Chatton proves to be a successful spot to fish for two beginners

The weather is changing as we have seen some rain, which was most welcome but didn’t make a lot of difference to river levels.

I coached two super guys at Chatton last weekend under the baking sun.

John at Chatton with the first rainbow trout he's ever netted. Picture: Bob Smithplaceholder image
John at Chatton with the first rainbow trout he's ever netted. Picture: Bob Smith

There were not a lot of anglers, probably because of the high temperatures, with most anglers fishing later in the evenings when it’s cooler.

The two managed to roll cast quickly and John hooked and landed his first-ever rainbow trout of three pounds.

We had a pleasant lunch and tried the other two lakes.

Another hard fight resulted in another, similar-sized rainbow in the net.

This fish was tempted by a beaded Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear.

Just before the end of the session another trout was hooked on the same fly but this one jumped out of the water several times before becoming dislodged.

It was a good session and both guys enjoyed the fishing, the fishery and the views.

I visited the Rod and Tackle shop at Cramlington last week and met one of the Newcastle Falcons team, who was buying a new rod, reel and line to fly fish for pollack and mackerel.

The last time I did any saltwater fly fishing was during my visit to Australia.

My guide had a boat, but I wanted to fish from the shore, however I was advised it was not a good idea because of the saltwater crocodiles.

I know some people do saltwater fly fish off the rocks in Northumberland. It can be rewarding, but remember if you try it, saltwater can corrode your tackle so specialised saltwater tackle is recommended.

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