It is with some sadness that I watch each year Trout fisheries close in ever more increasing speed. Each year fisheries are opened with such enthusiasm and so much hard work is put into them. I am told the reason is less people are fly fishing these days, Is this the case I wonder certainly in the eighties and nineties fly fishing was hot news in the magazines and there was a huge surge in interest.

But what happened also at this time was strangely peculiar to English Trout Fisheries suddenly investing in technology to grow their trout bigger and bigger. Where a 5 lb fish was once rare fish of 10 lb were stocked then 15 lb soon fish over 20 lb were being produced regularly by fisheries. The game angler was being offered a fish of a lifetime every time they went to a fishery. Unfortunately these fish also took longer to grow and the feed bills went higher and higher with more and more chemicals added. Some stew ponds were now purpose built complexes with ultra violet lighting and tempters controlled to high levels.

This scientific approach seemed a long way from the small trout streams that fly fishing evolved from. Many including myself expected the sport to split into two groups the specimen hunters looking for larger and larger fish and the Reservoir and River Fisherman. We were wrong as the fisheries continued to spend for larger and larger fish they had to charge their fisherman more and more to fish. Eventually the controlling factor was not how large you could grow a trout but how many people could afford £100 plus a day. This bought about the sudden collapse of the fisheries added to poor stock markets, Pension worries the rich fly fisherman was suddenly an endangered species. A mortgage and families were eating all available income so fishing came second.

But all is not lost people did not give up fly fishing some just went less often but many including myself joined fishing clubs that for £100 a year enabled them to fish miles and miles of river banks free. My club also offers me a Stillwater for trout fishing the fish are stocked at 2lb and all are happy who fish there. The Stillwater was previously a trout master water that could no longer be viable as to the low number of fisherman. Now it is fully booked most days and the happy member’s fish most weeks the clubs game section seems to go from strength to strength. I believe that fly fisherman are not a dieing breed but are thriving they have just become a little more educated. Also the sport has suddenly diversified with fly fisherman now fishing for Sea bass or Pike and with cheaper air fares Bonefish the world is suddenly our oyster.