English Chalk Stream

Hi Guys, I am just back from a six week holiday in the UK and Italy, fantastic weather, caught up with all the family and friends and had a blast!
I did manage one days fishing, thanks to a very kind offer from a member of another fishing forum of a days fishing on the chalk streams controlled by the Salisbury angling club. Mark took me to the Wylie and we parked next to a pub (if thats not a good omen I don't know what is!) We made our way to the stream across some fields and water meadows and it was a truly stunning setting. Within a few minutes Mark spotted a god fish and put me in the spot, thankfully I did not fluff my lines and managed to hook my first ever English Chalk Stream Trout, woohoo!
http://i399.photobucket.com/albums/p...psf1179a78.jpg

Which lead to this
http://i399.photobucket.com/albums/p...ps12a56777.jpg

A life-long dream fulfilled! and I managed another slightly smaller fish soon after. We saw some big Grayling and I would love to report getting one but they where too good for me! So we retired to the pub for lunch and then on to the Avon river for some more fishing, I managed to get at least a dozen small grayling to rise to my dry fly but I just could not hook any, Mark managed a few so I at least got a look at these lovely fish.
It was a fantastic day and I will treasure it for the rest of my life.
here are some pics from the river.
The Wylie
http://i399.photobucket.com/albums/p...psb8dce54b.jpg

The Avon
http://i399.photobucket.com/albums/p...psbc97cc29.jpg

All the best.
Mike

Excellent photos and report, it is good to have friends in the right places.

A life-long dream fulfilled! tThat pretty much says it all! Thank you for the report and pics! :-)

Thanks guys, it was indeed a life long dream, I am actually from Hampshire, not more than 20 minutes from the Test and probably 35 minutes from the Itchen but the whole time I actualy lived in England I could not afford to fly fish, it was just too expensive, so to go back after 23 years and manage to get a days fishing was very special.
All the best.
Mike

Well done Mike! Sounds like you had a great trip. The family and I are off to Rotorua this weekend (staying on the Waiteti at the camp ground there). Fingers crossed.

- Jeff

Hi Jeff, good to hear you are getting in some fishing!
I met a group of "oldies" from Halifax Nova Scotia in Italy and when we got talking it turned out they knew your Dad! They said the last time you where home it made the local paper, fame at last!
Good luck this weekend, I hope you get a few.
All the best.
Mike

Nice trip report and photos Mike. Debbie was in France, Germany, and Italy in July. She didn't fish but have a good time never-the-less. Thanks for the report. Those are some lovely streams. Jim