F.M. Halford has been called the “father of dry fly fishing” due to the many books he wrote while fishing the River Test in England.

The thatched fishing hut where Halford prepared his flies stands opposite Oakley Farmhouse, near Winchester. In short, if trout fishing has a spiritual home, this stretch of water is it.

The Oakley Farmhouse has recently been listed at 2.6 million pounds (5.1 million US dollars) but before you tap your 401K, know the fishing is no longer part of the property:

You would similarly have to join the syndicate at Mottisfont to fish from Oakley Farmhouse, where your application would have an excellent chance of being accepted.

Your application might stand a chance, I checked my heraldry and am descended of a long line of debtors and pickpockets, it’s not likely they’ll take to my quaint blend of boorish manners and colonial charm …

It is here, too, at the Grosvenor Hotel, that meetings are held of the Houghton Club, the most selective fly-fishing club in the world. Founded in 1822 with 13 members, its membership has ballooned to 25, but little is known about its activities – except that it has a changing area reserved for the Prince of Wales.

I would be very quiet, very polite, and learn of the intricacies of single malt versus blended; after a hellish six seconds – I’d make the mistake of mashing someone’s hand in a friendly grip, backslap his Lordship while he’s drinking and wind up a poacher on my own property.

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