Sportfish

Matt Hayes with a nice Glomma grayling

 I arrived slightly ahead of the rest of the group today, great to be back in this beautiful country. Matt was keen for me to see some of the excellent trout and grayling fishing that lies within easy striking distance of Winsnes before the rest of the party arrived. We headed off around mid morning – the drive is an experience in itself, up through the Gaula valley and through the pretty town of Roros.

The plan was to fish two rivers – first the lovely Vangrofta. This is a serious challenge for any trout angler, big wily fish that will only look at a perfectly presented fly. This is not a particularly big river and it flows through lush pasture land so is very fertile. After this we moved to the Glomma, a much bigger river and perhaps better known particularly for the quality of its grayling. Needless to say we had a great day and Matt came up trumps with an immense 50cm grayling caught around mid night on a mayfly spinner pattern of his own tying.

Matt and I want to run an experimental trout fishing trip to this area probably in September, Matt will guide a small group. Please contact email me if you would like to join us allan@sportfish.co.uk.

Today was our last full day of fishing. It was a little windier but the good news was that the now traditional final day lobster lunch had been booked at the really charming beach restaurant on Augustina Island. This is a great way to end the week - everybody fishes in the morning then we rendezvous at the island. We take a few bottles of wine in the cool boxes, eat a huge amount of seafood and generally have a fabulous time. It gives everybody a chance to reflect on the week and overall it has been a great success.

The guys have all got on really well and I am sure some enduring friendships have been forged. I would like to thank Roxtons and Sightcast for arranging such a superb week for everyone and I am already looking forward to next year’s trip to this fantastic place.

Acadio took us to a long flat in a lagoon. We fished our way along the edge of the mangroves until lunch. The guys fished really well - both have taken to ‘boneing’, as they like to call it, in a really big way. They ended up with over a dozen between them, all stalked in very shallow water. We had lunch in the boat - sandwiches, a salad, biscuits, melon and a few hard-earned beers.
After lunch, just before heading off, we spotted a nice Barracuda chasing some bonefish around. John had a few casts with a green tube and nailed the brute. After a really great fight we got it in the boat and headed off.

It’s really important to carry a lightweight waterproof jacket for days when there might be a short sharp tropical shower. I use the Patagonia Rainshadow jacket which is excellent. It folds away to nothing and is treated to repel water - a first class product.