Having joined the Aardvark McLeod team in June 2025, South African Alistair Routledge was sent on his first chalkstream fly fishing trip on the delightful River Wylye in Wiltshire. Read about his experience and the joys of casting dry flies to wild trout in clear water.
Growing up in my native South Africa, the history and mystique of the English chalkstreams have long loomed large in my mind, and I’ve always dreamt of fishing those hallowed waters. Fast-forward a few decades and I find myself here, right in the heart of chalkstream country, and so naturally I jumped at the chance when I was given the opportunity to explore the River Wylye at Langford Lakes.
This is a beautiful and intimate stretch of river, located in a nature reserve run by the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, and a three rod per day limit guarantees a peaceful day’s fishing in idyllic surroundings.
The wild nature of this stretch, coupled with the fabled gin-clear water, made it immediately apparent that it would be a technical, close-quarters game, with much sneaking, crouching, and bow-and-arrow casts required to avoid spooking fish, and contending with bankside vegetation. Thankfully wading is permitted, allowing one to get into the best position possible. After seeing a few rises and some enormous danica mayflies popping off (which are freakishly large to a South African, our mayflies don’t get much bigger than size 18!) I started the day fishing dries and had good sport from some scrappy little wild browns, as well as a few grayling, a new species for me.
This tactic worked well all morning, but upon reaching a deep, dark and seriously fishy looking weir pool I made the move to subsurface tactics. Switching to my nymphing rod, I fired off a few tentative drifts at the tail-out of the pool and was quickly rewarded with a few more browns, as well as some greedy little perch. When I was satisfied I’d covered the back of the pool thoroughly, I turned my attention to the deep, swirling belly of the pool. Tying on a gaudy attractor pattern with a large 4mm bead I proceeded to plumb the depths, however the swirling, conflicting currents made it tricky to get a proper drift.
After adjusting my angle of approach, I found a workable line and my first decent drift was met with a savage take! After setting the hook I backed up towards the tail-out so as to not spook the rest of the pool, but it was soon clear that this fish was much larger and meaner than the ones I’d been catching so far. There were some nerve-wracking runs towards the submerged tree limbs at the edge of the pool, but I managed to steer the fish into the clear and finally slip it into the net, heaving a massive sigh of relief. A beautifully marked brown trout and the largest of the day by far!
Whilst eating a streamside lunch I enjoyed the company of the kingfishers, warblers, kites, and other birds that are clearly thriving here at Langford Lakes. I spent the rest of the day working my way up the beat, managing to tempt a few more to the net, but none quite as impressive as that weir pool fish. All told, it was a fantastic day, and I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to chalkstream fishing.
Find out more about chalkstream fishing on the Wylye
2025 Prices:
Trout (1st April to 14th October 2025 – 1 to 3 rods) – £90 per rod including VAT
Prime Trout (1st May to 15th June 2025 – 1 to 3 rods) – £120 per rod including VAT
Grayling (15th October 2025 to 14th March 2026 – 1 to 3 rods) – £60 per rod including VAT
Dates available throughout the summer and autumn for those who want to try this special venue.
For more information, chalkstream fly fishing availability or help planning your next fly fishing adventure please contact Justin Hancock or call our office on +44(0)1980 847389.