I was just wondering how many of you out there share my growing obsession for fishing small rivers & streams for wild fish. The wilder the better, for both the streams & the fish.
I don't expect anyone to tell me where their favorite water is, because by their nature they have to be kept quiet. However with the advent of the passport type schemes in the UK; here at least I think access to good wild stream fishing is now a lot better.
I know of a place with wild fish to 4lb+ which is no wider than 12' cross in most places. Wild water with few fish but normally big ones. You can sometimes find them & even sometimes catch them: if you see them before they see you!
I like to think of it as New Zealand in miniature!
What are your local waters like, how easy is access, what's the fishing pressure like, what tackle & techniques do you like to use, etc. etc. etc.
Send pics. !
Bim
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small streams wild fish obsession
Hi Bim,
I love fishing small waters.
My homewater is a spring creek, 2-5 meters wide, and no fish are stocked...the biggest brown caught was around 8 kg (and skulled btw :glare: ), and I have seen a lot from 2 to 4...caught some nice fish myself within the last 2 years. I use a Sage XP 8' 5# and for the upper creek an Orvis 6'6'' #4. I fish upstream nymph and dryfly mostly, but my father uses downstream techniques only, nymph and streamer- and with great success-he is a master of stealth and if necessary crawls to the water face down
.
Cheers,
Klaus
I love fishing small waters.
My homewater is a spring creek, 2-5 meters wide, and no fish are stocked...the biggest brown caught was around 8 kg (and skulled btw :glare: ), and I have seen a lot from 2 to 4...caught some nice fish myself within the last 2 years. I use a Sage XP 8' 5# and for the upper creek an Orvis 6'6'' #4. I fish upstream nymph and dryfly mostly, but my father uses downstream techniques only, nymph and streamer- and with great success-he is a master of stealth and if necessary crawls to the water face down
.Cheers,
Klaus
"Happy is the new sad"(Barenaked Ladies)
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alex vulev
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Hi Bim,
I share your enthusiam and living on the Welsh border I have plenty of choice. Wild Trout fishing is improving and becoming more accessible in the UK as riparian owners warm to the generally good behaviour of trout/grayling fishermen and their cash.
The chalkstreams, which have produced volumes on trout fishing hold very few few wild fish. They are attractive, wallet emptying and highly stocked and will never equal the challenge of wild fishing in wild places.
Dave.
I share your enthusiam and living on the Welsh border I have plenty of choice. Wild Trout fishing is improving and becoming more accessible in the UK as riparian owners warm to the generally good behaviour of trout/grayling fishermen and their cash.
The chalkstreams, which have produced volumes on trout fishing hold very few few wild fish. They are attractive, wallet emptying and highly stocked and will never equal the challenge of wild fishing in wild places.
Dave.
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Gilly
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Hi Bim
Yes, i'm with you on wild fish and small streams. I spend most of my time on big rivers, fisheries etc with stockies but my heart is wild fish - i love grayling. i would love to try the lochs/streams up North for wild brownies, great fun and no people.
What is the passport scheme that you are talking about, I haven't heard about it?
We have a small stream on our farm, it's about 5 feet across but pretty deep and really overgrown. The brownies just whizz if they see you, it's my challenge for this year
Gilly
Yes, i'm with you on wild fish and small streams. I spend most of my time on big rivers, fisheries etc with stockies but my heart is wild fish - i love grayling. i would love to try the lochs/streams up North for wild brownies, great fun and no people.
What is the passport scheme that you are talking about, I haven't heard about it?
We have a small stream on our farm, it's about 5 feet across but pretty deep and really overgrown. The brownies just whizz if they see you, it's my challenge for this year
Gilly
Hi Gilly,
The passport scheme is operated by The Wye and Usk Foundation. www.wyeuskfoundation.org.
There is also a similar outfit covering Devon and Cornwall and one in Cumbria.
Some waters are day ticket via pre paid vouchers, others are bookable via the the net or Wye and Usk office.
Dave.
The passport scheme is operated by The Wye and Usk Foundation. www.wyeuskfoundation.org.
There is also a similar outfit covering Devon and Cornwall and one in Cumbria.
Some waters are day ticket via pre paid vouchers, others are bookable via the the net or Wye and Usk office.
Dave.
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Biology
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This is a great thread bim.
We spend most of the season fishing the R. Bush in Co. Antrim, NI. Not the main town stretch, but the smaller, remote areas around Magherahoney and Armoy where there is less traffic, but wilder sport.
The highlight of last season was exploring the tiny burns around our house, that criss-cross farmland. It was Cal, our eldest son that first noticed trout topping in them and suggested we try to catch one.
This wasn't conventional fishing. The burns are generally too narrow to try and cast in to. Any mis-cast and you will snag against the bank and wreck things by trying to retrieve your fly. The only realistic method of placing a fly over a trout was to creep upstream of the topping, wait patiently and feed a line to the fish. Third time trying, and a splashy strike resulted in the trout pictured, just over 10". We were fishing with Cal's £20 Shakespeare Odyssey fly rod and one of andy_with_a_rod's #4 DT mill-ends.
