(Continuing SWMBO’s exciting shopping trip to Britain..)
Winchester Cathedral is famous for its chantry chapels, where daily masses were said for the bishops buried within them. In the recently refurbished ‘Fishermen’s Chapel’ in the south transept is the grave of Izaak Walton. We passed on your thanks to him…
Begun in 1079 in the Romanesque style, this Cathedral is at the heart of Alfred’s Wessex and a diocese which once stretched from London’s Thames to the Channel Islands.
Its bishops were men of enormous wealth and power.
The chantry chapels and memorials of these great prelates are a feature of the Cathedral. This Cathedral Church, so named because it houses the throne of the Bishop of Winchester, has its origins in the seventh century, when a Christian Church was first built on the site. Since then it has played a fundamental part in the life of this ancient city.Images show details of the leadlights in the famous “Fishermen’s Chapel”. Who would have thought we would discover such historic trout fishing references in a cathedral? Does this prove that fly fishing qualifies as a religious activity after all. If so, that makes SWMBO an evangelist?
Also nearby is the famous River Test – arguably the second most famous fly fishing river in the world – after the Tongariro of course…
For any further information on fishing the River Test send your questions to Andrew Christmas c/- TRM as he lived at Salisbury nearby and was a fishing guide on the Test where we believe he has some secret lures and baits which work well after dark…
It was here that Frederick Halford, the most influential fly fishing writer of the 19th Century, fished. In Britain his works on dry fly fishing were considered to be the foundation of the sport as we know it today. He mainly fished the middle reaches of the Test near to the small old town of Stockbridge and this remains to today an ideal base for fly fishers visiting this very special river.
The game fish in the River Test include Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Grayling, Sea Trout and Salmon. It is most famous for its Brown Trout but is also one of the very best fly fishing rivers in Britain for Grayling.
Upstream from Stockbridge the river contains just Brown Trout and Grayling. Some Brown Trout are stocked but natural recruitment is good and wild Brownies are often caught.Below Stockbridge the river relies more on stocked fish and these include Rainbows as well as Browns. Salmon and Sea Trout fishing can be very good in the summer months in the lower reaches of the river from Romsey downstream to the sea at Southampton water.
SWMBO, always the teacher, also wants you to know the river plays a significant part in Richard Adams’ novel Watership Down.
Back to the real world at Turangi:
LOST – an OMEGA Seamaster watch. Family heirloom. Lost between Sand Pool and Fence pool today. Back of watch is engraved W G Hopkins Ashley Forest 1962. Reward. Contact TRM.
Anglers reminder – New season licences start today. Another Australian angler (who else) asks why the licence starts as at 1 July when Fish&Game licences last 12 months from date of issue. Good Question too – which I will pass on to our new Question & Answer panel of “expert fishing guides”. That will test them…
re Stepping Stones: (see report yesterday) Good feedback on the “stepping stones” both for and against – i.e. From USA: … Only one problem with the stepping stone idea for the Tongariro, Ross. Think 300 m3/sec.
TRM’s reply: “Hi V……….. If I have mislead you with the stepping stones then I shudder to think others may also imagine stepping stones across the mighty Tongariro. The Tongariro RIver Track (“TRT”) project will use existing bridges to cross the Tongariro. These include the start via swingbridge at the end of Koura Street above the Breakfast Pool, the upper river crossing using the Pillars of Hercules swing bridge, and the road bridge at Tree Trunk Gorge. The TRT stepping stones are being proposed only for minor tributaries – side streams such as the Whitikau – close to the Tongariro River above the Sand Pool, the Waipa Stream – where DoC have their trap for counting trout, the Poutu River – only where it widens out and is shallow enough, plus about five other minor streams. TRT need to provide for the odd person missing their step and getting wet so in no place would it be more than knee deep. Tourists with mountain bikes would walk across the stepping stones and wheel their bikes through the shallow stream. Occasionally during heavy rain these TRT stepping stones may be briefly covered when tourists would not want to tramp or ride the track in unfavourable wet conditions. But at this stage TRT are “floating” the concept of stepping stones to reduce costs together with reducing the time needed for approvals and construction.”
Other enquirers also questioned how common stepping stones are so I googled the Yorkshire Dales Anglers’ guide which listed amongst others:
River Ure – The Anglers club has 4 miles of fishing from 500 yards above the stepping stones downstream to the notice board etc.
Kettlewell & Kilnsey – … A good stocking policy, below the stepping stones near Kettlewell, ensures that trout …. are plentiful with some fish reaching 2 pounds.
Burnsall – … the fishing from both banks from Linton Stepping Stones downstream for 6 miles through Burnsalll to Barden Bridge … etc.
Bolton Abbey Estate - a 5 mile stretch of river running through the Duke of Devonshire’s estate – Priory Beat – Ungain Deep to Prior’s Pool. The one often seen in photographs because it straddles the abbey ruins with stepping stones…
Ilkley – An easily accessible fishery extends for 2 miles from the new bridge by the Parish Church downstream to the stepping stones at Denton…
Plus others such as River Esk, etc. and in other locations such as Ireland – Tollymore Stepping Stones (See image) This was taken on the Shimna River in Tollymore Forest park in Co.Down. This crossing point know as “the Stepping Stones” has existed for many years.
Finally, you all know TRM anglers never lie or exaggerate, but… The best reply from one inmate wins a TRM hat for such initiative and resourcefulness. He claims that during the winter runs tourists can probably cross these spawning streams using the trout as stepping stones…. but you have to time it right. Probably at night…