Fly Fishing in Norfolk
Terry Lawton takes a look at the fly fishing opportunities in his home county.
The first thing to say about fly fishing in Norfolk is that there is a lot more trout fishing than most people realise with some very good sport to be had on a mixture of quiet rivers and streams, well away from the crowds and amongst a wide variety of wildlife. It is often a good idea to take a camera with you and, particularly for bird watchers, a pair of binoculars.
Rivers that are accessible to visiting fly fishermen relying on day tickets will hold a mixture of stock fish and small, hard-fighting wild brownies. Many of the rivers rise in the chalk belt that’s sweeps through North Norfolk. Some rivers have more chalk streams characteristics than others and the best are quite similar to the carriers to be found in Hampshire.
In addition today tickets waters, there are other rivers where there is the odd stretch of free fishing and streams that hold wild trout that are not or hardly ever fished. Finding these places is not always easy but it can be worthwhile asking the local farmer if you can have a few casts, You never know, you might find a hidden gem.
Norfolk still waters are all former gravel workings that have been flooded and landscaped. Most of the ones that are fished regularly are now well matured.
Most rivers can be fished wearing gumboots but breathable chest waders will allow wading and also provide protection against nettles and keep you drying if fighting your way through dense vegetation after rain. A rod of between eight and nine feet, for a #4 or #5 floating line will be ideal. Short rods can make casting difficult if the banks have not been cut.
Essential dry flies include Grey Wullfs for the Mayfly season, Adams, CDC emergers, ‘F’ Flies, Pheasant Tail. Must-have nymphs are Sawyer Pheasant Tails in a range of sizes, Gold-Ribbed Hare’s Ear, shrimps, caddis and perhaps a selection of Czech nymphs. A landing next with an extending handle could be useful when you can’t get close to the river bank or the bank is quite high which is often the case.
There are even opportunities to cast a fly for bass and sea trout along the coast, whether from the beach or around estuaries. One word of warning is to make sure that you know the time of high water as in areas such as off Blakeney Point or Brancaster beach, it is easy to get cut-off by a fast-approaching tide, particularly is there are channels between you and the shore. Success for bass and sea trout is dependent on the tides and the weather. Strong on-shore winds can make the sea too murky.
Rivers
River Wensum Bintry Mill Trout Fishery
£15 for a day on the Yarrow Farm beat only. Contact Terry Lawton, 01603-872393 or e-mail: t.lawtonpr@netcom.co.uk
Fakenham Angling Club
£5 a day, fishing upstream from by-pass bridge. Tickets from Dave’s Fishing Tackle, Fakenham, 01328-862543.
River Bure Abbots Hall, Ingworth
£15 a day, expected to be a member of the Salmon & Trout Assoc. Can take a brace of fish and then fish catch and release. Contact Vic Purdy, 01263-833593.
Stillwaters
Roosting Hills, Beetley
£10 for a day, 3 fish limit. Expected to be a member of the Salmon & Trout Assoc. Tickets can be collected in Gressenhall. Contact Robin Bunning, 01362-860352.
Norfolk & Suffolk Flyfishing Society, Tuddenham
£16 for four fish only, no catch and release. Tickets available from Gallyons (01603-622845) and Angling Direct (01603-400757) both in Norwich, and Dave’s Fishing Tackle, Fakenham (01328-862543)