River Wylye
Salisbury & District Angling Club
Today I gave up on the beloved Wye and headed East for the Wylye. It was a beautiful winter day; cold and crisp with deep blue skies. Even the chalkstreams had a little colour and were running high, but they were fishable. After weeks of waiting, at last I could do some fishing.
Last winter I found a dead cock salmon on the banks. Today I caught a hen salmon whilst fishing a good grayling stretch. The beautiful fish was quickly unhooked and released without coming out the water. My hands were numb but I was euphoric; -- salmon on the Wylye. May she produce many offspring to populate the river.
After the shock of the salmon I settled down to fish for grayling and the darlings were keen, even with the water temperature in the low 40s. A mid-day hatch of olives failed to interest them, but a weighted nymph trundled along the bottom brought fish to the hand and put a smile on my face. I can not wait to return for more magical moments on the river. In addition to the finned wildlife there was a kingfisher, snipe and a signs of an otter.