• Home »
• Fly Fishing Locations »
• Cotswolds »

Excellent fly fishing in the scenic Cotswolds

Go Fly Fishing UK provide guided fly fishing days and private fly fishing tuition days and half-days based at a range of excellent Cotswolds Trout fly fishing waters. On the very best Cotswolds Trout fly fishing river - the limestone River Coln - we have access to private estate water on the most scenic part of this river.

We also run full and half-day private fly fishing lessons for beginners at a number of super Trout fly fishing lakes in the Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire Cotswolds, situated near to Cirencester, Swindon, Lechlade, Chipping Norton and Oxford. Some of these lake locations are also ideal for hosting corporate entertainment fly fishing days.

The Cotswolds is a very picturesque area of limestone upland in southern England, less than 90 minutes travel time west from London. Its rivers have some similarities to the rich chalk streams of Hampshire and the River Coln (pictured above) provides notable dry fly and nymph fishing for Brown Trout as well as holding a good head of sometimes-large Grayling. The Cotswolds Water Park contains countless lakes and some of these, with nutrient rich spring fed water, are given over to providing excellent Trout fly fishing in peaceful scenic settings.

The River Coln flows through the most perfect peaceful 'picture postcard' English countryside and quaint Cotswolds villages.

Go Fly Fishing UK has a decade of experience in offering guided days on the River Coln as well as fly fishing tuition days for beginners and improvers on both the river and the Cotswolds Trout lakes. As well as providing challenging interesting sport for proficient fly fishers the River Coln has also proved to be a very successful location for beginners to learn the art of fly fishing. We have access to some of the very best beats on the river - situated around 7 miles east of Cirencester.

If you fancy making your fly fishing day part of a short-break in the Cotswolds then we can advise you on the best accommodation options. These including manor house hotels, country hotels, inns and bed & breakfasts, each within walking distance of superb fishing.

View our photos on Flickr »

View our short videos on YouTube »

Fish species / seasons

The game fish in the River Coln are wild and stocked Brown Trout, occasional escapee Rainbow Trout and wild Grayling. The Trout season runs from 1st April to 30th September with Grayling being in season from 16th June to 14th March. Thus the river is open for fly fishing for almost all of the year. Excellent fly fishing for Rainbow Trout is available on the lakes all year round.

Tackle

The River Coln is mostly a fairly narrow river although there are some wider sections. An 8' 6'' rod for a 5-weight floating line is perfect for the wider sections although an 8 foot rod for a 4-weight line would be better for the narrower sections. Polarized sunglasses help considerably with fish spotting. On the lakes a 9' rod for a 5 or 6-weight floating line is ideal. Loan of all the necessary fly fishing tackle, flies, etc. is free included in our guiding/tuition charge.

Tactics

The Coln is best fished by casting upstream from a position on the bank. Wading is not necessary. As with chalk streams stealth and observation combined with delicate accurate casts are often the key to success. Dry fly fishing is very good from mid-April to late-June, during the summer on cooler cloudy days and in the evening, and then the autumn is another top time for rising fish. The River Coln has an excellent Danica Mayfly hatch which peaks in the late-May to late-June period. In 2010 the hatch was very good and carried on into early-July. Nymph fishing is best in April and in the summer and autumn months and no matter how warm or bright the weather is the fishing is usually still very good to nymphs.

Guides

As well as providing a superb fly fishing guide service our guides will also loan all the required fly fishing tackle, waders, flies, etc. - or you can bring your own - and can provide a railway station collection/return service for fishers. This would usually be from Swindon station (almost exactly 60 minutes from London Paddington). All our fly fishing instructors are trained and qualified. In the Cotswolds we have two instructors who are very experienced Salmon fly fishers who give Salmon Spey casting tuition.

Costs

At Trout lake fly fishing locations in the Cotswolds a full day of private tuition for one person on a mid-week date in the winter season costs a total of just £164 (half-day £109). This rises to £319 for a full day for two people on a weekend date in the spring/summer season. Check out our 'Fly Fishing Lessons' 'Prices - Tuition' web page for full details of all our prices and options. Note that we do not provide just day rod access to fish without a guide/instructor.

River Coln fishing access costs are very reasonable when compared to those of the chalk stream rivers Test and Itchen. Our guided day charges (including guide and day rod charge) start at just £164 for a mid-week day for one person in the autumn/winter (1st October to 14th March) and £250 in the 1st April to 30th September season, with the total cost depending on the number of fishers, the season and the date. Note that we do not provide just day rod water access to fish without a guide/instructor. Our Trout lake based full and half-day fly fishing lessons are priced as per our website price list.

For more detailed information about the Cotswolds area please click here »

To book your fly fishing lesson or guided day in the Cotswolds with Go Fly Fishing UK or to ask for more information please telephone 01252 851397 or email us at dave@goflyfishinguk.com

Web Design Leeds - Web design by New Adventures in Pixels