William Daniel

I’m just back from Iceland, where my guests, 3 separate parties each fishing 6 rods, caught 193 salmon, 23 sea trout and 5 char during their 3 day trips.   Given the low water and bright conditions this year, it was a very good result, and the positive feedback I received suggests that if you want to catch good numbers of salmon on a single handed rod, this beautiful country has to be at the top of your list.  The biggest fish was a 20 pounder, caught on a tiny hitch tube, by Hugo Rittson-Thomas on the sublime Haffjarðará .  3 of us extended our trip by heading north-east to fish for the large wild brown trout of the Laxá I Adaldal.  This is some of the best dry fly fishing this side of New Zealand, but (big difference) it takes only a few hours to get there.   It’s a big, fast river, and you do need to spot and mark rising fish carefully, but once found and covered, the fish (usually) take anything black with alacrity.  My first 5 fish landed all weighed over 4lb,  fought like tigers, and ran me into the backing. I won’t tell you about the whoppers I lost, but there were several I am afraid.   This is world class trout fishing – and was an exciting change from the lush tranquillity of the chalk streams.

In between trips to Iceland, I spent a week on a river I had long intended to visit, the Yokanga in Russia’s Kola penisula, way up in the Arctic circle.  It’s a big, fast-flowing river full of white water, boulders and massive Atlantic salmon.   The 20 fish I caught, the biggest a “mere” 22lb (a small one!), were pretty typical that week.  The guides were moaning about the water temperature being too high and said that the fishing was no good!  I cannot wait for next year when I plan to return with a group to catch my first 30 pounder!   In the same week the previous year, one of our party told me he landed 2 fish over 30lb on the same afternoon…

It’s not too soon to be thinking about next year – apart from Iceland and Russia, I am planning a saltwater trip to Cuba in March and the usual Scottish excursions.  If you can’t wait until next year, I still have one or two gaps for my trip to Park on the Dee in early October, when you have one of the best chances of a British 30 pound salmon!   Email me or call me on 01722 716210 for more information.

August and  September chalk stream fishing - crystal clear water and fat, strong fish!

One of my guides has just called me to say that his clients for the past 3 days had some of the best fishing this season, with good daytime hatches of fly and fabulous sight fishing for large, hard fighting trout.    Provided there is still some water in the rivers, late August and September can provide the most consistent fishing of the season, as I have been saying for years!

Until the beginning of July most chalk rivers don’t run really clear, anyway, but by August, you can count the spots on the fish at which you are casting, especially if you concentrate on the tributaries and upper reaches of the main rivers where all the fish are visible, and can usually be persuaded to come up for a well aimed dry fly, even if there is not much hatching.    Add to this fish which have been packing on weight since the spring and fight twice as hard, and you’ll know what I’m talking about.

As if this wasn’t enough, on many of our beats the fishing is considerably cheaper by now;  the choice is good, and there are deals to be done, especially if you buy more than one day!    We do not often have anything left to sell on the Bourne Rivulet, uppermost tributary of the Test, but amazingly there are still a few days left this year, so I am offering a limited edition illustrated map of Harry Plunket Greene’s beloved stream with the first five bookings for the rest of August and September.    Charles Jardine has just called me to say the client he took there recently landed a fish nudging 4 pounds – and don’t forget these are all wild brown trout; the river has not been stocked since I first took it on in 1995!

People always tell me that they never got out fishing as much as they intended – of course the secret is to get the dates into your diary early, so here are a few of the things we can offer you for the coming year.

Chalk Streams – Trout, Grayling, Sea Trout and Salmon
The wettest November ever recorded in 2009 caused the springs on our rivers to break earlier than usual, and I’m excited by prospects for the coming year.   We have most of our availability already, so if you are looking for beats in 2010, you’ll get the best choice by telling us early, and it also helps us to know how much to pre-book. If you have never fished for salmon and sea trout on the Lower Test and Itchen, why not try it this year?    Gift vouchers are always available if you’re asked what you want for Christmas or your birthday!

Corporate Fishing – Trout
After a slow year in 2009, there has been a sharp pick-up in interest from the financial sector, with a lot of days already sold.  At Heale on the Avon (Wednesdays and Fridays) we only have 3 dates left before August.  That is busy for this time of year.   So if you are thinking about entertaining customers, don’t leave it too late. We still have availability for larger groups at Wherwell, Longparish and Leckford on the Test, and at Hurdcott on the Nadder.

Pike Fishing – great value winter entertainment
Rather than wait for the trout season, several clients have been asking me about pike fishing.  Something really different, with the chance of a whopper like this one! Blenheim Palace Lake is a wonderful fishery with plenty of pike and 16 comfortable punts – we are taking bookings for group days between now and March. We start the day with a hearty breakfast and finish with an early dinner in the pub in Woodstock. Group size is
12+ and we’ll provide all the tackle, bait and instruction.

I’m no philosopher, but I do know that too much work makes Jack a dull boy, and that life is not a dress rehearsal (Michael Caine).   We all need to have some fun, as we never know what is around the corner.   One other thought: if enough intrepid people want to do it, I have been offered some tremendous wilderness trout fishing in Sweden – we need half a dozen rods and mid to late July is probably the best time to go…so give me a ring!

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