THE SIRMOOR PISCATORIAL SOCIETY REPORT FOR 2024
The Teffont Fishing Club was kind enough to have us again on their water on the upper Nadder and to allow our picnickers to gather for lunch by the river on Tuesday 18 June. So, although it had poured with rain first thing in the morning, God again looked after His Own, as it stopped by 0900hrs and was a glorious English day by the time everyone arrived for a picnic at midday. There were 20 of us in total of whom 7 opted to fish as well. See the table below for who did what & when.
Next day, Wednesday, was supposed to be a serious fishing day fortified by lunch at the Compass Inn, but although 6 of us fished in the morning there were only 3 takers for the afternoon so it seems that the two half days are the most popular with the picnic lunch on the first day bringing most of us together. There is a table below of who opted for what. It was a particular pleasure to have Elizabeth Parkes with us continuing in John’s tradition with their daughter Emma and son-in-law Henry Coxe who caught his first Nadder trout – a decent one of 8” and here is the picture of a delighted Henry to prove it.
In fact, nearly everyone caught something as you will see from the table but nobly returned them all. Like a number of other clubs, the Teffont Club is trying to encourage wild fish in their river that are far more feisty to catch so we are encouraged to put back the smaller ones if undamaged.
Looking back, I have now been organising Sirmoor fishing for 27 years. Although it is hard to believe that we first started in 1997 when Andrew and Anne Johnston arranged 2 miles fishing on the Coln and gave us all a wonderful week-end package in their splendid Bibury Court Hotel. We learnt the basics of fly tying and casting on the front lawn of the hotel, and for 9 years it was our fishing highlight of the year. Then when they retired and the hotel was sold Christopher Bullock was instrumental in getting us on to the Meon in 2007 where we fished and picnicked for the next 12 years. I also organised fishing in Wales using the Wye and Usk passport system which was a great pleasure and John Urquhart with tremendous initiative got us fishing and shooting on the Isle of Lewis in 2021. Then in 2020 thanks to William Shutttlewood, we changed our regular venue from the Meon to the upper Nadder where we are now. William is a member of the Teffont club and has volunteered to take over so I am handing the arrangements over to him from next year onwards.
Do please make a note of the tentative dates for your diary that will be from Tuesday 17 to Wednesday 19 June 2025. Joanna and I will look forward to seeing you all there again if not before.
DAVID THOMAS
29 September 2024
| SIRMOOR NADDER FISHING & PICNIC 2024 – SUMMARY. | |||||||
| DAY 1. TUESDAY 18 JUNE | DAY 2. WEDNESDAY 19 JUNE | ||||||
| TFC Picnic & Fishing | 0r Picnic Only in italics | ||||||
| DAY 1 | DAY 2 | ||||||
| Details follow same pattern as last year | 0900hrs RV at TFC field for Morning Fishing and Picnic | 1200hrs RV at TFC field for Picnic & PM/EVE Fishing | RV at the TFC field as before | 0930hrs RV for AM Fishing | 1300hrs RV at Compass for Lunch | 1430hrs RV for PM/EVE Fishing | Number & Size of Fish Caught & Returned. |
| David Thomas | 0 | 1 | David and Joanna Thomas | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1×4″ |
| Christopher Bullock | 0 | 1 | Christopher Bullock | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2×8″ |
| Nick Hinton | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| David Santa-Olalla | 0 | 1 | David and Jo Santa Olalla | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1×10″ grayling |
| Henry Coxe | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1×8″ | |
| Nigel Haynes | 0 | 1 | Nigel Haynes | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1×5″, 1×7″grayling |
| Gavin Edgerley-Harris | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |||
| William Shuttlewood | 0 | 1 | William Shuttlewood | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1×6″ |
| Bruce and Carol Jackman | 0 | 2 | 0 | N/A | |||
| Total Fishing | 0 | 7 | Totals | 6 | 10 | 3 | |
| Picnic Only | Regrets | ||||||
| Joanna Thomas | 1 | Chris and Griselda Lavender – Opening the London Peninsular! | |||||
| Caryn Hall | 1 | Dan Huntington – Fishing burns in Colonsay. | |||||
| Bruce and Carol Jackman | 2 | Michael Willis – Away with friends | |||||
| Charles and Caroline Ward | 2 | Tony and Sally Berry – In London | |||||
| Jo Santa-Olalla | 1 | John and Val Urquhart – John has a broken femur. Will recover but slowly. | |||||
| David and Franziska Scotson | 2 | Accomodation: | |||||
| Elizabeth Parkes & Emma Coxe | 2 | 1. Royal Oak, Swallowcliffe | |||||
| Norman and Alison Corbett | 2 | David and Joanna Thomas 17/6 &18/6 | |||||
| Total Picnicing | 13 | 2. Lamb Inn, Hindon | |||||
| Total Party | 20 | Bruce & Carol Jackman 18 Jun | |||||
Leave a Reply