Whilst we were extremely stealthy in our approach, the key to our success was luck, and the fact that this fish had NEVER seen a fishers fly before, and was an opportunist feeder.
Go for it Gilly. Cal is nearly 11, and he held my hand on the walk home for the first time in several years, such was the magic of catching wild trout in the most unlikely of places. It also pretty much killed his desire to stand on the banks of a stocked fishery.
We spend most of the season fishing the R. Bush in Co. Antrim, NI. Not the main town stretch, but the smaller, remote areas around Magherahoney and Armoy where there is less traffic, but wilder sport.
The highlight of last season was exploring the tiny burns around our house, that criss-cross farmland. It was Cal, our eldest son that first noticed trout topping in them and suggested we try to catch one.
This wasn't conventional fishing. The burns are generally too narrow to try and cast in to. Any mis-cast and you will snag against the bank and wreck things by trying to retrieve your fly. The only realistic method of placing a fly over a trout was to creep upstream of the topping, wait patiently and feed a line to the fish. Third time trying, and a splashy strike resulted in the trout pictured, just over 10". We were fishing with Cal's £20 Shakespeare Odyssey fly rod and one of andy_with_a_rod's #4 DT mill-ends.
Whilst we were extremely stealthy in our approach, the key to our success was luck, and the fact that this fish had NEVER seen a fishers fly before, and was an opportunist feeder.
We have a small stream on our farm, it's about 5 feet across but pretty deep and really overgrown. The brownies just whizz if they see you, it's my challenge for this year
Gilly
Go for it Gilly. Cal is nearly 11, and he held my hand on the walk home for the first time in several years, such was the magic of catching wild trout in the most unlikely of places. It also pretty much killed his desire to stand on the banks of a stocked fishery.
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Hi Guys
In sweden we are blessed with loads of
small waters that is inhabited by only
wild fish since its illegal to put stockis
in almost all streams.
I just love these small streams and last
year i found were i caught my record grayling
at little beuty just a thad bit over 4 pounds.
That creek is only about 5 meters across
on its widest part, but really deep in its
places. I think thats the key for the fish to get
big in small streams. Just plain magic.
Best Regards
P-A
Ps. I wouldnt give up that stream even under gunpoint. Ds
:p :p
In sweden we are blessed with loads of
small waters that is inhabited by only
wild fish since its illegal to put stockis
in almost all streams.
I just love these small streams and last
year i found were i caught my record grayling
at little beuty just a thad bit over 4 pounds.
That creek is only about 5 meters across
on its widest part, but really deep in its
places. I think thats the key for the fish to get
big in small streams. Just plain magic.
Best Regards
P-A
Ps. I wouldnt give up that stream even under gunpoint. Ds
:p :p
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Marc LaMouche
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Hello Klaus,
I'm with Alex, my bag's nearly packed!
That sounds like my ideal water! My favourite stream is in limestone country & is partly spring fed. A lot of fishermen walk straight past the best fish because they just don't believe that such a small stream could hold any decent fish.
The secret to finding the fish is definitely stealth (I'm with your dad!).
I'm still working on the secret of catching them, though a well placed dry fly will work (I just have trouble with the well placed bit!
The fish in this stream can be very big, but for me that's almost a distraction; there will never be a fish better than Cal's !
Small streams always feel to me like hidden places with secret's waiting around every corner, to be discovered for the first time & I'm 47 for goodness sake!
Gilly, its really worth seeking out the small wild streams & with the passport schemes making access easier, there's never been a better time to break out the VW camper & escape for a weekend to the Welsh borders, the south West or Cumbria!
I've really got the bug & have a lot of new waters I plan to target this season. Of course that also has the advantage of meaning that I'll need at least 1 new rod (bamboo maybe?).
Bim.
I'm with Alex, my bag's nearly packed!
That sounds like my ideal water! My favourite stream is in limestone country & is partly spring fed. A lot of fishermen walk straight past the best fish because they just don't believe that such a small stream could hold any decent fish.
The secret to finding the fish is definitely stealth (I'm with your dad!).
I'm still working on the secret of catching them, though a well placed dry fly will work (I just have trouble with the well placed bit!
The fish in this stream can be very big, but for me that's almost a distraction; there will never be a fish better than Cal's !
Small streams always feel to me like hidden places with secret's waiting around every corner, to be discovered for the first time & I'm 47 for goodness sake!
Gilly, its really worth seeking out the small wild streams & with the passport schemes making access easier, there's never been a better time to break out the VW camper & escape for a weekend to the Welsh borders, the south West or Cumbria!
I've really got the bug & have a lot of new waters I plan to target this season. Of course that also has the advantage of meaning that I'll need at least 1 new rod (bamboo maybe?).
Bim.
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