Pre-Season Warm Up at Adwell Estate, Oxfordshire

Saturday, 28 March 2026

Our first event of the season, our warm up for the coming season, is always well attended and this year 14 anglers made a return trip back to Adwell.
 
Adwell Estate is stone’s throw south of Oxford and easily accessible from the M40 motorway for those travelling up from London or from further afield.  Despite the ease of accessibility, the traffic cannot be seen or heard and the estate is pure escapism within an oasis of over 350 varieties of blooming daffodils.  The estate boasts five large springs, and the eight lakes scattered throughout the parkland offer each offer a unique experience.  Each lake is stocked with varying sizes of both Rainbow and Brown trout, which once caught communicate their displeasure and put up a fight worthy of a fish twice their size.  There is an abundance of flora and fauna adding to the delight of the fishery, and careful planting means that the back cast is not hampered.
 
Our day started crisp and bright.  A beautiful Spring morning, blue skies and sunshine.  Our cars filled the driveway in front of the Manor House and Tom, the owner, treated us to hot coffee and biscuits in the house whilst we all chatted fishing and fussed over his Black Labrador, Quibber.  Rods were put together in double quick time; most of us hadn’t fished since the back end of last year and all were keen to get into those Adwell fish.  The lakes are dotted around the Estate, easy enough to get to but nicely screened by mature trees, estate fencing and winding pathways.  So much so, that there’s enough space for all to wander, have a few casts, and wander on again without the place ever feeling crowded.
 
The Brown Trout at beautiful at Adwell.  They are butch and put up a dogged fight, and despite the chill in the air and the bright skies, both Browns and Rainbows were gracing our nets.  Floating lines were the order of the day; a lot of 5 weights being used, but a 7 weight certainly gave access to greater distances and when that wind got a little blustery, helped punch the fly out.  One of the many nice things about Adwell is there is no need to put out a long line to get amongst the fish.  I spent some time with one of our anglers, a relative newcomer to trout fishing, to whom I provided tips and guidance – he was putting out a lovely line and soon got into the mix.  Spring is the start of buzzer and nymph fishing and a lot of the fish were cruising just subsurface taking our flies.  They were hungry – I took fish on buzzers tied on sizes 10, 12, 14 and 16s.  Others used suspender buzzers to great effect.
 
But as is often the case in Spring, the weather can take a turn for the worse.  We always break for lunch around 1pm, gather back at the house and enjoy our picnic in the garden catching up of the successful tactics from the morning.  Just as we were finishing off our pork pies and scotch eggs, the heavens opened and we were battered with hail !  What followed was a chilly blustery afternoon, but for those that braved the elements, the wind did eventually drop, the temperature raised maybe a degree or two and guess what?  The fish decided they were still hungry.
 
Between fourteen of us, we had 84 fish.  All carefully released back to their watery homes to allow others to enjoy the great sport they offered.  That’s a rod average of 6 fish per angler.  Not a bad way to kick off the 2026 season!
 
Thank you Tom fallowing us to fish at Adwell again this year.

A small selection of photos is below.