Wild fishing: never less than unforgettable

From moorland streams to hidden urban waterways, wild fishing takes many forms but the experience is never less than unforgettable, writes Alex Jardine

Where to get your wild fishing fix

There are countless places where you can encounter wild fishing. However, it is essential to consider health and safety, permissions and legalities beforehand. Despite many miles of waterways being in wild locations, many of these are privately owned. Some of these locations are free, others require a simple knock on a landowner’s door for permission. There are also some fantastic outfits that offer portfolios of wild waters to fish. Here are some to explore below, with many more out there:

• Aardvark McLeod: chalkstream fishing and guiding in Hampshire, Wiltshire and Dorset.
• Casterbridge Fisheries : chalkstream fishing in Dorset.
• Devon School of Fly Fishing: guided fishing in Devon and Somerset.
• FishPal : fishing in Scotland and northern counties of England.
• Llandysul Angling Association : fishing in Wales.
• The Arundell : fishing, guiding and accommodation in Devon and Cornwall.
• Westcountry Passport : fishing in Devon, Cornwall and Somerset.
• Wye & Usk Foundation: fishing in Wales and Herefordshire.

What does ‘wild fishing’ evoke for you? Untamed waterways and huge wildernesses where one can catch a fish that has never before seen a fly? Perhaps a wild fish on a small river in a forgotten industrial heartland without a pretty backdrop for miles? What is not under debate is that ‘wild fishing’ has become a popular buzzword but pinning down what it denotes is all part of its challenge. It means different things to different people but to me it is a waterway where wild fish can flourish. Read how to go about shipwreck fishing.

Wild fishing is certainly not new but over the past few years there has been a pronounced move towards it for many anglers in the UK. For some, it feels like a graduation from the stocked rivers and lakes where many of us start out. While it is not always the largest specimen, a fish of wild origin is seen as the ultimate challenge. Even many of the settings for such sport have become better habitats through fantastic rewilding projects; sections of river are restructured to allow aquatic life to flourish, with many waterways being shaped back into the original course before weirs, walls and dredging were employed in an attempt to manage the water. (Read more on our wild fish future.

The UK is home to an abundance of wild fish. Wild brown trout thrive in most waterways, alongside grayling in many locations as well as sea-trout and the Atlantic salmon. Chasing these fish in their natural habitat is something that brings a huge amount of delight and can be done year-round by following regional by-laws for each species. Such fish have an appearance and character that is almost impossible to match. Although wild trout tend to struggle to reach the sizes of their reared brethren, does size really matter? I don’t believe so.

Truly wild waterways are harder to find. Being a small, overpopulated island, we have had a habit of tampering with our waterways. ‘Improvements’ to further progress farming, residential and industrial needs have often had a negative impact on the river habitat but some have brought great benefit: the southern chalkstreams being the most notable of all. Once channelled water meadows for irrigation and farming practices, they now provide watercourses sought by anglers the world over and boast spectacular wild trout and grayling fishing in clear water.

Some of my most memorable wild fish catches have been in locations that were anything but wild. There are dozens of small rivers that have been pushed, pulled and manoeuvred beyond original recognition, which have then become ultimately forgotten in the industrial heartland of the north. I remember fishing some of these small streams in the shadows of factories, hidden from view by thick, coarse vegetation, only to find trout and grayling abound along with huge fly hatches and fish rising everywhere; something that we imagine can only occur in our dreams. While the wider landscape may struggle to provide beauty, the macro environment is truly awe-striking.

For what many might consider a truly wild fishing experience in the UK, most anglers search for a location where wild fish live, that is largely untouched by human hand, and where you can immerse yourself in a wild landscape. An experience that offers the chance to escape the everyday and enjoy the countryside in its rawest form.

Moorland streams

My first choice would always be to trek across rolling moorland. For me it is mainly Exmoor because of where I am based but this experience is easily replicated in Wales, the northern counties and Scotland. Working one’s way upriver with a small trout rod and packed light to make the uneven moorland hikes and boulder hopping less arduous encapsulates wild fishing. The small streams that bounce their way through stark and rugged terrain offer an escape from the urban concrete world that presses ever nearer. Life is hard in these environments for all. Growth for trout is slow and a fish of 10 inches plus is considered a prized catch but it is hard to find a prettier trout anywhere in the world. They are often dark, to match the rocks and stained water, with bright red spots and hugely oversized fins that aid them in the battle with turbulent waters during a spate.

