ARTHUR’S ARCHIVES 1980’s trout boom
Our angling historian Keith Arthur looks back to a time when new fisheries opened and brought trout fishing to the masses
“Quite why Peter was wearing the Quaker costume I have no idea”
THERE are two all-time great anglers in this wonderful photo – Bob Church on the left and, looking like he’s just stepped off the cover of a porridge packet, Peter Stone.
Quite why Peter was wearing the Quaker costume I have no idea. The photo was taken at the great Avington Trout Fishery in the days when it was THE big-fish water. Trout fishing had exploded thanks to the big reservoirs such as Grafham, Chew and Rutland bringing fly fishing to the masses.
This brought a local demand and, much like with carp fishing in years to come, small lakes were dug close to a good supply of clear water and expert fish farmers began producing superb quality big rainbow trout.
Avington was created by the late Sam Holland, who dug out the existing long, meandering pool running alongside the River Itchen to make three lakes.
It was fisheries such as Avington, Dever Springs and Lechlade that gave anglers who wanted big fish access to the type of supersized rainbows unimaginable in the wild in the UK. It also gave birth to a new branch of the sport – stalking.
Experts such as Peter Cockwill and Paddy Hill, who holds the Avington record of 28lb, walked the banks, staring into every pocket of water and presenting often tiny bugs – not much more than a hook with a few turns of lead wire and a tuft of deer hair – at precisely the right depth.
It’s as different from big reservoir fly fishing as the Method is from a stick float, and fabulously exciting. As an added bonus, big rainbow trout are beautiful when expertly smoked and they knock smoked salmon into an old cocked hat... not too dissimilar to Peter Stone’s.