him to it. He caught a very nice brown whilst I was there and I hope he got into something special.
I headed down river and tried a new spot. I caught a couple of small browns in a shallow riffle. Brilliant fun. I also went back to one of my favourite spots and got a small but very nice-looking rainbow. These fish fight extremely well for their size and offer no shortage of excitement.
On my final trip before heading home, I set myself the challenge of catching a trout from the Roaring fork and Colorado rivers, on the way back from the Frying Pan. Starting at dawn at the Toilet Bowl, I had a brief but busy fishing session, catching 12 or 13 trout but no big ones this time. After a particularly bad tangle I packed up and headed back down to Glenwood Springs.
Here the Roaring Fork River, another gold medal section, joins the Mighty Colorado river. I found a spot off Midland Avenue and tried my luck. After a few casts I hooked something decent which immediately swam off fast and spit the hook. This was a good sign that my flies and technique were ok, it was just a matter of time and persistence. After another missed fish I was starting to doubt myself. I tried a couple of different spots and settled for a shallow wide riffle and high sticked it. A small greedy rainbow soon snaffled the San Juan Worm lead fly and swam off. A small fight followed and I got him in the net. He was plucky fish and certainly a fish to be admired for his fighting prowess. I sent him on his way. I was very happy, my first trout from the Roaring fork, the first of many, I hope.
Next, I moved down to the Colorado river and tried South Canyon first. Deep slow-moving water, lots of boulders. I did not really know what I was doing there and failed to connect.
I also tried the park at Newcastle, again no success. More research is needed for the Colorado. Maybe I was doing it right but the fish were not interested. Certainly, worth a try and the amazing scenery always makes up for a lack of fish. I guess winter is not ideal and maybe the fish were sluggish and down in the deeper parts of the river.
Fly fishing for trout is becoming an all-consuming addiction. There is always a bigger trout, a different type of trout, a trout from a new spot, a trout on a new set up, it goes on and on in an endless quest. Catching a nice fish only brings temporary satisfaction, the next challenge is always beckoning. I am very happy with this latest trip but I fear this happiness will not last long and a new fix will soon be needed.
For my final fishing trip of the year, I went back to Meon Springs, where I started the year with a fly fishing lesson. Now, almost a year later, I’ve had many fly fishing trips and slowly built a respectable fly collection. My casting is still dire but it can only get better. My niece Sophie joined me and assumed net duties when necessary. I bought a 2 fish ticket and had high hopes as it was fairly cold outside and the trout should be active.
The first trout, a plucky 1 and a half pound fellow, fell to a Blue Damsel Flash, stripped back at a steady retrieve. He didn’t fight well at all and was soon in Sophie’s net.
After a dry spell and trying different parts of the lake, we repaired into the cafe for some tea and to warm up by the fire. I still had one more fish to catch so we reluctantly left the warmth behind and got back to business.
The 2nd trout, a more stout 3 pounder, fell to a black hares ear nymph. The same fly I had some success with up on the Grand Mesa in Colorado. This is becoming my go-to fly. He put up a good fight and eventually also fell to Sophie’s net.
A good morning’s fishing indeed and a great way to tie up 2024. Next year I hope to get back to the Frying Pan river in Colorado, catch some more bass out in the Kayak off the coast of Hayling Island, and maybe get some charter boat trips in. Starting fly fishing really has been a revelation and I wished I started sooner. It also gave me fresh perspective on other styles of fishing and certainly on hook sizes and line strengths. I can see much finesse was missing from my game. Lets see what fish 2025 brings.
I wasn’t having much luck fly fishing for trout in rivers. I tended to fish in the deep slower moving pockets, as I would if lure fishing and I just couldn’t find the fish. After another frustrating trip on the Frying Pan river, I bit the bullet and arranged a guided trip. The Frying Pan Anglers fly shop in Basalt answered the call. This is a fantastic local fly shop with a great selection of flies, equipment and most of all local knowledge. I met Nate my guide, and we headed off onto the river.
Nymphing was the name of the game. Nate rigged my rod with a 3 fly set up. A worm type imitation, a midge and finally a tiny pheasant tail type fly, that I could barely see. We then hit a section of the river I would have never have thought of fishing and started some high sticking drifts. My technique, especially mending, was awful and Nate helped me improve it. Soon enough small brown trout started hitting the net.
We tried a couple of different spots, shallow fast moving water around knee to mid thigh deep. It was great fun as the trout obliged and Nate patiently helped me untangle or re-rig when I was too eager striking at the disappearing indicator. Some small browns and a couple of nice rainbows took the fly and gave a good account of themselves fighting all the way to the net.
After the half day session I had caught 12 trout in total and learned a huge amount from Nate during this time. It was one of the most enjoyable fishing sessions I have ever had. I cannot recommend Nate and Frying Pan Anglers enough. If you want a short cut to success then book a guided trip!