However, the quest for wild fishing does not necessarily mean that you have to sacrifice fish size fully – although I strongly recommend fishing moorland streams if you haven’t already done so, as it is a joy. As you move lower down river systems life becomes easier for fish. There are more places to hide from prey, conditions are less harsh and often food is more plentiful. For chasing wild trout there are two rivers that stand out for me: the Usk in Wales and the Eden in Cumbria. Both flow freely through rugged, rolling hills, and each dip in the terrain provides a new stream or burn adding to their flow. Being bigger rivers, they begin to form larger traditional pool and riffle configurations, which is a perfect blend for insect life, small fish and the trout that wish to eat them.

Through the season (March to September) these pools come alive with fly life and, in turn, rising trout. You just need to adjust the part of the pool that you focus on depending on the season. In the early spring, when the water is at its coldest, the trout are often in the slower reaches of the pools but as the days warm and oxygen levels reduce, the trout move to the swift, shallow waters in the neck of the pool. The march brown hatches in March and early April draw me to fish here. These insects are one of the largest during the season and can emerge in clouds for short periods in the spring. Such is the size that even the largest trout in the river switch on to them and can be found rising. It is exciting fishing; trout of 20 inches or more can be seen snaffling large duns as they drift downstream. The fish may be selective on the fringes of the hatch or lose all inhibition amid the peak flurry. It is all about timing, patience and location; many of the Scottish and Yorkshire rivers experience the same too.

Glorious grayling

But trout are not the only wild fish. Grayling is a favourite of mine to target on the fly. Generally, they have a lesser following. Perhaps this is down to them being gentle fighters during the summertime or the fact that they are best targeted in the late autumn and winter when conditions are less comfortable and many have turned their thoughts to shooting. Few fish, however, rival their beauty in freshwater; the sleek shape and gloriously long and colourful dorsal fin that appears to dance in the current. The smaller grayling (eight inches to 15 inches) can provide fantastic sport on dry fly throughout the summer and even in the depths of winter too. Larger specimens (15 inches to 23 inches) I like to target with nymphs, and preferably by sight. For this I fish Dorset’s River Frome, a spectacular chalkstream flowing through Thomas Hardy country. Its strain of grayling seems to grow larger than elsewhere, and the predominantly clear flows offer the chance to spot and target the fish, almost like bonefish without the 200-yard run.

If just fishing these wild rivers in the daytime isn’t adventurous enough, the next step is to target sea-trout during the darkness of night: a truly surreal experience the first time you go but utterly exhilarating too. Some wild rivers struggle to naturally produce sufficient food to maintain a large population of trout, so some trout have then decided to run to sea in order to find more food and thus a sea-trout is born. In rivers that have built such fantastic runs of these sea-run brown trout they can be successfully targeted with the fly. They can grow exceptionally large too – rivalling salmon in some instances.

Rivers such as the Towy, Teifi, Wear and Till all boast great sea-trout runs. I would also include the Tyne but its artificial river rises due to the Kielder dam make it slightly less wild – it remains a great fishery nonetheless. Sea-trout are a shy fish and are far more attainable when fished for in the dark. It is a unique experience, wading through inky black waters casting at the faint outline of the far back and letting the fly swing round. The takes are fierce and come without warning, straining every sense. Sea-trout then love to jump during the battle, breaking the silence of night with huge splashes. It is important to fish with someone experienced when starting out, as it is essential to know the river and safe places to be, but definitely worth it.

The king of our wild rivers is most definitely the Atlantic salmon, sadly a fish that is in decline but one that offers a thrill even beyond sea-trout in the dark. Perhaps it is knowing the scarcity of the species that adds pressure every time there is a knock or rattle on the line but I do not experience such heart-stopping moments with any other fish. The pace of salmon fishing is different. It allows you to luxuriate in the wild scenery while you are actively fishing. I love the rhythm of it, the belief that with each step and cast your chance of a fish grows. Salmon fishing is steady and meditative, unlike the chaos that can occur mid-march brown hatch, for example, and the rivers it takes you to are spectacular, whether one of the big names in Scotland or one of the many others across England, Scotland and Wales that are lucky enough to see salmon return each season.

Wild fishing is what you make it. An adventure with a fly-rod can be had in that small stream that flows under a village bridge, a tarn atop a rugged moor, a big boulder-moving river and everything in between. The untamed beauty of fishing is also what you make of it, whether the large expansive landscape of open moorland or the intimate hidden beauty of a forgotten stream. Make this year the season to explore more wild fly-fishing. Pick up a rod, don’t stand on ceremony and don’t worry about size; wild fishing is a mindset, and one that everyone can enjoy.