Wherwell, 7th March 2015

The weather was again kind to us on the first trip of the year, to one of our favourite venues, and the lake didn't disappoint. Despite twelve rods the lake fished well with everyone catching, and in particular congratulations to Becks and Lauren who came fishing for the first time. Becks' boys James and Charlie also did well, christening their new outfits on only their second trip. A fine social day of sunshine, good fishing, good food and good company.

Wherwell, 15th March 2014

The club's year began with the traditional outing to Wherwell. It was a pleasant day weather-wise, but with the car park partly under water, and very little of the lake's edge dry it was a day where wellies were essential and waders a good option! But the fish obliged, including 'first fish on the fly' for our two guests, Andy's friend Dave and Josh and Dan's friend Brandon. And we also enjoyed our now traditional pies, bacon butties, soup, and cakes and biscuits: thanks to all who brought something along to share!

Church Paddock, 12th October 2013

Club Championship day, and another good turnout saw 9 anglers enjoy good fishing, good company and a bacon butty courtesy of our hosts Jamie and Eddie (thanks lads!). The fishing was good despite the low water levels (keep doing the rain dances!) everyone caught and Tony thought he was on to a winner with a 7-12 fish, only to be pipped by Paul B who caught an 8lber to clinch the championship and probably best rainbow too. It was good to welcome back Josh and Dan, and founder member Bob, and Jocky even found time for a spot of treasure hunting but unfortunately found a wasps nest!

Wherwell Estate Lake, September 2013

A very enjoyable day at this popular venue on the club agenda. Twelve anglers braved the autumn drizzle to enjoy good fishing and good company, and a lunchtime BBQ. Pete was the excellent chef, ably assisted by sous-chefs Jocky and Dave, and Melita provided some superb deserts. The fish also obliged, with fish being caught on dries, nymphs and lures. Jocky had the best fish of the day at 5lbs 13ozs, and Andy provided the entertainment by bringing his new 13'9" double hander.

Church Paddock, August 2013

A first club trip to this venue near Kingsworthy, and despite low water and tricky conditions, the attendees enjoyed a very enjoyable session, with the club's first Brownie of the season falling to Clive, closely followed by a second to the same angler! A good range of fish were visible, and Andy picked up a cracking 6lbs 8ozs blue. An impromptu committee meeting with the backing of the members present decided to switch the October trip to here rather than Dever, and our Chairman promised us some rain! Thanks to Jamie (and Eddie) for making us so welcome, we'll be back!

Club Outing to Wherwell March 30th 2013

The club's year began with the traditional outing to Wherwell. It was a bracing day, with spring held at bay by low temperatures and a biting North Easterly, but the fish were obliging and many were caught, even on dries when the wind dropped and the sun came out. Bacon butties, pies and soup were contributed by Tony, Andy and John to help warm people up. It's normal to forget something on an early season trip, like a bass bag or priest, but Paul E managed to forget his rods, fortunately Andy had a spare. We welcomed Jocky's son Patrick who caught his first trout on the fly, closely followed by his second.

John O'Gaunt April 2011

The first 'regular' trip of the year was to a perennial favourite, John o' Gaunt lakes, but saw a disappointingly small turnout. The weather was kind and the fish were obliging, with most people completing their limit relatively easily. This was also the Spring Cup, and congratulations to Pete Dean, who made up for the disappointment of narrowly missing out last year, by winning comfortably with a bag of 16lbs 4ozs.

Wherwell March 2011

Again Wherwell proved to be cold, however everyone caught their limit and some fished into the afternoon catch and release. We kicked off this trip with a breafast BBQ of bacon rolls provided by Andy Parker. Later lunch of sausages and home made soup provided by John Wiseman and wife Claudine. The commitee wish to thank Claudine, John and Andy for their efforts in making this trip that much more sociable.

2010 AGM Minutes are now available online

The 2010 AGM minutes have been posted online.

Try something Different, Carp on the fly

Two club members on a recent evening trip to catch carp on the fly. Why not try something different one evening yourself?

Club Member Attends Sportfish Sea trout Course July 2010

Club member Andy Parker attended the Sportfish Sea Trout course which took place over 3 days and nights on the river Towy in Wales. The venue was the Golden Grove a premium fishery on the prized middle Towy. Accommodation was at the Plough Inn Rhosmaem. The course was limited to 5 students and local expert and Wales fly fishing Captain Jamie Harries and Alun Rees a local ghillie and instructor provided training from first cast to first Sea Trout known locally as sewin. The course covered all aspects of Sea Trout fishing from the fishes behaviour, habitat, approaching and reading the river, to casting and fly selection and tying. The results can be seen below.

Congratulations to Melita Saville

Following on from Andy's last post about the National Championships held in Rutland the other weekend, we would like to mention special congratulations to Melita Saville, who was awarded The Pam Gray Memorial Trophy, established in 2009 in memory of Ted's late wife. The Pam Gray Memorial Trophy is awarded to the Best Newcomer by Ted Gray and the recipient is his choice. Melita won the award for her perseverence, dedication and enjoyment of the sport, and for having the passion to continue despite not catching anything. Well done Melita !

