Free Trout Fishing.

If you guys think I am going to tell you where it is, you are very wrong.
But I was doing a job at a company which had a delightful small river running by it, through a municipal park and on through a picturesque valley. Trout to about a half pound were shoaled up at a road bridge over the river.
I walked my lunch break out through a delightful field on a public footpath and saw trout to at least 2 and a half pounds, CARP- a ghost carp following a common carp and two pike- one easily 8 pounds plus languishing in a hollow by the ruined piers of a long dead footbridge.

There were deep pools below a weir with shallow runs easily wadeable. Long flowing weeds sweeping across in the current with small brownies hiding behind waiting for passing tidbits.

No rises to be seen but it was just past midday.
I plan to give it a go in the next few weeks. I'll let you know how I get on.
I have a very nice split cane brook rod just right for this one!

Sounds idyllic Ian.

Looking forward to the post fishing report.

Some people have all the luck...

I would wager that it runs from the Pennines.

Very few people seem interested in these rivers, even though they grow outsised Trout.

If you catch a 5 pounder from the Test, Itchen, Upper Avon, Bourne etc, chances are it was stocked. Actually, it was almost certainly stocked.

Catch a 5 pound Brown Trout from the Mersey basin, or probably equivalent rivers that run east, it's a wild fish.

I've caught one above this weight and several not much below this. Friends have had similar results.

Difficult to catch them on the fly though. They tend to hang around in quiet places, well off the main flow, picking up whatever small fish they can. I believe they scavenge as well.