Arctic Char

I was dropping off a rig order at Iwerne Springs Trout Farm yesterday and got chatting to Graham, the owner. He's been granted the first ever licence to supply Arctic Char to fisheries... I've caught them wild in the scottish lochs and lochans and they are really good scrappers when hooked, so the thought of catching them in Dorset and Hampshire ponds is quite exciting

Don't expect any escapes to creep into our local streams though as the licence is only for lakes and ponds that have no connection to a stream, etc and the Char he breeds are triploids so are sterile.

The trout farm is a great place with some nice Brown and Rainbow Trout and the new Arctic Char ready for fishery stocking - but I couldn't work there... I'd want to spend all day flicking out a fly and not getting anything else done

If you want details of the places that are stocking his char then drop Graham a line, he's a nice bloke and a regular Chesil Beach fisherman too.

Graham Watling - info@iwernesprings.co.uk

A few years back I stocked tiger trout at the fishery I was running. They are a char cross as far as i know and they were brilliant scrappers and would jump all over the lake when hooked! even stocking them was a nightmare as they kept jumping out of the tank we were using to transport them to the top lake.
arctic char should work realy well for them and will no doubt draw a lot of anglers looking for something different.

don't artic char require cold water as in below 8 degrees???? thats why they are found in deep lochs resi's etc....... surely there isnt many waters that stay quite cold all year or are that deep to keep the temp low...... may be wrong.....

I've just got an answer to your question Arron Graham says Char will feed up to about 14-15°C but the main reason for a fishery stocking Char is to extend their season well into the winter (as well as the novelty of catching a Char).

The first fishery to stock his Char, Woodington (one of Hampshire's premiere trout fisheries) has Char up to 3lb in one of their lakes and someone has just had a great day there, catching a big Rainbow, a big Brownie and a big Arctic Char in one session...

How many people can say they've done that in Britain?

Hopefully Rockbourne Trout Fishery in the New Forest will be stocking their lakes with Char soon - close enough for a quick session without wasting hours driving.

Now, what fly patterns do they recommend for Char?

rockbourne..... my mates manager on there, im doing this weekend as cover manager and a few days at the start of april, i know they get there trout from graham.

didnt know that i always thought they were cold water... every days a school day. cheers martyn

Makes me wish I'd taken up fishing whilst living in the lakes. Think it's one of the few places where you get wild Char in England. Not bad as a smoked fish if I remember.