IBM Fly Fishing National Rutland June 2010

The IBM national fly fishing competition took place over the 25th - 26th June at Rutland water. This was a special event marking 25 years and all competitors were provided with a suitable engraved priest to mark the occasion.

As usual the fishing at Rutland water was tough with the fishery rod average plummeting has the temperatures continued to rise. Both Hursley A & B team had a poor first day with only 2 fish caught. The last day of competition saw the Hursley teams raise there game with Hursley A taking overall 3rd place and Hursley B catching 5 fish to move them from bottom position. The organization of the event and the standard of the food and accommodation was outstanding. This is all thanks to the outstanding organizational skills and planning put into this event by Ted Gray. The event dates for 2011 are 13th - 14th May, add this to your diary now to ensure you do not miss this great event.

Hursley A - Andy Parker, Tony Hogg, Bob Hanley, Neil Postlethwaite
Hursley B - Pete Dean, Josh Sampays, Melita Saville, Matt Groves

Wherwell - June 2010

An early start was the key for this Saturday's visit to Wherwell. It was a glorious, sunny and warm day with many large emergers rising from the surface of the water. However, on the back of advice from Robbie the Wherwell Estate Fisheries manager, damsels and daddies seemed to be the order of the day rather than dry flies.

Surprisingly for this location, some larger, good weighted fish were being caught from the outset, with Matt Groves landing 3 fish in excess of 4 pounds on his first 4 casts, with other fishermen also landing larger than average fish.

However, the credit - and potentially the title of the biggest rainbow 2010 - is currently with Pete Dean who landed a superb 7.25lb fish following a lengthy fight.

Adhoc Rutland Trip - May 2010

Four members of the club (Andy, Matt, Melita & Tony) visited Rutland water on the 16th - 17th May. The trip was timed to take advantage of Travelodge's cheap room rate offers currently running throughout 2010. The fishing was tough with a rod average of 2.5 being taken over the 2 days. The local experts all informed us on arrival that the fish were deep, so sinking lines and lures were our starting tactic. However we discovered that the fish were in general between 5 - 10ft down and often static nymphs and buzzers were a good option. Though this was not an offical club subsidized event, we will again notify members of the next trip. In case you would like to join use, this is likely to be in early September.

Meon Springs trip - April 2010

The opening event of the 2010 season was the Spring Cup at Meon Springs. Recent torrential rain meant cloudy water and a mud bath on the bank, but despite the conditions everyone caught their limits. There were no big fish caught, so the result was very close with all eleven competitors in wth a shout, but in the end Paul Eslinger emerged triumphant with a bag of 10lbs 1oz to pip early clubhouse leader Pete Dean on 9lb 9ozs.

Wherwell trip - March 2010

The season as started with our traditional trip to Wherwell. It was a cold day on Saturday, but plenty of fish were caught. The favourite fly was the yellow peril, but the fish were also taking blood worm patterns. Why not review our recipes page and try some of the recipes or maybe smoke a few fish.

2009 AGM Minutes are now available online

The 2009 AGM minutes have been posted online.

2010 Trip Schedule Available

The 2010 IBM Fly Fishing Club trips schedule is now available online. All dates are provisional until the booking is accepted by the fishery.

Diary date Rutland 2010

Another update for your diaries. The IBM National Fly Fishing competition will again be held at Rutland water on the 25th - 26th June 2010.

AGM date announcement

Just a quick update for your diaries, the AGM is booked for the Wednesday 18th November 2009 @ 7pm in the Hursley Clubhouse Osman room. Andy Parker will send out another reminder and agenda closer to the date.

Manningford Trip and Club Championship - Oct 2009

Saturday 2nd October was the final trip of the season, to the ever-popular and one of our favourite fisheries, Manningford. A slightly overcast day proved easy fishing for those prepared to arrive earlier than we thought the fishery opened, gradually becoming harder and harder to fish as the day progressed. It was a great turnout - 16 fishermen and women in all, with 12 of the club members fishing in the Championship.

It is with some astonishment but also admiration and huge congratulations that we announce Josh Sampays as the club championship winner in his first year as a full club member. The "trout whisperer", as he has become fondly known, brought home a 16lb 1oz bag in comparison to the next heaviest bag by Dave Day, with 13lb 4oz. All the other championship contenders weighed in a varied mix between 10lb and 12lb bags. It is great to see youngsters interested in the sport of fly fishing - so not for the first time, Josh's 10 year old son Daniel came along to help Dad, and ended up catching a nice 2lb 8oz trout to take home for dinner.

You may recall that Josh also won the Spring Cup at John O'Gaunt in April. If our records are correct, we also congratulate Andy Parker winning the biggest rainbow trout of 2009 with his 8lb 6oz fish at Avon Springs in July.

Congratulations to both Josh and Andy !

