Chalkstream Spring Fishing
It seems like it has been a long haul waiting for the start of the chalkstream trout season. But, it is finally here, and we have been heading to the river to fish to trout that haven’t seen flies or anglers for months. Although the trout are less educated, spring fishing on the chalkstreams can be challenging because of inclement conditions. In spring, hatches can be more sporadic than at other times of the season. These hatches tend to be concentrated into short periods of the day, often when the wind has died, and it has warmed a little. It is essential to make sure you have the right flies as the hatches usually don’t last long.
This season we are delighted to be offering a selection of flies tailored for chalkstream fishing. Although these flies will work throughout the season, this ten fly selection is designed to match spring conditions and the hatches you would expect to see early in the season.
The box costs £23.20 inc VAT, which includes postage.
Inside our spring selection is:
2 x Large Dark Olive, size 14
2 x Grannom Caddis, size 14
2 x Duck’s Dunn, size 16
2 x Plume Tip, size 18
2 x Hawthorn, size 14
1. Large Dark Olive
At the start of the chalkstream season, the Large Dark Olive (LDO) is one of our main hatches, usually only short each day but quite prolific. These hatches inevitably get some good trout moving. This pattern captures that moment when the fly is trapped in the surface mid hatching.
2. Grannom Caddis
Our next hatch of note is the Grannom Caddis, a short but condensed hatch that waits for all elements to come good and then explodes from the river in clouds of spiralling wings. This hatch can bring the river alive, and anglers should certainly not be surprised to see trout jump clean out the water to eat a passing Grannom. This pattern is versatile and can be used both early and late in the season.
3. Duck’s Dun
Throughout the whole season, you will stumble across a plethora of olives that hatch on the chalkstreams. The Duck’s Dun does an excellent job of imitating this delicate upwing fly. It has a great silhouette and footprint that rarely fails to tempt a regularly feeding trout.
4. Plume Tip
The plume tip is such a simple pattern but is lethal throughout the season. We have all found ourselves in that situation when the trout are dimpling slightly at tiny reed smuts and general small stuff (technical fishing term). It can be infuriating as all the regular go-to flies produce no response. It is these moments when this pattern so often saves the day. It hardly looks appetising, but the trout so often think otherwise.
5. Hawthorn
It is a common spring sight to see hawthorn dance on top of the hedge lines. In some seasons, the hawthorn hatch is prevalent on the river than others. But when this hatch is present, the trout will feed on little else. If you don’t have any hawthorn patterns, it can be a very frustrating few hours.
If you would like to purchase our spring fly selection, please contact us or call our office on +44(0) 1890 847389.