A passion for places.

Angling places that is. I'd be willing to bet many of us have, or had such feelings with regard to such places.

I am no exception, I often find myself recounting red letter days, and reveling in the almost intoxicating bliss those places create in my mind to this very day.

Although some of those places are but a shadow of what they once were all is not doom and gloom. There are still a few remaining that serve to inspire and stimulate, and I never did need much in the way of encouragement to go fishing.

Fresh fields to conquer perhaps may become one of those places.

I have had a passion for the Hampshire Avon ever since I was about 11 or 12 when I took my first charabanc trip to Ibsley.

Even though I spent the major part of my working life overseas I always returned to the Avon at every available opportunity.

About 20 years ago I rented an old coach house on the estate of a landed Earl close to Salisbury which I used as a fishing cottage for a good few years, So, I had a place right by the river to visit and fish whenever I got a few days off.

My current home is on the other side of the road to the river but up here it is all trout and grayling fishing with the most of the coarse fishing done downstream of the city.

To be honest, apart from the odd match or fish-in, I rarely fish anywhere else these days as I am totally happy with "my river".

It is a "love affair" that has lasted for over 55 years . . . and counting.



My place is in Durrington and but 3 minutes in the car from here:

Find Us and Follow Us

It is the village where old Frank Sawyer was the river keeper¹ and the same chap who designed the PTN, Grey Goose Nymph, the Swedish Bug and other flies, and his son and grandson still live (and tie and sell flies) in the village.



¹ Sawyer was the keeper for Lieutenant-Colonel Bailley and assistant keeper to Fred Martin and together they managed the six miles of river around Lake House, now owned by the musician Sting.

If you get the chance then read The Keeper of The Stream which is really an account of Franks work, but is largely agreed to have been written by his wife from his narrations.

He also wrote many articles for books and magazines, all well worth reading if you can find them.


It is no "accident" that I ended up living where I do; my choice was total by . . . design.

Fishers Green:- not only the Old River, but Landridge, Hooks Marsh, the 70 Acre and the Relief Channel.

I have fished the place since I was a kid when the Waverly Club and the LAA had the fishing rights.

I remember the Relief Channel being dug, the straightening of the old river, loosing the Spinney as it disappeared into Landridge.

So many changes, so many memories.

Bob

A place that holds such memories for me was the Dam Flask at Bradfield.
My days learning to fish the slider with bread flake or cheese were good times. Very good roach were the target. mixed in with days of dire proportion were some excellent days.
I haven't fished there for by my reckoning 25yrs, strange when it's only the other side of Sheff.