Learning to Fly Fish with Fishing Breaks at Nether Wallop Mill Review

Disclaimer: Learning to Fly Fish with Fishing Breaks at Nether Wallop Mill Review – We received this experience in exchange for coverage of our day, as always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have loved fishing since I was young. I used to spend many weekends fishing as a family – my Dad was a keen fisherman and we spent family weekends together fishing on the River Lea. Mum would Knit or Crochet, while Dad, my Brother and I fished. We would have a picnic and spend the day by the bank.

Paul’s Dad is also a very keen fisherman. With both Grandads loving to fish it was a given the kids would enjoy it too – Emmy more so as she is that bit older and has more patience. She has her own fishing equipment and loves nothing more than sitting by the river patiently trying to catch a fish. Grandad fishing (Paul’s Dad) has recently moved to Norfolk and has his own Jetty to fish from outside his house which she loves to do when we visit.

We were invited to have a try at learning to Fly Fish with Fishing Breaks at Nether Wallop Mill in Hampshire and couldn’t wait to try it out. Fly Fishing isn’t something any of us have tried before, and if I am honest after agreeing to it looked rather hard work but up for a challenge, Emmy and myself were excited.

Nether Wallop Mill on the Test Valley in Hampshire was the location of our special Mother and Daughter experience day. This is a beautiful peaceful private location beside Wallop Brook and is a Fly Fishing school, thought to be the only place in the UK dedicated solely to Fly Fishing tuition. It is used for the sole use of offering a combination of tuition, special days for families, adult and child days, kids’ camps, birthday parties, river walks, fishing cottages and other riverside experiences. Run by Simon Cooper who started Fishing Breaks more than 30 years ago.

From April to October, at Nether Wallop Mill, Simon hosts private tuition and courses on Fly Fishing as well as children and family days. It can also be booked for corporate events. It is such a blissful location with a beautiful thatched cabin that sits back overlooking the crystal clear lake. The whole family is welcome to sit and enjoy the day even if they aren’t fishing – they can grab a book, bring a picnic and just enjoy the beautiful scenery while the fishers are taught to Fly Fish by a qualified instructor. The lake is fully stocked with five different varieties of trout – Blue, Brown, Golder, Rainbow and Tiger.

What is included in the day?

Once you’ve booked your day you won’t need any special equipment as everything you need is included in your package. You just have to ensure you are wearing appropriate clothing to spend the day outdoors by the lake. I would suggest layers best as the weather so often changes and you’ll want to be able to add extra layers when the wind picks up or to remove them when the sun comes out. It does get nippy out by the lake. Welly boots would be a good idea if it has been raining.

Things to bring with you:

• Welly Boots/Waterproof shoes
• Jumper/Coat – extra layers to wear in case the wearer turns chilly or which can be taken off
• Sunglasses (polarised if you have them), you have to wear glasses as a safety precaution – you don’t want a hook in the eye spoiling your day
• Hat
• Packed Lunch (or head to the local pub for your lunch)

Include in the price of your day:

• A qualified instructor for the whole session (our day ran from 9.30 am – 5.30 pm)
• Tackle, rod use and licence
• Fish to take home – you are able to take home the fish you catch to take home to eat for your dinner
• Hot drinks and a stocked fridge of cold refreshments

Learning to Fly Fish with Fishing Breaks – Our Mother and Daughter Day

Emmy and I arrived promptly at 9.30 am and were greeted by our instructor for the day Mark. Mark was very friendly and put us both at ease from the off.

We were shown around the cabin on site. It was such a beautiful place to rest on our breaks and to eat our lunch inside later on. Fully stocked with drinks and refreshments which we were allowed to help ourselves to when we wanted. There was a log furnace inside which could be used in the colder weather, comfy sofa seating inside, a little kitchen area, bathroom and 2 separate outdoor seating areas which you can use to relax on your breaks or for the family to sit and watch if you bring them with you. We packed our lunches into the fridge and got straight to learning to cast on a grass area.

Mark’s instructions were clear and easy to follow, and he was so patient when I couldn’t keep from using my wrist to cast instead of keeping that still and using my elbow to do the work. Emmy seemed to grasp it straight away – she loves learning new things and took to it straight away. I took far longer to change casting styles as Fly Fishing is so different to what I am used to. Mark could see the trouble I was having and knew a very quick fix to stop me from moving my wrist – he put my hoodie sleeve over the end of the rod which meant I couldn’t move it – that did the trick almost instantly.

We worked on our casting on the grass using wool flies before moving to the stream for practice in the water. This was so that we could see how the water changes the weight of the line when casting and so we could learn a few more techniques of casting depending on our surroundings. You have to adjust your cast if there are trees behind you or beside you. We then went on to play a game that helped us develop our cast length – we had hoops on the ground and adjusted our lines accordingly to land the fly inside the hoops. Mark then taught us how to play a fish in preparation for our fish catches – letting the fish take the line, then reeling in as fast as possible when it rests, letting the fish take the line again when it swims and then reeling in quickly while it rests again. Back and forth until you land it.

