RAINBOW WORRIERS!
Martin and three mates meet up for a trouting session to set the pulses racing
THE promise of monster trout at Testwood certainly appealed, although a three-fish bag limit for £150 made me think hard as I hovered over my keyboard and weighed up the options.
In the end, rainbows the size of carp won me over. I’d never visited this legendary gamefishing venue before so, leaving aside the pros and cons of these colossal artificially-reared fish I simply went for it.
Would it be fun? I certainly hoped so, because I’d
committed £600 to ensure my friends Terry Theobald, Wayne Little and Tim Norman would be joining me on the trip.
Wayne’s expedition to the Orvis tackle shop saw his wallet emptied and gave me something to smile about.
Quite why he needed two tapered fluorocarbon leaders costing well over £20 was beyond me, but with those and a lovely new hat the till was soon ringing merrily.
Joking aside, none of us minded the expense unless,
Heaven forfend, we blanked. This was a post-Covid social and we wanted to celebrate somewhere special.
I thoroughly enjoyed my leisurely journey through Wiltshire and into Hampshire’s Test Valley.
An hour later an old roadside sign that no doubt had set the heart of many a trout fisherman beating told me that I had arrived. I didn’t know what to
expect as I turned off for the fishery and followed the Test’s chalk-filtered course through the water meadows.
Soon game fishing Nirvana came into view. I have to admit that the lakes were smaller than I’d imagined but, given my casting skills, that was probably a good thing!
Further on was the fishing lodge where Tim, Wayne and Theo awaited my arrival.
It’s a real shame that friends can no longer shake hands. To compensate, I told Wayne his new hat looked nice, and that kind of leg-pulling set the tone for the day.
As party leader I sought out fishery owner Nigel Jackson to establish the protocol for our visit – that was simple enough, and within five minutes he and his son were wishing us all the best for our day’s fishing.
To begin with we left the rods in our vehicles and simply wandered around Long Parish Lake. There was no rush to cast, because time spent chatting with friends was just as important as the fish we knew we would catch.
Guaranteed sport takes off any pressure, and while I wouldn’t want to fish regularly like this it made a pleasant, if pricey, change from the kind of adventures I’m more used to.
It was fun to watch our quarry swim by, as our polarised glasses cut through the algal bloom to reveal trout with the
“Our polarised glasses revealed trout the size of breeze blocks”
proportions of breeze blocks, and probably weighing equally as much! It’s little wonder that there was much staring and pointing of fingers.
This led to a perhaps predictable £5 wager on the biggest fish, so with 20 quid at stake it was time to return to the van and begin the quest.
A seven-weight 9ft 6ins fly rod and a floating line was as complicated as the tackle got, with 6ft of 10lb fluorocarbon tied on the end to act as a leader. Wayne alone was giving his super-expensive tapered fluorocarbon leader an airing – according to him this was essential kit!
The consensus was that a bright and flashy fly (or, more accurately, lure) would suit the greenish tinge to the water, and without further ado these four friends set out do battle with Testwood’s giant rainbows.
The plan was to take turns fishing and enjoy everyone’s trout, but the temptation of an early fish to settle the nerves got the better of us. After all, who wanted to be the last to catch and get it in the neck from his companions?
Each of us waited for the right-sized fishy silhouette to drift by before landing a fly in its path. Tim was the first to connect and I wasn’t far behind, our reels whizzing like Catherine wheels as near-10lb rainbows flashed their pink and silver flanks and leapt clear of the water.
These beautiful fin-perfect fish looked wonderful in the dappled light as we took pictures.
Theo, having given up on catching trees, was next, which meant that Wayne was the last man standing.
But before we could offer our friend barbed advice a trout engulfed his fly. Now it was time to break for tea and cakes, a very civilised way to fish and one I could quickly get used to.
With every fish we caught into or close to double figures it was hard to remain disciplined for round two. The hard-core angler within me kept whispering to me to make a cast, and soon the need to see the fly taken over-rode my last remnants of self-control.
By lunchtime Tim was favourite for our cash pot with a fish of 11lb 12oz.
The afternoon began with a few Elvis renditions from Theo, a born entertainer who can make everyone smile, then it was time for our final casts. We focused on the far end of the lake where it narrowed and a few bushes cast a shadow over the water.
Most of the fish seemed to be concentrated here and it was out of the wind, making stalking a little easier.
I’d love to say we all presented a fly like the late, great Bob Church but we didn’t, and nor did we need to. Today was all about relaxing and going with the flow.
There was no need to rush or overthink our tactics in this picture postcard corner of England. We’d all had a laugh, and now it was Wayne’s turn to give as good as he got.
Up till now we’d all, bar him, hooked nine-pounders, which were small for the venue.
Wayne promptly joined the 11lb club, but his efforts were not enough to pip Tim and win the match.
We’d all caught our limit of three trout and it was time hit the road and say goodbye to Testwood before the rush hour traffic started.
Social hours and social fishing had made a lovely change to the solitude I often endure to catch big fish.
Did we enjoy ourselves? Yes. Had we become better trout anglers? No. Was it worth the princely sum we paid?
Well, I think it’s fair to say we were disappointed with the size of the trout. Our crazy expectations had been set high by the promises on the website, but as a one-off treat for a group of mates it was an experience.
Besides, how can you put a price on a trip that was all about big fish, good company and, most of all, having fun?