Trout Fishing - My Days at Tenterden Trout Waters

People have been fishing for all centuries. It started as means of survival but has become the favourite sport and pastime for many people in the world. The male of the species has for several years desired to teach his offspring the secrets of the strangest art form of fishing, fly-fishing, or maybe more specifically in my own case, trout fishing. Many an anecdote, technique and favourite choice of fly has been passed on from father to son over the generations since the game began. The initial of the anglers I guess, started by catching and tying a real fly, damsel or otherwise, to the hook. Subsequently some lateral thinker decided several items of bird's feather, deer hair or lamb's wool could be fashioned in to the likeness of the true thing.

It's not always the male of the species today, since early Seventies, many more women have taken up the sport as well.

So, let's get to trout fishing, some call it game fishing, fly-fishing. You could call it, fun, a torment, an obsession, a discipline, an art. What www.charlesfish.co.uk may call it, don't let anyone stop you carrying it out!

All of the trout fishing I have done has been on lakes in the UK. A few excursions to a few of the small rivers, sometimes without a lot of success but let me tell you,'throwing flies at the water'is pure joy to me. One of my favourite spots is some three lakes of varying sizes called Tenterden Trout Waters, located at St. Michael's close to the beautiful country town of Tenterden in Kent. Within earshot and sight of the Kent and East Sussex steam railway, this fishery lies in a tranquil valley in the weald of Kent just north of Romney Marsh.

I have spent many happy hours there surrounded by the stunning scenery either catching fish or seriously wondering why I find this sort of fishing so compulsive, when after six or seven hours of fishing, I haven't had one take.

I recall onetime maybe 35 years ago now, certainly back the mid to late Seventies, finding myself fishing at Tenterden Trout Waters for a passing fancy day as Charles Jardine. Charles you might well have heard of, but if not you will because not merely is he an excellent fisherman, he is also a prolific writer of books on the subject of fly fishing and fly tying, he is an artist and also works tirelessly to aid world conservation.

There were maybe six or eight people on lakes that day, it was scorching, probably the latest of the season so far. No-one seemed to be getting any takes; certainly, no one took any fish in terms of I possibly could see. Charles I saw was just sticking at it and low and behold by the full time we left he had were able to take too sizeable trout I consider six pounds each when all others failed.