Since 2023, a kind Wild Trout Trust donor has funded a day of ladies’ fishing with expert guide Phillippa Hake. This year, he generously expanded his gift so that two people could win the prize draw: Amie Cook and Noake Akiba. In this blog, Phillippa recounts two wonderful days on the riverbank.
On the first day, I met up with Noake on a warm Saturday morning. She had some experience of fly fishing, but hadn’t been in some time, so it was safe to say she was looking forward to the day! We set out to fish a tributary of the River Calder. We had two rods with us: a nymph setup, and a dry fly setup which could convert to a dry and dropper. Having seen the forecast of a bright and warm day, I knew the fishing would be tough. But we did have the advantage of being under the cover of trees, which made things a little easier.
We walked our way down the river, and were greeted by some rising fish. Turning over some rocks, we discovered an abundance of caddisflies, so we knotted on a simple Elk Hair Caddis dry fly and got to work. To say Noake hadn’t fished for some time, she was doing a grand job of covering said rising fish. With the river being quite low, the trout were super spooky and on very high alert, but it wasn’t too long before she found success. After our lunch, we took a drive downstream to a different spot, and opted to run some nymphs through a few of the faster and deeper runs. A fantastic day all round!
On the second day, I had the privilege of spending time with Amie. She had a goal to cast, play, land, and release the fish all on her own, and so we set out on our mission to fish the same River Calder tributary! As we were presented with similar weather conditions to the day before, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy; the river was low, and the temperature was in the mid 20s.
While the water temperature was in a good range for fish welfare, they were still very spooked and we had to be delicate in the presentation of our flies. Amie was booming with confidence and determined to achieve her goal. It didn’t take long: a good cast upstream saw a trout come along and snatch the dry fly we had on the end. I don’t think I have ever seen anyone quite so excited before! I was over the moon to be there and witness it all unravel — it was a special moment.
The tough conditions and picky fish made both days very difficult and, at times, frustrating! But I guess that’s why we call it fishing and not catching, eh? It was great to welcome Noake and Amie, and I’m already looking forward to introducing more ladies to fly fishing in 2026.
Could you be one of next year’s winners?
Our donor, who sponsored two ladies this year and one last year, will kindly be sponsoring three in 2026. This generous donation is for the ladies to learn about fly fishing and how it provides an escape from life’s pressures and stresses in beautiful, peaceful river environments. It will include a day of fishing with Phillippa, a box of her flies to take home, and £200 towards travel and accommodation. If you know any ladies that might be interested, please do tell them about this amazing opportunity. To enter, please email Chrissy at office@wildtrout.org by 28 February 2026.