During our refreshment break, Mark taught us all about the different types of Flies we would be using and all those which are used for Fly Fishing – showing us how they so closely looked like the real things and how you change flies for different times of the year, lakes, seasons etc. It was so interesting to learn there were so many different types. We also learnt about fish behaviours, how easily they could be spooked and changes you could/ should make if you have spooked a fish. This was a great thing to be taught as if you have spooked a fish, they’ve noticed your line or seen you on the bank it won’t be likely you’ll catch that fish and could spend a huge amount of time wasted. There are things you can do such as change flies, move positions and ensure you don’t put your net in too quickly when trying to land your fish (or have the net already in the water in preparation).

We moved onto the lake to start fishing and I haven’t seen Emmy smile so much in a long time. It wasn’t long until I hooked my first fish, played it but sadly lost it just before landing it. But I didn’t care and soon after the same thing happened again. It just made me want to carry on more and keep going.

Fly Fishing is vastly different to the style of fishing we are both used to. I’m used to casting out then watching for the float to move, go under then strike. With Fly Fishing you cast out and then start to bring it in your line straight away, not winding the reel but pulling the line so the fly moves across the surface mimicking the movements of a fly. It is a very tiring sport, no standing still but constantly casting out, bringing in over and over again.

Emmy hooked a fish very quickly and played it brilliantly – it took a little longer than she is used to as you let the fish take the line back and forth but she did an absolutely brilliant job and landed her first fish – the first of the day and it was a whopping 4.5lbs. Her smile says it all.

We had a break for lunch sitting in the cabin under some blankets as the weather had turned a little before heading back out again. Mark taught us how to change flies, how to knot them so that the line was invisible to the fish and we fished for the rest of the day. We moved around the lake to try casting into the wind, move positions and try a few different techniques.

It was such a special bonding day for Emmy and me. Something completely out of our comfort zone and one we can’t wait to repeat. Mark was so knowledgeable on all things Fly Fishing and so patient in his teaching techniques. There wasn’t a question he couldn’t answer or anything he couldn’t solve. He taught us so much about fishing and our environment during our day, we even learnt all about the surrounding chalk streams.

You are able to bring home the fish you catch and they can be gutted for you on-site – this is suggested as they have the equipment to do so and means less preparation work for you when you get home and want to cook your fish. Emmy caught 2 rainbow trout which we wanted to bring home. Mark showed her how to gut the first and then she did the second almost entirely herself. She has never been squeamish and actually enjoyed helping. The fish were then washed in the stream quickly and bagged up for us to take to our tent, clean up and cook on the BBQ. Actually catching, gutting and then helping to prepare the fish for the BBQ was such a special experience for us both, something we’ve not done before and it was lovely for the children to see the whole process start to finish (Harry had arrived with Paul to pick us up by this point so he got to watch too).

You watch highlights of our day in this TikTok video below:

@clarenicholasuk AD – Press Visit. Emmy and I spent the day learning to Fly Fish. It was hard work and super fun. We had an amazing day and would do again in a heartbeat. She was a pro…catching 2 and even gutted them. We cooked them on the BBQ. www.fishingbreaks.co.uk #flyfishing #motherdaughtertime #flyfishingtrout #flyfishingtiktok #netherwallopmill #fishingbreaks ♬ Take Me There – Remix – Blackstreet

Events at Nether Wallop Mill Fishing School

Adult and Child Day: This is ideal for an adult and one child aged 8 – 15 years and runs all season (This is what Emmy and myself did)

Family Day: Bring all the family – even the dog. Run all season

Kids Summer Camp – One to three-day fish camps for children aged 8 – 15 years. Runs in July and October

Fathers Day – Special offers and events over this June weekend

Final thoughts

If you have ever wanted to try Fly Fishing and are unsure if it’s for you then I would highly recommend this experience. You get the full knowledge of an experienced guide for the day and can use all their equipment – rods, lines, flies etc before paying out and buying your own. You won’t know if you will be ‘hooked’ until you try it so this is the perfect way to dip your rods into the water and try it for yourselves. We had an absolute blast learning to Fly Fish with Fishing Breaks – Thank you for such a great day.

That said, even if you already love Fly Fishing this is such a great experience and you could use Fishing Breaks to book a course where you can improve your skills with a qualified guide – the courses available are:

• One Day Foundation Course – suitable for novices or the very rusty
• Private Tuition – a good choice if you prefer individual coaching or putting together your own group
• One Day Chalkstream Course – ideal if you are already competent on still waters or other types of river
• Weekend Chalkstream School – prime May weekend dates for improvers
• River & Lake School – a good choice if you have previously attended the Foundation Course or something similar
• One Day Grayling Course – speciality techniques for the Lady of the Stream

For further information check out the website: www.fishingbreaks.co.uk

We stayed Glamping locally at Gambledown Farm, which was a fantastic experience, and we had the best time staying on this farm; feeding the lambs was a highlight for us all, and Emmy especially loved the chickens right by our accommodation.