A few days later I returned to the river. It was time to put into practice what I’d learned and see if I could catch a trout in the river on my own. I headed up to a mile or so of the dam below the infamous toilet bowl. The bowl holds little interest for me now. Yes there are huge fish in there but its almost like a fish pond and the crowds of eager anglers can be distracting. I found a quiet spot a mile of so down river and found a shallow, fast moving bit that looked promising.
Using the same set up that Nate left me with, I soon caught a nice small brown trout. Then I made a huge tangle of that rig and set my own up using some flies Nate recommended. They worked and more small trout hit the net.
I felt an enormous sense of achievement. This is what fly fishing is all about. With a heavy heart, I left the river for now and I can’t wait to get back again. What a fabulous place!
I also managed to get up onto the Grand Mesa a couple of times to fish the alpine lakes. It was fun with the boys at Baron Lake and we managed a few fish.
I also hit another reservoir on the back side and caught a couple of small rainbows.
Fly fishing in Colorado during the autumn is pretty special. Soon the snows will come and temperatures will drop. I can’t wait to get back again!
For much of August, the winds were a show stopper. Anything more than a stiff breeze and it is difficult and even dangerous to launch a kayak off Hayling beach. The beach shelves steeply and when you wade past the breaking waves it is easily chest deep or more. However on 6 of the days, the weather gods relented and let me go fishing.
I used mostly one technique, trolling a small metal lure parallel to the beach around 500m out. The lure represents a small bait fish, and the bass and mackerel love it. As I paddled along, I’d wait to hear the reel drag sing its tune and then hook up with a fish. Nothing big this time, but fun nonetheless. Even small bass gave a good account of themselves on my light tackle and with a good depth of water to fight back in.
I let most go and kept the 45cm fish pictured above for eating, and tasty it was too, or so my neighbour Maria said.
In the latter part of the month, the mackerel made an appearance and were most welcome. I ate some myself and also kept some for bait later in the year.
The weather people said that we had the coolest summer since 2015, and I believe them. Due to work committments I will miss September, which I believe will be very productive in this area.
There’s always October for some drift fishing with bait, and thats what I aim to do, weather willing. Until then, stow the kit and impatiently wait it out.
I know I said last time that I’d leave the Toilet Bowl for now. Well we did go to the Grand Mesa to fish for Brook Trout but we found the biting insects intolerable. Even my face was covered in bites. We settled for some stocker rainbows at Baron Lake, which was fun until it wasn’t, with our legs, arms and faces all receiving the inhospitable welcome provided by the raging mosquitoes.
We also tried PACO, but the river was still very high and I couldn’t see any fish. We hit the ponds and caught some small rainbows.
So in the last week of my trip I made the drive up to Basalt and onto the Frying Pan river. It was my last throw of the dice. I coudn’t sleep the night before and set off at 3:40am. Being summer, it was sure to be super busy and I wanted a spot. I arrived at sun up around 6am and the place was empty, it was a huge relief. Water churned out of the dam release gates, the levels were the highest I’ve seen. Huge trout were visible gorging on the mysis shrimp steadily exiting the dam.
First in the net was a nice rainbow, and the biggest fish of the session.
Then I caught five more brown trout. Not big fish but they all gave a good account of themselves. They made use of the strong currents and put up quite a fight.
Some other fly fishers turned up and we shared the spot. Two guys were using heavy split shot and having some great success with short drifts catching some big fish. I’ll try that next time. Once again I had to painfully drag myself away. It is a very beautiful and peaceful part of the world. The surroundings make you forget all of life’s stresses and troubles. I can’t wait to get back again, it truly is a fly fisherman’s dream.
As I drove towards the Bowl, my anxiety grew as I got closer. I set out at 415am so there should be no one there when I arrived, but it was no guarantee. The place can only accommodate 3 anglers, so if there were some dudes there already, it would be a wasted 2 ½ hour drive. It is a very popular place. With 40 minutes to go, I had the same feeling of dread I used to get when enplaning for a parachute descent, only to be relieved when the chute opens and you are on your way back down to earth. It was cold outside, 32°f, which is 0° in real money. I pulled up in the parking area and it was empty. The relief washed over me in a giant wave, game on! I pulled on my waders and jacket and moved down to the waters edge. The wind gusted but it was manageable and I cast a line. Small mysis shrimp flies work here. I used 2 with some split shot and an indicator. Soon enough a nice trout obliged the net.
Two other anglers (Mike and Cary) turned up and I invited them to join me. My fly-fishing level is still novice so there is always something to learn from others, plus it was nice to have some company for netting assistance, photos, chatting etc. The fishing seemed slow, I had the right flies, what was I doing wrong? Mike and Cary started pulling out fish whilst I made futile casts.
Mike recommended losing the indicator and adding more split shot to get the flies down deeper. I made the necessary adjustments and started landing fish. It worked a charm.