Club photo gallery

We have set up a group over at flickr.com for past or present club members to post their personal photos and share their experiences. Head over to the group page - all you need to join is a Yahoo account. We still welcome any photos that you would like to feature on this site.

This news feed is now RSS capable

This news feed can now be subscribed to in any news reader - we recommend Google Reader.

The news feed is here : http://feed43.com/ibmhursleyflyfishing.xml

Holbury Lakes, 25th annual competition versus North Harbour - Sep 2009

A glorious sunny September Saturday greeted both the Hursley and North Harbour club members on match day with some additional club members turning out to fish for pleasure. Holbury was on fine firm, with the fish fit and healthy and the waters relatively clear. Many club match fisherman bagged up early - within the first hour - swiftly followed by a number of others. The match was expected to be particularly close this year with the stock of rainbow and blue trout ranging from the 2-4 pound range and we knew the results may come down to the wire - but little did we expect quote *how* close.

The Hursley Team won with a combined bag weight of 70lbs 15oz to just narrowly take the edge over the North Harbour team with 70lb exactly. Weighing-in was at 1pm with Matt Groves from the Hursley Team taking the biggest fish - a 3lb 15oz rainbow (after Tony Hogg gracefully deferred his 4lb 5oz fish to second place due to being the organiser) and Chris Searle bringing home the biggest bag weight with an impressive 14lb 1oz. Congratulations to the Hursley Team !

John 'O' Gaunt Trip - Aug 2009

In contrast to our last visit in April, the day was showers and sunshine. But mostly showers ! As usual the fishing was good with most people catching their limit before lunch. The most unusual catch of the day goes to Melita Saville who managed to hook and land a stone. The stone I believe is now on display in Melita's office.

Club Members attend Sportfish Paul Procter Day - 7th July 2009

Four club members, Paul Blythin, Clive Kennedy, Matt Groves and Rod Patterson all attended the Sportfish Paul Procter Stillwater instruction day. The feedback has been very positive, with those I have spoken to stating they had learnt a lot and it was very worthwhile use of time that will improve their fishing and enjoyment of the sport. Here are some pictures of the day taken by Allan Shephard :

September Match Date Announced - 7th July 2009

The annual Hursley verses North Harbour fly fishing competition will be held at Holbury lakes on Saturday 12th September.

Avon Springs Trip - July 2009

After 4 days of heatwave things were cooling down, but the fishing remained tough. The secret was locating the fish and Sue Patterson lead the way, discovering a group of good sized fish sheltering in the cooler over grown back waters. The order of the day was bow and arrow casting and stalking bugs. This resulted in some good bags of fish for Sue and husband Rod Patterson and Andy Parker. Mean while on the club house lake, Bob Hanley, Bob's Guest Robert, Paul Eslinger & Pete Dean had located a willing group of fish close to the car park. The remaining anglers had better luck later in the day when the wind cooled the club house lake.

IBM National Fly Fishing Competition Rutland Water 19th and 20th June 2009

The Hursley team of Bob Hanley, Neil Postlethwaite, Tony Hogg and Andy Parker took 1st prize in the team event. Tony Hogg went on to take the best bag and best overall fish. Andy Parker also added to the teams silver with 2nd best bag.

Tony Hogg Achieves 'Level 2 ADB Licensed Coach (Game) Qualification' - June 2009

Congratulations to Tony on achieving his 'Level 2 ADB Licensed Coach (Game) qualifications. To contact Tony to arrange lessons or coaching click here.

Environment Agency "Where to go fishing" 2009

The environment agency has released their 2009 version of this guide, which we have linked from our websites page.

Wherwell Trip - May 2009

Treated to yet another sunny day, the fish were on extremely good form and the occasional mayfly was coming off the water. Everyone had a fish on the hook and tight lines from very early in the day - and it just continued ! Wherwell certainly seems to be turning into an easier days fishing than previous years. Jason Bridgen pulled out a beautiful 4.5lb rainbow trout on the Saturday trip, and all fishermen continued catch-and-release well into the afternoon.

John 'O' Gaunt Trip - April 2009

A beautiful sunny day contradicted the poor weather reports of cloudy spells with intermittent rain, and resulted in a fantastic day of fishing. The fish were really on, giving some aggressive takes and fighting hard. New club member Josh Sampays on his first official fly fishing outing pulled out two gorgeous 5lb rainbow trout and ended up with a 16.5lb bag, which also means Josh also wins the Spring Cub on his inaugural club trip. Well done Josh ! All club members brought home decent bag weights and as usual JOG was an enjoyable trip.

Wherwell Trip - March 2009

Our first club outing of 2009 saw a superb trip to Wherwell, with all members catching the majority of or all their allocation very early on, at what is usually one of the more difficult fisheries. We welcomed new club member Tim McCormick and Ken Jones caught more fish than he cared to count !

Welcome to 2009

2009 is the 25th anniversary year of the club, and sees the release of a new website and new official logo, with a special version reflecting the 25th year.