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Tuesday 31st July, 2001 saw the arrival of our Webmaster, Dave Fink, at the Reception Office of Avington Trout Fishery. Having travelled down from North Wales, Dave and his wife Val, were in need of a nice cup of tea before strolling round the fishery to get the feel of the place.
It had long been Daves dream to come and fish at Avington after reading about the fishery in a magazine many years ago and, now, here he was at last ! Over to you, Dave...
When Bob West, the owner of Avington Trout Fishery, invited me to come down and fish the "Mighty Avington", I couldn't get my tackle in the car quick enough ! As this is a stalking water, a visit to my friend, Meirion Thomas, the owner of the specialist Mail Order company who now has an on-line store, Selectafly, is a must. Meirion made up a special selection of Stalking Bugs to help me tempt those big trout..
After a four hour drive down from North Wales here I was, standing in the Reception at Avington, meeting Fishery Manager Robbie Winram and wife Beverly for the first time. As I entered the site, the first thing I noticed was the absolute clarity of the feeder stream that you must cross over on your way in - I've never seen water so clear !
The second thing was the size of the limit bags several fishermen were carrying to the Cleaning and Gutting Room, specially set up to clean your catch prior to leaving for home. I was getting more excited by the minute.... Leaving my wife Val seated comfortably in the Lodge, I set out to wander around the pools, noting again how clear the water was and marvelling at the dark and silver flashes everywhere I looked. Several suspected hotspots were mentally noted for the following day.
• The Big Day •
After a fairly sleepless night of anticipation, comfortably staying at the inn just around the corner (aptly named "The Trout"), a full English breakfast was swiftly consumed prior to adjourning to our room and changing into suitable fishing wear. The half mile journey back to the fishery was soon done and before I knew it, my 5-piece Winston Rod was assembled and I was ready to go. A suitable stalking bug in the shape of an Epoxy Buzzer was attached and flicked round a tree to a waiting lethian...
No response - in fact sheer disdain ! Two or three fly changes later and I find exactly what they want - a black leadhead mini nobbler. A superb specimen of a rainbow hits the scales at 6lbs 2oz. Returning to the other side of the first pool, the same tactics are employed and the next fish weighs in at just a little over 8lbs. The fight is something else - these are very fit fish indeed, and my rod is bent almost double as I finally subdue it.
A break for lunch is called for and a much needed cold drink as the sun was doing its utmost to roast us alive..Paul Young of Discovery Channels 'Hooked on Fishing' arrives to film the fishery and interviews Robbie as to the best flies to use and to get a bit of the background information and history of the Big Fish water.
The afternoon session gets under way and I'm soon into another fish that somehow manages to spit out the hook - I'm sure it was at least a whale.. My next fish threatens to pull the rod out of my hand as it heads down to deeper water and it takes all my strength to gradually ease its head back up towards the waiting net. After a prolonged fight, this beautifully marked rainbow tipped the scales at slightly over 7½ lbs.
The magenta gills and lateral stripes have to be seen to be believed, so vivid are they - an apparent trait of Avington. My final fish of the day, to complete my bag limit, is also the smallest - a mere tiddler of 5½ lbs to give me a total weight of just over 27lbs - what a days fishing !
Daves 4-fish bag limit
Just prior to leaving the fishery, visiting fisherman Mr Lane sauntered up with a beautiful rainbow which hit the scales at 17½ lbs. He had spent some time stalking the fish and eventually the rainbow decided to take his offering. Mr. Lane enjoyed a few anxious moments as the struggle continued before managing to subdue the fish and easing his net under it.
A happy Mr. Lane !
Is the journey to Avington worthwhile ? You bet ! If you do nothing else in your fishing lifetime, this is definately a must, a fishing Mecca of the first order - a Shangri-La, whatever you want to call it.
Get on the phone now or email Cameron to book yourself a superb days fishing that you will talk about for years after. You won't regret it !
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