To see all of the lots, go to the WTT website HERE, where you can download a catalogue and see all the fishing lots with photos plotted on a map. The website will also have a direct link to eBay once the auction goes live on 4 March.
Fishing overview
Of the 250 plus lots on offer over 200 are fishing days or fishing holidays, covering not only trout fishing, but sea and coarse fishing too. The majority of the fishing is in England but Ireland, Scotland and Wales are well represented too, as are fishing holidays abroad.
In terms of price, over half of the lots have a start price of £100 or less, but if you are after a really special chalk stream day or a bonefishing holiday, your tastes are catered for too! Top prices go to some very special chalk stream mayfly days (start prices £300-600) and fishing in the Caribbean, Argentina and Chile (start prices from £1,900).
Many of fishing lots are accompanied by writers (including Jon Beer, Theo Pike, Dennis Moss), professional guides (including John Tyzack, Pete Tyjas, Steve Rhodes) or expert fishermen / part time guides such as Stuart Crofts and Dave Southall. Many other lots are introduced or accompanied by the donor who will share their knowledge and enthusiasm for their local water.
Coarse fishing
The coarse fishing days vary from those that are serious fishing with knowledgeable experts, to those where having fun is more the priority. At the serious end of things you can spend a day fishing for barbel with Pete Reading of the Barbel Society, or roach fishing with Dr Mark Everard, who wrote ‘The Complete Book of the Roach’ and is a tremendously prolific author of fishy books.
At the fun end of the scale is a ‘One Rod Challenge’ from WTT Director, Shaun Leonard, with the aim of catching as many fish species as possible in one day from waters in southern England – and his one rod is not a fly rod! Or enjoy a competitive challenge of ‘fluff chuckers versus maggot drowners’ on the north Somerset spate rivers.
Carp fishermen might be amused to see three lots for fly fishing for carp. A big carp (or even a small one) on a 5 weight fly rod is exciting fishing…
Sea Fishing
Bass fishing, by lure, bait and fly feature with five lots in the auction. This includes three lots in the Solent – one fly fishing with writer Colin MacLeod, and two by lure from a kayak. The bait lot is fishing with live sand eels in Poole Harbour from a boat with Barrie Welham – a very effective method. The final lot is fly fishing for bass and mackerel with professional guide David Pilkington on the north Devon / Cornwall coast.
For sea fishing by boat, there is a long day out of Dartmouth with 12 hours plus on the water, fishing the distant mid-channel 40-55 miles offshore for such as cod, pollack and ling. Fishing this far offshore means that the fish are more numerous and much larger than the more heavily fished inshore wrecks and there a real chance of catching cod to 30lb, pollack to 20lb and ling to 30lb. Accommodation at a pub in Dartmouth is included.
Fishing in the south east
If you take a look at the auction lot map on the website, there are a surprising number of lots in the south east and east of England, where river trout fishing is not what you would expect. The rivers include the Stour and Darent in Kent, the Rother in Sussex, the Lark in Suffolk, the Nar and Wensum in Norfolk, and the Gwash in Rutland. Theo Pike hosts a lot on his local River Wandle in south-east London, and you can access the trout fishing on the River Chess by tube!
River and lake fishing for trout and grayling
The majority of the fishing lots in the auction are fly fishing in rivers for trout and grayling, and there is a tremendous range of rivers. There are the classic southern chalk streams of the Test, Itchen, Avon and Wylye. Many of the lots are very private and very exclusive beats in the upper reaches where wild trout and big grayling dominate, whilst others are classic chalk stream fisheries such as Bossington on the Test and Heale on the Avon.
If you love the history of fly fishing, then you can visit Halford’s hut on the Oakley beat of the Test where he developed his approach to the dry fly, and spend day on the beat in the mayfly season, fishing in proper Halford fashion. Other lots with historic connections include the Winchester College beat of the Itchen where Skues, Grey et al learned their trade, and the Services beats of the Avon where Frank Sawyer and Oliver Kite fished.
Fishing in small spate steams is well represented, with the ‘jungle warfare’, short rods and long waders featuring heavily on streams such as the Pickering Beck in Yorkshire and the Cam and Wellow Brooks near Bath. Up in scale are the rivers of south Wales, such as the Taff and Ewenny, the rivers of the Yorkshire Dales and the upper reaches of the Tees. For really exciting fishing for big trout, try the Tweed, Annan, Eden, or Don. Or bigger still – fish for Ferox trout on Loch Awe with ferox fish biologist, Alan Kettle-White
Lakes, loughs and lochs are included, ranging from Corrib in Ireland to Lyn Nantle, a mountain lake in Snowdonia. And a couple of guided days on reservoirs – Draycote and Rutland with a different magazine editor guiding you on each one!
All fly fishing techniques are catered for, from Tenkara fishing in mountain streams to heavy nymph fishing for salmon on the Test and the Itchen, plus night fishing for sea trout on the Teifi and Towy and strictly upstream dry fly on the Lambourn and Wylye.
Fishing abroad
Bone fishing in the Caribbean, golden dorado in Argentina and rainbow and brown trout and Chile. This is a really great way to book a top class fishing holiday and as well contribute to a worthwhile cause.
Closer to home, there is a Paul Procter hosted trip to Bosnia, and a holiday in Slovenia where you fish the clear blue waters of the Soca and its tributaries for marble trout. Just a short hop away – chalk stream fishing in Normandy, courtesy of the historic Fario Club.
Tackle and flies
For those who appreciate really fine tackle, there is a beautiful cane rod and matching hand-made reel made for the WTT by Rawson and Perrin, and a feather light, one piece 4ft 9in cane rod by Tim Harris. Malcolm Greenhalgh has donated framed flies by some of his great fly-tying friends, Dave Whitlock and Bob Popovics and there are three beautiful salmon flies by Mike Townend.
Lots also include a couple of Sage rods and some highly useable fishing flies by great fly tyers including Roy Christie and Dave Wiltshire.
Miscellaneous lots
These include art works, ranging from the unusual – a modern metal relief panel by Sam MacDonald of a rising trout, and three ‘gyotaku’ Japanese prints, to more conventional prints by well know wildlife artist David Miller.
The more unusual lots on offer include dog training, badger watching, a day in a blacksmith’s forge, a glamping family holiday in a yurt with fishing on the Rother and a private tour of the Royal Zoological Society Aquarium in Regents Park.
How does the WTT use the money raised in the auction?
The WTT hope to raise around £50,000 in the auction, and this money is absolutely crucial. It allows them to deliver advice and projects to anyone who has a river or lake and who can help wild trout by improving the way it is managed, or by carrying out a project with us to improve the habitat.
In 2012/13, the WTT carried out 59 advisory visits, 33 project proposals and 28 river demonstration events, enhancing habitat on over 220km of river across the British Isles and involving around 460 volunteers and 2400 volunteer hours. The funds from the auction are used to buy equipment like chainsaws, develop programmes like Trout in the Town and Mayfly in the Classroom, and to help to match other funding sources to allow them to do more project work.