I hooked a big one but it just swam away strongly and threw the hook. Also, another nice trout jumped out the water, also freeing itself. I was almost losing more fish than I was catching. You must be careful with a hooked fish as light line was needed to utilise the small flies the fish love. I managed to get five in the net and lost 4. But a very satisfying session and my last of this trip. It was my second session at the toilet bowl this time.
A week ago, I got there first again and fly fished it to no avail. Three gents on a fishing trip turned up and I invited them to join me. Brian saw I was using the wrong flies and set my line up with the correct rig. It was very nice of him and I caught my first trout at this venue on a fly. Fantastic! Brian and his buddies knew what they were doing and caught a lot of fish as I looked on in awe. I have still a lot to learn.
Earlier, I took Jack and Owen down to PACO, near Ridgeway reservoir for their first fly fishing session. The river was in full spate so we hit the stocked ponds there.
Soon enough the boys were hauling in the small rainbows and having great fun. I left fly selection to them, Jack caught 5, Owen caught 3 and I only managed 1. Sucks to be me.
We spent a weekend up at Flaming Gorge, hired a pontoon boat and tried our luck trolling Rapalas. We caught a nice rainbow and lost 2. The weather was calm at first but then the wind really got up, making it difficult to jig due to the fast drift. We will have to return in calmer weather. We tried the green river below the dam but did not have any success this time. We need to learn more about what flies work there and what spots to try. There is always something to learn.
In between fly fishing, we broke out the normal fishing rods and did a lure fishing session at Blue Mesa. We could not reach our usual spot due to the middle bridge being closed for repairs, so we settled for the Lake Fork bridge spot. Using Krocodiles and Kast Masters, we caught some small browns and rainbows, all good fun.
This trip I have gained some more fly fishing experience, and look forward to the next trip. My first lesson at Meon Springs seems ages ago. My mind is on some brook trout up on the Grand Mesa and another trip to PACO when the river is calmer. I will leave the toilet bowl and the massive trout swirling around it for someone else for now.
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!
Winter had just begun in western Colorado. A few stubborn leaves clung to their branches where the majority had dropped some time ago. It was cold in the mornings, warming up somewhat at midday. The fishing crowds had receded, to regroup next year at the end of the spring run-off. In other words, the perfect time to do a scout for some trout.
I watched an incredible you tube video of fishing at a place called the toilet bowl on the frying pan river. This is a tail water of the Ruedi Reservoir and it is permitted to fish in the reservoir discharge point at the bottom of the dam. In this bowl, huge trout gleefully swim about gorging on a Mysis shrimp bonanza. I had to give it a try. Firstly we deployed to Ruedi reservoir and got into some small rainbows.
In the last hour of daylight, we descended to the toilet bowl and mercifully there was only one other angler there. He was fly fishing and I helped him land a monster rainbow. We chucked some lures and caught a couple of nice brown trout. Large Fish frolicked in front on us, it is a very exciting place.
Later in the week, I made a solo visit and caught another 4 small trout. It’s the sort of place you have to drag yourself away from. Seriously, I could stay there permanently. Huge rainbow trout were visible swimming in the discharge waters gobbling up invisible shrimp. They paid no interest to the lures I landed on their snouts. It was super fun regardless.
We went back again once more, though this time, a group had beaten us to it. Instead, we hit the river about 200m downstream and caught a couple of browns using small rapalas. Winter showed it’s face with a snow flurry.
After a few hours passed we went back to the bowl and had it to ourselves again and caught some more browns. I have resisted anything to do with fly fishing up until this point, but seeing how this really works well at the bowl, and in the rivers , I will start learning this aspect of fishing as a priority in Q1 2024, for when I can get back to the bowl. Just using lures is an unnecessary handicap.
We’d fished the Blue Mesa reservoir back in 2018, caught a few trout and I promised myself we’d return at some point for another crack at it. This is the largest body of water in Colorado and has all sorts of fishing opportunities from boat and shore. Its famous for its Kokanee and lake trout populations.
For our first trip, we selected a rocky perch over some deep water near Dry Creek. Here we cast lures, let them sink to the bottom at some considerable depth and made a slow retrieve. It seemed brown trout were the order of day, not big but very attractive fish who gave a good account of themselves.
On our way home we tried the bridge near the inlet and I caught my first lake trout. Only a small pup but I was very pleased, I’ve been after one of these for ages. These sorts of catches spur us on even more, to catch their bigger brethren.
On our second trip, we set up near the Lake Fork bridge.
Casting a mixture of Kastmasters (dexter’s wedges), Krocodiles and Rapalas, we caught more browns and a rainbow.
Again, I was very reluctant to leave, despite the approaching darkness and the coldness it brings. Just one more cast to get the big one! It didn’t come this time and we drove home.
Next year I’m going to focus more on trout, get back to these spots and get a PB. Regardless of the obstacles I may face. It simply must be done!
First of the Flood 