www.fishingfly.co.uk e mail barrie@avonsprings.freeserve.co.ukThe lakes are the clearest I have ever seen

Location: From London Take the M3 and turn off on the A303. Follow the A303 until you hit the first roundabout. Total journey from start of M3 to the roundabout is about 70 miles. At this roundabout turn right and follow the road until you arrive at another roundabout. Turn right on this roundabout and continue down the road until you see an Esso Garage on your left hand side. Turn left immediately after the garage, then take your third turning on the right. This is Recreation Road. The fishery is at the bottom of this road. I clocked up 75 miles in total from the start of the M3 at Sunbury.Address: Avon Springs Trout Fishery Recreation Road Durrington Salisbury Wiltshire, SP4 8HHPhone number 01980 655267 Mobile 0374 801401Web site: www.fishingfly.co.uk e mail barrie@avonsprings.freeserve.co.ukThe lakes are the clearest I have ever seen-they are absolutely gin clear. Although both lakes are well stocked with trout well into double figures, the smaller lake is floating line with dry fly or nymph. It is really only for the expert.The river is normally gin clear and stocked only with brown trout. It is dry fly only until June 1st. After this date a nymph may be used but it is stressed all fishing is upstream only with barbless hooks. All fish under 11 inches and grayling to be returned. The river is day ticket only and you are advised to book well in advance.Stock: Emphasis is on quality fish of a good size. The lake is stocked daily with rainbows and browns whilst the river is stocked with only browns. These brown trout are really beautiful fish and could be seen in the stock pools up to well into double figures.The river has a natural head of browns and grayling. All grayling must be released. When in season, a sporting ticket for grayling can be purchased at £30.00. (Note-grayling are technically a coarse fish and as such subject to the coarse fishing season running from the 16th June to the 14th March). There are some very big grayling in the Upper Hampshire Avon.Ticket prices on lakes: Full day with a four fish limit costs £33. Half day that runs to or from 2.00pm with a three fish limit costs £25. An evening ticket running after 4.30 pm costs £17 for two fish.Ticket prices on river: You are advised to book well in advance for the river. There are two types of ticket available on the river. These are; the river only with a two fish limit at £45 or what I consider to be the better value ticket of combined river and lake at £45 with a two fish limit on both.Access for the physically disadvantage: Far better on the first lake which is a lot closer to the car park. Swims are well kept and mostly fairly flat.Tuition is by prior arrangement.Corporate days: Again by arrangement but facilities for this are outstanding. There is a properly built club house that is well set out with tables and chairs. Breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, bar and other refreshments can be provided.Other facilities: fishery hut, flies for sale, W.C., coffee and tea

A Days Fishing at Avon Springs – By Bill Rushmer

It took just over an hour for Virginia and I to reach the fishery. It was a clear fast run with no hold ups. The first thing that I noticed when we entered the fishery was how clear the lake was. It was without doubt the clearest lake that I had ever seen.After checking in and a cup of tea with Barrie Bowden, we walked around the lake. I decided to start off mid way down the left bank with a wind blowing into my face. I set up with a 9ft A.F.T.M. 7 rod matched with a WF7F floater and a long leader of about 14ft made up of 61b b.s. Maxima ultra green. I started off with a gold bead damsel fly tied on a size 10 short shank hook. I punched it way out into the headwind and made a slow retrieve. After about half an hour, I had my first take. This was a very bold take and the fish was hooked. I knew straight away that this was no lightweight as it stripped off ten yards of line in just a few seconds. I had nearly all my fly line out leaving me playing directly off of the reel. It took me a fair length of time before I started to really retrieve line. Slowly the fish started to tire and I could clearly see it fighting below the surface in the gin clear water about 20 yards out. Later I managed to net it on my first attempt. It was a brilliant start, a well conditioned rainbow of 61b 1oz.I fished on at that swim but didn’t get another take so I moved one swim further around. On my second cast in the new swim, I had a smash take and was into my second fish. This fish really fought hard taking my whole fly line plus 5 yards of backing on its first run. Having stopped that first terrific run, the fish kept about 25 yards out for most of the fight. Again I could see it fighting at about 25 yards out in the clear water. It took me a while to land this rainbow. It was bigger than my first fish, weighing in at 71b 3oz. This fish was again in perfect condition.I then took a break to walk round the bottom lake. This was again gin clear appearing to have some swims close in that were of a good depth. At the bottom end I saw a good rainbow close in and later I spotted two very big brown trout that could have easily been in double figures. Naturally I went back to collect my gear and have a go at catching one of those brown trout. After trying for nearly two hours, I could not get one of those browns to take and decided to return to the top lake.I selected a swim near the first spot that I had tried and again proceeded to fish a long line. It did not take me too long before I was in to my third fish that again put up a good fight. This fish was a smaller one weighing 51b 10oz which is typical of this well stocked water.It was now time for lunch, that made a nice break. As I walked back to the fishery hut, I could not fail to notice that the River Avon had risen higher than it was when we first arrived and was now fully flooded. We had previously had about five days of exceptionally heavy rain. I think this was the highest that I had ever seen the Upper Hampshire Avon.After lunch, I returned again to fish the same bank. I kept to the same successful tactics and shortly after starting again had my final fish of 41b 14oz to complete my four fish limit, with a bag weight of 231b 14oz.However that was not the end, as Virginia who had acted as my photographer wanted an evening ticket. The roles were reversed as she set up with an 8.5ft rod with an WF6F line with the same gold bead damsel fly that I had been using. Virginia is under 5ft tall and gets on much better with a shorter rod as she lacks the power and technique to punch a fly a long way out. She was fishing comfortably out about 15 yards making ultra slow retrieves. I sat back drinking coffee whilst she fished on for half an hour. Then she was in. Again the fish put up a good fight but was easily landed by her. I have no worries about Virginias ability to land fish as I have seen her catch more than her fair share of twenty pound carp on a centre-pin. The fish was duly landed and weighed at 51b 1oz.About an hour later, she completed her two fish limit with another rainbow. This one weighed 61b. Naturally we were both impressed with our results.

Conclusion: There is no doubt that Avon Springs is a top quality trout fishery offering excellent value for money that is managed exceptionally well, but it is the clearness of that water that really sucks in my memory. It is certainly worth a visit.